For My Husband

My husband has been asking for this recipe for several weeks now. I have been putting it off because although it's extremely delicious, it's terrible for you. Crescent rolls, cheese and mayonnaise. What could be worse? I suppose a little in moderation won't kill a person and in my defense, we did eat salad with this.

This is a Pampered Chef recipe, and the first time I had it was about 10 years ago. I turned my nose up at it at first, until I actually tasted it. Wowee! It's good!

If you prefer, you can make this lighter by using the new low-fat crescent rolls they have on the market, and lower fat cheese as well as Smart Beat or Light mayo. I did a little bit of a combination. I didn't have Light Mayo, but I did use the lower fat crescents and the 2% cheese. So, I don't feel as guilty. It's still rather tasty with the lower fat items.

This is a fun recipe to assemble. For all you creative folks, you get to braid the dough! I like to make lattice top crusts on pies, so this is right up my alley. I would recommend using a dough roller of some sort to smooth out the crescent roll dough, but if you don't have one, that is totally fine too. I have an awesome pizza cutter so I used it to make the slits, and I also used it to cut the servings in the end. Don't you think it's awfully pretty? Too bad you have to cut into it!

I always pre-grill or pan grill the chicken. I like to add a little seasoning to it so it's not too bland. Also, in the recipe where it calls for the baking stone, you can substitute with a baking sheet. It works just as well : )

I do have to say that I love my baking stone, and it's gotten nice and dark (seasoned) over the years. My aunt's is nearly black because she uses it all the time.

The results are definitely worth it. I just hope my husband thinks so too. Perhaps a nice massage or a date out are in order?

Chicken Broccoli Braid

from: Pampered Chef

12 ounces cooked chicken, chopped (2 cups/about 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup red pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons dill

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 packages (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine chicken, broccoli, red pepper and garlic in a bowl.

2. Add cheese to veggie mixture. Add mayonnaise, dill and salt; mix well.

3. Unroll one package of crescent rolls; do not separate! Arrange longest sides of dough across width of baking stone. Repeat with remaining package of dough. Roll dough to seal perforations. On longest side of baking stone cut dough into strips 1.5 inches apart, 3 inches deep. Leave 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 braid. Tuck ends to seal braid.

5. Brush egg white over dough. Bake 25-28 minutes or until golden brown.