So I know that Pillsbury kind of has that 1950's convenience food kitschy reputation, however I have to say I really like their cookbooks. They are chock full of pictures and they have perfect recipes for the cook who is short on time, but wants to prepare something a little different for dinner. So I decided to have a Pillsbury weekend and no that does not mean I ate biscuits and pie crust 24/7. It also doesn't mean that I wore a white sumo suit and went "he he" when someone tickled me in the tummy.  It means that I used the Pillsbury cookbook for my cooking adventures.



I made Buffalo Chicken Chili and I know you are thinking "dear god Danah another buffalo chicken recipe?" And alas yes would be the answer to that question. For some reason I am just addicted to the contrast of blue cheese and the tangy spicy flavor of that buffalo sauce....love it!!! This chili was easy to make and really had a lot of flavor. Start by sauteing red pepper and onion in vegetable oil. I tried to buy all organic produce and I couldn't find organic bell peppers in any color. Actually I noticed I couldn't even find bell peppers from the United States so I had to buy this one from Mexico.

This recipe is very easy and takes very little time as it uses rotisserie chicken. So chop 2 cups of chicken and add it to the sauteed vegetables. Then add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, canned pinto beans, chicken broth, chili powder and Tabasco. Bring to a boil and then simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chopped celery and blue cheese sprinkled on top. Its very hearty, has just the right about of spice and is a flavor explosion.

On a side note I used ancho chile powder because I like the smoky chile taste and it was a really nice enhancement to this recipe.

The next thing I made was a Lemon Apricot Bread. I was going to Sunday brunch with the girls and I was tasked with making muffins or breakfast bread. And again although I often think of convenience foods associated with Pillsbury this recipe lacked any convenience products but it was still really easy. The hardest part about it was the fact that it cooked for an hour and due to my lack of time management skills I didn't start making it until 2130 (9:30pm) and so I was baking until 2300 (11pm) but hell that is solely on me and not Pillsbury. I wouldn't say I was in love with it and won't make it again so I didn't include the recipe but it was pretty decent.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl which consists of flour, baking powder and salt. Then in a 2nd bowl mix the sugar and eggs with a wire whisk. Then add melted butter, milk, chopped dried apricots and lemon peel. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and put in a load pan...cook for 1 hour. Once the bread is cool combine lemon juice and powdered sugar to make the glaze. Voila!!!



And to complete my Pillsbury repertoire for the weekend I made a Southwest Chicken and Linguine. Use refrigerated linguine so it only takes 2-3 minutes to cook in boiled water. Then saute southwestern seasoned chicken with diced tomatoes w/peppers. Serve with sprinkled monterey jack cheese and avocado and voila!! Super easy and had great flavor. I actually bought the wrong kind of diced tomatoes. I bought just regular devoid of chiles but I had a can of the chopped chile peppers and I just used that instead and it worked perfectly.

I also made some sauteed carrots...ok this part was not from Pillsbury...but it was super easy and flavorful and good for you. Just saute chopped carrots with some garlic and olive oil for approximately 10-15 minutes and it makes for a great side dish that is a great source of Vitamin A.

So I learned that not only does Pillsbury have a great logo and marketing campaign...how do you go wrong with a chubby doughy character as your spokes model, right? They also have very easy, convenient and tasty recipes. Lesson learned that an open mind when it comes to cooking can go a long way...its amazing where you can truly find recipes when you are looking for them.

On a side note, does anyone else have foods that they love that absolutely makes them ill? I love TACO BELL!!! And as you all know I am not a fast food girl but ever since I was a little girl I had a passion for Taco Bell bean burritos and bean tostadas. I believe, if I remember correctly, that my Mom use to get them for me as a treat when I was growing up. And there is something about that synthetic bean taste that just makes my mouth water. So as I got older I would eat Taco Bell bean burritos and tostadas especially in the middle of the night when I worked graveyards because well it was one of the few places that was open 24 hours and because I still loved them. Unfortunately as I got older my body did not love them as much as my taste buds and slowly over time they began to make me ill every time I ate them. So now I am relegated to dreaming of them because unfortunately the pain and suffering that comes from their consumption just isn't worth it. So Taco Bell I love you but we must live a life apart. XOXO