Glazed Pigs in a Blanket Recipe

 

Did you know National Pigs in a Blanket Day is a thing? It's April 24th, by the way ;)  I sometimes like to cook recipes based off silly National Holidays and found this one, so I just had to try it. I made it to bring in to work for lunch and it was a big hit! The glaze is so yummy! I found the original recipe Here

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

For the Pigs in Blankets:

• 1 (12 oz.) package Hillshire Farm Lit'l Smokies or other mini hot dogs
• 2 tubes crescent rolls

For the Glaze:

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 2 T. yellow mustard
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. poppy seeds
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Unroll crescent roll dough and separate the triangles. Cut each triangle (through the point) into two pieces, creating two long triangles from each.
2. Place a Lit'l Smokie toward the wide end of each crescent dough piece. Beginning at the wide end, roll each Lit'l Smokie up in the crescent dough, ending at the dough's tip. Each Lit'l Smokie should peek out a bit on both sides of the roll.
3. Place rolls in a 9x13-inch baking dish greased with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil; remove from heat as soon as glaze comes to a boil.
5. Brush tops of pigs in a blanket rolls with glaze to coat each one. Then pour remaining glaze over rolls.
6. Bake uncovered at 375℉ for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Tin foil dinners, or known as Hobo Dinner, are a fave in our house. This instapot recipe is an quick alternative and tastes great! I also added muchrooms to mine and omitted the onions.

I found this recipe here: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-hobo-casserole/ 

and they also include cooking instructions for a crock pot option! 

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup diced onions
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 cup beef broth
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (or baby carrots)
• 1 pound Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions:

1. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for about 5 minutes. If there is excess grease drain it off. Add in the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and chili powder. 
2. Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot. 
3. Dump in the carrots, potatoes and finally the soup. Don’t stir.
4. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When time is up release pressure by moving valve to venting. Remove the lid.
5. Stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Instructions:

1. Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the beef  and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for about 5 minutes. If there is excess grease drain it off. Add in the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and chili powder. Add the mixture to the slow cooker.
2. Stir in the broth, carrots, potatoes and soup. 
3. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
4. Stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 6 

Nutrition Facts

Calories per serving: 249 

Total Fat 8.3g

Saturated Fat 2.7g

Cholesterol 47.5mg

Total Carbs 24.5g

Sugars 3.9g

Sodium 678.3mg

Dietary Fiber 3.2g

Protein 19.3g

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Braid

Broccoli cheddar chicken braid for dinner... sooo good! This is a family favorite!

You will need:
2 cans Crescent Rolls (I used the reduced fat ones)
2 cups cooked chicken chunks
2 cups Cheddar Cheese (I used sharp)
2 cups steamed chopped broccoli
1/2 cup light Mayo
1 egg yolk
Rosemary (I used what I had in my seasoning cupboard or you could buy some fresh rosemary too)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Spray some non stick spray onto a cookie sheet, and spread both cans of crescents length wise to form a long rectangle.
3. Press each of the seams to form a single layer of dough.
4. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cheese, broccoli and mayo.
5. Spread mixture over the center of the croissant dough evenly to create a log.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut horizontal strips 1 inch apart down each side of the crescent dough.
7. Fold the dough strips over the top of the mixture, alternating left and right to create a braid.
8. Brush the top of the braid with a beaten egg yolk and sprinkle rosemary on top.
9. Bake for 28-30 until golden brown. (I cooked mine for 40 minutes to get the dough a bit crispier, that's just how we like it)

It's really easy! And yummy!

Spinach Artichoke Bubble Bake

After my work day, I wanted to make something for dinner that was quick to put together so I could simply relax. 

So I skipped quite a few steps by simply using a tub of spinach artichoke dip from Costco, mixed in a cup of mozzarella cheese and a can of chicken (drained), two tubes of biscuits, cut each biscuit into 4ths and mixed in with the mixture, top with another cup of Mozzarella and then baked at 350 degrees in a 9x13 dish for 50 minutes, covering at 30 minutes for the last 20. 

It was SO good! Everyone approved and there’s none left, so I’d call that a success!

1 tub spinach artichoke dip from Costco

1 can chicken, drained

2 cups mozzarella cheese 

2 tubes biscuits

• Mix dip, chicken, and 1 cup of cheese.

• Cut up each biscuit into 4ths. Place in 9x13 baking dish with the mixture and mix up, make sure to coat them all.

• Sprinkle remaining cheese on top

• Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, cover for remaining 20 minutes.

That’s it! Tell me what you think of you try it! Enjoy!

Copy Cat Hibachi Ginger Peanut Dressing - YUM!

I absolutley love the dressing they put on the salad at our local hibachi spot. I found this copycat recipe on Pinterest and I am so happy I did! So delicious!

Ingredients:

• 6T rice vinegar

• 1T fresh ginger, peeled

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 3T vegetable or canola oil

• 1tsp toasted sesame oil (Asian sesame oil) 

• 1/4 C creamy peanut butter

• 3T soy sauce

• 3T honey

Put all Ingredients in your food processor and mix until smooth. 

That’s it! So easy!! I store mine in a mason jar, it didn’t last long so I can’t say for sure how long it’s good for, it was gone by day 3 and still tasted great! This was a hit with my entire family!

Delicious Baked Mayo Parmesan Chicken

I found several variations of this low-carb, Keto friendly recipe with rave reviews and had to try it myself!  It did not disappoint.

This chicken was moist and flavorful, it's one that I will for sure be making more regularly!  And best of all, it is super easy to make!

Ingredients:

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3/4 cup full fat mayo

6 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

3/4 tsp garlic powder

ground black pepper to taste 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

Put each breast inside a small ziploc bag and pound with a meat mallet until the chicken is an even thickness.  Then cut small, shallow crosswise slits going down each chicken breast, being careful not to cut through.

Mix the mayo and seasonings, then stir in the parmesan.  Put chicken breasts into the baking dish and spread the mixture over the top of each chicken breast, covering the entire surface.  I used a spatula to spread.

Bake the chicken for 35 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the top is nicely browned.   

I only used two breasts, because they were gigantic!  The two made four servings, we ended up just cutting them in half.

I know a lot of Keto-ers will say Best Foods Mayo is NOT Keto.  But, it was all I had.    

 I think next time I will try putting some real bacon crumbles on top, or mixed in with the mayo and Parmesan.  Because, bacon.

I found the original recipe on www.kalynskitchen.com 

On MyFitnessPal, I figured this recipe to be 

350 calories per serving

2.5g carbs

21g fat

42g protein

Cauliflower Fried Rice

I tried this tonight and YUM!  So good!  I added shrimp and also used Flavor God Garlic Lover's seasoning, their seasonings are awesome!!  I did not have just peas and carrots, but I had a bag of mixed veggies so my version also had corn and green beans in it which still tasted fantastic.  

I found this great recipe at http://therecipecritic.com/2015/01/cauliflower-fried-rice/

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower, (about 2½ cups chopped in a food processor)
• 2 Tbs sesame oil
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• 2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce (more or less to taste)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onions (optional)

Instructions

1. Rinse and chop the cauliflower into florets and put into a food processor. (If you don't have a food processor continue to chop the cauliflower into tiny pieces.) Pulse until the cauliflower until it is small and resembles rice.
2. Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat. Pour sesame oil in the bottom. Add white onion and peas and carrots and fry until tender.
3. Slide the onion, peas and carrots to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Using a spatula, scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetable mix.
4. Add the cauliflower to the veggie and egg mixture. Pour the soy sauce on top. Stir and fry the rice and veggie mixture until heated through and cauliflower is tender. Add chopped green onions if desired.