Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

recipe from Pillsbury.com

1

box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

1/3

cup butter

1/3

cup chopped onion

1/3

cup all-purpose flour

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/4

teaspoon pepper

1 3/4

cups chicken broth (from 32-oz carton or 1 can)

1/2

cup milk

2 1/2

cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey

2

cups frozen mixed vegetables

• Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.
• In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.
• Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.
• Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Cacciatore

*Our Best Bites suggestion: White cooking wine is DEFINITELY better than juices but as a note, don't go cheap on cooking wines when you buy them. (I used grape juice.)

*I am going to put they way I cooked it below the real recipe. I didn't want to use the slow cooker and dirty another dish. It worked fine. I dunno, maybe if I had used the cooking wine and the slow cooker this recipe may have been higher rated.

Chicken Cacciatore

Recipe from Our Best Bites

1 lb. chicken breasts or breasts and thighs, cut up

1/4 cup white flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

5-6 cloves or garlic, peeled and crushed or halved

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 cup white wine, white cooking wine, or apple or white grape juice

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp salt (omit if using wine)

1 bay leaf

1 cup sliced mushrooms (or more)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and onions and stir frequently until onions are tender and garlic is fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to blender. Increase heat to medium-high.

In a large Ziplock bag, combine flour, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Add chicekn pieces, seal bag, and shake to coat pieces with flour. Dump the entire back into the hot pan and stir quickly to prevent pieces from sticking together. Saute until chicken is golden. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Turn off the heat under oil.

While chicken is draining, add wine, chicken broth, tomato paste, thyme, and marjoram to the onions and garlic in the blender. Blend until smooth. Place chicken and bay leaf in your slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Place chicken and bay leaf in your slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. When you have about 1/2 hour to go, add the mushrooms and the chopped green pepper. Cook until mushrooms and pepper are tender. Remove bay leaf and serve over pasta.

*My Cooking Instructions

In a large frying pan or wok add oil and saute onions and garlic pieces. Then transfer to blender. Increase heat to medium high.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper into a Ziploc bag. Add chicken and shake to coat pieces with flour. Dump the entire bag to the hot pan and stir quickly to prevent form sticking together. Saute until chicken is golden, but not entirely cooked through.

Add mushrooms and green pepper and continue sauteing until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are crisp/tender.

To the onions and garlic pieces in the blender add wine, chicken broth, tomato paste, thyme, and marjoram. Blend until smooth. Place sauce and bay leaf into pan with chicken and veggies. Heat until sauce is heated and begins to bubble. Cover, turn down heat to simmer, and let simmer for 20 minutes (or longer). Serve over pasta.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Crockpot)

*So, I LOVED this recipe. And it was easy with little mess. Not much better than that! This picture just doesn't do it justice.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Recipe from OurBestBites.com (with a few of my changes)

3 lb. boneless pork roast
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper
Smoked paprika or liquid smoke (I used cayenne pepper)
1 Bottle BBQ sauce
Rolls, biscuits, or bread (I used Pillsbury homestyle biscuits)
Coleslaw (recipe here)
Thick cut dill pickles (optional)

Rinse pork in cold water and trim excess fat. Pat dry. Sprinkle roast with seasonings and place in slow cooker. Add about 1/2 inch of water and cook on low 8-10 hours. When roast is cooked, drain liquid and then return to slow cooker and shred. Pour enough sauce over the meat so its well-incorporated, but not soupy. Return the lid to slow cooker and heat through until ready to serve. To serve, slice rolls and add meat. Top with coleslaw and pickles.

Freezer instructions:

Prepare meat through seasoning step. Instead of placing in slow cooker, place seasoned meat in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. When ready to prepare, follow same instructions. Just make sure you have buns, coleslaw, and BBQ sauce.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

*I used leftover hamburger buns that were kind of small and the meatballs were large. It only took one meatball to fill the sandwich cause they were so large.

*I liked this recipe but I'm sure it would have been pretty good using any type meatball recipe....but I suppose all the extra stuff adds to it.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Sandwiches
Recipe from Picky-Palate.com

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
2 Tablespoons mlk
1 Tablespoon hot sauce
1/2 Cup Italian Seasoned bread crumbs (I used crushed crackers)
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

12-15 inch Mozzarella balls, marinated in olive oil (I used shredded and formed into balls)
1 26-oz jar of favorite pasta sauce
4-6 Buns or rolls of choice
4 slices of Provolone cheese, each cut into halves

Preheat the oven to 350. Place beef, egg, milk, hot sauce, bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper, oregano and basil in a large bowl. With hands or large spoon, mix until well combined. Scoop about 1/4 cup meat mixture in hands, press 1 mozzarella ball into the middle of meat and form a ball around the cheese. Do this until all the meat and cheese is used up (makes about 12-15 large meatballs. Place meatballs into a 9x13 baking dish that has 1/4 cup olive oil in the bottom. Bake for 20 minutes, flip meatballs and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Place pasta sauce into a large pot, add meatballs and simmer on low heat. Place 1/2 of the provolone cheese onto the cut sides of the rolls. Place onto tin foil or baking sheet and broil for 1-2 minutes or until rolls are toasted and cheese is melted. Place meatballs on bottom half of rolls, spoon sauce over meatballs and sprinkle with parmesan. Close with top roll and serve warm.

