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

LASAGNA ROLLS

If you ever need a dish that feeds several people and makes a pretty presentation, well then this is the recipe for you.  It tastes so delightful too!  It is easy to make, it just takes a little bit of time.

As with most of the recipes I get from cookbooks, I changed this one up.  I got the base recipe from Giada's Family Dinners and then made it my own.  The recipe called for prosciutto but I wanted it to be more substantial and meaty like a lasagna so I used ground sirloin mixed with Italian sausage.  Also, I used my own spaghetti sauce recipe.  It makes a lot so I was able to make the sauce, use it for this recipe and freeze 2 large containers for later.

When I am having company over and I want to make a recipe I have never made before I usually do a run through.  I make it ahead of time to see if it is good and what changes, if any, that I would like to make to it.  When I made it the first time, it was really good but as I was eating it, I thought, I know what would make the flavors in this pop.....Melted Garlic Butter drizzled over the lasagna!  I got almost giddy thinking about it...so weird, I know!  I even made myself a note so I wouldn't forget to do it.  I was right too!!  Next time I am adding even more!   That butter and garlic added to the meat and cheese mixture just before I rolled up the lasagna noodles took this recipe from being great to awesome.  I mean, warm melted butter with fresh minced garlic....it just doesn't get much better!  It's an easy recipe to double and I did that, but one lasagna roll was enough for me, along with a salad and garlic bread and then dessert.  A man might eat two and I would probably plan on two if you are serving men, but I think most women would only eat one especially if you are fixing other things to go along with it.



This is a great recipe to play around with.  My friend Babette made them this past weekend and she changed up the ingredients.  I will say that my husband was not fond of the spinach and ricotta, so next time I may just make them like regular lasagna.  One day I want to make veggie lasagna but I may have to give him some space before I break that out on him. Haha!

I am so glad my friend, Babette, took this picture of this step so you can see what they look like before they are rolled.

You really cannot mess up this recipe.  It is one of those that even if you make a mistake, no one will ever know!  Love those kind of recipes!! 

You have got to try this dish....just remember the Garlic Butter!!  Is your mouth-watering yet?

LASAGNA ROLLS

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees

Bechemel Sauce

3 tablespoons Butter

4 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

1-1/4 cups Whole Milk

1 teaspoon Salt

1/8 teaspoon Freshly Ground Nutmeg

LASAGNA

 

1 (15 ounce container Whole-Milk Ricotta Cheese

1 (10-ounce Box Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 pound Ground Sirloin

1/2 pound Ground Italian Sausage

1 large Egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon Salt, plus more for pasta

1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

12 dried Lasagna Noodles

1/4 cup Salt

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 stick Butter

6 cloves Garlic

2-3 Cups Spaghetti Sauce (my recipe or jar spaghetti sauce)

1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Melt the butter in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking continuously.  Whisk in the milk.  Increase the heat to medium-high.  Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes.  Whisk in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

In a skillet over medium to high heat, brown the sirloin and the Italian sausage until it is cooked thoroughly.

In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, spinach, and 1 cup of the Parmesan  cheese, meat and sausage mixture, egg, the salt and the pepper, until well blended.

Melt butter and add minced garlic, mix well and set aside.

Bring a very large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add your salt and olive oil.   Add the lasagna noodles and cook until just tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently to prevent the noodles from sticking together.  Keep an eye on these noodles so they do not get overdone because they will continue to cook in the oven.  Drain.  Arrange the noodles in a single layer on baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.  I actually just laid out some wax paper and placed the noodles on them. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Butter a 13 X 9 X 2 baking glass baking dish.  Spread the cream sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish.

Lay out a lasagna noodle on a flat work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle.  Drizzle about 1-2 teaspoons of the garlic butter over the ricotta mixture. I didn't measure when I did mine and I think I used about 1 teaspoon.  I felt like it could of used more so next time I will use 2 teaspoons but I love garlic. Roll up the noodles and arrange the rolls, seam side down and not touching one another atop the cream sauce.  Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture.  Spoon 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce over the lasagna rolls, sprinkle with a light amount of salt, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining  2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. 

Cover the dish tightly with foil.  Bake until the rolls are heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake until the cheese on top is golden, about 15 minutes longer.  Let stand for 10 minutes.

Heat the remaining spaghetti sauce in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot. 

Transfer sauce to a sauceboat and serve alongside.

ENJOY!

 

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

SMOKED GOUDA AND HAVARTI CHEESE GRITS

Oh my goodness!  Could a savory dish be more rich and delicious???

This was only about my fifth time to even eat grits....and four of those have been within the past 6 months!  My son made them for me back in the summer and I was hooked.  I was only half watching when he made it and I still don't know quite how he makes his, but his are different than mine because of the ingredients.  The best part is you can add anything you would like to it or on top of it.  Last night, I made my Maryland Crab Cakes with a lemon-butter caper sauce to serve with it, but I am going to have to work on the sauce so I didn't post it.  
Since I was just starting out, I just added a couple of my favorite cheeses, some roasted corn and a few thinly sliced green onions...not too many.  I was thinking that next time I will add some bacon....I mean bacon takes everything up a notch....right?!?!  

