Summer Strawberry Pie

This gluten-free version of strawberry pie was a HUGE hit at a backyard party last week - with all the people that COULD eat gluten. The combination of oat flavor and texture was wonderful.

I also wanted to find away around using products with artificial flavors and colors. I think that it is pretty close to the original, and darn tasty.

CRUST:
1 3/4 c Oat flour*
2 T Flour or Potato Starch or Corn starch
1 T Sugar
1 stick of Butter

In pie pan, melt the butter. Mix in the oat flour, starch, and sugar and pat out in the pan and around the edges. The crust will slide down a bit in the pan as it bakes and consolidates so push it as high up the sides of the pie pan as it will go. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool.

* I pulsed gluten free oats in an coffee grinder until fine flour was produced.

FILLING:
1 c Sugar
2 T Corn Starch
1 c Water
1/4 c Mashed Strawberries
1 t Unflavored gelatin (about 1/2 a Knox packet)
1 1/2 lb Strawberries

Mix sugar and corn starch together in a saucepan. Add water, stir often and bring to a boil. Stir constantly and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add jello powder and mashed berries. Cool until lukewarm but still pliable.

Place cleaned and cut strawberries in the cooled pie crust. Pour cooled (but not cold) filling over the berries. Refrigerate and allow to set. Serve with whipped or ice cream.

Strawberry Pie - Traditional

This is the strawberry pie that I grew up with. It was one of my favorites and I loved when my mom would make it for us. This was the recipe that I picked to add to our class 5th grade cookbook (which 90% were desserts - go figure).

CRUST:
1 stick of Butter
1 1/3 c Flour
1 T water

In pie pan, melt the butter. Mix in the flour and water and pat out in the pan and around the edges.  Prick holes in the pie crust with a fork. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool.

FILLING:
1 c Sugar
2 T Corn Starch
1 c Water
4 T Strawberry Jello mix
1 qt Strawberries, cleaned & hulled

Mix sugar and corn starch together in a saucepan. Add water, stir often and bring to a boil. Stir constantly and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add jello powder. Cool until lukewarm but still pliable.

Place cleaned and cut strawberries in the cooled pie crust. Pour cooled (but not cold) filling over the berries. Refrigerate and allow to set. Serve with whipped or ice cream.

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie Option

Gluten Free Chicken Coating

In our gluten-free world, I've been working on a thin (non-corn meal) coating to make chicken strips out of. I think we have reached success. My husband and kiddos devoured the chicken. This coating is lightweight so the chicken is the star, browns nicely, and develops a great crunch.

I used potato starch as the base for the coating. You'll find it in the baking isle near the flour and corn starch. However, it's much cheaper to find at an Asian or ethnic food market. I guess you could use corn starch as well, but I don't think the flavor would be quite the same.

1 c Potato Starch
1 t Salt
1 t Italian Seasoning
1/2 t Garlic Powder
1/2 t Onion Powder

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Dip the chickens strips in milk (cow, rice, or almond) and then into the coating mixture. Shake off excess and then add to a frying pan of hot oil. Allow to cook for 2-4 minutes until coating is browned and then turn. Continue to fry until chicken is completely cooked through and all sides are browned. Serve warm on their own, with BBQ sauce, sweet & sour, marinara, etc.

This tasted great dipped in sweet and sour sauce and might have to make a meal of that soon.

Caramel Corn

 This is one of my all-time favorite Christmas treats that really is an anytime treat. WARNING: once you start eating this you may curse the day that you read this post and decided that it was a good one to try. This is like the crack of popcorn. Best if eaten with others to reduce the likelihood that you eat the whole thing.

I was also excited to find that I could make this for my son by using a soy-free vegan spread (butter substitute). It was still really good.

7 qt  (28 c) Plain popped popcorn
2 c  Dry roasted peanuts (optional)
2 c  Brown sugar
1/2 c Light corn syrup
1 t  Salt
1 c  Butter
1/2 t  Baking soda
1 t Vanilla extract

Put the popped popcorn into two greased baking pans (I like to use disposable foil pans or roaster pans). Add nuts to the popcorn if you would like.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 250. In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt. Stir to mix over medium heat, bringing to a boil. Then boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

Once you've removed from the pan from heat, add the vanilla and baking soda. This will cause the liquid to bubble and expand. While hot, pour the mixture on the popcorn and toss to coat.

Bake for a total of 60 minutes while stirring every 15 minutes which will make the caramel distribute more evenly. Put parchment or wax paper on the counter and spread out the hot caramel corn on it to cool. Immediately use a spatula or spoon to break up the caramel corn into bite-sized pieces. Let it cool and then store in airtight containers or resealable bags. Wrap it up and it makes a great gift for teachers, bus drivers, or friends.

Ham Glaze

We tried something different for Christmas dinner. Yes, we did ham as usual, but we made our own glaze. It really is very simple and tastes much like a ham that you would get from an expense ham store...


Besides, who isn't going to love using a blow torch in the kitchen. You could use a long handled lighter as well, but it isn't nearly as efficient. and more likely to burn the sugar.

3/4 c Brown Sugar
1/4 t Cinnamon
Dash of Ginger
Dash of Paprika
Dash of Nutmeg
Dash of Ground cloves

Place the ham cut side down on a glass or metal pan. Lightly rub the glaze mixture over the meat and pack it on to stick. You don't want large clumps of sugar because they are too hard to melt without burning. Quickly run the blowtorch over the sugar to melt/caramelize the sugars. It will darken slightly and smooth out. You can run over the sugar multiple times to get it to melt. If you leave the fire in one place too long, it will burn. Allow the sugar to cool and repeat the process.

You can then serve the ham cold or warm. I'm a fan of warm meat myself, and the glaze helped keep the ham really moist on the inside.

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

I mentioned this in the 25 Tips of Christmas and thought I'd give you a glimpse at them with a few more details. This is about as easy and quick as it gets for a treat. It was a hit with my oldest son who we've had trouble trying to find Christmas treats that fit his multitude of food allergies.


Stick a toothpick or plastic coffee stirrer in a large marshmallow. Allow of couple minutes for the stick to adhere to the marshmallow. While you wait, melt 3/4 c of chocolate chips and 2 t of butter or shortening. Dip and roll the marshmallow in the melted chocolate, lightly wiping the excess chocolate off the bottom of the marshmallow on the side of the bowl. Rest the chocolate coated marshmallow on wax or parchment paper on cookie sheet. Refrigerate to harden chocolate.

For an added bit of fun, sprinkle chopped nuts, toffee bits, chopped up pretzel bits, or sprinkles all over the chocolate.

Bruschetta

6 - 8 Roma tomatoes
2 t garlic, minced (or 2 cloves)
1 T olive oil
2 t balsamic vinegar
1 T fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1 t dried*)
1/2 t Salt

1 baguette, French, or Italian bread (or GF alternative)
1/4 c olive oil
1 t Salt

Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and dice the remaining tomato up finely. Roll up the basil tightly and slice up the leaves and then dice them finely. *If using dried basil, add it to the 1 T of olive oil and give it a bit of time to re-hydrate. Toss the tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, and salt. Allow about an hour for flavors to meld together. Meanwhile, slice bread thinly and use a brush to lightly coat the bread with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until toasted.

Serve right away or refrigerate and let flavors meld . If refrigerated, allow the tomato mixture to sit out a bit to let the oils warm up.

Allergy-free Hospitality - Pt 2

Here's part 2 - the next edition of learning how to love on people with food-allergies by speaking their food-love language. Think of it as allergy-free hospitality.

If you are new to cooking for friends/family/self with food allergies, you probably start thinking about expensive and exotic foods that can only be purchased at a health food store.

