Sunday, January 22, 2012

Chicken Pot Pie
Finally a recipe my whole family loved!!!

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe pastry for a (10 inch) double crust pie
  • 4 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped (I used celery salt instead)
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 3 tablespoons dried parsley (didn't have any so left it out)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cubes chicken bouillon (I used chicken base)
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2+ cups cubed cooked chicken
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup milk (I added a little extra milk)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out bottom pie crust, press into a 10 inch pie pan, and set aside.
  2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm.
  3. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Rosemary Skillet Chicken

I have made this multiple times now and it is a big hit every time!!!



3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
Kosher salt
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons leaves
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (6 to 8 ounces each)
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved


Preheat the oven to 450. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.
Pile the rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; add the mushrooms and potatoes to the skillet, place chicken over mushrooms and potatoes and drizzle with any marinade remaining in the bowl and the juice of the remaining lemon.
Add the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.


These are A.MA.ZING!!!
I will be making these again very soon...mainly because they will be gone way to fast!!!

 Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Pretzel Cookies
Makes 24 cookies
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. of salt
  • 1/4 tsp. of baking soda
  • 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
  • 1/2 cup broken up pretzel pieces
  • Preztel Salt or Sea Salt
Directions:
  1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  3. Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and preztels. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 10 minutes. If you prefer crispier cookies increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing.

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

I made these wings for Labor Day...oh.my.word!!
I actually finished mine off in the oven because I had so many to do.  So, once I grilled them, I transfered them to a cookie sheet and brushed on the glaze and placed them in a 400 degree oven while I grilled the next batch.  They were a HUGE hit!!!

Honey Chipotle Wings

Ingredients

3 pounds chicken wings (18 wings), cut up
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the glaze:
3 chipotles in adobo
1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Ingredients

1. Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels. Place the wings in a large bowl and sprinkle with the baking powder, chili powder, and salt and toss to evenly coat. Arrange the wings in a single layer on wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours.
2. Place all the ingredients for the glaze in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.
3. Light a chimney 3/4 full of charcoal. When charcoal is fully lit and covered in gray ash, pour coals out and arrange them on one side of the charcoal grate, keeping the other side empty. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place the wings skin side up over the cool side of the grill, cover, and cook until skins are crisp and are starting to brown, about 30-40 minutes. In the last 10 minutes of cooking brush the glaze all over the wings. Brush the wings with the glaze again and move to the hot side of the grill until the just begin to char, about 1 to 3 minutes. Remove the wings to a plate, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.

Friday, September 02, 2011

This was SO GOOD!!!

Slow-Cooker Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, , cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes (diced tomatoes would work as well)
1/4 - 1/3 c hot pepper sauce, or more to taste (I used 1/4 c and it was not too hot)
3 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T yellow mustard
1 T unsulfured molasses
8 hamburger buns

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken thighs, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring once, until meat is golden brown, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a slow cooker, leaving as much oil behind as possible. Repeat with chicken breasts.
To skillet, add onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until onion is translucent, 6 minutes. Add ¼ cup water and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to slow cooker.
To slow cooker, add crushed tomatoes, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and molasses. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high until chicken is very tender, 4 hours. Shred chicken and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on buns.
Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes
I halved this recipe
  • 3 tablespoons regular olive oil
  • 12 chicken thighs (bone in, with skin)
  • 750 grams chorizo sausages, whole if baby ones, or cut into 4-cm chunks if regular-sized
  • 1 kilogram baby potatoes, half the larger ones
  • 2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • grated zest of one orange
  • salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Put the oil in the bottom of 2 shallow roasting tins, about 1 1/2 tablespoons in each. Rub the skin of the chicken in the oil, season with salt accordingly, then turn them skin-side up, 6 pieces in each tin. Divide the chorizo sausages and the new potatoes between the 2 tins.

Sprinkle the onion and the oregano over, then grate the orange zest over the arranged contents of the 2 tins. Cook for 30 minutes, then swap the top tray with the bottom tray in the oven and baste the contents with the orange-colored juices. Continue cooking for about 30 minutes or till chicken is done.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011


Baked Brie with Pepper Jelly
this was DELICIOUS!!!
 
1 8-oz. wheel of baby Brie
1/2 package puff pastry, thawed for about 40 minutes at room temperatures
About 2-4 tablespoons pepper jelly
1 egg white mixed with about 2 teaspoons cold water

Preheat oven to 400.
Gently unfold the puff pastry sheet, mending any broken spots. Cut the brie in half lengthwise and place one half, rind down, on the pastry. Spread with jelly and then place the other half of the brie, rind up, on the cheese. If necessary, trim the excess pastry and then fold it over the cheese, sealing the edges. If desired, decorate the brie with decorative shapes cut from the excess dough and brush it with the egg white/water mixture.

Place the bundle, seam-down, on a lightly greased baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve with crackers, bread, and fresh fruit (like strawberries, apples, pears, and grapes) if desired. This is perfect as an easy, elegant holiday appetizer.

Monday, August 08, 2011


I just made this last night and it is my new favorite pasta salad.  Very light and yummy, perfect for these hot summer days!!!  Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces, weight Farfalle (bowtie) Pasta
  • 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 whole Lemons (more To Taste)
  • Salt
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 2 whole Zucchini, Cut Into Small Wedges Or Diced
  • 10 ounces, weight Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
  • 1/3 cup Minced Fresh Parsley
  • 6 ounces, weight Crumbled Feta Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta until done. Drain and rinse in cold water until completely cool. Add olive oil and lemon juice, then add salt and pepper to taste (do not under salt). Toss to combine. Add zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, and feta, and toss to combine. Add more of what you think it needs; I like to go heavy on the feta! Squeeze in a little more lemon juice/drizzle more olive oil if it needs more moisture.

Cover in plastic wrap for at least a couple of hours. Pasta is best when chilled for a few hours before serving.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Caramelized onions and prosciutto pizza
Curtesy of the Pioneer Woman

Oh.My.Word
This was the BEST pizza I have every made!!!
seriously.
The sweetness of the caramelized onions and the saltiness of the prosciutto were amazing!

Ingredients

  • 1 whole Pizza Crust (Pioneer woman's recipe is great and easy)
  • Olive Oil, For Drizzling
  • 1 whole Large Red Onion, Halved And Thinly Sliced
  • ¼ cups Brown Sugar
  • Kosher Salt To Taste
  • Parmesan Cheese, Grated
  • 10 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Thinly Sliced
  • 8 slices Prosciutto (more To Taste)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and brown sugar and toss/stir for several minutes, or until onions are brown and cooked. Set aside.
Roll out pizza dough to a rectangular shape. Drizzle on olive oil, sprinkle on a little salt, followed by a little Parmesan.
Lay slices of mozzarella evenly over the top of the crust. Arrange caramelized onions over the top of the mozzarella. Randomly lay slices of prosciutto over the onions.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the lower half of the oven, or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and cut into squares. Serve immediately.
Posted by on March 17 2010