Let me just say something about the cheeses I chose to use.  I love, love, love smoked gouda.  I love to grab a slice of it and eat it on a cracker.  I used Cream Havarti which is a little creamier than regular havarti because it has more cream in it....makes sense!  I like to cook with havarti because it is so mild and smooth and it melts really nicely.  I might even add some parmesan next time....maybe grated over the top would be nice.  I wonder what a mexican version would taste like?  You could maybe add some queso fresco and monterrey jack or pepper jack cheese to the grits and then top it with a dollop of salsa or pico de gallo.  Hmmmm???  May try that sometime soon!

Now for the corn!  Roasting corn is the easiest thing to do and kind of fun.  I like hearing the kernels pop, pop, pop! Don't cook it too long though, you definitely want the crunchiness but also the juiciness of the kernels.  


One of the best things about grits, is that it literally takes only about 10 minutes to cook!  Five minutes on the stove and about 5 minutes resting time.  I used a mixture of equal parts chicken broth and half and half.  Because I made mine a little ahead, I had to add some heavy cream before I served it.  Top it with a little of the roasted corn and thinly sliced green onion tops and you are done.

If you are tired of potatoes or rice and would like to try something different...try them.  I really think you cannot go wrong!

SMOKED GOUDA AND HAVARTI CHEESE GRITS

1-1/2 cups Chicken Broth  (1 can of Campbells's Chicken Broth is perfect)
1-1/2 cups Half and Half
1 cup Corn Grits
2 tablespoons of Salted Butter
1 cup Smoked Gouda
1 cup Cream Havarti
Heavy Cream (no certain amount...use to bring grits to consistency)
Charred Fresh Corn Kernels
Thinly Sliced Green Onion Tops
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring your chicken broth and half and half to boil over medium to high heat.

Pour in grits and turn heat to between medium and low.  Stir off and on for 5 minutes. 

Add butter and approximately 1/2 cup of corn kernels. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. 

Add the cheeses and stir until well incorporated.

I made this picture extra large so you can see all that stringy, melty cheese goodness!!

When ready to serve, add whipping cream or half and half to bring it to the consistency you would like.  

Top with roasted corn kernels and thinly sliced green onion tops.   

NOTE:  Great with some hot sauce sprinkled on or a dollop of Chili Garlic Paste

ROASTED CORN

2 Fresh Ears of Corn (husk removed)

Place the ears of corn directly on a stovetop burner that is at medium to low heat.  

Watch as the kernels start to char.  

Turn every 30 seconds or so to keep from over cooking.

Don't be alarmed when you hear a popping sound...it's normal.

Stand the corn on end and remove the kernels with a knife running downward against the cob.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

MAMA'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

This spaghetti sauce is just perfect.  It is a perfect sauce to serve over your favorite pasta but it is also good to use with cabbage rolls, meatball subs, meatloaf, or anything else that might call for a tomato based sauce.  I got this recipe from a friend, who got it from a friend. who got it from a friend.  I don't know how far this goes back but all I know is I am glad I was on that friend list.

I have posted this tip on another post but I thought it could stand repeating.  When you do serve this sauce over pasta, be sure to add a substantial amount of olive oil to your pasta water to keep it from sticking (oh and don't forget to add salt).  My other tip to keep pasta from sticking is do not rinse but just add a little bit of sauce to the pasta....just enough to coat and even if you refrigerate them, they will not stick.

I am in a hurry today so not a lot of time to write so I am going to just leave it here.  Also, I have several meatball recipes that I like to use.  I have posted one and if you click on this link, it will take you there.  It is a post from when I made homemade spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes but if you will scroll all the way down the page, you will find the meatball recipe!  I will post another one when I get a chance....hopefully I can tonight!

Oh, and the first recipe here is for one recipe.  The recipe that follows is for about five times that amount.  I always make the second so I have some left over!

MAMA'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 small Yellow Onion, chopped
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1-12 ounce can Tomato Paste
3-1/2 cans Water
1-1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 cup Brown Sugar

NOTE; I usually take the above recipe and increase it so I can have it more than one time and some to freeze.  It is also great for large groups.  Here are the amounts if you would like to make more!

1/3/4 cups Olive Oil
4 regular size Yellow Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Garlic, minced
5-12 ounce cans tomato paste
3-4 quarts of water (I add 2 quarts and then add 1 quart at a time until I get it the consistency I want)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar

Saute onion and garlic in oil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add tomato paste and water.  Stir well.
Increase heat and add remaining ingredients.
When boiling, reduce to low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Note:  A regular recipe makes 4-1/2 cups sauce.

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ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE!