Mini Chicken Pot Pie's

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On a cold and windy day, what is your comfort food? My husband's is chicken pot pie! So the good wife that I am, I made it! Now I am a big fan of using my muffin pan for pretty much anything you can think of; whether that be mini meatloaf muffins, cookies, quiche, OR chicken pot pie. The muffin pan saves time cooking and makes it easy to throw a few muffins into a ziploc container and take for lunch the next day. If you've never tried this I highly suggest it.

Prep Time: 20    
Cook TIme: 12-15 min

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup frozen mixed veggies
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 TB Herbs de Provence
1 tsp garlic powder
2 can Pillsbury Grands biscuits
1-2 cups pre-cooked diced chicken (buy these in the frozen section of the grocery store)

* I used fat free chicken soup and low fat biscuits to make this a bit healthier

Preheat your oven to 400. 

Cook chicken according to package instructions, I eyeballed how much chicken I used. I used enough chicken to cover the plate, but not so much that it was overflowing or chicken on top of chicken.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, frozen veggies, cheese, herbs and spices.

Pam spary a 12-cup muffin tin and place the Pillsbury biscuits into each cup, pressing into the bottom and up the sides. Depending on the can of biscuits you may have extra biscuits, I decided to make super mini chicken pot pie's with my extra. Cut the biscuits in fourths and press firmly into mini muffin pan.



Evenly spoon the pot pie mixture into each biscuit cup. Slide into the oven and bake for about 12 minutes. I was a little worried about pot pie overflow, you may want to put a cookie sheet underneath the muffin pan(s).

Let rest for a few minutes and then pop them out with a knife! voila your done and enjoy!

These are the mini one's, the overflowed a bit!

Fatty Melt

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I know I have already posted about the Buckeye Beer Engine and how great it is, but we went there again last night and I have to add to it! I had their very own Buckeye Porter and it was amazing. Now it's not as good as Willoughby Brewing Company Peanut Butter Coffee Porter but really nothing is. BUT this is a close second!!

Now of course I got the Fatty Melt, which let me remind you is a grilled cheese with tomato and bacon, then a 1/2 lb burger, then another grilled cheese sandwich. IT IS AMAZING!!!!

So if you are in Lakewood and want an amazing burger and really good beer go to Beer Engine. AND get the fried pickles cause they are the greatest thing on the planet!!!!!

Panko Crusted Salmon

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So who doesn't love salmon? So when I saw that it was on sale I just had to buy it. Now what to do with it? These are quite thin pieces of salmon (thus the being on sale) so I had to be careful not to over cook it. I searched far and wide (on google and pinterest) and ended up just sorta winging it. This is what I did:

Ingredients
4 salmon fillets
1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
1 1/2 TB of parsley
dash of seasoned salt
dash of pepper
1 TB lemon peel zest
Flax seed oil (or you can use olive oil)
one egg yolk

Take the bread crumbs, parsley, & lemon zest and place in bowl. Drizzle oil until the well mixed, not soggy.

Skin side down season the salmon with salt and pepper. In another small bowl, whisk one egg yolk and a few TB of oil to make your aoili. (add garlic if you want, I was just too lazy to crush some up) Your aioli should be thick and spreadable. You want to make enough for 4 fillets. Spread aoili over salmon. Then take your crumb mixture and apply a thick layer over each fillet.

Cook at 425 f or about 20 minutes depending on the thickness of
 your fillet.

Corned Beef-CrockPot Style

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If you ask my husband, I may have an addiction to corned beef lately. I have had 4 sandwiches in the last 8 days. I had a reuben sandwich for breakfast this morning at Lucky's cafe, it was glorious. I of course had one last weekend for St. Patty's Day, then I found Corned Beef Brisket at Giant Eagle! So guess what's for dinner honey? Corned Beef!!

Ingredients:
Corned Beef Brisket
can of lager
sauerkraut
rye bread
thousand island
crock pot (duh)


Now the corned beef brisket I bought came with a little seasoning packet so I didn't include that in the ingredients, not sure that would have made a difference if it wasn't there. Place corned beef with seasoning and one can of your favorite lager. (or like myself the Yuengling that was lying around) I figured this way it wouldn't get too dry in the crock pot. I placed it in the crockpot for about 10 hours on low. The house smelled soooo good! The next time I may use half the amount of beer and add my sauerkraut to the crock pot! If you choose to do it this way, please keep me posted!!

The corned beef literally fell apart with a knife and fork.  I just bought regular ol sauerkraut from giant eagle in a can. It was great! We ate about half of it and had the rest for left overs the next day.

