Keeping dogs active in the cold months!!

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Sunday Dinner

White Chicken Chili

2 onions, chopped
1 T. olive oil
6 c. chicken broth
6 15-1/2 oz. cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
3 5-oz. cans chicken, drained
2 4-oz. cans diced green chiles
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. garlic powder
1-1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. white pepper
12-oz. container sour cream
3 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In a large stockpot over medium heat, sauté onions in oil until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except sour cream and cheese. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until heated through. Shortly before serving, add sour cream and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. 

Pesto Cream Cheese Crescent Roll

1 Container pesto

1 8oz Cream Cheese

2 pkg. crescent rolls

Combine pesto and cream cheese in bowl. Unroll crescent rolls out and push gaps together so its one big piece. Spoon cream cheese/pesto mix on the rolled out crescent roll. Roll the crescent roll into a log, put in fridge for about an hour. After cold, cut the log into pinwheels, place in pie dish. Cook 20-25 minutes on 375. Serve warm!

Pear Cheesecake Pie

• I was given a crate of pears not knowing what to do with them all. As I looked up this recipes I came across this one, SO SO YUMMY!!! I made three of them and froze 2 for the holidays!! Enjoy!!
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 29 oz can Bartlett pear halves, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• For the crust:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup finely ground almonds

Preparation:
Place oven rack in lower portion of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray.

In a food processor, pulse sugar and butter until well combined. Add flour and pulse until crumbly. Add ground almonds and process until the consistency is like wet sand. Reserve 1/2 cup and set aside. Press remainder of crust evenly into the pie plate.
In the same food processor, process the cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Pour into the crust, then arrange pear halves in a circle on top.
Mix the cinnamon into the reserved crust mixture and sprinkle over the top. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F and bake another 35 to 40 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling is set (when a knife is inserted, it should come out clean).
Remove to a cooling rack and cool for 20 minutes. The pie can be served warm or chilled.

Garlic mushroom pasta bake

Garlic mushroom pasta bake

Ingredients

• 2-3tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 8oz chestnut mushrooms, wiped and halved
• 4oz baby spinach leaves
• 8oz penne pasta
• ½oz butter
• ½oz plain flour
• ½pt milk
• 3oz Cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the garlic and mushrooms over a high heat until just browned, adding more oil if necessary. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the spinach.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of lightly salted water, according to the packet instructions, until just tender. Drain well and rinse under cold water.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat the butter in a pan, then stir in the flour and cook for 1 min. Gradually add the milk, whisking all the time. Simmer for 2-3 mins until thickened. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Stir the pasta into the cheese sauce and add the mushroom and spinach mixture. Spoon into a large ovenproof dish and top with tomatoes. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden and bubbling.

Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients

• 4 small zucchini, 5 to 6-inches long, 1 1/2-inches thick
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 small to medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves, grated or chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 vine ripe tomatoes or Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
• 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce

Directions

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pour the 1/2 cup marinara on the bottom of the baking dish.

Halve 4 of the small zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and soft center flesh with a spoon to produce a set of shallow shells to hold the stuffing. Reserve the center flesh. Arrange the zucchini in a baking dish. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Chop the reserved zucchini flesh and set aside.

Heat the remaining Olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and saute the mushrooms, onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add in the reserved zucchini and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, to taste and heat through for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.

Fold the bread crumbs and Italian seasoning into the veggies along with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and the egg. Mound the zucchini stuffing in to the shells and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the tops with remaining cheese and broil for 2 to 3 minutes to brown.

Blueberry Hand Pies

These are AMAZING little desserts to make for any occasion, especially the upcoming Labor Day! 

Ingredients
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

3 T. flour
1/2 cup sugar or less if blueberries are sweet
2 dashes of ground nutmeg
1-2 T. orange juice
1 cup powdered sugar

1 package of the refrigerated pie crust






Directions:
-If berries are frozen measure out the right quantity then put in medium size bowl. Add the sugar, flour and nutmeg and toss together. Let thaw for about 1/2 hour but not completely thawed.
-Unroll the dough and use a round cup to cut out the circles.

-Place a tablespoon or more if you can fit it, of the partially thawed berry mixture in the middle of each dough circle. Get a bowl of water and wet your finger and go around the edge of half of the dough circle then fold over and crimp with a fork. Repeat until all the berries are used.in.
-Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden browned.
-Let pies cool about 10 mintues. Then mix the glaze up by whisking together the powdered sugar with 2 T. orange juice or milk or even water until smooth. Put a tablespoon of glaze on each pie and spread out evenly.