Chicken Stuffed Shells

Justin's brother, Jason, and his girlfriend, Julie, just had their first baby on August 24th (Welcome to the world Jacob!!!). I decided that I would make a few dishes for them that they could freeze and have a quick and easy meal when they needed it.

I made them Baked Ziti and Chicken Stuffed Shells (recipe below).


CHICKEN STUFFED SHELLS

1/2 to 1 box jumbo shells
2 Cans of shredded chicken
1 pkg. Stove top stuffing
1 c. mayonnaise
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup


Cook shells according to directions on box. Cook stuffing as directions call. Mix chicken, stuffing and mayonnaise. Stuff shells. Combine soups with 1/2 can water. Cover shells with soup in casserole dish with lid. Bake about 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love making Chocolate Chip Cookies. Mainly, it's because I like to eat the raw cookie dough and I love to see someone biting into one and saying "OMG this is really good!".

I have always used a stand by recipe that I got from my Home Ec. class when I was in middle school (Thanks Miss Webb, lol!). I am open to trying new ones though. I like my Chocolate Chip Cookies to be soft and chewy. I hate it when they are hard!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 Cups Flour
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted Butter ( I only used 1 stick of butter and added 1/2 cup of Butter Flavored Crisco)
3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs
1 12 oz. Package Chocolate Chips


Preheat oven to 375˚. Melt butter in microwave. Let cool completely (I like to just put the bowl of butter in the freezer for about 5 minutes). While butter is cooling, combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl (set aside). Beat (melted, cooled) butter, sugar, brown sugar & vanilla in a larger bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Gradually add flour mixture in increments. Stir in chocolate chips. Add more flour until not tacky. You want to be able to roll the dough in your hands without it sticking much. Roll the dough in your hands and drop on an air bake cookie sheet. Bake at 375˚ for 9-11 minutes. Be careful not to overcook! These are not supposed to be a dark brown, but a light color when they come out of the oven. Enjoy!!

Our 2nd Anniversary!

Sept. 2nd was our 2nd Anniversary. It's crazy how fast time has passed. I guess it's all down hill from here! Justin and I decided to go away to Peak N Peek in New York for the weekend. We golfed and had a really nice dinner. We really enjoyed it.

Last year, we decided that we would not buy each other presents but buy a present together. Something that we would have for a really long time and be able to say "Oh yeah, we bought that for our 1st Anniversary". We ended up buying a painting (since 1st Anniverary is paper). It's a Pittburgh Steelers painting that has 3 little lab puppies on it. It's really cute. It's hanging in our office.

This year, since the 2nd Anniversary is cotton, we decided to buy a new chair for our family room. Justin has always wanted a comfy oversized chair.

Baked Ziti

I made this recipe for our housewarming party this past weekend. It was really good! It reheats well too.

Baked Ziti

INGREDIENTS
1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

New House!!!!

We love the new house! I am enjoying figuring out how to decorate and even though I am no where close to being done, it is getting there. We had a picnic last weekend with some of our friends and family. There were over 40 people there! Everyone had fun and it was a great time!

Follow this link to see more pictures of the house:

http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/user/page.aspx?username=BeckysinLuv

Cheesy Rice

I made this as a side dish to the Chicken Crescent Pockets. The flavors were very tasty.

Cheesy Rice

Prep Time:10 min
Total Time:25 min
Makes:2 servings, about 1 cup each

1 Tbsp. KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp. chopped onions
1 cup instant white rice, uncooked
1-1/4 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 oz. (1/8 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

HEAT dressing in small saucepan on medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 3 min. or until tender.

STIR in rice, broth and tomatoes. Bring to boil. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 min.

Chicken Crescent Pockets

My parents stopped over for dinner tonight so I decided to try a new recipe. I had this saved in my "recipes to try" list for a long time. I had intended to make it last week. I bought the Crescents at Giant Eagle but I stupidly put them on the refridgerator door and they exploded! Haha!

Rating: 10 of 10

Chicken Crescent Pockets

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp butter, melted

2 cups chicken

2 tbsp milk

salt & pepper to taste

1 (8 oz) can reduced-fat Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls

3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed



Heat oven to 350°F. Cook chicken in skillet.

In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened butter; stir until smooth. Add salt, pepper, and milk. Mix well. Add this mixture into the skillet with chicken.

Separate dough into 4 rectangles (combine two crescents). Firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Gently spray tops of chicken pockets with olive oil; sprinkle with crushed croutons. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.