Braided Rosemary Bewitchment

I got the idea for this from Jamie Cooks It Up! I started with the rosemary bread recipe and went from there. Next time, we'll try pastrami and Swiss cheese.

Ingredients:
1 batch rosemary bread
1 Tbl melted butter
sliced turkey
sliced medium cheddar cheese
1 Tbl rosemary
grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare the bread up through the first rise.

Spread parchment paper out large enough for your loaf. Lightly grease the paper. On the paper, roll out the dough in a long rectangle.

Using a pizza cutter, cut one inch wide strips along both long sides of the rectangle, leaving about a gap down the center uncut for your filling.

Place the turkey and cheese down the center of the dough.

Over lap the dough strips in the center over the top of your fillings.

Place the braid (with parchment paper) on a cookie sheet and allow to rise in a warm place for an hour.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Melt the butter and brush over the braid.

Sprinkle with rosemary.

Grate Parmesan cheese over the loaf.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

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Chicken Velvet Soup

This soup is so creamy. I'm really happy to finally be blogging one of my favorite things in the world to make. This soup is relatively easy, and you can whip it up in a relatively short amount of time. Yes, everything about this soup is relative. I even got the recipe from a relative: my brother, Terry. Thanks, Terry! He makes it better than I do, but this isn't his blog.

Prep time is 15-20 minutes, once you have the stock prepared and the chicken ready. Though I sometimes use canned chicken, this is especially tasty with grilled chicken.

Ingredients:
1/3 C butter
3/4 C flour
6 C chicken stock (can use bouillon)
2 C cream (or milk/cream combination of your choice)
1-1/2 C chicken, cooked and diced or shredded
1/2 tsp salt
white pepper

Melt butter.

Add flour. Stir until blended.

Add 2 C hot stock and cream. Cook slowly until thick, stirring continuously.

Add remaining stock and chicken.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serves about 6.

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Chicken Enchiladas

From the kitchen of Carol Berlin

Whether you call them chicken enchiladas or enchilada casserole, this seems to be a favorite of many people. My husband has been asking me to make this dish for a while, and I finally had the ingredients to do it.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 pt sour cream
3-1/2 C shredded cheddar or Monterery Jack cheese
12 tortilla shells, flour or corn
1/2 C onion, chopped

Grill chicken. Shred or dice.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease large baking dish.

Set some cheese aside for top. Mix chicken, soup, sour cream, cheese, and onions in large bowl.

Heat tortillas until flexible. Place 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of mix in each tortilla. Roll filled tortillas and place in baking dish.

Pour remaining mix over tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Top with sour cream and fresh salsa.

Variations:

• Cooked broccoli
• Green onions

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Tuna Casserole, minus the Tuna

From the kitchen of Pati Osterstock

Don't get me wrong; I love a really good tuna casserole. And this recipe, made with tuna, is a really good tuna casserole. But it is also an AMAZING chicken casserole. I realize that one problem some might have with this recipe is that I don't use a lot of actual amounts. It's really just some of this, and enough of that.

Ingredients:
Egg noodles
2-12.5 oz cans cooked chicken
1 12 oz. pkg of frozen peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
A little milk
Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook and drain the noodles. Put in oven-safe casserole dish.

In a bowl, combine chicken, soups, milk, and peas.

Pour over noodles. Mix thoroughly.

Cover with cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

We like it sprinkled with lemon pepper.

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