Strawberry (or Peach) Cream Cheese Bread

 

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups strawberries, rinse, dried and chopped (or peaches)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. I use "Pam for Baking."  Use an electric mixer to cream butter, sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.  In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Blend flour mixture with butter mixture just until blended. Add buttermilk and only stir until just combined; do not over mix  Carefully fold in strawberries. Dough mixture will be thick.  Bake in a 350°F oven for 50 to 60 minutes

Comments:  This recipe came to me from Author Mary Kennedy.  As most of you know by now, I always change something.  In this case I used peaches instead of strawberries simply because that is what I had on hand.  It worked perfectly!  Can't wait to try this with other fruit such as blueberries and blackberries. This bread is getting raving reviews from my Food Testers.

Plantation-Style Red Beans and Rice

1 lb. dry red kidney beans
1 Tbsp. oil
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1 - 2 stalks of celery
Water to fill near top of pot
Bay leaves
Cayenne pepper
Parsley
Black pepper
1 Tbsp. Creole or Cajun seasoning
Choice of meat for seasoning - Ham, ham bone, salt pork or smoke sausage

Rice:
2 cups rice
1 Tbsp. butter
4 cups water

Wash red beans and soak.  If I don't soak mine, I cook them a few hours.  If soaked, they'll cook quicker.  Wash and cut seasonings.  Brown or saute seasonings to taste, including the ones you enjoy and leaving out the ones you may not like.  If using smoke sausage, you may brown it with the seasonings.

Pour seasonings into pot with beans.  Add meat.  Let come to a boil and then simmer until done.  I recommend cooking at least two hours.  A ham bone provides the best flavoring in my opinion.

You may turn the fire to low and let the beans simmer or just keep warm after two hours.  You can also cook using a crock pot, but you should put them on very early in the morning and let them slow cook all day.  If cooking on the top of a stove, you will need to continually add water to them as it cooks out until they are nearly done.  Then, let them cook down so the gravy is thick and red.

Boil rice about thirty minutes before serving time.  Let two cups of rice, four cups of water and 1 Tbsp. of butter come to a boil, turn to low and let the water cook out of the rice.

Comment:  This recipe was sent to me by one of the Author's I write reviews for.  I had never tried Red Beans & Rice but it did sound pretty good so I gave it a try.  I followed her recipe pretty much to the letter but did leave out the Cayenne and parsley.  I'm really glad I didn't add the cayenne because I ended up with enough heat form the Cajun seasoning.  I also used brown rice boiling bags instead of cooking the long cook type.  For my meat I used smoked sausage since that was what I had on hand.   Anyway, this dish is simply delicious! I served it with slaw giving me a simple yet tasty meal.   It fed 6 easily with just a little left over.  

B. J. Robinson, Author of River Oaks Plantation:  Historically - in New Orleans, red beans and rice were always served on Mondays because Monday was wash day and the dish could simmer for hours.  When I grew up with a mom who cooked Red Beans and Rice and later a mother-in-law who is the one who taught me to cook them.  She is also the one who gave me the recipe at the end of my book for the cornbread dressing.    So as you can see, I was reared on them and reared my children on them actually using both my mother and mother-in-law's recipes.  They both cook the same way with one exception.  My Mom didn't add the bay leaf, whereas my mother-in-law did. 

Crab Meat Quiche

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded cheese (your choice of flavor)
1/2 lb. crab meat (or 1/2 lb. imitation crab meat chopped)
1 can (3 oz.) French fried onions
1 sheet Puff Pastry

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Combine eggs, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and salt.  Stir in cheese, crab meat and onions.  Pour into a pie plate sprayed with non-stick spray.  Top with Puff Pastry sheet, trimming edges to fit.  Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serves 6

Comments:  I found this recipe in a vintage cookbook and made a couple of changes.  I used a blend of cheese instead of the Swiss the original called for.  I changed from crab meat to imitation crab which turned out delicious and a lot cheaper.  I also topped mine with a sheet of puff pastry instead of using a pie shell.  The puff pastry turned out beautiful.  It was flaky and so much better than a shell would.

