Chicken Pillows

I recently wanted to find a somewhat "girlie" lunch to make for a couple friends who came over for a play date.  And I wanted to use what was in my house, so as not to have to make a special trip to the store!  Well, I hit upon a recipe shared by my dear friend Stacy many moons ago:  Chicken Pillows. 

True, when I made these for the fabulous ladies who came to luncheon with me (sounds so proper, doesn't it ;)), I didn't have all the ingredients called for.  But I made substitutions, and it worked out marvelously well.  Even the two toddlers who ate with us gobbled them down! 

But then, a couple nights ago, I made them the almost real way. (Almost, because I still used breadcrumbs in place of crushed up stiffing mix).  Once again, my toddler devoured her portion.  And it made plenty for me and hubby to enjoy as well :) (and after leftovers!). 

This recipe is originally from beckyhiggins.com.  I will share it below as written, with my changes in the parentheses.

CHICKEN PILLOWS
2-3 cooked chicken breasts, diced or shredded (or two cans of chicken if you're pinched for time)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
6 to 8 regular crescent rolls
stuffing mix, slightly ground up (I use plain breadcrumbs)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk

Combine chicken, cream cheese and seasonings.  Add a spoonful of mixture to center of crescent roll.  Wrap up dough and pinch the edges.  Dip in melted butter and then roll in stuffing mix (breadcrumbs).  Bake at 325 for 25 to 30 minutes.  Serve with mushroom sauce (combine soup and milk in saucepan and simmer over low heat until smooth and creamy).

I'm not sure why I haven't made this recipe more often.  I included it in our family cookbook we made for our 2008 Family Reunion, because when I'd had them at Stacy's, they were so delicious!  And then I never got around to making them.  Well, no longer to be true!  These are pretty quick and easy, especially if you already have some chicken to use.  The first time I made these, for the lunch, I subbed shredded cheddar for the cream cheese and puff pastry for the crescent rolls (it's what I had on hand) and used canned chicken and my friends said it was enjoyable.  So I think you can take some liberties with this and still come up with a great meal!

Pumpkin Pie Green Smoothie

Some of you may be aware that I've been on a green smoothie kick as of late.  The truth is:  I'm a terrible vegetable-eater.  I like my food to taste delicious, and veggies that aren't totally dressed up (which sometimes takes some creativity and effort) just don't appeal to me. 

But I like V-8 juice. 

And I like smoothies.

So clearly, getting my veggies in a liquid manner seems to work for me.  And so I've been doing the green smoothie thing. 

Today, I also decided to work on getting rid of some of the (copious amounts of) pureed squash we have hanging around our house.  I'm not complaining about this, as I love having all this stuff at my fingertips for making breads and pies, etc.  It's just that I recognize I need to actually use it ;).  We got squash from our own garden last summer, and we also got a 20-pound winter squash from my in-laws.  Ergo, we have lots of pureed squash in our freezers.

So today I decided to pinterest some pumpkin smoothie recipes.  And lo and behold, I found one that was a green smoothie as well!  So I had to try it.  Even if it isn't fall ;).  I found the original recipe here.  But below is how I adapted it to my personal tastes (and what I had on hand).

PUMPKIN PIE GREEN SMOOTHIE
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
sprinkle of cloves
sprinkle of nutmeg
1 ripe banana
3 small handfuls fresh baby spinach (probably about 3 cups, loosely packed)
1 tablespoon honey (ours was raw, since we got it from Jeremy's brother who has bee hives)

Add ingredients to blender (I suggest putting everything in but spinach and banana.  Then add the spinach on top and then the banana to weigh it down).  Blend on high (or smoothie setting) a couple minutes until well-blended and smooth.


This wasn't as sweet as some of the green smoothies I've made (like I said, my vegetables have to taste good...).  That's why I added honey initially, because the banana wasn't sweet enough for me.  But once I added the honey, I really liked it -- even though it still wasn't as sweet as other smoothies I've made which have more fruits.  And Lynnaea liked it a lot too.  She came back for more 3 times!  So I say it's a win :). 

Also, the recipe above makes about 3 cups, so cut it back as needed.  I just wanted to make sure there was plenty to go around ;). 

So yep, I used up some squash...  Got in some spinach...  It's all good :)!