True, the health food store will help you find an abundance of great products that can help address almost any food restrictions. The short-cut mixes and kits can be extremely healthy.

False, the health food store is not the only place to shop for foods that are allergen-free. A less expensive place to start is on the outer ring in your grocery store. Along the exterior walls, you will usually find the produce, meat, and refrigerated sections. These departments are where you will find the majority whole foods (name given to foods that are in their natural state/not processed with other ingredients). Serving green peppers (and other fruits & veggies) to someone with a peanut allergy is a safe bet (as long as you are handling the ingredients in a safe way). Roasted meat (look for proteins that is not injected with solutions, marinaded, or processed) is a tasty and gluten-free dinner choice.

The inner isles of the store contains most of your processed foods. You can find great options there as well, but CAREFULLY read the whole label (and save the packaging for your friends to double check).

Here's a list of foods that I suggest to family/friends when they ask what to serve:

• Grilled/roasted/baked chicken, steak, roast, pork, etc (watch seasonings)
  
• Hamburgers (not served on a bun)
• Plain white or brown rice
• Potato
• Veggies
• Fruit
• Plain potato chips (watching for oils & flavorings)
• Tortilla chips (watching for oils & ingredients) & salsa (look for fresh)
  
• Rice noodles
  
• Air popped or stove popped popcorn
• Popsicles
• Applesauce
• Mexican and Asian recipes are often free of allergens or easily adapted to make them safe
  
• Etc

There are plenty of great options that are inexpensive and very simple to make. Summertime is the easiest season when everything can be thrown on the grill.

You can do it. In fact, you may often cook this way and never realize that it is safe for those you love with food intolerances and allergies.

Next time we'll take a look at pitfalls and things to look at - many of which you would have never guessed. It may be a bit overwhelming, or a lot. Even being well educated and fairly carefully, I still miss things and make unsafe choices for my son. Everyday is a learning process and a chance to enjoy the wonderful foods that are good for our bodies

Flourless Peanut-free Peanut Butter Cookies

This is about as simple as it gets in allergy-free baking. It requires NO specialty flours and the finished results are very tasty. They are a bit crumbly due to the lack of flour, but have a smooth texture.

1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 c sunbutter (or almond butter)*
1 egg (or egg replacer)
1 t baking soda
1/2 t vanilla extract
3/4 c chocolate chips (or morsels)

Stir together first five ingredients with a wooden spoon (It's sticky, you'll want a good stiff spoon. I tried a thick spatula with sad results and moved on to the wooden spoon). Stir in chocolate chips/morsels. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden (cookies will be soft, but firm up as they cool). Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, remove to wire rack. I just slide the parchment paper over to the counter.

*I found a similar recipe to this made with peanut butter and thought - that would be easy to tweak. If you can eat peanuts, feel free to substitute that for the sunbutter or almond butter.

Allergy-free Hospitality - Pt 1

I've been asked a LOT lately for some simple recipes that can be made as a treat for their friends/family who are gluten-free (or other food allergies). So I'll be devoting a few posts here for simple/easy/quick fixes that can allow you to entertain GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, and even EGG-FREE.

I know we could delve into more allergies and diet restrictions, but we'll start with these.

First of all, let me say bless you to anyone who is willing to attempt allergen-free cooking and baking for a loved one. It REALLY does give the person a feeling of belonging and being cared for when you work hard to make them included. As a mom, it speaks volumes to me that you've put the thought and care into making my son's life a little more normal.

That being said - I'll gladly bring my son his own food to get-togethers, and it is NOT an insult. It's part of our life. If you are uncomfortable/uncertain that the foods you serve are not safe, than I'd rather have your company with our own safe food.

Second of all, have packaging and recipes ready for your guests to look at, and don't be insulted if your guest with an allergy asks questions about what is in it. They are just trying to eat clean/safe. While you have done your best to make something that meets the dietary restrictions, you may not realize the entirety of your guest's food restrictions. Double checking is a must in many people's worlds.