Scallop Stir Fry

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 lb. Bay Scallops, drained
1 lb. broccoli florets

In a small bowl combine chicken broth, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch and salt.  In a large (12") nonstick skillet or wok, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and ginger.  Stir-fry 1 minute.  Increase heat to high.  Add scallops.  Stir-fry until opaque, about 2 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer scallops to a clean bowl.  Add broccoli to the skillet.  Stir-fry 2 minutes.  Stir the broth mixture and add to the skillet.  Simmer 1 minute.  Add scallops back to skillet.  Simmer 1 minute.  Serve hot over rice.  Makes 4 servings. 

Comments:  The original recipe called for Sea Scallops which are rather expensive.  I had found Bay Scallops on sale a week ago so decided to use them.  They worked perfectly.  Instead of using fresh ginger and fresh garlic, I decided to use the minced ginger and minced garlic that I always keep on hand in the refrigerator.  They too worked perfectly.  I also used chopped frozen broccoli instead of fresh.  Make sure you drain the broccoli well.  I take mine straight from the freezer.  Put it in a colander.  Run hot water over the frozen broccoli until thawed and then let drain until I'm ready to use.  And for the lemon juice, I used bottled.  I don't use lemons often enough to keep them on hand but I do keep bottled lemon juice which will last a lot  longer.  Same with the ginger and garlic.  So as you can see, there are many ways to cut corners and still come out with a truly delicious dish.

Cream Cheese Butter Pound Cake

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 sticks butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a Bundt pan with non-stick spray.  In a large bowl mix cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Gradually add sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each.  Gradually add flour.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour batter into pan.  Bake 1 hr. and 20 minutes.

Comments:  This cake is RICH but the flavor is beyond belief.  It's great hot, cold and even toasted.  One piece of advice is to use a Bundt pan with smooth sides or use an angel food cake pan with the removable bottom.  If using this be sure to wrap the bottom with a piece of foil to catch possible drippings.  I used a Bundt pan that had a design and had trouble removing my cake form the pan.  I also used some of the batter to make a 1 lb. loaf size.  For it I found the cooking time to be about 1 hr. 10 minutes so you can divide these into loafs as well giving you 3-4 cakes.  This cake is simple and so good the only problem you'll have is making yourself stop eating it.

Onion Dip Pasta

Pasta
Boiled Eggs
French Onion Dip

Cook pasta according to package.  Chop boiled eggs and add to pasta.  Add enough French Onion Dip to moisten/cream.  Serve with crackers

Comment;  I love pasta and am always looking for new ways to enjoy this love of carbs.  This dish is quick and so good.  You can use a pasta of your choice, including wheat.  You can made as moist and/or creamy as you like.  This one is great to just Think With Your Taste Buds.  For changes you can change the dip flavor.  Plus, for an added texture, you can sprinkle with French Fried Onions.  No matter what you do, the only problem you'll have with this dish is eating too much.

Refrigerator Pickles

4-5 thinly sliced cucumbers
1 large thinly sliced red onion
1 large thinly sliced bell pepper (color of your choice)
3 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. pickling spices
1 Tbsp. salt
2 canning jars (1 qt. each with lids)

In a large bowl combine vinegar, sugar, salt and spices.  Stir making sure sugar dissolves completely.  Evenly divide veggies into jars, packing tightly without breaking.  Fill jars with vinegar mixture.  Top with lid and refrigerate 24 hours.  Can be kept in refrigerator up to 2 months.

Comments:  This recipe originally called for less vinegar but I found I needed the extra cup to fill my jars.  It also called for 1 tsp. celery flakes and 1 tsp. red pepper flakes.  I decided to use the pickling spices instead.  These 'pickles' are so good.  The red onion gives off just a touch of flavor heat.  The pickling spices add the perfect flavors and the jars are really pretty.  I did notice that the onions have a tendency of ending up on the bottom but they can be fished out when serving.  Also, I'm going to try using cheese cloth for the pickling spices instead of allowing them to be loose.  That should give me the flavors without the actual spices being attached to my pickles.  When I worked up my bell pepper I sliced it in half to remove the seeds and core, then sliced that in half to give me smaller, thinner pieces.  This is one recipe that everyone who loves the Bread & Butter style pickles has raved about.  I've also discovered that I can add more veggies to the liquid as the jar empties.  Let them sit for 24 hrs. and your ready to go again.

