crepe love

Not to be confused with Creepy Love. Guess what I did last weekend?

Took pictures of myself cooking!

I have two magazines that I love. Real Simple and Taste of Home. I’m sure I could love others, but these are the two I know I can make the time to read. Taste of Home arrived at my house last week and this weekend, my plan of attack included perusing the recipes WHILE making my grocery list. This is the best way to ensure that the food in the pictures makes its way into my mouth. On the menu for the week: Chicken Filled Crepes. They were supposed to be dinner for a weeknight, but I ended up making them as soon as I got home from the grocery store. They looked too good. I also made a side dish. This is actually a big accomplishment for me, considering I don’t actually ever make these things. My side dishes are usually a piece of bread straight out of the bag or a can of fruit. I can generally cook quite well, and make things that I find to be pretty dang tasty, but I cannot handle the timing of making side dishes. I end up completely forgetting about something and it either burns or gets cold. I honestly have to write in huge letters on the blank spaces of my recipe cards “COOK THE NOODLES!!!!!” or whatever, or I will forget. Occasionally, I realize how amazing a certain side dish would taste with a certain main course and I take a crack at it, as I did with this particular meal.

Chicken Filled Crepes + Green Bean Apple Stir Fry = A Balanced Meal. Can you believe it?



The stir fry did indeed got cold, but I ate it anyway and it was delicious. I didn’t even think David liked it very much, but then he took the leftovers to work the next day. It was a sad discovery for me when I got home for lunch. But hey, the man needs to eat.

Look good? You should try them. But I’ll warn you, your dinner will probably need to be followed the next morning by strawberry and whipped cream crepes. So pick those things up at the store while you’re out. Happy cooking!

Chicken Filled Crepes (a la Taste of Home)

Crepes (16 servings):

(since there are only 2 of us, I cut this in half because really, no one person needs 8 crepes for dinner, although I probably could have eaten that many)
Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 8 teaspoons butter

Directions:

  • In a small bowl, whisk milk and eggs. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; add to milk mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour. (Seriously refrigerate it for that long. It makes them the right consistency.)
  • Melt 1 teaspoon butter in an 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 2 tablespoons (yeah, we did 1/4 cup – they just seemed too tiny) of batter into center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack.
  • Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter to skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between, or just go ahead and eat them immediately, because you lack the self control necessary to wait until all crepes have been cooked. Just make one, fill it, eat it. Make another, fill it, eat it. And don’t feel bad about it.

Chicken Filling (for 15 crepes):

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms (we skipped, because mushrooms are GROSS)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups 2% milk
  • 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, if that’s all you have. Just throw it in there. Surely it will dissolve!)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons sherry or chicken broth (we subbed half cider vinegar/half water)
  • 2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, divided
  • 15 prepared crepes (9 inches)
  • Additional sour cream, optional (…and probably recommended, though not by your doctor)

Directions:

  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add mushrooms (or not) and onion; saute until tender. Sprinkle with flour; stir until blended. Gradually add milk. Stir in the bouillon, Italian seasoning and pepper.
  • Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in sour cream and sherry. Remove 1 cup sauce; set aside. Stir chicken and 1 tablespoon parsley into remaining mixture; heat through.
  • Spread 3 tablespoons filling down the center of each crepe; roll up. Drizzle reserved sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve with additional sour cream if desired.

Green Bean Apple Stir Fry

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
  • 1 large apple, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

  • In a large skillet, saute beans and apple in oil for 3 minutes. Add walnuts; cook and stir until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in honey and sesame seeds; heat through. Yields 5 servings.
JR