TWICE BAKED POTATOES

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

4 large Baking Potatoes

8 slices Bacon, cooked until crispy,  divide in half

1 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Milk

4 tablespoons Butter

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided in half

8 Green Onions, chopped and divided in half

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.

Bake for 1 hour or until a fork goes through the middle of the potato with ease.  The time will depend on the size of the potato.

When potatoes are done, set aside for 10-15 minutes to let them cool a little bit.

Decrease heat in the oven to 350 Degrees.

Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the middle.

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet.

Put the scooped out potato in a large bowl and add the butter and half of the cheese.

When cheese is melted, add the sour cream, butter, milk, half of the green onions, half of the bacon, salt and pepper.  Mix by hand, or with an electric hand mixer, until all are incorporated.

Spoon evenly into each potato and top with the rest of the cheese, green onions and bacon.

Place in the oven for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top.

Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

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KEY LIME PIE

Graham Cracker Crust

Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees.

18 Graham Cracker Squares (1 package (not box) equals this amount)
6 tablespoons Butter, melted
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

Place graham crackers in a food processor and process until they are finely ground.

Combine the graham crackers crumbs with the melted butter and sugar and mix until well combined.

Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate.

Bake for 7-9 minutes.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

Bump oven temperature down to 350 Degrees for the pie filling.

Filling:

4 Egg Yolks
(1) 14 ounce can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2-1/2 ounces Key Lime Juice

Combine egg yolks and milk at low speed.  Slowly add juice.

Pour into the pie crust.

Bake at 350 Degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled.

Top with Fresh Whipped Cream

Whipped Cream Topping:

1/2 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
1/8 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

For the best results, place your beaters and bowl in the freezer for about 15 minutes before starting this recipe.

Take beaters and bowl out of freezer and pour all the ingredients into the bowl.

Beat at high speed until it is creamy and thick, approximately 2-3 minutes.

Spoon on top of your COOLED Key Lime Pie and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

ENJOY!

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MINI CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI POT PIES

A friend of mine, Debbie Holst Gutierrez, alerted me to the fact that it was National "Pi" Day.  Not your ordinary Pie day, but she was making this really scrumptious looking Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Oreo Pie,  Well this got me to thinking that I should "celebrate" this day too.  And that is why I ended up making these little delights.

I saw these the other day on Giada At Home, and since my 2 year old grandson, Alex, loves chicken and he loves broccoli, I thought these would be the perfect little bite-sized pot pies for his little hands.  He didn't eat one because he saw his other "love" on the counter moments before we ate....Macaroni and Cheese....it wins out everytime.  Oh well, I enjoyed making them and they were packed with really fabulous flavors.

I will say that these are a little time consuming so if you do not have time, just go ahead and using this filling to making one big pot pie. You will have to cook longer...maybe 30-45 minutes and probably back the heat down a little, but they would still be good.  In fact, I did both.  I doubled this recipe and made the mini's, and also made some individual pot pies that would feed 2 a piece.  I served this with a fruit salad but I think carrots would be great too.

They looked like little mini-quiches.  Wouldn't these be cute for a brunch or a bridal/baby shower?  I think they would be cute to announce that you are having a baby and make everything on the plate little, like little baby carrots, little new potatoes, etc.  They would also be perfect if you were announcing that you were having a new little grandbaby like I am!!

YES!!!! I AM HAVING A NEW GRANDBABY!!!

AND IT IS A BOY!!!!

AND HE IS DUE IN SEPTEMBER!!!

How is that for an announcement?? Haha!!

My daughter, Crystal and her boyfriend Ryan are expecting their first baby boy mid-September.  We are over the moon excited about this new little blessing that is on his precious little way.  This Nannie's heart swells every time I think about it!

I think your kids will  love these, but I loved them just as much....and the extra bonus was that I am expecting a very wonderful package in September!!  Love to you all!

MINI CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI POT PIES
(Makes 12 Minis)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1 Box of Refrigerated Pie Dough (2 10-inch pie rounds...I used Pillsbury)
2 tablespoons Flour
2 tablespoons Butter
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
3/4 - 1 cup Whole Milk, room temperature
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan Cheese (fresh grated is the best)
Salt and Pepper to your liking
1 cup Rotisserie Chicken Breast, chopped small
1 cup fresh Broccoli, steamed and chopped small
1 egg, beaten

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Add your garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.  Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute to remove the raw flour taste.

Whisk in the milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.  Stir until thickened like a gravy.

Add the Parmesan Cheese and stir to combine.

Taste now to see if you need more salt.  Add pepper to your liking.

Add the chicken and the broccoli.  Stir to coat the pieces.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out 12 rounds.

Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out 12 rounds.

Grease your mini muffin pan.  I use spray Olive Oil.

Place one 3 inch round in each hole of the miniature muffin pan and work to make sure it is even and comes out of the opening at the top a little all around.  Lightly flatten the edges.