Third, allergy-free cooking doesn't have to be just for the guest with allergies. There are great, tasty, and frugal ideas that the crowd will enjoy. Think of it as culinary exercises - you are strengthening your cooking/baking skills, which will only serve to make you stronger in the end.

Roasted Chicken

For some reason, the idea of roasting a whole chicken sounded intimidating to me. I'm not sure what that I was. I could roast a whole turkey and chicken pieces, but a whole chicken. Hadn't gone there.

About a year ago, I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com and I've changed my mind. I no longer am dependent on grocery store rotisserie chicken. My father-in-law couldn't stop eating it. It was incredibly moist with hints of the flavors it was stuffed with. **I tweaked it a little my tastes.

1 (3-4 pound) whole chicken, rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
1 sm onion, quartered
1/4 c chopped fresh rosemary (I just threw in a few sprigs)
**I also added 1 small chopped apple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff with the onion and rosemary. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish or roasting dish.

Roast in the preheated oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Cooking time will vary a bit depending on the size of the bird.

The Frugal part of this is that whole chickens go on awesome sales and can hang out in the freezer until you need them. Great with mashed potatoes and veggies.

Raspberry Spinach Salad

I love salads in the summer and here is a lovely fruit based salad that I savored every bite of. Raspberries are a special treat for me because they are so expensive. I found these berries on sale for $1.50 for the pack, so I jumped at the deal. I savored them in everything from salad, topping ice cream, and straight from the box. My mouth is watering at the memory. The good news is a little bit of these berries go a long way.

Someday I'll have my own to pick straight from my yard... someday.



Fresh Raspberries
Baby Spinach
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Sesame Seeds (sprinkle just a few on)
Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is tough one to make - toss it together and eat. This would be nice with a bit of grilled chicken for a meal.

Homecade Pie Filling (Canned)

Need a last minute dessert? Concerned about the junk that you get from canned pie filling - which is more filling and less fruit? This is a great find. While I'm making applesauce, I put together a few jars of apple pie filling that comes in REALLY handy. A quick apple crisp, apple crisp pie, or cinnamon brunch bake.

4 c white sugar
3/4 c cornstarch
3 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
2 t salt
10 c water
3 T lemon juice
6 lb apples

Sterilize canning jars (7 or 8), lids and rings (boil them or heat them in the dish washer).

In a large pan, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add salt and water and mix well.
Bring to a boil and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.

Peel, core, and slice apples. Pack the sliced apples into hot canning jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Slowly pour hot syrup over apples in jar, and gently remove air bubbles with a knife.

Put lids on and process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes.

Total costs: $4.00
Apples: $2.50 (farm picked)
Sugar: $1.00 (Aldi)
Corn Starch: $.50 (Meijer)
Spices from pantry stock

Blueberry Muffins

I've been on a hunt for the perfect blueberry muffin for years. The right flavor, consistency, weight, and density. I found them at the Christmas brunch table my sister-in-law spread out.

The blueberry recipe is an alteration of a basic muffin recipe. The basic recipe is below and special directions for the blueberry alteration follows.

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups lowfat plain yogurt
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil spray.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the yogurt and eggs together in a medium bowl. Gently fold the yogurt-egg mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the melted butter.
3. Use a large ice-cream scoop or measuring cup to divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. NOTE FROM JENNY: Following these directions results in absurdly gigantic muffins, I usually make 18 muffins from this recipe and reduce the cook time to 22-25 minutes. :) NOTE FROM JENELLE: I made 24 smaller muffins with cooktime about 21 minutes.
4. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Blueberry variation:
Add 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest to the yogurt-egg mixture and fold 1 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (rinsed well) into finished batter. Add 1 tablespoon of flour to fresh blueberries. Frozen should be rinsed in a strainer until water runs clear, drain on paper towel, and pat dry before adding to the batter.

