Chicken Wellington

Wellington is a very fancy, high-class food.  It is typically beef, coated with pate (pat-ay is a finely ground liver, typically duck) and duxelles (creamy mushroom and onion sauce), and wrapped in puff pastry.  Then it's baked.  That's a bit much so I made it much simpler and with chicken, but I have also done it with beef.  I personally prefer the chicken.  This is great for dinner parties because it can be made ahead of time and simply placed in the oven to bake when needed.

 

{Chicken Wellington--Girl Eats World style, fast, simple, and delicious}

 

{The chicken breast needs to be thin so cut it thin or pound it thin}

 

{Sauting onions and garlic}

 

{Chop mushrooms}

 

{This is how you get the dough out of the can}

 

{Unroll the dough into the two sets of two triangles}

 

{Pinch the two triangles together to make a square}

{Add cream cheese and sour cream}

 

{Filling}

 

{Spoon filling onto chicken breasts}

 

{Place crescent dough squares on top of the filling}

 

{Baked and ready to be devoured!}

 

{Serve with steamed veggies for a fast dinner!}

Chicken Wellington

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts, pounded or cut 1 inch thick (steak can also be used and cooked to your desired temperature)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, diced
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint mushrooms, chopped
4 oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can crescent roll dough, pressed into 4 squares

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place chicken breasts in a greased casserole dish.
3. Heat butter in a pan.
4. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms, cooking through.
5. Add cream cheese, sour cream, and pepper, cooking until melted.
6. Spoon 1/4 of the mushroom mixture onto each chicken breast.
7. Top everything with the crescent dough squares (see above photos for instructions).
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken and crescent dough are done.
9. Serve.

One of the parts that I love about complicated recipes is stripping down all the non-essentials and getting to the meat of the recipe--pun intended!  I like my recipes to be easy and simple.  What's your recipe philosophy?

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Scones

Many, many years ago, I made the scone recipe from a Betty Crocker book for my mom.  She loves it when you do stuff like that, and being a kid, cash is short.  However it started, I have created a scone-monster in my mother.  The scones are deliciously buttery and crumbly, perfect with a cup of coffee, milk or hot chocolate.  They are not the most fun dessert to make, which is why I only make them once or twice a year.  My mother hoards them and freezes them.  What can I say?

{Scones for Mother's Day Tea}

{Chocolate Chip Scone}

Worry not, readers!  I have taken many photos and included step-by-step instructions!

{Whisk dry ingredients together until well blended}

{Add butter and cut it into small chunks with a knife.  If you have a pastry blender USE IT!}

{If you don't have a pastry blender, then you'll use your hands to get the butter incorporated}

{You'll take the butter and squeeze it into small pieces.  What you are going for is having the butter in sand to pea size chunks coated with flour}

{See the sandy texture with pea sized chunks?  That's what you are going for}

{Make a well in the center and add the beaten eggs}

{The eggs will not form a cohesive dough.  What you are looking for here is to make bigger chunks}

{Finally, add the 1/2 and 1/2.  Just add a little bit at a time!  This dough should just barely come together and should not be sticky.  If it's sticky, you've added too much cream and will have to add more flour}

{At this point, add whatever ingredients you want.  Here I added zest from 1 orange to make orange scones.  Then knead the dough to just incorporate the flavorings}

{Here I added green onions and cheese}

{Make even balls with the dough and flatten them out slightly.  The scones will barely rise or spread}

{Orange scones getting ready for the oven}

{Bake scones until the edges just start to turn golden.  These scones are on the dry side anyway so if you bake them too long, they will be VERY dry!}

Scones

Makes about 36

1 cup butter, room temperature

5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 tablespoon salt

3 eggs, beaten and at room temperature

1/2 cup half and half, room temperature

1 to 1 1/2 cups flavorings (if using zests of citrus, use 3)

egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon milk)

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Whisk all dry ingredients together.
3. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or hands.
4. Add eggs to dough and mix together.
5. Gradually add half and half until dough just comes together--keep in mind all of the half and half might not be used.
6. Add flavorings; knead dough about ten times to incorporate.
7. Roll dough into even-sized balls; place on greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly.
8. Brush with egg wash and place in oven.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden.
10. Cool for 1 minute on baking sheets and then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.

