Southwest Chicken Pockets

One of my favorite all-time foods is chicken pillows/chicken crescents. This is a tasy variation of that meal. Ricky said we should make this again.

2 cups diced cooked chicken

8 oz 1/3-less fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 (4-0z) can diced green chilies

1 tablespoon chopped green onions

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon cumin

2 (8-0z) can refrigerated reduced-fat crescent rolls

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup dry breadcrumbs

In a large bowl cream together cream cheese, 1/2 cup softened butter, green chilies, green onions, chili powder and cumin. Add chicken and combine; set aside. Separate crescent rolls to form 8 rectangles, pressing seams together. Place 1/2 cup of chicken mixture in the middle of each rectangle and roll up ends to cover filling. Seal edges securely. Dip each folded foll into melted butter and then carefully roll in breadcrumbs. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Top with Black Bean Salsa (last recipe I posted).

Black Bean Salsa

I've never made my own salsa, but I went out on a limb to try this one and it turned out great. Our whole family loved it!

1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped white or yellow onions
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

In large bowl, combine beans, corn, cilantro, green onions, yellow onions, lemon juice, oil and cumin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Just before serving stir in tomatoes.

Orange Frosting

I used this recipe on gingerbread cake yesterday and it hit the spot. It's not overly sweet, but adds a great citrus flavor to the dessert it frosts.

This recipe makes enough to cover an 8x13-inch sheet cake with a thin layer of frosting. If you like thick frosting double the recipe.

Orange Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/8 - 1/4 cup milk (start with the smaller amount and then add more if the frosting is too thick)
1 tsp freshly grated orange peel

Mix everything together until it is the consistency you want. Frost and enjoy! It looks really pretty if you take some extra grated orange and sprinkle it over the top.

Ways to Save on the Web

I recently read a magazine article that listed tons of great web sites that can save you money. I haven't had time to look at all of them yet, but I want to sometime. I decided to post them here in case anyone else could use the info (and then I can recycle the magazine but still have the web sites). I have italicized the sites I have tried and enjoyed:

• annualcreditreport.com (get a free credit report from each of the three main bureaus)
• upromise.com (earn rewards to pay for school)
• mint.com (track and manage your spending, saving, and budgeting for free)
• walletpop.com and getrichslowly.org (practical financial advice)
• lowcards.com, cardfusion.com, and cardratings.com (find low interest rate or better reward credit cards)
• comparisonshop.com (searches comparison shopping sites to help you find best price)
• Yokel.com and shoplocal.com (evaluate prices at brick-and-mortar stores in your area)
• couponcabin.com (coupons)
• retailmenot.com (promotional codes)
• priceprotectr.com (tell you how to get money back if price has fallen on item you recently bought)
• swapagift.com (buy, sell, or exchange gift cards)
• groceryguide.com (weekly specials and coupons for grocery stores near you)
• restaurant.com (discounts at local restaurants)
• kidsmealdeals.com (find local kids-eat-free deals)
• myrecipes.com and allrecipes.com (free recipes)
• theultimates.com (look up phone numbers)
• skype.com (web cam/ web phone)
• billshrink.com (analyze your cell phone usage and hunt for a cheaper plan)
• cellforcash.com (sell your old cell phones)
• techbargains.com and shopper.com (tech deals and coupon codes)
• openoffice.org and docs.google.com (free open source computer programs comprable to Microsoft Office)
• avg.com (free anti-virus software)
• safer-networking.org and lavasoft.com (free anti-spyware protection)
• zonealarm.com (free Internet firewall)
• modernfeed.com and hulu.com (free online TV shows - the same ones you watch on regular TV)
• pandora.com (free streaming music site)
• swaptree.com and swapthing.com (trade or barter for CDs/DVD and other items)
• cars.com, edmunds.com, and cartango.com (compare local prices, get info on rebates and incentives)
• pumpandsave.com (find best cash-back fuel cards)
• gasbuddy.com (find cheapest gas stations in your area)
• Erideshare.com, carpoolworld.com, and goloco.org (find a carpool)
• insurance.com (compare rates and quotes)
• happymedian.com (computes equidistant meeting spots between two locations)
• kayak.com and bookingbuddy.com (searches multiple sites to find best plane fare)
• airfarewatchdog.com (low-fare alerts)
• farecast.com (advice on when to buy tickets)
• hotels.com (htoel deals and bargains)
• Mousesavers.com (deep discounts on family vacations)