Total Costs $3.75
Flour - $.40 (Sunmart)
Sugar - $.20 (Cashwise)
Blueberries - $1.50 (Various)
Butter - $.45 (Sunmart)
Yogurt - $1.00 (Walmart)
Eggs - $.20 (Sunmart)
Other ingredients from pantry stock

The muffins freeze/thaw well. Just be sure they aren't overdone or dry before they are frozen.

Polynesian Pork

Love how the flavors meld on this dish. Works great in the crock pot or slow roasting in the oven. This freezes beautifully and I've done it for meal swaps. I cooked 3 meals worth of this last week. We actually ended up with almost 4. Jazz it up with a little bit of sweet heat or ginger if you are looking for a bit more traditional Polynesian flare. I used a cheap store brand marinade this time and paid for it. It's all about the flavoring so don't cheap out on that one.

2 lbs Pork Sirloin (or other lean pork)
1 sm can Pineapple tidbits
1 bottle Sesame Ginger Marinade (I like Lawry's or Ken's)
1 can Chicken broth
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 T Sesame seeds
Rice

The pork can be roasted whole or chopped into bite size pieces. If cooking whole, they are tender enough to easily pull apart to serve.

Start by chopping bacon into small pieces and cook over low heat until cooked through but not dry. Drain and set aside. Cover meat with pineapple and it's juices, seeds, and bacon. Add about 1/2 bottle of marinade and enough broth to cover the meat so it braises while slow cooking.

CROCK POT - cook on low heat for 7-8 hours (stirring occasionally). Serve over rice.

OVEN METHOD - cook in a dutch oven at 325 for 2 - 2 1/2 hrs, until fork tender. Watch liquids at 1 1/2 hours and add a bit of extra broth if needed. Recommend chopping the pork into pieces with this method.

Serve over rice.

TOTAL COSTS: $8.00
Pork $4 (Sunmart)
Marinade $1 (Cashwise)
Pineapple $1 (Cashwise)
Sesame Seeds* $.50 (Cashwise)
Bacon $1 (Sunmart)
Rice $.50 (Walmart)

*Sesame seeds add tons of flavor, but can be costly. DO NOT buy them in the spice isle. You'll pay way too much. Check in the ethnic food section, bulk spices, or an Asian market. They keep a long time so buying in bulk is great. Use them on pizza crust, bread sticks, sauces, stir fry, salads & dressings, spiced or sugared nuts, etc.

Caramel Shortbread Squares

These are oh-my goodness good from allrecipes.com and go perfectly with a cup of coffee (or tea if you prefer). Make them to share because a little bit goes a long way, but they are addictive. Made these as teacher gifts before to have them tell me after the holidays that their family had fought over them!

2/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
***
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
***
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together 2/3 cup butter, white sugar, and flour until evenly crumbly. Press into a 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
3. In a 2 quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 5 minutes (Be careful not to burn). Remove from heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes. Pour over baked crust (warm or cool). Cool until it is firm. (hard to spread chocolate if it isn't completely cool)
   
4. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute, then stir and continue to heat and stir at 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over the caramel layer and spread evenly to cover completely. Chill. Cut into 1 inch squares. These need to be small because they are so rich.

TOTAL COST: $3.80
Flour $.25 (Aldi)
Sugar $.10 (Aldi)
Butter $1.20 (Aldi or Meijer)
Brown Sugar $.25 (Aldi)
Sweetened Milk $.75 (Aldi)
Chocolate $1.25 (Aldi)
Corn Syrup - from stock

Aunt Vi's Sugared Peanuts (or Almonds)

I don't make these anymore due to my son's peanut allergy, but MAN DO I MISS THEM. These are another one of my Great Aunt Vi's recipes that are carved into my holiday memories. I use to give these lovely treats for gifts, but alas no more. This is for Andrea so you don't have to call for the recipe again this year. ;)

2 c Sugar
1 c Water
4 c Raw redskin peanuts (or almonds)

Mix ingredients in large saucepan.
Bring to a boil and cook until moisture in almost gone and nuts and quite dry - stirring frequently. Pour out on a greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1/2 hour - stirring after the 5, 10, and 20 minute marks. Allow to cool before serving. Store in an airtight container.