Little Bit of Everything Slider

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So tonight was absolutely beautiful out, so we decided to grill out. We decided on a whim to make hamburgers, probably cause I have slider hamburger buns handy. So I can't just make normal sliders, I have to add a little zing to them! So I literally just looked around the kitchen and fridge to see what I had. Here is what I had:

Ingredients:
1 lb ground meat
basil seasoning
oregano seasoning
parsley seasoning
seasoned salt
pepper
Worcester sauce
few cloves of garlic (minced)
one small red onion (chopped)
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded mozzarella cheese
sliced cheddar cheese
1 egg

I eyeballed everything. Just a dash of this, a dash of that, etc etc. Just add enough that it looks good to you. You can't really go wrong here! It will taste good!! I used the egg to bind everything together, you may want to use 2. Eyeball it yourself and see if it stays together. I mixed everything in a bowl together using my hands. Your hands are your best tool here! I then molded each into a little patty and Michael went to the grill and cooked em! Figure about 10 minutes for them to be done. A few minutes before they are done add your sliced cheese to them and voila you are done!
Easy enough huh?

Little Taco's in a Shell

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Who doesn't just love love love did I mention love Mexican?! I love it! I usually go out for it, but tonight decided to try my cooking hand at some Mexican. Now this isn't traditional hard core Mexican food, its ground beef with taco seasoning in some pasta shells. But hey its considered Mexican food. Now if you want really really good Mexican food, may I suggest El Jalapenos or Momocho. I prefer El Jalapeno, but I know people who swear by Momocho. So your preference.

Ok so back to the task at hand..... little taco's in a shell....

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 4 once package cream cheese (low fat)
1box large pasta shells
1 cup salsa (or just one jar of the tostito's brand)
1 cup taco sauce (or one jar Ortega taco sauce)
1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup Mexican Cheese(shredded)
1 ½ cups tortilla chips (crushed and optional)
3 green onions (chopped and optional)
1 cup sour cream (optional)

In a frying pan cook ground beef and add taco seasoning.  Add cream cheese cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and allow to fully cool. While burger is cooking cook the pasta shells, drain. I used a large pot due to how big the shells are. *FYI some of the shells will get damaged and be unuseable. It happens, but its okay cause you will probably make more then you need. My extra's went to the doggys.

Pour salsa in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish and cover the tops of the shells with taco sauce.
Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
            

After 30 minutes, uncover, and sprinkle crushed chips and shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses on top. Cook for about 15 more minutes. Serve with sour cream, additional salsa, black olives or whatever strikes your fancy!!!

I have to say this was one of my better dishes, it was SO freaking good. Michael and I ate more than half of it. I highly recommend this one!!!

Chicken Piccata

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I have a thing for chicken piccata, I love it! I love capers as well. Probably why I love this recipe. Now it tastes better with veal, but veal is pricey. If you want some veal piccata go to Pepper's Italian Restaurant (where you will see my lovely face Mon and Weds nights!)

So back to my awesome chicken piccata!

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
pam spray
flour
salt & pepper
2 TB veggie oil
1/4 cup white wine*
1 TB minced garlic (more garlic the better)
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 TB lemon juice
1 tsp capers (or more if you love them like me!)
2 TB unsalted butter
1 lemon (optional but I think it adds to the flavor)

Season the chicken with salt & pepper, then dredge with flour. Coat a skillet with Pam spray, add oil and heat over med high heat.
Saute chicken 2-3 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken) and then flip over. Transfer chicken to plate. Drain fat (if any) from pan.
Deglaze pan with wine and add minced garlic. Cook garlic until its slightly browned and liquin is nearly evaporated, about 2 min.
Add broth, lemon juice, an capers. Return chicken to pan and cook on each side about 1 min. Transfer chicken to plate again.
Finish sauce with butter and lemons. Cook about 1-2 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken.

I like to serve this with some brown rice.

*giant eagle has these really cool tiny things of wine, they are about $3 and are perfect for cooking!

Mac & Cheese w/ roasted chicken, goat cheese, and rosemary

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For those who don't know, I love Michael Symon. LOVE HIM! This is his recipe and its really really good! Just watch how much rosemary you add, when people say a little bit goes a long way, its true with rosemary.






Ingredients:
1 box rigatoni pasta
1 quart heavy cream
2 TB chopped fresh rosemary
8 ounces fresh goat cheese
2 cups shredded roast chicken
salt to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil, and add enough salt so that it tastes seasoned. While the water is coming to a boil, put the cream, rosemary, and 1/2 tsp salt in large saucepan over high heat. Bring just to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium and simmer to reduce the mixture by half.

Add the goat cheese and chicken to cream and bring mixture back to a simmer. Continue cooking until it coats the back of a spoon, about 30 min.

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 10 min. Drain the pasta from water and add to the sauce. Toss the pasta to combine it with the sauce and bring it back to a simmer.

