Chicken Ring

My mom made this when I was a kid, and I absolutely love it. I don't know where she found the recipe. I do not claim it as my own. I have, however, put my own spin on it, which will be explained later.

What You'll Need:
(2) cans crescent rolls (whatever brand you want)
(1) can cream of chicken soup
(1) can cooked shredded chicken or 1-2 poached chicken breasts, shredded (we cooked our own last time
      because canned chicken is like 19 dollars a can now)
Chopped veggies of your choice (some good options are broccoli, celery, carrots, onion, bell pepper)
Shredded cheese
*Notice the complete disregard for precise amounts. Trust yourself. You want a lot of cheese, go for it. Load up the veggies? Be my guest.*

What You'll Do:
1. To prepare filling, put all ingredients except crescent rolls into a large bowl. Stir to combine. As always, if you add some fresh cracked pepper, it will be better.
2. Now you arrange the rolls. Check the photo. The goal is to make a big ring, hence the name "Chicken Ring." Get it? You do? I always knew you were smart. The longer ends of the triangular rolls should point outward. Each roll should overlap with it's next door neighbors. This will give the filling a place to sit.
3. Once the ring is formed, spoon the filling mixture around the entire ring, close to the center, leaving the long triangles alone.
4. Once all the filling is in place, take each long triangle and bring it over the top of the filling. It should stay on its own, but if it needs a little help, just sort of smoosh it or pinch it in with the rest of the rolls in the center of the ring.
5. Bake, at 350, for however long it takes for the rolls to be golden brown. I can't remember, but I think it's about 20 minutes. The veggies will have a little crunch to them, especially the carrots. But this is a good thing, because soggy veggies are dumb. Enjoy.

*Variation: I have branched this out into a Mexican version. Instead of cream of chicken soup, use one of those southwest creamy soups. I think Campbell's makes a few different ones. Pepperjack is a nice cheese to use. You could season your chicken with taco seasoning. As far as veggies are concerned, go with onion, bell pepper (red), and green onion. You can top the finished ring with sour cream and, of course, avocado.*

Jon's Secret Taco Topper

This is some good stuff. And now, not so secret. But doesn't it sound so much cooler to act like I'm letting you in on some super big secret? Yeah, it does. This sauce is a refreshing addition to tacos, and you can dip your tortilla chips in the remaining sauce.

What You'll Need:
Sour Cream
Lime Juice (Fresh, please. That little green bottle that looks like a lime is just lame.)
Any or all of the following, chopped or diced:
Cilantro
Green Onion
Tomato
Chili powder
*No precise measurements?! Use as much or as little as you want.*

What You'll Do:
1. Chop or dice the veggies. We always use cilantro. Green onion makes it into the mix often. Sometimes a tomato finds its way in.
2. Scoop some sour cream into a bowl.
3. Squeeze the juice of a lime (or two) into the sour cream.
4. Add your veggies. Add chili powder, if desired.
5. Stir.

*UPDATE - This sauce is best with just sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, and chili powder. It's simpler. And wonderful. But by all means, if you want to go crazy with veggies, be my guest.*

The goal of this sauce is to be somewhat runny. If the lime juice doesn't make it quite thin enough, add small amounts of water, stirring until it is the desired consistency.

Weird-Sounding but Awesome-Tasting Bagel

We all know that salsa and cream cheese are a match made in Heaven. You didn't know that? Well, its true, trust me. This simple lunch or snack takes full advantage of this fact and puts it on a bagel. You may not want to make it when you read the ingredients. Make it anyway.

What You'll Need:
Bagel
Cream Cheese
Tortilla Chips
Salsa or Hot Sauce (I use Taco Bell mild)

What You'll Do:
1. Slice your bagel if it's not already.
2. Toast aforementioned bagel
3. Spread a good amount of cream cheese on the bagel (go ahead, spread it on both sides).
4. Put some salsa or hot sauce on the bottom slice of the bagel.
5. Put some tortilla chips on top of the salsa or hot sauce.
6. Top with the other bagel slice. Give is a push down. This should eliminate any tortilla chips stabbing the roof of your mouth. That's one of the worst food-related injuries out there.

Where are the photos? Do you really need photos for this one? If you do, seek professional culinary help.

Stuffed French Toast with Sweet Berry Sauce

Breakfast will never be the same. This recipe will change your life. Try it stuffed. If you don't like it, its almost as good without the filling.

What You'll Need:

For the Toast -
One loaf of King's Hawaiian Bread (the best bread ever for french toast)
Eggs
Cinnamon
Vanilla Extract
Milk

For the filling -
Cream Cheese (softened) - you can add some cinnamon to it if you'd like

For the Sauce -
Fresh Berries (I use strawberries and blueberries)
Sugar
An orange
*Again, nothing precise. Go with your instincts. You don't have any instincts? Go with your gut. No gut, either? Then just do what you want.*


What You'll Do:

Start the sauce -
1. Put berries, sugar, the juice of an orange, and some orange zest (grating of the outer peel) in a saucepan. Put on the stove over medium-ish heat. Stir occasionally. The goal is to make the sauce not super thick but not too runny either. The berries will take some time to break down and release their liquid. Wait awhile before judging the consistency. If it needs to be thicker, add a bit more sugar.

Prepare the bread -
1. Slice the Hawaiian bread in about 1" slices. For the longer slices in the center of the loaf, cut them in half so they're a bit more manageable.
2. Slice almost all the way through each 1" slice to prepare a pocket for the stuffing. Just make sure it stays together, so stop short of going all the way through.
3. Using a spoon or knife, put a good amount of cream cheese inside the slices.

Prepare the egg bath -
1. Beat eggs in a bowl along with a little milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. This french toast will soak up a lot of egg mixture, so you may have to mix more partway through.

Make the toast -
1. Turn on electric skillet or stovetop pan.
2. Dip each slice in the egg bath, coating both sides.
3. Cook. With the thickness of the slices, you may need to prop them up in the pan to cook the thickness of the slice (the 1" flat part on the front)
4. Top the toast with the completed berry sauce and maybe even some powdered sugar for good measure.
5. Never see breakfast the same way again.
6. Tell your friends and family about it.

A nice companion to the french toast is, of course, bacon.