Wednesday Dinner

I haven't put up any recipes lately so I decided to share what we had tonight for dinner! I sometimes find myself rotating through the same recipes so I hope to try some new ones in the next few months to add to the list, and I will be sure to share the good ones. :) I really, really, really love cooking and had HUGE expectations during my maternity leave with Eli of cooking a fancy meal every day and making some fresh baked goodies on the side. Ha! I learned very quickly that newborn babies do not allow for mommies to spend hours in the kitchen which is the reason people bring you food and your mother comes to stay with you to cook. Boy, was I ever thankful for those meals! I have had to adjust things a little since having Eli to get homemade meals on the table before 8 o'clock! Here is a complete meal that I can put together in 45 min-1 hr. as long as I boil and chop the chicken the night before (I try to do some "night before" prep with most of our meals. I find it a lot easier to get dinner on the table by 6:30 that way!)

Chicken Croissants (or chicken puffs, chicken crescent puffs or whatever else you have seen these called)
4 cups chopped chicken (I use my food processor for smaller pieces)
8 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbs. butter
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. milk
2 Tbs. choppped green onions
2 cans crescent roll dough

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk

(I usually half this recipe since it makes 8 and this time I used the onion and chive flavored cream cheese and left out the green onions and it turned out great as well)

Mix all ingredients together in a skillet until warm. Separate the dough into squares (2 triangles) and put several tablespoons of the mixutre into the center of each. Bring the corners to the middle and seal the seams. Bake at 350 for 25 min. or until golden brown. Heat soup and milk and drizzle over the top of each chicken pastry before serving.

Dill Carrots
1 bag of fresh baby carrots
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. butter
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chopped dill weed

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 min. or until tender.

Cashew Green Beans
1 lb. bag of frozen whole green beans
1/2 cup of salted cashews chopped
3 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. honey

Cook the beans according to the package (I always try to slightly undercook these and then run them under cool water to stop the cooking process to keep them from getting mushy. You can warm them back up in the skillet before serving) Brown the cashews in butter and then add the honey in at the end. Mix together and pour over the beans.

How good does this look??? I love how it looks plated with all the colors. :)

And while we are on the subject of food, here is some video of Eli enjoying his spaghetti dinner last week.

Spaghetti Dinner from Stephanie Carrigan on Vimeo.