Classic Crab Cakes

As some may recall, I very much like to follow Bethenny Frankel and have taken great advice into my own eating habits from Naturally Thin. I’ve tried couple recipes of hers previously, and there are definitely more to come.  Her recipes are quite easy to transition to gluten free, if even necessary at all (this part I love!).  This is one of her recipes suggested in the ‘Downsize Now’ chapter of Naturally Thin.
I made the full recipe of these crab cakes, and the sous chef and I could NOT finish them for dinner one night!  This was the only thing on our menu that night.  We had leftovers, although leftover crab cakes are not really my thing.  Nonetheless, if you are cooking for two or preparing this recipe as an appetizer for two (say for Valentine’s Dinner tonight ), I would do some reducing on these crab cakes.  All that said, these were DELICIOUS!  I love the many flavors involved in this recipe!  Below is my adaptation of the recipe to make it gluten free, which is hardly different from the original recipe AT ALL!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup small-diced red onion
1 1/2 cups small-diced celery
1 1/2 cups of each; small diced red and yellow bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs (I used Udi’s whole grain bread and created bread crumbs from this loaf)
1/4 cup gluten free mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 pound (8 ounces) jumbo lump crabmeat, drained
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons store-bought pesto + 2 tablespoons gluten free mayonnaise mixed together and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley

Directions

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion, celery, and bell peppers until soft.  Season with Old Bay, salt, and pepper.  Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and the Worcestershire sauce.  Stir in the crabmeat to combine, but don’t overmix.  The crabmeat should remain in large pieces.  Combine ingredients from steps 1 and 2.

Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and turn heat to medium.  Scoop evenly-sized cakes into the pan using an ice cream scoop and sauté over medium heat until crispy on both sides.  Top each crab cake with tiny dab of pesto/mayonnaise mixture.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.



Be sure not to cook too long or too little before flipping the crab cake.  This is the only tricky part to this recipe.  Unfortunately, mine are little too done in these pictures.
In order to make this recipe as Bethenny suggested, simply make the gluten free ingredients above not gluten free.

Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Corn Muffin

Gluten-Free notes at the bottom of this post.

I bookmarked this recipe way back in January, but I had yet to get around to making it.  Well, I finally did, and these were fabulous!!!  My bosses both loved them, and, of course, the sous chef did, too :)  These would be a GREAT side to your tomato pasta dish.

Ingredients

2 (8 1/2-ounce) packages corn muffin mix
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
3 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (from an 8-ounce jar)
2/3 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl combine the muffin mix, corn, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and eggs until well blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the muffin mix. Stir to combine. Spoon the mix into the muffin tins, filling up the cups about halfway. Bake until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.

Make it Gluten-Free!
-Use this mix for the corn muffin mix.
-Make sure to use Daisy brand sour cream to ensure a gluten-free sour cream.

Crab Quesadillas

I think I warned you previously that I had lots of seafood recipes ready to provide you :)  I wasn’t lying!  I found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com, although it is an EatingWell.com recipe. 

I’ve also discussed before that it’s wise to check the reviews on FoodNetwork.com recipes before making it, and I failed to follow my own advice this time.  Had I done so, I would have read people warning against using the orange zest and orange juice in the quesadillas.  For me, that is the flavor that ruined it.  That said, the sous chef LOVED it!  Hence the reason I’m posting this recipe.  I mentioned previously in my Orange Chicken post about how the orange flavor was much more received by the sous chef than I; the same situation applied here.  Thus, if you think you are ok with things being orangy, leave it in.  If not, take it out, and I think you’ll be just fine.

The recipe below is adapted to accommodate leaving out the orange flavor, if you desire.

Ingredients

1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos (optional)
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (optional)
1 tablespoon orange juice (optional)
8 ounces pasteurized crabmeat, drained if necessary
4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

Directions

Combine Cheddar, cream cheese, scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, jalapenos (if using), orange zest (if using) and juice (if using) in a medium bowl. Gently stir in crab. Lay tortillas out on a work surface. Spread one-fourth of the filling on half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas in the pan and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges.