 

Candy Bar Pie

5 Snickers cut in pieces
1 pastry shell, deep dish, baked
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup peanut butter
2/ cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. whipping cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place Snickers in bottom of pie shell.  In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs, sour cream and peanut butter.  Beat on low speed just until combined.  Pour into pie shell.  Bake 35-40 minutes.  Cool.  In a small saucepan melt chocolate chips with cream over low heat until smooth.  Spread over cooled pie.  Refrigerate over night or for several hours.

Comment:  This recipe came from a friend who does some catering on the side.  I'm not a chocolate lover but the response I've received from everyone who was lucky enough to try this, it was delicious.  I did make one mistake.  I melted my chips in the microwave.  Actually I made 2 mistakes.  I used chips that I had in the pantry for a while.  Yes, chips do get old and don't melt as well as fresh.  But I still used them as a crumble over the top of the pie.  I also used the Almond Snickers and Almond Butter so I sprinkled my pie with sliced almonds.  I think this would be a fun dish to make with other candies too.

Brown Sugar Pecan Bars

1 pound light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Prehet oven to 300 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Blend in flour. Mix in vanilla and nuts. Spread evenly on a 9 x 13 x 2 pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 45 minutes. Don't overcook. They will fall after cooking. Cool before cutting into squares. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen bars.

Maple Oatmeal Hazelnut Shortbread

 

3/4 cup hazelnuts
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed SPLENDA brand brown sugar blend
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp maple extract
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour

In food processor, finely grind hazelnuts, set aside.

In large bowl, beat butter with SPLENDA until light, beat in maple syrup and maple extract. Stir in oats and flour. Roll into balls using 1 tbsp dough per ball. Roll in nuts to coat. Flatten slightly, place about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chilled.

Bake in 350 degree oven for about 10 min or until puffed and set. Let cool for 1 minute. Transfer to racks, let cool completely. Makes about 36 cookies.

 

Comment:  This recipe was sent to me by an author friend Bev Irwin who wrote Without Consent, (great mystery).  I don't normally try the recipes that are sent to go with my reviews and posted to my site A Book and A Dish but now and then one will come along that I can't resist.  This was one of them.  As you can see for yourself, they look tasty and believe me they live up to their 'looks.'  They are simple to make and delicious.  For changes - use pecans or walnuts instead of hazelnuts.

Grandma's Lime Gelatin Surprise

 

1 large or 2 small packages lime gelatine
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple pieces not drained (You need
1 cup of liquid here. You may have to add water to make
1 cup of liquid)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup ginger ale
2 cups boiling water

Mix 2 cups boiling water with gelatin and dissolve completely. Add softened cream cheese to ginger ale and mix well. Add mixture to gelatine. Add undrained pineapple and juice (1 cup), mix well. Refrigerate until firm.

 

Comments:  This recipe came from Author Nancy Carabio Belanger and is included in her book Olivia's Gift.  I had forgotten how good gelatine desserts could be and when I made this one I've decided to start making them again.  The ginger ale in this gives it a very slight unique flavor.  It kind of reminds me of a lime punch, which I dearly love.  You can make this with other flavors such as cherry using cherries instead of pineapple or maybe banana slices.  But, add a few chopped nuts and some coconut to this recipe and you have a dish that is not only pretty but oh so good.

Shrimp Salad

2 1/2 cups macaroni (low carb)
2 Tbsp. Dijonnaise mustard
2 large eggs (boiled)
2 stalks celery (diced)
2 lbs. shrimp, cleaned, boiled, cut into pieces
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 Tbsp. mayonnaise (low fat)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder

Cook macaroni according to package, drain and cool.  In a large bowl combine all ingredients tossing to mix well.  May be served warm or chilled. 

Comments:  This recipe came from an author friend of mine Lawrence Johnson, Sr. - The Budget Gourmet.  Larry has written 4 novels, so far, Escape 2 Earth, Terror on Telderan, Planet of Doom and Return 2 Earth.  As well as being an author he holds a cooking class for healthier eating.  This is one of his recipes.  When I made this dish I did, of course, make a change or should I say an addition.  I added about 1 tsp. of horseradish which made a great dish even greater.  This is also a dish you can tone down or spice up.  I cut the garlic and onion powders down to 1/2 tsp. each and did ad an extra Tbsp. of mayo.  Plus I used penna pasta instead of elbow, for no real reason.  This would also be good with a sprinkle of Old Bay.  Think With Your Taste Buds when playing with this recipe.

