Made it to the Final 12!!!

I am so excited. I got a phone call tonight from the Pillsbury Ambassador research group that has been running this contest . .  and I have made it from thousands to one hundred and now to the final 12! From here, they will be picking the four that will post their recipes to let America vote for the best. It would be absolutely crazy if I made it into the final four.

They called to ask me to simplify my recipes just a bit so that they could be made and baked within thirty minutes. I think I came up with some great modifications that might just be easier and better than my original recipes.

In order to speed up the process, I suggested that for the Zesty Jalapeno Chicken Wrap that you use canned chicken, chop the cilantro, onions and jalapenos together in a food processor, cut the wrap into smaller pieces so it cooks faster, and buy premade jalapeno ranch dip.

If that still didn’t make the time cut, I offered two new recipes:

Pecan Cheesecake Rolls

1 Tube of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

1 – 8 oz. Cream Cheese

½ Tbsp. Vanilla

½ C Sugar

¼ tsp Cinnamon

Dash of Nutmeg

½ stick of Butter

1/8 C Brown Sugar

1 Egg

½ C Chopped Pecans

Separate the crescent dough into individual triangles. Mix cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl. Using a spoon spread a thin layer of this mixture over each triangle. Sprinkle nuts on top. Carefully roll from the large end to the small end as you normally would with crescent rolls.

Melt the butter and brush over the top of the crescent rolls. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 15 minutes or until brown in a 350 degree oven.

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Chicken Dumplings

2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 - 8 oz. Cream Cheese

1/8 tsp Pepper

4 T butter (softened)

2 C shredded, cooked chicken (or canned chicken)

½ C chopped celery

½ C chopped onions

1 T Italian seasoning

4 T butter (melted)

1 can of Cream of Chicken soup

½ C of milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Open crescent rolls and lay them out in individual rectangles. Mix cream cheese, pepper, softened butter, chicken, celery, onions and Italian seasoning. Place ¼ of a cup of the mixture on each triangle. Roll the triangles, starting with the point. Tuck the ends in to make one large dumpling.

Brush each dumpling with the melted butter and bake 15 minutes or until browned.

Dilute Cream of Chicken soup by adding the milk to it. Warm it in the microwave before spooning it over the dumplings. Serve immediately.

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CRAZY!! Can’t believe I’m still in the running. What a hoot would it be if I made it to the final four. I’m pretty sure my sister would never let me hear the end of it since she’s the real chef in our family.