munchkin chicken and rice pot pie

i love pot-pie. it is the ultimate comfort food. there's nothing healthy about a pot-pie which is probably why i enjoy it so much. the buttery crust combined with the delicious gravy is an ingenious combination. one time i made a shrimp pot-pie and it totally trumped the traditional chicken pot pie. i would have requested the shrimp version tonight, however, we had shrimp last night and i knew andy wouldn't go for it. so, i had to settle for chicken pot pie. i'm not complaining. it, of course, was delicious. andy decided to get fancy and make mini pot-pies. he created them by using an everyday muffin tin. for the sake of time he used a pre-made pie dough, but you're welcome to make the crust from scratch. i was worried that two baby pot pies wouldn't be enough for me but they're really rich and the addition of the rice makes them totally filling. andy ate his with his hands like a cupcake. i ate mine with a fork, as a well mannered lady should!

here's the recipe:

makes 4 munchkin pies

ingredients:
1 chicken breast, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 lb. mushrooms, quartered
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 can peas
1/2 can corn
tbs butter
tbs flour
1 cup heated chicken stock
1/2 c. cooked rice (according to package)
one package of roll-out pie crust (there are two in one package)
egg-wash (one egg slightly beaten with one tablespoon of water)


preheat oven to 425
heat a sautee pan over medium heat with olive oil in it.
add chicken to pan and cook until done
remove the chicken from the pan and add more oil
add half of the onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes
add the mushrooms and cook until done (about 5 min.)
remove the veggie combo from the pan and set aside
put in butter and the other half of the onions and garlic and cook for 5 min.
whisk in the flour to make a roux
slowly whisk in the heated stock and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens
add the peas and corn to the mixture and remove from heat.

spray muffin tins with cooking spray
put the roll out dough in the bottom of muffin tins, so that it fully covers the bottom and sides
layer rice on the bottom. put the chicken on top of the rice. add the mushrooms on top of that. and finish off with the pea and corn mixture. fill to the top.
cover with the remaining roll-out dough and make small slits in the dough with a butter knife
coat the top with the egg-wash.
bake for about 45 min.

green chili-cheddar corn muffins, shrimp and grits, and peanut butter cookies. happy cooking!

i love these corn muffins so much and i make them all of the time. to those of you who are spiceophobes: don't be afraid of the green chili! they are actually really mild and add such nice flavor to the corn muffin. if you're looking for a spruced up corn muffin, this one is definitely for you!

ingredients:

1 1/4 c. yellow cornmeal

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. shredded sharp cheddar

1 c. sour cream

1 (8 .5 oz) can creamed corn

1 (4 oz ) can chopped green chiles

2 large eggs (lightly beaten)

to make:

heat oven to 400

spray muffin tin with pam (i use liners, but you don't have to)

combine cornmeal, salt, and baking powder in a med. bowl

add cheese, corn, sour cream, and chiles. mix until combined (be sure to fold over the mixture because grains of the cornmeal can get stuck at the bottom-be careful that it's all mixed well)

add the eggs to the mixture and stir them in completely.

transfer to muffin tins (i filled them about 3/4ths of the way full)

bake for 15-20 minutes (or until a toothpick can go in and come out clean).

so YUMMY!

shrimp and grits is one of my all time favorite dishes. anytime i go out to a nice dinner and shrimp and grits are on the menu, i order it. andy makes a mean shrimp and grits. his secret is not cooking his grits in water, but cooking them in stock and milk instead. it makes them so creamy and delicious. you can play around with what veggies you want to serve with this dish. i love mushrooms and requested them tonight. some people like to serve with it with peppers or tomatoes. however you decide to do it, you have to give this one a try. it's fabulous!

ingredients:

one chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 lb. mushrooms, quartered

1.2 lb. shrimp (deveined and deshelled)

1/4 c. grits

3/4 c. chicken stock

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. shredded cheddar

salt and pepper, to taste

to make:

grits:

bring milk and stock to a boil

slowly add grits and whisk until incorporated

lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes

add cheese and salt and pepper.

heat a frying pan over med. heat

add chopped onion and cook for about 5 min.

add the chopped garlic and cook for 5 more min.

add the mushrooms and cook for 5 more min.

deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine and reduce until the liquid evaporates

add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes

add another splash of wine and cook until liquid evaporates, about 5 min. (shrimp should be cooked through). season with salt and pepper to taste

serve shrimp and veggie mixture atop grits! delicious!