Nutty Pineapple Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple with juice, undrained
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup pecans
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a 13 x 9 x 2" baking dish with non-stick spray.  In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking soda, eggs, pineapple with juice, coconut and nuts.  Stir with a spoon until just combined and all ingredients are moist.  Spoon into prepared pan.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserteed in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool.

Icing
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a bowl beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Frost cooled cake with icing.  Garnish with nuts and coconut (optional).

Comments:  This was a recipe for an Hawaiian Wedding Cake that looked like my kind of cake.  I did make 1 change and that was to decrease the sugar by 1/2 cup.  The original called for 2 cups and I used 1 1/2 cups.  This cut down the sweetness and I think made it even better.  I also changed from walnuts to pecans.  The icing is the perfect recipe for cream cheese icing that can be changed by changing the flavoring.  This icing would be great using Rum flavoring, orange, black walnut or just about any other flavorings you might like. 

Monkey Muffins

1 box Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Country White
1 container (6.5 oz.) Land of Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread
Sweetened, Condensed Milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix bread mix according to package.  Add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon butter to 12 muffin (not mini) tins.  Roll bread mix into walnut size balls.  Place 3 into each muffin tin.  Top with another 1/2 tsp. cinnamon butter.  Allow dough to rise.  Bake 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  Remove from oven and drizzle with plenty of sweetened condensed milk over each muffin.  Allow to sit to absorb milk.  Scoop out with a spoon and serve hot or cold.

Comments:  The original recipe called for leftover bread dough or refrigerated biscuit dough, sugar, butter, cinnamon and sweetened condensed milk.  I had a box of Fleischmann's Country White that I thought would work perfectly for the bread part and a container of Land of Lakes Cinnamon Butter that actually included the other 3 ingredients.  It worked out perfectly and with very little cleanup.  I had a friend come over just as I took them out of the oven and added the condensed milk.  She nor I could wait for the milk to soak in.  We dug in and boy were these delicious.  What few were left over I passed on to a couple of my food testers.  They ate them cold and raved about how good they were. 

Imitation Crab Linguine

1 lb. Linguine
2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 Tbsp. butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. garlic minced
1 tsp. Old Bay
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups half & half
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 lb. Imitation Crab, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in a large pot according to package directions until al dente.  Drain reserving 1/4 cup of liquid.  Return linguine to pot and toss with olive oil and reserved cooking liquid.  Cover to keep warm.

In a large skillet melt butter over medium high heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and Old Bay cooking.  Cook stirring constantly about 1 minute.  Add chicken broth, half & half, lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes and mixture has slightly reduced.  Add imitation crab and cook until warmed.  Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and pasta.  Toss to coat with sauce.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese. 

Comment:  This can be made with real crab but due to it's cost I've found quite a taste for the Imitation in my recipes.  I made this dish for a dear friend who actually loves the Imitation Crab with it's delicately sweet taste.  She loved it and so did everyone that was lucky enough to give this one a try.

Best-Ever Cream Cheese Cookies

1/2 cup butter (room-temperature)
3 oz. regular cream cheese (room-temperature)
1 1/2 cups confestioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg (room temperature)
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place butter and cream cheese in bowl and beat for 1 minute.  Beat in sugar and baking powder.  Add egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy.  Beat in flour.  Chill for 30 minutes for drop.  Scoop by rounded teaspoon full, press flat and place on parchment paper.  Bake 7 minutes for soft cookies, 10 minutes for crunchy.  Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet then transfer to wire rackis to cool completely.  Makes about 2 dozen depending on size.

Comments:  This recipe came from The Girl Creative and the original recipe does include directions for rolled and cut cookies.  It also gives directions for rolling your cookies in superfine sugar, which I didn't do.  But I have to say that these cookies are so good that I could have sat down and ate at least half of them without stopping.   There is a strong butter/cream cheese taste that can't be beat.  This is also a good recipe for making decorated cookies or maybe adding a pecan to the center of each cookie before cooking. 

Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mini pepperoni
1/2 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled
pizza sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 24 cup mini-muffin pan with non-stick spray.  In a large bowl whisk together the flour, garlic powder and baking powder.  Whisk in the milk and egg.  Stir in the mozzarella, sausage and pepperoni.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Divide into 24 mini muffin cups.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Serve with heated pizza sauce for dipping.

Commet:  I found this recipe on Pinterest where it had been posted by Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms.  This is delicious and can be made healthy by using turkey pepperoni and turkey sausage.  As you can see I didn't take it the healthy way.  I took these to a friends house who was having company over.  She served these to her company and between the 4 people present, they ate all 20.  They are that good.  Yes I kept 4 for myself.

Shrimp Toast

6 slices rye bread
36 med. shrimp, cleaned
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. minced garlic
6 slices cheese

Place bread on a baking sheet.  In a frying pan melt butter, add garlic and shrimp.  Saute until shrimp is pink.  Place a slice of cheese on each slice of bread.  Top cheese with 6 shrimp.  Drizzle with drippings from frying pan.  Broil in oven until cheese starts to melt. 

Martha:  I made shrimp scampy one night and had leftover.  This is what I came up with so the shrimp wouldn't go to waste.  Boy was it a big hit.  The fortunate food testers that got to try this one all raved over how good it was.  You got the flavor from the rye bread, the sweet taste of the shrimp and of course the delicious blend of butter and garlic.  Oh yeah, the cheese was good too.  If you don't like rye bread, use French, wheat or whatever you do like.  As for the cheese, I used a blend of cheddar and jack.  You can do the same or use whatever cheese you like that will go with shrimp and garlic. 

Chicken Loaded Potato Casserole

1/2 lb. deli sliced chicken
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. dehydrated minced onions
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
4 med. potatoes sliced into 1/4" thick circles
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil sliced potatoes until tender.  In a large bowl mix cream cheese, onions and lemon juice.  Chop deli chicken into bite size pieces.  Mix chicken and potatoes with cream cheese mix.  Spread into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 20 minutes or until cheese melts and dish is hot.  Sprinkle with Panko and bake another 5 minutes or until Panko starts to brown.  Serves 4 - 6

Martha:  This is the dish I told you about that can be made from leftovers from the Chicken Cream Cheese Rolls.  If made using the leftovers you'll simply cut up the rolls and stir them into the cooked potatoes, top with shredded cheese, bake and then sprinkle with the Panko.  Personally, I like both so well that there never seems to be leftovers to use so I make it from scratch.  This is also a dish that can be made with beef or ham.  It's a fun dish to play with changing the cheese to different blends such as Italian or Mexican and even changing the seasonings.

Chicken Cream Cheese Rolls

1 lb. deli sliced chicken
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. dehydrated minced onions
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Italian seasonings
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix cream cheese, onions, lemon juice, garlic and Italian seasonings until well blended and smooth.  Separate the chicken slices putting 3-4 together creating about an 1/8" thickness.  Spread evenly with cream cheese mixture.  Roll like a jelly roll.  Place in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Bake 20 minutes or until cheese melts and filling is hot.  Sprinkle with a thin layer of Panko.  Bake another 5 minutes or until Panko starts to brown.  Serves 4 - 6.

Martha:  I found a recipe for Cream Cheese Filled Chicken on Pinterest and loved the idea but I wanted to find a short cut for making these so I came up with using the deli sliced chicken.  You can have the deli slice it to about 1/8" thick or you can buy the pre-cut and layer the pieces to give you the thickness.  One pound of chicken gave me about 12 rolls.  The original recipe had a few other ingredients that I eliminated because I had another recipe in mind to make with the leftovers, if there were any.  The leftovers will go into what I'm calling Chicken Loaded Potato Casserole so make sure you see that one too.  I did eliminate the garlic salt from the original recipe and used the minced garlic.  The garlic salt along with the salt from the other ingredients would be too much for me.  Two to three rolls served with some cole slaw, green peas or beans and a roll gives you a simple yet delicious meal.