Fruit Dip

This recipe is inspired by the one here.  

1/2 small jar of marshmallow creme

1 container lemon yogurt

1 container strawberry cream cheese

Blend!  Serve with fruit (e.g. apples).  If you are using a softer fruit, don't add as much cream cheese or marshmallow creme.

Poultry Spice Rub

1/2 lb salt

2oz chili powder

2oz garlic powder

2oz crushed red pepper

2oz black pepper

2oz MSG (Sold under the label "Accent")-- omit if desired

1oz sage

Use as a dry rub on poultry or pork roast.  

This should last you like 3 years, so you may want to reduce the amount you make...

Declaration

I hereby declare today the first day I have attempted to cook a whole animal.  In my case, a very small Cornish Hen.  She was beautiful.  I made her in my countertop rotisserie oven, which I love.  I did, however, undercook her because I did not realize where her thigh was and determined her temperature at her calf (drumstick).  She is now in the oven getting fully cooked and her carcass is in a pot (hopefully) making stock for use with the dressing at Thanksgiving.  I will have to post the recipe of the rub I used on my chicken soon, but wanted to document this momentous occasion.  

P.S.  Her hip joint is (was) super cool looking!

P.P.S.  You may be suprised that I have not previously done the frugal thing of cooking a whole animal, but seriously... chicken breasts were 90cents per pound last week...

Chicken Salad

This is inspired by Arby's Chicken Salad.

Use the following ratios (I don't measure):
2 parts - Chicken (I prefer not to used canned), cut into small pieces
2 parts - Apples, cut into small pieces
2 parts - Grapes, halved
1 part - Craisins
1 part - Pecans, chopped

Coat with equal parts plain yogurt & mayo (or miracle whip).

Season with Curry Powder to taste (don't skip!).

Serve with lettuce in wraps....

Cream Cheese Chicken (variation)

So, I was inspired by Holly's Cream Cheese Chicken. Here is exactly how I made it. It was too salty for my taste, but I'm not sure which ingredient was the culprit since I used homemade versions of some ingredients and it was my first time doing so.

Ingredients:
3-4 Chicken Breasts cut into small pieces (Italian Dressing Mix)
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 'can' Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Broccoli Crowns, cut into bite size pieces
4 oz. Sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
(I think I'd do the non-oil kind if I put tomatoes in again. They sure did give it a nice color!)

Directions:
Gently cook the chicken on the stovetop with Butter & Italian Dressing Mix. Add remaining ingredients and slowly simmer until broccoli is tender. Serve over rice.

Note: I'm exploring the Cream of Chicken Soup mix (see link above). I will definitely let you know if it works for all applications because it was EXTREMELY cost effective compared to buying it. I am mostly concerned about time & consistency. I think I should have used half the amt of water to make it more 'condensed'. I forgot that the recipe's end result was supposed to be the actual soup and not the 'condensed' version.

Note:  I made this again recently in the crock pot as suggested by Holly & it worked even better than sauteeing.  However, I think 1 block of cream cheese is too much unless you have at least 4 breasts.  Adding broccoli when you add the cream cheese works out great, you just have to leave the lid on!!

Scrambled Eggs

Okay, so it's not a new recipe, but rather a new way to make scrambled eggs that makes for easier cleanup.  

Get some sort of bowl (I like my corningware or stoneware) and spray a splash of PAM.

Crack eggs in bowl (add desired extras, like bacon!) and whip.

Microwave for 20 seconds and stir.  Repeat until cooked.

YAY!

If you just use one egg & you only stir like once, you can end up with a good "egg round" for putting on a bagel....