Older....wiser?

My birthday was wonderful and relaxing. Some friends took the kids for the afternoon so we could go see Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which was adorable. Then we went to an early dinner at a great Greek Restaurant. It was so nice to do the early movie/dinner thing and not have to pay a sitter!

Today I have to take a meal to a family from my son's class as school. The father has stage four colon cancer and they have two small children. So sad. We're doing meals MWF and today is my day. I've made this yummy and easy recipe the past few times I've taken dinner to families with kids. It's really delicious and the kids seem to love it. They don't even realize they're eating something good for them!

Crescent Chicken Bundles (this will make enough to serve eight people)

INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened (I use light cream cheese)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted, divided
2 tablespoons small diced yellow onion
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 large cans cooked, shredded chicken (I use the kind from Sam's club)
3 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls (I use Pillsbury)
1 cup crushed seasoned croutons



DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, onions, milk, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in the chicken. Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into eight rectangles; press perforations together. Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto the center of each rectangles. Bring edges up to the center and pinch to seal. Brush with remaining butter. Sprinkle with crushed croutons, lightly pressing down. Transfer to two ungreased baking sheets. Cover one baking sheet and freeze until firm; transfer squares to a covered container. May be frozen for up to 2 months. Bake remaining squares at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. To use frozen squares: Thaw in the refrigerator and bake as directed.

Another delicious recipe I tried last week was from Katie Lee Joel's new cookbook. You can get it here. I saw her on Oprah and she was adorable. The recipe was for meatloaf and it is truly one of the best meatloaf recipes I've ever had. Dr. Daddy loved it. It's definitely right up there with the Neiman Marcus turkey meatloaf. Here's the recipe:

Katie Joel's Meat Loaf
Courtesy of Katie Joel
From the show Music Legend Billy Joel and Katie Joel—First TV Interview
Serves 6


INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium red pepper, finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray lightly with oil.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions, garlic and bay leaf until the onions are tender, about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook until the red pepper is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and let the onion mixture cool. Discard the bay leaf.

In a large bowl, combine the beef, eggs, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of ketchup, the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and the cooled vegetables. Use your hands to mix everything together.

Transfer the mixture to the center of the baking sheet and form into a loaf. Coat the meat loaf with the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup.

Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (depending on the shape of your loaf), until the meat loaf is firm. Let set for about 5 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!