TOTAL COST: ?
I have no idea anymore what peanuts cost - just remember that they are really inexpensive around Christmas. Look for the RAW peanuts in the bulk area.

Buckeye Peanut Butter Balls

Since today is the big Michigan v. Ohio State game and we know that unfortunately Michigan is going to lose, because it's that kind of season... Celebrate with a bit a confectionary buckeye. There is nothing like the traditional peanut butter version. Due to the peanut allergy in the house we don't make them in the house. I made these with almond butter and they were pretty good, the flavor was pretty intense (and expensive). This year I'll try with sunflower seed butter.

2 c Powdered Sugar
2 T Butter
1 1/2 c Peanut butter (or sunbutter)
Melted chocolate - milk, white, or dark

Blend ingredients together and refrigerate. Roll mixture into 1/2"-3/4" balls. Refrigerate to harden. Dip balls into melted milk chocolate or white chocolate (melt in double boiler). Cool on wax paper. Refrigerate.

TOTAL COST: $4.40 - $6.90
Sugar - $.75 (Aldi's)
Butter - $.15 (Aldi's)
Peanut Butter - $1.50 (varies based on brand)
Sunflower Seed Butter - $4.00 (Trader Joe)
Chocolate - $2.00 (Meijer sale)

Holiday Hints - Chicken Fajita Cups

This is a perfect party pleaser because it is easy to make up ahead of time and let it go in the crockpot. Guests can dish up their filling for baked won ton cups or use a "scoop" style tortilla chip.

CHICKEN FAJITA FILLING

2 large Chicken breasts
1 Red bell pepper, minced
1 Green bell pepper, minced
1/2 c Chipotle marinade
1 T Canola oil
1 c Monterey-Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 sm Onion, minced
1/3 c Salsa

Marinade chicken in chipotle sauce minimum one-hour. Grill chicken. Set aside and allow meat to cool. Meanwhile add oil to a hot skillet. Sauté pepper and onion until slightly soft but color is still vivid. Mince the cooled chicken into small pieces. Add all ingredients to a saucepan or crockpot to get the flavors and ingredients incorporated. Add more salsa to thin or cheese to thicken the filling. Serve warm in won ton cups or with tortilla chips.


WON TON CUPS

1 pkg Won Ton Wrappers
Coarse Sea Salt
Oil Spray

Lay wrapper into a standard muffin tin and shape/press along the sides. Thoroughly cover wrapper with oil spray and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes until crisp and lightly browned. Remove and cool on wire rack. Store in air-tight container until ready to use.

Advent Bag Garland
These little homemade gift bags are perfect to tuck in a little note, treat, or advent surprise. Bags are numbered and then tied to twine or ribbon to hang up.

Holiday Hints - Chicken Florentine Pockets

These tasty little appetizers pair well with sour cream for dipping. Really enjoy it as an easy topping for pasta as well. Great way to use up some leftovers.

1 pkg Jumbo Flakey Biscuits dough
1 c Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 c Chicken, cooked and diced small
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, shredded
4 oz Spinach, cooked, drained, chopped
1/2 c Sour Cream
1/2 lb Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 t Oregano
1/4 t Pepper

Combine all ingredients. Peel each biscuit into thirds by pulling apart layers. Place about 1 T of filling on one side of the biscuit and fold over. Pinch edges together with a fork. Bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes until the pocket is golden. Serve with sour cream. Filling can be added to a cream or Alfredo sauce and served with pasta as well. Makes 24.

Merry Christmas Garland
Print out letters on cardstock, tear or edge pieces and edge with chalk, clip to twine or yard to hang.