Cheese Straws

I ripped this recipe for cheese straws out of a Southern Living magazine way back in 1994!

No, I am not going on a KonMari kick and throwing away recipes! (at least not this one) The reason I saved this recipe to begin with was it brought me joy!! I was probably initially attracted to the vintage aluminum cups!

Cheese straws are a classic Southern snack. They can be fancy and served with wine or casual and served with football! You can buy them at the store, but they are so easy to make! I made cheese straws to give away as gifts this past Christmas.

I was in a hurry and didn’t even fancy up the cellophane baggies! How sad! At least they were cute baggies.

The cheese straws were very fragile. I had to be careful putting them in the bags. They made a great non-sweet snack to give as a gift! Everyone loved them!

Parmesan Cheese Straws

2/3 cup refrigerated pre-shredded Parmesan cheese or use fresh cheese plus 1/4 cup of flour

1/2 butter, softened

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/4 cup milk

*Put the cheese and butter in a food processor fitted with the knife blade. Whir it around until blended.

*Add the flour, salt and red pepper. Process about 30 seconds or until the mixture forms a ball. Scrape down the sides from time to time.

*Divide the dough in half. Roll each portion into a 1/8 inch thick rectangle. Cut the dough into 2″ x 1/2″ strips. (You can also shape the dough into 3/4 inch balls; flatten to about 1/8 inch; brush with milk and top with a pecan half.) Place on a baking sheet; (I used parchment for easy cleanup!) brush with milk.

*Bake at 350˚ for 7 minutes for strips (10 minutes for rounds) or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

**Makes about 5 dozen cheese straws! I put about 25-30 in each baggie.

**When cutting out the straws, you can use a regular knife, pizza wheel, pastry cutter…whatever you want to make it fancy! You can also use a cookie press if you have one.

So, we had a few cheese straws leftover. After Christmas we were all tired of eating Christmas food! I decided experiment with (and disguise) the leftover straws. I crushed up the cheese straws (This was very easy since they were fragile to begin with!) and made Chicken Parmesan!

I dipped the chicken in a little melted butter, then the crushed up cheese straws, then into the oven. (again, parchment paper makes clean up a breeze!) Sorry, I don’t remember how long I baked it. I’m thinking 425˚ for about 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken. Once baked, add a little marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese! Back in the oven for another 5 minutes-until the cheese melts. YUM! The red pepper that is in the cheese straws was really yummy in the Chicken Parm! It was yummy in the cheese straws, too!

 

Chicken & Broccoli Braid

Hooray! I’m a blogger now! So, now I have to take pictures of everything! Little did I know that taking pictures by myself while trying to cook dinner in a hurry in order to head out the door was hard-hmmmm.

This is not a new recipe for me. I know, I know, that was kinda the whole purpose of this whole blog thing. I have made this recipe a gazillion times, and it always turns out yummy.

Just a couple of disclaimers…

• I used to be a Pampered Chef lady. You will see lots of Pampered Chef items in this blog. There, you have been warned.
• I am no longer a Pampered Chef lady. I’m not trying to sell you anything. You will see Pampered Chef items in bold. This is how it is in the cookbook.
• Keep in mind that I was trying to get dinner on the table, people! Pictures may not be the best. Hubby wasn’t home from work yet to help in that department.
• I had been to the grocery store the day I made this recipe. However, I only went for a few things. You know, the stuff on sale! I had not given supper a thought at all. The ingredients used, or not used, on this particular occasion were what I had on hand, or not. We’ll get to that later.

I guess that is all of the disclaimers I have for now.  Enjoy!

Chicken & Broccoli Braid

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons All-Purpose Dill mix

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Chop chicken and broccoli using Food Chopper, place in Classic 2-Qt. Batter Bowl. Yes, I have these items. Any bowl of your choosing will do, I am sure. I do really like my Batter Bowl. I also have a 1-Qt., which I didn’t think I would use that much. But, I do. The Food Chopper is great, too.