Put a small amount of chicken/broccoli filling in each hole.  Not too much, because you do not want that coming out.

Using a pastry brush, brush some of the egg mixture around the flattened edges and place the 2 inch round piece of pastry on top.  The egg acts like a glue.  Lightly, mash to seal the edges.  After this step, you could use a fork to lightly make marks all around the edge....it just looks cute.

Brush a little more of the beaten egg on top.  It turns the top a beautiful, golden brown when baking.

Next, make a slit on top of each mini pot pie so that the steam can escape while cooking.

Place in the oven for 15-18 minutes.

When they come out, I would let them rest for about 5 minutes before attempting to remove them from the muffin pan.  When they are cool, they come out perfectly but when they are hot, they need a little coaxing.

I just got a small pan and placed it gently on top of the muffins, so not to mash them.  Then I flipped them slowly upside-down and just left them like that for about 30 seconds.  There may be some that are stubborn so if you can wait just a few more minutes, they should come right out or you can try "helping" out of their spots.

And there you go, little mini Chicken and Broccoli Pot Pies.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP

Yesterday, I had painters at my house so I couldn't go anywhere.  I kind of like it when that happens.  It means I have to stay home and I can just stay in the kitchen, where I love to be!

I had chicken, some fresh thyme, fresh oregano and parmesan cheese so I was thinking I would make some kind of Chicken Italian soup.  But, I had the Food Network on and someone was caramelzing onions.  It looked so delicious that I started trying to figure out how I could incorporate those onions into my soup and then for some reason, I cannot tell you why, I thought Chicken Enchilada Soup sounded really good.  So good in fact, I completely changed gears and went that route instead.

Now I have never made Chicken Enchilada Soup, I have only eaten it.  My favorite is at Chili's restaurant, but I bet I haven't been to Chili's in 2 years or more.  Every time I would go, I would always get the Chicken Enchilada Soup as a starter.   Anyway, I don't know why, all of the sudden, I started craving it.  I went online to get a base recipe of what an enchilada soup should have.  One of the things it needed was masa flour.  I had some in the pantry but, of course, it was out of date...I don't even remember using it, so it was oldddd.  I already had everything else.  I didn't go by the recipe, I just used it as a guide to get some of the foundation right like how much masa flour to how much liquid.  Aside from that, I did my own thing.  I added and tasted, and added and tasted and then to figure out what needs to be added.  Yesterday, I had a helper.  My taster was my daughter Holly and she was a big help.  We added a couple of things that made the difference between a good soup and an awesome soup!

Since this is my first time to develop and make this recipe, I have only tried it with caramelized onions, so I don't know if just sauteing them would be enough or not...sorry.  But really, these onions do not have to be full out caramelized.  Even slightly caramelized would enhance the flavors of this soup.

I made some mini Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins to go with this and they were just the perfect thing to amp up the flavor even more.

This recipe is going on my favorite list....I love it when that happens!

CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP

2 pounds Chicken Breasts

Garlic Powder

Steak Seasoning

1 large Onion, chopped

2 tablespoons Butter

2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar

6 Garlic Cloves

1/2 - 1 large Poblano Pepper, chopped

1 Package McCormick Enchilada Sauce Mix

1- 8 ounce can Tomato Sauce

1-1/2 cups Water

6 cans Campbell's Chicken Broth

2 cups Water

2 cups Masa Flour

1 Cup Water

2 tablespoons Chili Powder

2 teaspoons Cumin

1 - 10 ounce bag of frozen Corn 

Optional:  1 or 2 cans of Black Beans

8 ounce Sharp Cheddar Cheese, chopped into chunks

Salt to Taste.

Toppings:

Charred Corn

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Cilantro

Green Onions

1.  Season chicken breasts heavily with garlic powder and steak seasoning.

2.  Place in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until done.  This will depend on the thickness of the breasts.

I only used the breasts...I saved the thighs for something else.

3.  In a small pot, make the enchilada sauce according to the directions on the package.  Set aside.

4.  In a soup pot, melt butter, add sugar and stir.  Add the onions and and cook on medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are medium brown in color. 

5.  Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.

6.  Add poblano pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

7.  Add the Chicken Broth and stir well over medium to high heat.

8.  Combine the Masa and 2 cups of water and whisk until creamy and all is dissolved.

9.  Whisk into the soup mixture until it is all mixed in well.

10. Add the last cup of water and stir.

11. Add all of the the Enchilada Sauce.

12. Sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin and stir until all is combined well.

13. Add frozen corn.

14. Add the chunk cheese and stir until all is melted and incorporated.

15. Add your chopped chicken breasts. 

16. Let cook for about 15 minutes.

17. Now is the time to add salt, if needed.  Taste first but remember that Salt is a flavor enhancer so don't be shy!

Top with your choice of toppings.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE