Dinner with guests

Recently I have made an effort to make more home cooked meals (or at least semi-homemade meals). Last night, I made some repeats of some recipes I found on pinterest that were a hit with my daughter and our dinner guests.  I admit I should have taken pictures, these are the two recipes I used last night.

Creamy Chicken Pockets

Yield:  8  to 16 pockets depending on the size of the chicken breasts

2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I have also used left over chicken)
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3 ounces light cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies (add more or less as desired)
2 (8 ounce) package refrigerated reduced fat crescent rolls
1 tablespoon butter, melted


Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook the onions and garlic, once cooked add pre-cooked chicken and frozen veggies to heat.

In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened butter until smooth.  Stir in the cooked chicken, onions, garlic and veggies.  Add the salt, pepper and milk.  Mix well.

Separate the crescent roll dough into the eight triangles.  Place a tablespoon of filling into the center of each triangle and fold the corners up and press to seal.    Place on ungreased baking sheet or stone and repeat.

Brush the tops with the melted butter.

Bake for 11 – 13 minutes, or until golden brown.

Creamy Orzo with Asparagus & Parmesan

Ingredients:

1 cup orzo

1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces (or use a small can of asparagus)

1 tbsp butter or margarine

1/4 to 1/2 cup light or regular cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Bring a large sauce pan of water (filled about halfway) to a boil over medium heat. Cook the orzo until tender, about 10 minutes.

After the orzo has been cooking for about 5 minutes, add the asparagus to the same pot (this will allow the orzo and asparagus to cook in the same pot and keep the clean-up to a minimum!).  **If you used canned asparagus only add for a 2-3 minutes***

Once the orzo and asparagus are cooked and tender, drain and return to the pot.

Quickly add the Parmesan cheese and butter. Stir thoroughly, allowing both the cheese and butter to melt. Slowly add the cream to the mixture, while stirring. Continue to stir and add cream until you reach your desired consistency.

Season with salt and pepper.

Until next time....

Jamie