I might also mention that I love these too; that's the true reason why I seldom make them.  The hubby grabbed a chocolate chip scone and ate it that night after I was done making them.  He asked me the next day why I put chocolate chips in the biscuits, and I died laughing.  I told him what it was, and he said it tasted like a biscuit.  It's pretty close to a biscuit, I will give him that.  He asked me yesterday when I'm making more.  I told him I'd have to raid mom's freezer for some  :o)

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Christmas: Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

I prefer spiced oatmeal cookeis to a plain oatmeal cookie--so much more flavor!  Spices like cinnamon, cloves and ginger just seem to warm you and the house up when the days and nights are so cold.  Everyone should have a great spiced oatmeal cookie in their recipe book espeically for the holidays!

{Fresh baked spiced cookies!}



Nothing says 'holidays' like a spiced cookie with a hint of orange zest!  This recipe is very easy, and the cookies are delicious!

{Zesting a clementine}

{Cookie dough!}

{I always try to make a tower o'dry ingredients--this is one of my best!}

{Add dry ingredients until JUST COMBINED!}

{Embarrassing---I forgot to get raisins so I used chocolate chips instead!  Delicious anyway LOL}

{Ready for the oven!}

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 orange, finely zested
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream butter, sugar, and orange zest until light and fluffy.
3. Add salt and eggs and beat for an additional 3 minutes on medium high speed.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, and spices in a separate bowl.
5. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and turn the mixer on low; stir until just combined.
6. Add oats, nuts and chocolate chips or raisins (or both!).
7. Drop cookies on greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Baking these easy cookies while guests arrive is sure to make you home smell wonderful and festive!  Bonus--they are not overly sweet, just spicy!

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Christmas Gift: Hot Chocolate Mix with Shortbread Cookies

I am a hot chocolate girl--always have been.  It has to be made with milk or it's no good!  My personal favorite is Swiss Miss--perfectly sweet and chocolaty.  I stumbled across this hot cocoa recipe in a jar recipe as an idea for gifts for my co-workers.  I loved the fact that it was easy and made with chocolate pudding (who would have thought!). 

{Easy and simple gift!}

I altered the recipe a bit because I'm not a fan of non-dairy creamer (soooo many chemicals and such!) so I increased the dry milk powder and sugar.  I have tried this several times (with water AND milk), and both are delicious although with milk it is definitely rich.

{Pour milk powder into a food processor or blender}

{Run the milk powder through alone because it cuts the volume in half.  I made two batches which is why there is some brown in this milk powder picture (just FYI)}

{Add remaining ingredients to the food processor or blender}

{Mix everything together}

{So delicious!}

Hot Chocolate Mix

Makes 4 pint jars

Ingredients

5 cups nonfat dry milk powder

1 3/4 cups sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 (4 ounce) package instant chocolate fudge pudding

1. Put milk powder in a food processor or blend and pulse until a fine powder is created.
2. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until mixed and a fine powder is created.
3. Place in 4 jars. 
4. Add a tag saying :  Hot Cocoa Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup mix to an 8 ounce mug of boiling water or milk.
5. Present to co-workers, friends or family (or keep all for yourself). 

What's homemade hot cocoa without cookies?  NOTHING!  That's what!  :o)

These shortbreads are very easy.  Just mix it, roll into a ball, flatten and bake.  The longest part is the baking, but don't skip it!  The dried out shortbread cookie is perfect for dipping into hot chocolate!

{Cream butter and sugar until INCREDIBLY light and fluffy!}

{Dough should just come together}

{I used a cookie scoop to get my cookies into even balls, and then I hand flattened them}.

Shortbread Cookies

Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cups sugar
1 egg, room temperature

2 1/2 cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 275.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add flour and mix until just incorporated.
4. Roll dough into balls and flatten a bit.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown.
6. Sprinkle with sugar when out of oven

So there you go!  A simple Christmas gift for friends, co-workers (which is what I did!) or family.  The hot chocolate recipe is kid friendly, and the reward is yummy hot chocolate at the end!

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