want the world's easiest peanut butter cookie recipe? it's so easy that i (who can't remember ANYTHING) have the recipe memorized. i was first intrigued by theses cookies because they are flourless which means that my step-dad, who has celiac disease, can eat them. i was a little skeptical at first, but i gave them a try, and after polishing them all off in one day, i'd say they are keepers. i used chunky peanut butter because it's what i had in the cabinet. i wound up really liking it because there were chunks of peanuts in the cookie. you could totally use creamy peanut butter too if you'd prefer. here's the recipe:

ingredients

1 c sugar

1 c peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

sea salt

to make:

preheat oven to 350

put sugar, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla in a bowl. mix until fully incorporated

spoon balls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and press down on the dough with tines of a fork in a criss cross pattern.

sprinkle with sea salt

bake for about ten minutes in the oven. let the cookies sit for a minute before moving them to a rack to cool (if you try to move them right away they will crack and break).

makes about 24 cookies

a healthy alternative to fries or an unhealthy alternative to veggies. you decide.

you'll have to decide how you feel about this one. tonight we had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and broccoli for dinner. nothing exciting or fancy, but of course, it was delicious. andy got a hankering to be a sushi chef for a short instant and decided he was going to fry the broccoli butts. they turned out nothing like the veggie tempura we order when we go out to sushi, but my goodness they were yummy. i dipped one in ranch, ate it, and declared: this is such a great alternative to the french fry!

as i continued to eat my dinner i thought about that comment. we weren't even having french fries with dinner this evening. so really, the fried broccoli wasn't a good alternative to the fry but was a bad alternative to good old steamed broccoli. oh well. it was scrumptious and i thought i'd share it. it would be great as a side for any dinner and may be good for those who don't like to eat their veggies! here's the recipe:

put a frying pan on the stove with oil in it on medium-high heat. it's important that the pan be hot before you drop the broccoli in.

prepare three bowls and set aside in a line.

1. season a cup of flour with salt, pepper, oregano, and paprika.

2. one egg, whisked

3. panko (or breadcrumbs) seasoned with salt and pepper

slice broccoli stalks into quarter inch thick pieces

blanch the stalk pieces

dip the stalks of broccoli in the flour, then in the egg wash, and finally in the panko.

put the broccoli into a hot pan with olive oil in it. brown on each side.

serve hot. they go great with cold ranch

sausage, eggplant, and spinach stuffed shells

stuffing the shells
on its way into the oven

andy works from 9-9 on saturdays so it's the one night of the week that i always make dinner. we had an eggplant in the fridge that i wanted to use but i wasn't quite sure what to do with it. i always fry eggplant and make eggplant parm, but i was really wanting to do something different last night. i searched around for a recipe and found this one on foodnetwork's webside (courtesy of emeril) it turnd out totally scrumptious. don't be frightened by the long list of directions. it looks more complicated than it actually is. if you're in a rush you could skip the homemade sauce and use prepared sauce from the store.

here's the recipe:

ingredients

· 2 tablespoons olive oil

· 3/4 pound sweet italian sausage, casings removed

· 2 cups chopped onion

· 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

· 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

· 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

· 2 tablespoons minced garlic

· 1/2 cup ricotta

· 12 ounces fresh spinach, blanched, squeezed dry, and chopped

· 1 cup freshly grated parmesan

· 1/4 teaspoon sugar

· 1/2 pound jumbo pasta shells

· 2 cups of canned crushed tomatoes

· 3 cups heavy cream

· 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

· 4 ounces shredded mozzarella

directions

in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the sausage until golden brown, stirring to break up the pieces, about 6 minutes. add half of the onions and the eggplant, season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the vegetables are lightly caramelized and very soft. Add 1 tablespoon garlic and cook for 1 minute. remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

when the mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup parm, and sugar. stir to combine well.

Lightly grease a deep 9 by 13-inch dish and set aside.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta shells until just al dente (you don’t want to over cook them because they’ll lose their shape and be hard to stuff). drain and rinse under cold running water. pat shells dry. Stuff the pasta shells with the sausage-eggplant mixture and place in the prepared dish.