I was using what I had on hand. Typically, I would use fresh broccoli, raw. Well, I didn’t have any fresh broccoli. I did have a HUGE bag of frozen mixed veggies-broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and squash. So, I pirated some of the broccoli from the mixed veggies. I have never made this recipe with frozen broccoli. I was a little concerned. I nuked it for a little while, just long enough to knock the chill off of it. Then I tried to squeeze as much liquid out as I could. I wasn’t too worried about making it look ugly since I was about to chop it to death. Worked just fine.

Chop bell pepper and add it to the Batter Bowl.

Thank goodness I had these. Peppers are expensive. I had these leftover in the freezer. I let them thaw a bit on a paper towel, so I could squeeze some of the moisture off later. Worked just great. Sorry there wasn’t a picture of a beautiful red pepper. Some other time, perhaps.

(yes, that is a small Pampered Chef cutting board)

 

Press garlic over vegetables using Garlic Press.

I realize there a many folks who buy the garlic in a jar that is pre-chopped. Sorry, I don’t know how much would be equivalent to a clove. Maybe a spoonful. I’m guessing if you buy garlic in a jar it is because you like it and use it a lot. If that is the case, your estimate may be a little different from a spoonful.

 

 

I do like kitchen gadgets!

2. Shred cheese using Deluxe Cheese Grater and add to vegetable mixture; mix gently. Add mayonnaise, Dill Mix and salt; mix well using Mix N’ Scraper.

Yet another handy-dandy Pampered Chef item. No, not the mayo. That thing next to the mayonnaise is a “Measure All Cup”. It is really cool. Notice the blue arrow pointing down? There are measurements on the other side in blue and for when you want to measure liquid in the cup part. The red side is for sticky stuff-peanut butter, honey, shortening, mayonnaise. You pull down the cup part to the measurement you need. Fill ‘er up, then plunge it out! Very cool!

This is the dill mix. It is a little sample packet I had. I linked it for you in the ingredients. I don’t know, because I’ve never looked for it, but maybe you could find something similar at your local grocery store.

Oh, I forgot to mention…I skipped the salt in my recipe. It is plenty flavorful without it.

 

 

3. Unroll 1 package of crescent dough, do not separate. Arrange longest sides of dough across with of  12″x15″ Rectangle Baking Stone. Repeat with remaining package of dough. Roll or pinch dough to seal perforations.

I used these. I was curious and I had a coupon. They worked GREAT! No need to pinch seams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On longest sides of Baking Stone, cut dough into strips 1 1/2 inches apart, 3 inches deep. (There will be 6 inches in the center for the filling.)

4. Spread filling evenly over middle of dough.

To braid, lift strips of dough across mixture to meet in center, twisting each strip one turn. Continue alternating strips to form a braid. Tuck ends up to seal at end of braid.

It does take a little patience and practice. But it really isn’t that hard.

5. Brush egg white over dough using Pastry Brush. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cut and serve using Slice N’ Serve.

I know, I let you down. We didn’t have any slivered almonds. Plus, I was running out of time. Sorry, I didn’t bother to put the egg wash on top. You will have to use your imagination. But wait, here is a picture of a professionally baked braid….

Here is the yummy inside…

Yes, that is dear hubby patiently waiting to eat so we could get out the door!

A delicious recipe. Nice for brunches or other get-togethers. We had it for dinner. Could be an appetizer. Eat it whenever you want!!!

 

Critics’ Corner

Chip: “Yeah, not a big fan of broccoli. But, if you focus on the chicken and try to pretend the broccoli isn’t there… then this dish works. It’s very, very good. I’d give it two thumbs up but “broccoli” is right there in the name, so I’ll always know it’s there.”

Megan: “I love the chicken/broccoli braid (especially b/c I get to eat it w/my fingers!)”

Katie: “The Chicken Broccoli Braid was superb. I enjoyed it with every bite. I think that everyone would think so, too.–Katie, The Critic”