*be CAREFUL when heating the cream, when it comes to a boil it will quickly climb the sides of the pot and boil over. And its messy, trust me.

Chicken 'n Dumpling Soup

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It's crockpot time again!!! This is perfect if you have cold, or its cold outside...or just whenever! It's not super thick, but if you like a thicker soup try adding some flour or other thickening agent.




Ingredients:
4-5 chicken breasts-boneless
1 T chicken granules
4-5 cups water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 can biscuits

Cook chicken in a skillet until browned. Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on low 8 hours or on high 4 hours. You can also make this soup in a large pot and it can be ready in about a hour. If making this via crock pot add the biscuits about an hour before serving.

Green Beans w/ Bread Crumbs

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I have to give all the credit for this recipe to my sister, Ashley. This recipe is quick to put together and tastes so good. You can also easily just eyeball the ingredients, I will give the specific measurements, but honestly I just add the ingredients and taste it. Trial and error. Plus you can't really go wrong with adding more bread crumbs. If you add too many they just fall to the bottom of the bowl. Once the beans are coated you are good to go.



Ingredients:
1 pound fresh green beans (washed & trimmed ends) OR a bag of green beans you can throw in the microwave (the fresh are better but its quicker to toss the bag in the microwave)
1/2 cup of water (if buying fresh ones)
1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

*if you using fresh
Combine green beans and water in medium pot. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and let beans cook 10 minutes or until tender. Drain well.

Place beans in medium serving bowl and mix in above ingredients. I find its easier to drizzle the olive oil over beans and then mix in the dry ingredients. Toss mixture until well coated.

I can literally make this and just eat this as a dinner, its sooo good!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

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This is a family recipe, which means its good! :)  And better yet its a crockpot recipe so you come home to this awesome beef stew smell and its all ready! I plan on making this for dinner next week!




Ingredients:
2 lbs stew meat
1 small bag baby carrots
1 lg onion, cut into chunks
2 stalks of celery cut into 1 inch pcs
1/2 bag frozen peas
2 cans beef broth (12oz)
1 bottle burgandy wine (optional)
2 potatoes cubed
1 pouch beef stew mix

Put everything in the crock pot and mix together. Cook on low 8-10 hours. I highly recommend buying the crock pot liners so that its super easy to clean.

Tator Tot Casserole

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Now I know from first hand experence that this is good AND kids love it!! I made this for a friend and her kids LOVED IT! But c'mon it did have tator tots in it and who doesn't like those? Now after cutting into this, it doesn't really look good, however it tastes good. So this recipe gets about a C for how it looks, but an A for taste! Did I mention it takes like no time to make?!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (15.25oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (you can use cream of whatever honestly)
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 bag (30 oz) frozen tater tots

In a large skillet cook the onion until tender and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the beef and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain the mixture and place into a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the soup, milk and sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add to hamburger mixture and stir to combine. Add corn and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Gently mix to combine.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the tator tots on the bottom, pour the hamburger mixture over the top and then layer with the other half of the tator tots. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy.

pictures from this link

Pesto Stuffed Chicken

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So who doesn't love pesto? I mean seriously I love love love it!! Now in the summertime I make my own pesto since I have so much basil, but since its the winter I used commercial pesto.

Ingredients:
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 T your favorite commercial pesto
4 T low-fat sour cream
4 T grated mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
3 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
5 T flax meal or bread crumbs, I used a combo of both

*now these are approximates because when it comes to cooking I just eyeball it. So I probably used more then what the recipe actually calls for. The more the merrier when it comes to these ingredients (except the eggs I actually did use 2)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick spray. Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts, then put them one at a time inside a heavy plastic bag and pound with meat mallet until the chicken is as thin as you can get it. Don't worry too much about the shape or whether there are some loose pieces, you can tuck them in when you roll up the chicken.

Prepare two bowls, one with the beaten egg and the other with the grated Parmesan-flax meal mixture. Dip each chicken breast first into the egg mixture and then into the Parmesan-flax meal mixture, patting it on so the chicken breast  is well-coated with the mixture.

In a small bowl mix together the basil pesto, sour cream, and grated mozzarella. Use a rubber scraper or spoon to spread a thin layer of this mixture over each chicken breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the chicken (so it doesn't run out so much as it cooks.) Roll up the chicken breasts and secure them with a couple of toothpicks.  I used about 4 toothpicks per chicken piece. Also don't worry about the pesto mixture oozes out, it's gonna happen. This is not a pretty dish.

Put chicken breasts into the casserole dish and bake until the chicken is firm and lightly browned. (Start checking after about 25-30 minutes; total baking time will be 30-35 minutes.)  I sprinkled some mozzerella cheese over the top just before serving the chicken. 

pictures from here, my pictures (see left) weren't great.