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Three Ways to Eat...

1. Eat the cookie dough.
2. Eat like regular cookies.
3. Fill with ice cream to make an ice cream sandwich. (Although, these cookies are MASSIVE so I definitely recommend sharing this with a friend.)


Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe from Macie Stratton

2 Cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 Egg
1 Egg yolk
2 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sift together four, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended. Beat in vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand, using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time (its huge, fits only 6 on a cookie sheet, you can do smaller if you want) onto a greased cookie sheet or lined with parchment paper. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart from each other. Bake at 325 for 15-17 minutes or until browning on the edges.

Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Pie
Recipe from my mom

1/2 Bag of spaghetti noodles (maybe a little less)
1/2 Lb ground beef, cooked (optional)
1 Cup cottage cheese
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
Spaghetti sauce

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package and drain. Pour noodles into a pie pan, 8x8 baking dish, or similar dish. Mix in Parmesan cheese and butter to noodles until butter is melted. Mix together cottage cheese and egg, layer over noodles. If adding ground beef, add a layer on top of cheese and egg mixture. On top, put a layer of spaghetti sauce (may be about 1/2 the bottle...needs lots). Poke holes into the spaghetti noodles for the sauce to get inside. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Shepherd's Pie

*This is the very basic shepherd's pie...and I love it this way. Most people try to add more to it and make it more complex and difficult than it really needs to be. Other versions are good...but this is the quickest and easiest way to do it and I really do love it.

Shepherd's Pie
Recipe from my mom

1/2 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 can green beans, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup or tomato soup
Mashed potatoes (I just use potato pearls, talk about easy huh?)
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Cook ground beef over the stove until browned. In a small, square baking dish, combine soup, beans, and cooked ground beef. Mix together. Make mashed potatoes. Put potatoes on top of mixture then put shredded cheese on top of that. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbling on the sides.

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili
Recipe from The Finlinsons

*It seems a little intimidating because of all the ingredients but it's actually pretty easy. To make faster you can use pre-cooked, frozen ground beef. I can also make this a pre-made mix with all the spices and powders. Also, this recipe needs to simmer for an hour, so prepare ahead of time.

1 ½ lbs. ground beef
2 vegetable oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. cocoa
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 c. tomato sauce
1 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained with a small amount of oil or butter mixed in

Toppings (optional):

Shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese
Red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Onion, chopped
Fresh tomato, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
Green onion, chopped
Avocado
Sour cream

Brown ground beef (or thaw pre-cooked ground beef) and drain and set aside. Set a large pan over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is warm, add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and browned around the edges (about 8 min.). Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 min.). Stir in the chili powder, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, allspice, black pepper and salt. Cook, stirring constantly until the spices are fragrant (about 30 seconds). Stir in the broth, water, vinegar, sugar and tomato sauce. Add cooked ground beef. Bring chili to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Turn down to medium/low heat and let simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Serve over spaghetti and add toppings.

Grilled Santa Fe Burgers

Grilled Santa Fe Burgers
Recipe from Jackie Williamson
Makes 4 patties

1 Lb. ground beef
3/4 Cup cheddar cheese
1/4 Cup salsa
1/4 Cup crushed tortilla chips
1/4 Cup sliced green onions (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix. Shape into patties and grill until cooked through. Serve as is or on toasted buns.

Breakfast Braid Bread (and other fillings)

*I got the breakfast braid bread recipe from the website below. But my mom has long before made chili cheese braid bread which is the same but the filling inside is a can of chili and lots of cheese. When she used her breadstick recipe, it would make two braid breads. So for the second one she would make it a dessert braid bread. She would fill it with some fruit pie filling like cherry, apple, or apricot and then frost the top with homemade frosting. You can also try other things inside like pizza toppings.

Breakfast Braid Bread
Recipe from OurBestBites.com

1 Roll Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations (or use mom's breadstick recipe, which will make 2 braid breads, here)
Scrambled Eggs (3-4 eggs, milk, salt and pepper)
4-5 Strips bacon or sausage
1/2 Cup grated cheese, or more...
Hot sauce (optional)

Scramble eggs in a skillet. Since this will cook again in the oven, under cook your eggs. You want them to be cooked enough to hold together, but leave them a bit wet. Cook bacon strips and set aside. (I bake my bacon in the oven. Just lay flat on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 for about 12 minutes or until crisp)

Next, use a rolling pin and a lightly floured work surface to roll out the crescent dough to about 10 in x 12 in. Lay the eggs down the center of the rectangle, leaving room on both sides and the 2 ends, as pictured below. Top with bacon, cheese, and a couple shots of hot sauce if you want.

Use a pizza cutter to slice even slits on the sides of your rectangle:

Fold over both ends:

Now starting on one end, bring the side pieces in and overlap them. You'll want to alternate- one from the right, then one from the left and so on and so on. Does that make sense?

Keep doing it until you get all the way to the end.
When you get to the end, just tuck where you can to make it pretty!

Then you'll have this pretty little papoose. Yes I just called it a papoose. Isn't it fancy?

Bake according to package instructions. I believe it's 375 for about 15-20 minutes (but who knows, I threw away my package!) It might take a little longer than the package directs because of the way it's braided. And actually, if you want it shiny on top, give it a quick egg wash before you bake. When it's done, it should be golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Slice on a slight diagonal and eat immediately!

*I also put this in the freezable section because recipes like this make me wonder if I could make these into little individual sized ones and stash them away like Hot Pockets (but of course MUCH better than Hot Pockets). This way I don't have to make a WHOLE one of these but instead a few individual ones.

Fresh Tomato Pizza with Avocado (and Pizza Dough Recipe)

*Tips to try: I don't have a baking stone so I looked up tips online to cooking without. Try baking the pizzas on a cookie sheet with parchment paper underneath. After 8 minutes slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet and put directly on the oven rack for the rest of the cooking. You can also take the parchment paper out from under 2 minutes after the 8 minutes since the parchment paper will get pretty brittle and crispy. This way it is an easy transfer to the oven without the mess of the cornmeal on bottom. This definitely seems worth trying.

*My own thoughts: Oddly enough, I almost wouldn't miss the avocado/lime mixture if it weren't there. A plain tomato pizza would be amazing. You could put other things on top of the oil mixture and sliced tomatoes. I bet mushrooms, olives, bacon pieces, etc. would be great. Or I could always try just squirting some lime juice and chopped cilantro on top.

*Another thought: I hear that you can use feta cheese instead of queso fresco although feta cheese has a stronger taste. I'm not sure the price difference but I'm pretty sure queso fresco is pretty expensive. I would even just try sprinkling on some regular cheese that I have on hand, it's not that much cheese anyway.

Fresh Tomato Pizza with Avocado
Recipe from A Year in a Vegatarian Kitchen
Serves 2-3 people

Pizza dough recipe (found below)
2 Large ripe tomatoes
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Medium garlic cloves, minced
1 Medium jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
Cornmeal for sprinkling on pizza peel or baking sheet
Salt
3 Ounces queso fresco or farmer cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1 Medium avocado
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves

1. While the pizza dough is rising, place a baking stone on the lower oven rach and heat the oven to 500 degrees for at lesat 30 minutes. Cut the tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place the tomatoes between doubled sheets of paper towels and press lightly to absorb excess moisture. Combine the oil, garlic, and chile in a small bowl.

2. Once the pizza dough has finished rising, cut the dough into two equal pieces. (If cooking two pizzas, double the recipe on top. If cooking one, take the other half of the dough and put into an airtight container and freeze for up to several weeks. Take out of freezer for several hours to thaw.) Turn the remaining half of the dough out onto a floured work surface and shape it into a 12-inch round with your hands. Slide the dough onto a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet that has been dusted liberally with cornmeal.

3. Brush the dough with the oil mixture. Line the dough with slightly overlapping tomatoes, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt to taste and then with the cheese.

4. Slide the pizza from the peel onto the baking stone. Bake until the edges of the crust are nicely browned, 12-15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, halve, pit, peel, and cut the avocado into thin slices. Gently toss the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, and salt to taste together in a small bowl.

6. When the pizza comes out of the oven, distribute the avocado slices evenly over the top. Cut the pizza into slices and serve immediately.


Basic Pizza Dough
Recipe from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen
Makes 2 12-inch pizza crusts

1/2 Cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 Cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 Cups cold water
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Place the warm water in a 2-cup measuring cup. Add the yeast and stir with fork to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place the flour and salt in a large food processor and process for several seconds to combine.

3. Add the cold water to the measuring cup. (You can measure this water directly into the cup, stopping once the total amount of the liquid equals 1 3/4 cups). Add the oil and stir with a fork to combine roughly.

4. Turn the food processor on and add the yeast mixture through the feed tube. Continue to process until the dough comes together and forms a smooth ball, about 30 seconds.

5. Pour a little oil into a large bowl and use your hands to grease the bowl. Transfer the dough to the oiled borl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set the bowl aside and let the dough rise until doubled, about 2 hours. The dough is now ready to be divided and shaped.

*Other pizza dough recipes. For my mom's recipe, click here. For Rachel's recipe, click here.

Mom's Teriyaki Chicken or Beef

Mom's Teriyaki Chicken or Beef
Recipe from Mom

1 Cup soy sauce (if using Kikkoman, do 3/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup water)
1 Cup sugar
4-5 Chicken thighs and/or legs or 1 cut up chicken or thinly sliced beef
1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated or 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger (optional but recommended)
1 Clove of garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together (make sure the mix fully covers the chicken/beef, if not, make more sauce). Cover and marinate in the fridge for an hour or more (overnight works well or freeze at this point and cook it up at a later date). Put in baking dish, cover, and bake at 350 for 1 hour, turning occasionally. OR cover and cook on the stove. Put on high heat until it comes to a boil. Cover and turn to low heat for about 45 minutes. OR grill it until crisp on the edges.

*Don't have to marinate before cooking, just do all you can.
*Chicken breasts are much tougher than the thigh, you can use it but it's not nearly as good.