Monday, December 10, 2012

Pasta, Pie, and Soup

I feel like we have been so busy latey. I have not been making recipes on a regular basis like usual! Just last week we ate out for 5 meals--that NEVER happens...I am ready to get back to trying new recipes more frequently when the holiday season is over. Until then, check out a few things I have made over the last few weeks.

Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta
I made this pasta dish the night before I ran my half marathon so I would have plenty of carbs to keep me going. I adapted the recipe from one I found on Pinterest. 

Ingredients:
8 oz. bow tie pasta
1 large chicken breast {grilled}
1/2 of a yellow onion {diced}
2 small cans of tomato sauce
For the Alfredo Sauce:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup half and half2 garlic cloves {minced}
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese

 Dice the onion and garlic. Saute the onion, set aside the garlic.
 Boil the pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, grill the chicken breast. 
 Add the tomato sauce to the onions.
 Melt the butter in a skillet. Add flour and whisk together for about 2 minutes. 
 Whisk in the milk, half and half, and garlic, and add salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add cheese to the mixture and stir until the cheese is melted. 
 Chop the grilled chicken into cubes. 
 Add the tomato sauce and alfredo sauce to the noodles.
 Then add the chicken and mix it all together.
 And you have a creamy tomato chicken pasta dish that was delish! 
Cheeseburger Pie
I think cheeseburger pie may be one of our new favorite recipes. It is super easy and oh so good! 

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground ground beef
1 1/2 packages of crescent rolls
1 can of diced tomatoes {drained}
1 small yellow onion {diced}
1/2 cup dill pickle chips {chopped}
1 tbsp of flour
1 tbsp of pickle juice
Ketchup {use as much or little as you prefer}
Mustard {use as much or little as you prefer}
2 cups of cheese
 Brown the hamburger meat.
 Chop the onion and pickles. 
 Add the onions, pickles, diced tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, flour, and pickle juice to the hamburger meat. Stir until all ingredients are mixed together. Cook on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. 
 Break apart the crescent rolls and place in a pie plate to form a crust. 
 Add 1 cup of cheese to the hamburger meat mixture, and stir until the the cheese is melted. 
 Pour the hamburger mixture into the pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. 
 Remove from the oven and add remaining cheese to the pie {you might want to add a little extra if you like cheese as much as me!}. Let the pie stand until the cheese melts. 
Top your pie with ketchup, mustard, and pickles. It tastes great!
White Bean Chicken Chili
For quite sometime Britt has wanted me to make white chili. I finally got around to it. I used Paula Deen's recipe as a guide, but made it my own. 
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken {boiled and chopped/shredded}
5 cans of white beans {I used navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, and white beans}
1 can of diced tomatoes
4 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of chicken broth
4 tbsp of butter, for sauteing the onion and garlic {I used olive oil instead}
1 small onion {diced}
3 cloves of garlic {minced}
Chili Powder
Cumin
Oregano
White Pepper
Ground Black Pepper
A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
 Fist, boil the chicken.
 While the chicken is boiling, dice the onions and garlic. Saute the onion and garlic until it becomes soft. 
 After the chicken is finished boiling, chop/shred it. 
 Add the beans to the crock pot. 
 Then add the tomatoes and sauteed onions and garlic. 
Next, add the chicken and spices. 
 Add the chicken stock and chicken broth. 
 Stir together and let cook on hi for about 3 to 4 hours. 
 Top the soup with cheese and serve with a piece of southern cornbread! This wasn't my favorite soup, but it was good. I think I'll try Britt's mom's recipe next time.
"There is no spectacle on Earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves."- Thomas Wolfe...I'd like to think that is what Britt thinks about me and my cooking!! 

-Jessica

Thursday, December 6, 2012

A Little Slice of Heaven

That's what we had with our Thanksgiving dinners! I made 3 pies for dessert. Britt requested a pecan pie {which I am allergic to} for my dad's and and I found a really delicious looking Black Bottom Pumpkin Pie in Southern Living for my mom's.  Since I couldn't eat indulge in the pecan pie at Dad's I also made a Cream Cheese Pie Cherry Pie. I thought they all turned out great!

I found the pecan pie recipe in my Joy of Cooking cookbook. First I had to made the pie shell, so I used the Pat-in-the-pan-butter-dough recipe {also from Joy of Cooking}. This was my first go around at pecan pie so I was nervous about how it would turn out!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter {cut into 8 pieces, softened}
2 to 3 tbsp heavy cream 
Whisk together flour and salt. 
Add the softened butter and mash with the back of a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the cream and stir until the crumbs are damp and hold together when pinched.

Shape into the pie pan. Bake at 425 degrees F for 18-22 minutes. Glaze with one egg yolk and bake for 1-2 minutes. 
While the crust was cooking I made the filling. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the crust with one egg yolk.
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
Whisk in a bowl: the eggs, sugar, corn syrup, unsalted butter, vanilla, and salt. 
Stir in pecans
Pour the filling into the crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees F. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 1 1/2 hours, then enjoy! Britt and Dad approved, so I guess it turned out good!

While the pecan pie was baking I whipped up the Cream Cheese pie. I got the recipe from Calling All Cooks {an ATT, formerly known as Bellsouth} Cookbook. This one was seriously so easy.

Ingredients:
1 (6oz.) graham cracker pie crust
1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14oz.) cab sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (21oz.) can cherry pie filling

Whip room temperature cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Add the condensed milk and stir together. 

Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and stir. 

Pour mixture into the pie crust. Let stand in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours until firm. 
When ready to serve, top pie with cherry filling.
 For such and easy recipe, I thought this pie was delicious!

On Thanksgiving morning I made the Black Bottom Pumpkin Pie while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade! Here are the ingredients.
Crush the graham crackers and ginger snaps in a plastic bag. 
Melt the butter and add it to the crushed mixture. Stir until it is mixed well. 
Pour mixture into a pie plate and press on the bottom and up the sides to make the crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes then let cool for 30 minutes.
Mix chocolate chips and whipping cream and microwave for 1 minute until melted. 
Pour the chocolate mixture into the bottom of the pie crust.
Add crushed toffee candy bars and let cool completely in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 
Meanwhile, whisk together flour and sugar.
Add eggs, egg yolk, and milk


Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly until it is a pudding-like mixture.

Remove from heat and whisk in pumpkin and vanilla.

Transfer mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Pour mixture over chocolate and refrigerate for 8-24 hours until the filling is firm. 

Beat the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream at high speed until it's foamy. Gradually add syrup, then pipe on pie filling. 


Shave chocolate then add sprinkle over whipped cream. 
This pie was delicious...I recommend it for your next Thanksgiving dinner!
I guess it's time to start figuring out what to make for dessert for Christmas now! 

I like this quote, "If you're afraid of butter, use cream."-Julia Child...I completely agree...100%!
-Jessica