I just created this tonight but it was so good that I had to run here and tell you all about it. Even Keegan, The World’s Pickiest Eater, ate all of his and asked me to make it again tomorrow. YEAH. I know. I almost fainted.

These would make a great appetizer also. I cannot tell you how much I love puff pastry. It comes out so flaky and crisp. And in this recipe, with the saltiness of the bacon and smooth richness of the cream cheese…. just YUM! Sometimes I even impress myself.

Chicken Bacon Swirls

1 package frozen Puff Pastry sheets

5 slices of bacon, diced

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or some ground turkey)

1 small shallot, diced

salt, pepper, garlic powder

whatever spices make you happy. (I used Penzey’s Mural of Flavor )

a handful of spinach, chopped

2-3 roasted red peppers, chopped

a big handful of shredded Italian mix cheese

about 4 ounces of garden veggie flavor cream cheese, softened

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the bacon til crispy. Set aside. Reserve a couple Tbsp of the fat.

Grind the chicken in your food processor (or just use pre-ground chicken or turkey).

Brown the chicken together with the shallot in the bacon fat. Season til it tastes good. (What? I don’t measure anything, ever!) Probably go easy on the salt, as bacon and cheese are both pretty salty.

In a big bowl, combine chicken, spinach, roasted red peppers, shredded cheese, and whatever bacon didn’t magically disappear while you were cooking.

Spread your puff pastry sheets out. On each one, spread 2 ounces of cream cheese. Heap half of the chicken mix on each. Roll them up jelly-roll style. Pinch the free end into the roll. Slice into 2 inch pieces, place slices cut side down on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and a bit crisp. Serve hot.

This was a spin on a soup that my granny makes. She calls hers Hamburger Soup, it’s just a combination of ground beef, various veggies, potatoes, and seasoning. It’s quick, delicious, hot, and filling- a great comfort food. I decided to give it my own spin today. So basically, you could put whatever you want to in this, I’m just giving you a general idea.

Tortellini Turkey Veggie Soup

• 2 tsp olive oil
  
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound Italian seasoned ground turkey (or unseasoned and you can season it however you’d like)
• 5 cups chicken broth (more or less, depending on how soupy you like it. remember the tortellini will suck some of it up)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 8 oz corn (canned, drained or frozen)
• 8 oz diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 8 oz green beans (canned, drained or frozen)
• 8 oz dried tortellini
• salt, pepper, seasonings of your choice (I used onion powder and Italian seasoning)

Heat the olive oil in a stock pot. Saute the carrot, celery, bell pepper, and garlic until soft. Add turkey and brown, breaking up with a spoon. Add chicken broth, tomato paste, corn, tomatoes, and green beans. Bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook til tortellini is done. Season to taste.

Deliciousness.

This morning, I made quinoa muffins. I am a fan of quinoa- if you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s the seed from a plant that is like a grain but isn’t actually a grain. It’s packed with protein and is one of the only plant sources that is a complete source of protein as it’s got all essential amino acids. It’s also got lots of fiber and iron and is just all-around good for you. If you haven’t tried it, you should. It’s got a really different texture, which I love. The seeds almost pop when you chew them. I sometimes eat quinoa as a breakfast porridge with milk, sugar or honey, and butter. It’s also very tasty as a salad with chopped veggies and a vinaigrette dressing- this particular recipe is my favorite. And now I know it’s excellent in muffins!

I used this recipe: http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/quinoa-muffins.htm

I used red quinoa because that’s what I had. Apparently quinoa can be somewhat difficult to find in some grocery stores. I’m lucky that our Raley’s here has it readily available. I’ve seen it in two different aisles (with the grains and in the natural foods department) in boxes, but they also sell it in the bulk bin section and it’s much cheaper that way. I added blueberries and cinnamon to my muffins. They are SO GOOD. Each of my kids had 2 of them this morning and raved over them.

They’ve been scheduling me for a lot of 6 hour shifts at work, which means that I just get two 10-minute breaks every 2 hours, instead of having an actual lunch break. It’s really hard to eat pretty much ANYTHING in 10 minutes, especially if I’ve also got to pee. And tweet. (What? Shut up.) So my thought was to prepare some things that are easy to pack and quick to eat and healthy and full of protein to keep my tummy from getting rumbly- and that don’t taste like sawdust like “healthy” things tend to do sometimes. These muffins fit the bill perfectly.

Hmm. How about "long sandwich"?

I hate the word loaf. Just an FYI there. But.. that’s what this is, so I’ll deal. Maybe.

It really helps that it is delicious. I just try not to think of the word loaf *shudder* while I’m eating it.

I made two of these yesterday so that I could stick one in the freezer. I hope it reheats well. Also, I used half whole wheat flour and I am not sure I’ll do that again. The bread part is really good but it sort of overpowers the flavor of the filling. Oh well, it works and I feel like maybe it’s slightly healthier. Like, maybe 5% healthier. HEY. It’s better than zero percent healthier. Probably.

Reuben Sandwich Loaf

3 1/4 C all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 package yeast
1 C hot water
1 tbsp melted butter

1/4 C thousand island salad dressing
6 oz corned beef, thinly sliced
8 oz sauerkraut, water squeezed out
1/4 lb shredded swiss cheese
1 egg, beated
caraway seeds

Combine 2 1/4 C of flour with sugar, salt, and yeast. Stir in water and butter. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for about 5 minutes. Put in a greased bowl and let rise until it nearly doubles in size (about 30 minutes).

Punch it down and place on a greased sheet pan. Roll it out to a 10×14 inch rectangle. Down the center 1/3 of the dough, spread the salad dressing. Layer the corned beef over that, then the sauerkraut, and top with the cheese.

Cut 1 inch wide strips along the sides and alternating sides, fold them at an angle across the filling. They don’t need to form a seal. Fold the ends up.

Let rise for another 15-20 minutes, just until it gets a little puffy. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with caraway seeds. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until the bread is done and sounds hollow when tapped.

Serve sliced with extra dressing for dipping.