Chicken Cranberry Braid

I made this braid for dinner tonight. It was quite a hit! It was so easy and really worked up fast.
I was out of Shirley J Honey White Bread Mix so I made this one out of the Shirley J Honey Wheat Bread Mix.

Mix bread according to package directions, use 1/2 batch recipe. Let bread rest for 15-20 minutes after mixing, per instructions on bag.

Mix filling: 1 (12oz.) canned chicken, 1/2 c. chopped celery, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 4 oz. Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 c. almonds, slivered, 1/2 c. mayo, 2 TB Dijon mustard.

Remove bread to floured surface; roll out into approximately 12x18" rectangle. Place dough rectangle on 12x18" sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Make 4" cuts approximately 1" wide along each edge of the rectangle, leaving 4" in center for filling. Place filling in middle of dough rectangle, smooth to fill to the edge of dough cuts. Fold the edges of the dough over to middle of the pan, covering the fillings.

Alternate sides and tuck strips of dough under each other, giving the appearance of a woven top. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes in a warm place. Brush with egg whites and bake in 350 oven for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.















Slice and serve with Shirley J White Cheddar Sauce over the top.

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

Ingredients
Filling
1 package Cream Cheese (8 oz.)
1/4 cup granulated Sugar
1 whole Large Egg, lightly beaten
Batter
1-3/4 cups All-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups granulated Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 cup Canned Pumpkin
1/2 cup Butter, melted
1 whole Large Egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup Water

Preparation Instructions
-Combine cream cheese, sugar, and egg, mixing well until blended; set aside.
-Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
-In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, butter, egg, and water, then add to dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Reserve 2 cups of the pumpkin batter for later use.
-Pour remaining batter into greased and floured loaf pans. Pour equal amounts of cream cheese mixture over each loaf, then top with equal amounts of reserved pumpkin batter. Cut through batters with knife several times for swirl effect.
-Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes, remove from pan.

Notes:
-This bread freezes beautifully. It's easier to cut when frozen or cold.
-You can add nuts or chocolate chips to pumpkin batter if desired. It's extra delicious.
-My cook time ended up being 40-50 min.

Tomato, mozzarella,and fresh basil

I learned about this delightful combination in New York. I have been making different versions of this all summer and I never get tired of it. It tastes so fresh and light. It looks beautiful on a platter too.

Slice homegrown tomatoes.

Slice fresh mozzarella cheese

Top with fresh basil, chopped

Mix olive oil and Shirley J Pizza Pasta seasoning to taste.

Pour oil and seasoning mixture over tomato, mozzarella and serve.

I have also made it with cherry tomatoes and cubed chesse.

Shirly J Lemon Bars

I made lemon bars in about 40 minutes total mixing and baking. They were so easy and fast and turned out delicious!

4 cups Shirley J Universal Cookie Mix

2/3 cups water

Mix together and press dough into prepared 9x13 pan.

Spread 1/2 can of lemon pie filling on top of dough.

Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes or until done.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cool and enjoy.

Cheeseburger Paradise Soup

6 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 Tbsp chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
3 cups water
2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp beef bouillon granules (I used Shirley J)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp pepper
2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 Tbsp butter
5 cups milk, divided
6 Tbsp flour
1 package (16 oz) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed (I used Shirley J to taste...sorry, I don't have any idea how much I put in)

In a soup kettle, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to soup. Stir in 4 cups milk; heat through.

In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Garnish with crumbled bacon.

Notes:
First, I would really pay attention to how much water they said to use because it'll never thicken if you don't. Live and learn.

Second, I used Shirley J for the beef bouillon and the cheese sauce. It was fabulous!

Third, I would really suggest letting it thicken before you add in the cheese. No matter how hungry you are it'll be worth it to wait for just 2 more minutes. :)

Pina Colada Pound Cake

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
3 eggs
1 can 14 oz. coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 can 8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained, 3 tablespoons juice reserved
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottoms only of 2 (8x4-inch) loaf pans with baking spray with flour.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, and coconut milk with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in coconut and pineapple. Pour into pans.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool 50 minutes.

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and reserved 3 tablespoons pineapple juice. Poke tops of cakes every inch with toothpick. Pour sugar mixture over cakes. Cut each cake into 8 thick slices, using serrated knife.

Wonderful Low-fat Banana Bread

,Dear Angie,

Here is my healthy Banana Bread recipe you asked for... sorry it took me so long!

Enjoy!

Shayla

2 and 1/4 cups flour (I use half white and half wheat flour)
1 and 2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 and 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 and 1/4 tsp. soda
2/3 cup skim milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
2/3 cup egg whites or egg beaters
1 and 1/4 cup mashed ripe bananas
2/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pam 2 loaf pans. Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl and blend for 1-2 minutes on low, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 min. on high and pour into loaf pans. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. (Batter is very runny).