In a large saucepan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and saute the remaining chopped onions until translucent, about 4 minutes. add the remaining tablespoon of garlic and cook for another minute. add the crushed tomatoes, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook for about 20 minutes.

add the basil to the sauce and pour the sauce over the shells in the casserole. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and the remaining parmesan. cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the sauce is lightly browned in spots and bubbly around the edges, about 15 minutes longer.

i.love.pasta. i mean I really, really, love it. if someone told me that i could only have one food for the rest of my life, i would choose pasta without hesitation. tonight when andy said he was cooking pasta i was so excited because he doesn’t typically (or should i say willingly) cook it (the boy loves his red meat and potatoes). but man-oh-man, it was so yummy and it seems simple enough to fix. if you’re in the mood for a good pasta dish, you really should give this one a try:

ingredients:

2 boneless pork chops

half-pound pasta

4 cipollinis

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

half-bag spinach

half package mushrooms, chopped

parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper (to taste)

to prepare:

preheat oven to 385

boil water and cook pasta

heat pan over medium-high heat- add the pork chops and cipollinis, searing on both sides (2-3 minutes per side)

once seared, put the pan in the oven

sauté onion, garlic, and mushrooms and in a pan on med. heat for 8 minutes. add the spinach at the end and wilt.

add about a cup of chicken stock to deglaze the pan and let simmer with the veggies for about 5 minutes

add the pasta and toss to coat it.

add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste

cut up pork chops and add the pork and the cipollinis to the pasta.

it's back to work i go

today was my first day back to work after a week and a half off. it’s not easy going back to work after that long no matter how much you love your job. andy was off of work today and doesn’t have to go back to school until the 16^th so he had dinner brewing when i got home. tonight we had mac and cheese, roasted parsnips and brussel sprouts, and stuffed chicken (kale, onion, mushroom, mozzarella stuffed chicken, to be exact). the chicken was breaded, juicy, and so delicious. i was full about half way through that piece of chicken but i went ahead and ate the whole damn thing.

for the chicken:

ingredients:

quarter onion diced

2 gloves of garlic, diced

2 baby-bella mushrooms, diced

handful of kale, destemmed and chopped

one thick slice of fresh mozzarella cheese (halved)

2 eggs

breadcrumbs (we used panko)

flour

2 chicken breasts

to prepare:

preheat oven to 385

sautee the first four ingredients in oil.

deglaze the pan with one tbs of white wine

once the moisture evaporates, take the veggies out of the pan and let cool

pound out chicken breasts until they are about a quarter-inch thick

put the veggies on the chicken and lay the mozzarella on top. roll up the chicken (placing the seal-end down so that it stays closed)

put the flour and panko in spate bowls and season with salt and pepper

beat the eggs in a third bowl

heat a frying pan with oil on the stove

take the wrapped chicken and dip it first in the flour (shaking off excess), then the egg, and finally the panko. these ingredients will seal the chicken shut.

put the chicken in the pan, browning on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side)

put in the oven for 25 minutes.

serve immediately

happy new year!

happy 2012! tonight we’re having a traditional new years feast. if ever there is a day of the year when the recipe never changes it’s january 1^st. our new years day meal is rooted deep in tradition, and everything we eat is symbolic. here’s what’s on the menu:

black-eyed-peas – symbolizing luck. i’ve heard that in order for the peas to truly bring you luck in the upcoming year, you’re supposed to eat 365 of them….

kale (or collards, or cabbage, whatever floats your boat)- symbolizing wealth. we’ll be eating the entire pot

corn bread-symbolizing gold (again, the whole pot)

pork-symbolizing prosperity and health.

andy had to wake up at 6 am this morning and he worked all day long, so I decided that it would be nice if i cook dinner tonight. this means that i refuse to let andy give me any recipes or helpful hints (not because i don’t want them, but because i’m stubborn and want him to think I’m just as good of a cook as he is) so, i turned to the world wide web to help me with a pork recipe. people who eat pork on new years day prepare it in all different fashions but because there’s only two of us, we’re doing a simple pork chop recipe that i found on www.foodgawker.com. foodgawker is one of my favorite places to go online to look for recipes (mainly because the photographs are fabulous). the recipe is really easy and if you like pork chops you should definitely try it out!

2 large pork loin sirloin or 4 small bone-in pork chops, fat well trimmed (don't use ultra-thick chops for this recipe)
salt and fresh ground black pepper for seasoning pork chops
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup apricot preserves

2 T Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350F and spray baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray.

Season pork chops on both sides with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Heat olive oil in a heavy frying pan, then brown pork chops 3 minutes on each side.

Put pork chops in baking dish and put in preheated oven to roast 8-10 minutes, or until internal temperature of the meat reaches 155-160F when measured with an instant-read meat thermometer.

While pork chops cook, deglaze the pan with the chicken stock, scraping off any browned bits and cooking until the stock has reduced by about 1/2.

Then whisk in the apricot jam and cook 2-3 minutes (the sauce doesn't need to be completely smooth.)

Whisk in the Dijon mustard.

Put the pork chops into the pan with the sauce, and turn them several times to coat with sauce, then cook about 2 minutes more.

Serve pork chops hot, with the flavorful sauce spooned over.