Baked Lump Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Chipotle Lime Sauce

Yuuuuuuum!  I went crazy picking out seafood recipes recently, and this is the first of those recipes.  It should be obvious why I picked it first; so delicious!  Also, the Red Pepper Chipotle sauce is soooo amazing!  The sous chef and I both agreed that it would make a great friend to some fish as well. 

These make a great dinner as I wasn’t even able to finish 2!  The sous chef had to finish off my last few bites :)  I wanted very much to eat them all, but they are just very filling.  The recipe below serves 4 crab cakes, but you could make them smaller to make bite size crabcakes; say 16 crab cakes would make these small enough for bite size.  Making them smaller might alter your cooking time though, so be aware. Source: Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 cake

Crab Cakes
9 ounces lump crab meat, picked free of shells
1/2 cup (about 13) reduced fat Ritz crackers, crushed
1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
2 finely chopped scallions
2 tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tbsp low fat mayonnaise
2 tbsp fresh cilantro (or parsley)
1/2 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray
Zesty Chipotle Lime Sauce
1 tbsp roasted peppers (jarred)
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp minced canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tsp fresh lime juice

In a small blender (or magic bullet) puree mayonnaise, lime juice, roasted pepper and chipotle pepper.

In a large bowl, combine crushed crackers, eggs, scallions, pepper, mayo, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix well, then fold in crab meat, careful not to over mix so the crab remains in large chunks. Gently shape into patties using a 1/2 cup measuring cup.

Chill in the refrigerator at least 1/2 hour before baking.
Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Bake about 8-10 minutes on each side, until nicely browned.

Drizzle red pepper chipotle lime sauce over crab cakes and serve.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Recently, I and a few other ladies threw a shower for a sweet friend our ours, Carissa.  I was assigned to bring Cucumber sandwiches.  Hmmm, well…

#1 I’ve never made them before
#2 I don’t like cucumbers
#3 I’ve never even seen them before.

Hahah!  No problem.  The ladies helped me out with a recipe, and I did some browsing online.  Here’s how I decided to make them, and they were REALLY good!

Ingredients

Pumpernickel bread (I simply bought some at the bakery at my grocery store)
1 8 oz. package of fat free cream cheese
1 packet zesty italian dressing mix
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp red pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 cucumber (sliced)

Directions

Whip cream cheese until creamy.

Into cream cheese mix italian dressing packet, garlic powder, red pepper and fresh dill.
Spread cream cheese mixture onto bread in thin layer.  Place one slice of cucumber onto each sandwich.

Chicken Parm Bites

With just 2 people in the house, there tends not to be a lot of snacks around as I don’t typically buy anything at the grocery store that I’m not using in recipes.  Anything else that I could buy would likely be bad before even half of whatever it is has the chance to be eaten.  Thus, I decided to make a homemade snack.  Silly me thought it might last throughout the week; not with my sous chef around.  Once he learned of this delicious snack, I never got another bite.  Literally. 

All that said, these little bites are DELICIOUS and the tomato pesto sauce that goes with with is very refreshing!  I had some leftovers bread crumbs that I used, however, if I could have, I would have used Panko bread crumbs.  If you can, you definitely should use them!
This recipe is another fabulous one from Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book recipe!  Click the photo to order from Krista Kook’s Amazon store.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 pounds chicken tenders, each cut into thirds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup homemade basil pesto or store-bought

Directions

Arrange three shallow bowls on the counter and fill one with the flour, one with the eggs and one with a mixture of the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, lemon zest and parsley.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and coat each piece first in the flour, then the egg and finally in the breadcrumb-cheese mixture.  Set the coated chicken pieces on a baking sheet.

Place a large pan over medium-high heat with 3 tablespoons EVOO. Cook the chicken pieces in 2 batches, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, 5-6 minutes.

While the pieces are cooking, place a small pot over medium-high heat with the crushed tomatoes and bring up to a bubble. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pesto.

Serve the chicken bites with the tomato-pesto sauce alongside.

I also used Organic chicken for the first time when I made this recipe, and I really like it!I absolutely believe that hardly anyone would ever taste the difference.  I completely get that.  However, it’s the way I feel after I eat this chicken.  I don’t feel tired like I do with regular chicken.  We’ve had it for several meals now (still to come), and they all have the same effect.  I think I’m changed :)

Beef Fajita Crescent Braid

Wow, I know I’ve been out of touch for a while, but I can assure you I have still been cooking!  I’m finally sitting down to catch you up on some of the things that have been ‘kooking’ in my kitchen :)

Recently, fajitas were very on sale at our favorite grocery store (HEB), and I cooked the entire package one day for lunch.  Of course I cannot eat several pounds of meat in one meal for myself, so I decided to browse around for a way that I could use up the rest for dinner when my sous chef came home.  While this recipe didn’t call for beef, I decided to adapt it to work for beef.

Beef Fajita Crescent Braid
Adapted from Chicken Fajita Crescent Braid

INGREDIENTS
2 cans (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent rolls
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 to 1/2 pounds of freshly cooked Fajita meat
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green or red bell pepper strips (2x1x1/4 inch)
1/4 cup your favorite salsa 
2 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)
1 egg white, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375°F.  Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray or use a baking stone.

2. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper strips, chili powder, cumin, mexican spice blend, salt and garlic; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Add in freshly cooked fajita meat; cook 1 to 2 minutes longer, making sure vegetables are tender and meat is cooked to your desire. 3. Layer each crescent as shown in the picture above on a cookie sheet or baking stone.  Spoon fajita mixture in 4-inch strip lengthwise down center of dough. Top with salsa;  sprinkle with cheese. Alternately cross strips over filling; press edges to seal. Brush with egg white. 4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices. The sous chef very much enjoyed this recipe!  I think that because this recipe has ingredients he’s a little more accustomed to, he wasn’t so bewildered to eat it :)  I can imagine this would be huge kid favorite especially if you served it around Halloween and called it something ‘Mummy’ like.  Right?!

Roasted Corn Quesadillas

I think it will become quite evident that I went on a Guy Fieri kick for about a week. I don't care though because everything of his that I made was FAB-U-LOUS! These Roasted Corn Quesadillas were so much better than any chicken and cheese or beef and cheese quesadillas for sure. Not to mention, they are vegetarian for anyone that is interested (unless eating beans goes against that....I can't remember)!

There's so many positive things...errr, ingredients...to this recipe! They all combine together to make one filling and satisfying meal :) I love that kernel corn is part of these quesadillas as well as black beans.

Ingredients

1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1 cup sour cream
3 ears white corn on the cob
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 cup black beans
2 Roma tomatoes, diced (Krista Kooks used Red Gold canned tomatoes because they are delicious!)
2 tablespoons diced roasted red bell peppers
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
6 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves, divided
6 ounces Jack cheese, shredded
6 ounces Cheddar, shredded
8 medium flour tortillas (Krista Kooks used H.E.B.'s Homestyle Tortillas per the sous chef's instructions)
5 tablespoons, sliced scallions (Krista Kooks left these out)

Directions

Preheat grill to high. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix diced chipotle, lime juice and sour cream, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Over medium flame or on a grill pan, roast corn. Let cool and cut kernels off cob.

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, jalapenos, red onions, and black beans. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, corn kernels and roasted bell pepper. Stir and saute for 3 minutes and add salt, pepper, cumin and 3 tablespoons of cilantro.

Remove the pan from heat and let rest.

Evenly distribute mixture, the remaining cilantro and cheeses among 4 tortillas. Top with remaining tortillas.

Place tortillas on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for about 10 minutes, until cheeses have melted and the quesadillas are warmed through. Cut each into 6 pieces.

Serve with chipotle sour cream garnished with scallions.

I will tag this as an appetizer, lunch or dinner item because you could really use it for any of them :)

Is your mouth watering?

Fried Dill Pickles

We're chuggin' along at the 75th post :) Any suggestions for 100? I've been thinking about it since 50, but I just don't know what I want to do to celebrate 100.

Anyway, for the 75th, I made one of my sous chef's FAVORITE appetizers. He and I have made them before when we were in college, but the batch we made then just wasn't right. It was way too salty. We still ate them, but they weren't our favorite.

This time around, I stumbled upon the perfect recipe as these were better than any I have ever tasted in a restaurant before. This recipe from FoodNetwork.com was fabulous!Ingredients
1 pint sliced dill pickles, undrained
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
Vegetable oil

Directions
Drain pickles, reserving 2/3-cup pickle juice. Press pickles between paper towels. Combine 2/3 cup pickle juice, egg, 1 tablespoon flour, and hot sauce. Stir well and set aside.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour with ground red pepper, garlic powder, salt, and paprika. Blend well. Dip pickles in egg mixture, then dredge in flour mixture. Fry coated pickles in 375-degree oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Yes, these aren't the healthiest things in the world, but they make great finger foods for a party where hopefully each person only eats a few :) This is by far the best fried pickle recipe I have ever had. Grab some fat free ranch at the store, too, for your fried pickle dipping sauce.

Golden Chicken Nuggets

Are you seeing the similarity to these and Chick Fila?! I am! These are wonderfully delicious, kid-friendly and easy to make. There's only 4 ingredients! As I'm trying to clear out our pantry/fridge/freezer, I decide to used up more of our Lipton Recipe Secrets packs. Right on the box, you'll find the recipe for these easy to make chicken nuggets, but here is the recipe as well so that you can prepare for your trip to the grocery store.

I only needed about 3 chicken breasts to complete this recipe. If you do 4 chicken breasts, you might need a little more bread crumbs. And, speaking of bread crumbs, I decided to go somewhat healthier on my creations and use whole wheat bread crumbs! That's right; I put a healthy spin on these reputationally bad nuggets. I don't think they are so bad because these were baked chicken nuggets and not fried. Here they are all coated and about to go in the oven.

Oh, and how delicious they look after 15 minutes of baking! Dig-in for some homemade chicken nuggets. Oh...and these are husband friendly, too :)

Pico de Gallo Salsa

Ok, as promised: here is the perfect salsa to accompany those fried plantains I told you about yesterday! This salsa comes from Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipe Blog, and it is absolutely delicious. For those who count their points, it's 0 points! We loved the fresh and authentic taste that this recipe has, and I'm sure it would be great for any Mexican dish that you have as well. It's like a good chunky salsa.


Servings: 4 servings
Points: 0 ww points

4 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
2 chile peppers, mild or hot, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves (no stems)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl combine all ingredients.


That's it! That's all there is to it. My Pampered Chef Hold N' Slice made it very easy to slice and dice these tomatoes, that's for sure. I'm terrible at slicing up tomatoes without it.

Ok, so make your fried plantains and whip up this salsa for a tasty appetizer to your next meal!

Fried Plantains

The sous chef and I first discovered this tasty treat at Cuba Libre in Dallas, TX when we had dinner with friends from college. We couldn't believe that this chip, resembling a banana, was actually used to dip in salsa?!?! No way. Could this really be? From then on, my sous chef and I have loved to find restaurants that would serve these lovely delights at a restaurant near us.

Well, last weak, I was preparing a seriously light meal from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes (more to come on that), and, because it was so light, I decided to surprise my sous chef with his favorite salsa accompaniment. Since one of his best buds, Kevin, was joining us for dinner, I knew that might make him stand a little taller that his wife made him something special and he would be able to share something new with someone. So, I picked up 2 plantains at the grocery store. I found this recipe on the Food Network website and thought it was fairly simply to try, and it was. However, I didn't like the thickness that the recipe called to slice the plantains into.

Here's the recipe from the site:

Ingredients
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
2 green plantains

Directions
Combine water, garlic and salt in medium size glass bowl and set aside.
In a large (12-inch) saute pan, heat oil to 325 degrees F. Peel plantains and slice crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Carefully add plantains to oil and fry until golden yellow in color, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. (The oil should come halfway up the side of the plantain).

With a spider or slotted spoon, remove the plantains from the pan and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, standing them on their ends. With the back of a wide, wooden spatula, press each piece of plantain down to half its original size.

Then place the plantains in the water and let soak for 1 minute. Remove and pat dry with a tea towel to remove excess water.


Bring oil back up to 325 degrees F and return plantains to pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a dish lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Serve immediately.

I personally think the plantains should be sliced much thinner than this recipe suggested. For those that were sliced thick, they did not taste bad, but it's just nicer when they are crispier, therefore thinner. Watch yourself when you take the plantains out of the garlic and salt bath and place them back into the skillet; they fry a lot and splatter all over the place. I'd suggest a splatter screen for sure if you have one.


Make these soon! Wait for the salsa recipe that I'll post soon though; it compliments these well :)


By the way, this is filed under both fruit and vegetable because people differ on decifering which category it belongs to.

Chicken Quesadillas

As I've mentioned in a previous post, my sous chef and I are trying to be a little more frugal in our grocery shopping lately, so our meals are slightly more simply lately. Thus, as I browsed through Dinner & Dessert again the other day, I found these yummy Chicken Quesadillas!

I have agree with Erin that the rub that goes on this chicken before cooking it and then placing it in the quesadillas really adds a ton of flavor to these quesadillas compared to other chicken quesadillas I've made before in the past on my own.

Here's the recipe as taken from Dinner & Dessert:

Chicken Quesadillas
2 chicken breasts, pounded thin (I think it's very important to pound chicken before cooking it no matter what the recipe.)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano (I used dried oregano leaves)
Olive oil (enough to coat the pan)
4 tortilla shells
Mexican cheese (use as much as you prefer)
1 can black beans

Mix together cumin and chili powder. Lightly rub over chicken. Sprinkle oregano over chicken. Pan fry in olive oil until done. Let cool. Cut in small pieces.

Coat a large frying pan (as big or slightly bigger than the tortilla shell) with cooking spray. Add tortilla, cover the whole shell with cheese (use as much as you like), then add chicken and black beans on one side. Cook on medium or medium-low heat until tortilla bottom is brown and cheese is melted.

Fold over, cut into wedges, and serve. Now, each time you go to Taco Bell, you end up with all that extra sauce, right? Want to know what to do with it? Use it on your chicken quesadillas!!!

Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

If you are getting ready for a great cookout at home for July 4th, then you should definitely try out this recipe for Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp. My father made these for a grad party last month, and they were a big hit! As you can see, we made a lot, but they were gone in minutes.
(Copied from the link provided above from the Taste of Home website)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, curry powder, ground cumin and ground coriander
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
18 uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
9 bacon strips, halved lengthwise

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, lemon juice, oil and seasonings. Pour 1/4 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the shrimp. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade for basting.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crisp. Drain on paper towels. Remove shrimp from marinade; discard marinade. Wrap each shrimp with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill bacon-wrapped shrimp, covered, over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, turning and basting with reserved marinade.

Get what you need to prepare this for your 4th of July cookout because this was a big hit!

Pampered Chef Chicken Club Ring

Every bit of an awesome chicken club wrapped up in crescent rolls for brunch, lunch, or, in my case, a great main dish for event showers! This past weekend I threw a bridal shower for one of my great friends (yey Jordan!), and I made two of these rings as part of the food spread.

Several years ago, Courtney Mayfield (whom you've already seen recipes from below) was a Pampered Chef consultant. She had a party at her duplex (which I later lived in) and showed us all how to make this recipe. I still remember her mixing all these ingredients together on her dining room table in her Pampered Chef Classic Batter Bowl.

Anyway, as you can see from the picture above, I used the stoneware that I cooked the Club Ring on to display the food as well. I think it adds to appetizing appeal!

Below is the recipe that I used to create this yummy masterpiece!

CHICKEN CLUB RING

Ingredients:
3 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
4 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and chopped
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
2 cans of Crescent rolls (8 count)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

To Cook:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine chicken, bacon, 3/4 cup of the Swiss cheese, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, parsley and garlic. Mix Well.

2. Arrange the crescent rolls around the stoneware in alternating directions. If your first crescent roll points to the outside of the stone, then have the next one point to the inside of the stone.

3. Using the large scoop, scoop filling evenly over desired shape. Top with tomato slices and finish by folding shape together (I took the corners of each piece of dough and folded them into the middle). Brush with egg white and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for 11- 13 minutes or until the crescent rolls are cooked through.

Yield: 8 servings

I also found several other variations of this recipe, so feel free to check out these as well. Some of them seem to also use bell pepper and/or lettuce.

Alternate Recipe #1

In order to make life easier, I actually didn't cook bacon...drain it....wait for it to cool...and then chop them. I bought prepackaged bacon pieces, but not bacon bits. Nonetheless, take this recipe and use it for lunch or dinner and even when guests come over! People love the creative idea of this ring. Enjoy!