OKK MEMES & PRIOR CONTRIBUTORS – Page 11 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

CHICKEN POT PIES

CHICKEN POT PIES

6 cups shredded chicken (2 rotisserie chickens)*
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 celery stalks
1 small bag baby carrots
1 small bag frozen green beans or 1/2 pound fresh, cleaned and cut
2 cups chicken broth
12 oz. evaporated milk
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon Wondra flour
3/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1/8 cup parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Separate chicken from fat and bones and set aside.
Heat oil in dutch oven.
Saute’ onions and celery until just tender.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss with chicken.
Mix together chicken broth and milk and microwave until steamy, 2-3 minutes.
In a large sauce pan melt butter. When foamy stir in flour, parsley and thyme until golden.
Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture.
Bring to a simmer and cook until thick.
Turn off heat and stir in sherry, salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in chicken mixture and vegetables.
Divide into 6-8 small French white Pyrex round baking dishes.
Cover with lids and freeze.
When ready to bake, thaw and bring to room temperature.
Cover with pie crust** and bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

With this recipe you don’t end up with a bottom crust, but just think of how many calories you’re saving.

*I usually make this when my local market has a buy one get one free on the rotisserie chickens.

**Pillsbury pie crust from the dairy section will make 2 pot pies with left over pieces for decorative leaves. Unfold a sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out gently. Measure the diameter of the pot pie bowls, and cut out dough rounds that are slightly larger in diameter. Repeat until you have made all the necessary tops. Whisk an egg in a small bowl. Lay the dough rounds on top of the pot pies. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Homemade Mounds Bars–Save Room for Dessert

Homemade Mounds Candy Bars

7 ounces sweetened condensed milk

2 cups powered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (14 ounce) bag flaked coconut

24 ounces dark chocolate chips

Mix the first four ingredients together. The mixture will be very firm.
Form into desired shape (I formed mine into an oval shape). Place on cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for about an hour.
Melt chocolate chips in the microwave on 10 second intervals in a microwave safe bowl.
Dip coconut bars into melted chocolate. After covering each bar with chocolate I placed them on the end of a fork and tapped them on the side of the bowl to remove the excess chocolate.
Place each bar on wax paper and allow chocolate to harden.

I got 25 candy bars out of this mixture.

Please come visit me at Paper Plates and China

PARTY MEATBALLS

These are a great recipe for a potluck or buffet.
I always make too much on purpose because the leftovers freeze so well.

MEATBALLS*

2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, finely minced
1/2 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
1 teaspoon minced garlic from the jar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 jumbo egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and blend well.
Shape into 1 inch balls.
Place meatballs on un-greased cookie sheet.
Bake 25-30 minutes until browned and baked through.
For frozen meatballs, put the sauce in the crock pot first and then stir in frozen meatballs. They’ll be ready in 3-4 hours.

*I sometimes cheat and buy the bags of meatballs from Costco or Sam’s Club

SAUCE
3/4 cup cranberry sauce**

3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 3/4 cups Heinz chili sauce
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin slivers

In a large saucepan combine jelly, chili sauce and vinegar.
Bring to a soft boil and simmer 5 minutes stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
Layer meatballs, peppers and spicy sauce in crock pot.
Warm meatballs in sauce for 3-4 hours before serving.

**I always have some leftover from Thanksgiving or Christmas at this time of year.

You can put all the leftovers in the freezer together. Be sure to thaw them thoroughly before reheating.

TAILGATING TIME 2.0

IT’S OFFICIAL – FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!

We have decided to make a change this year in the way Tailgating Time will work. Instead of a new linky for each week we will be using the same linky to keep all the great recipes in one place. This will provide easy access to the recipes and create one big awesome recipe index collection. There is no limit to how many you add – of course we hope you will add a new recipe each and every week! Tailgating Time will generally be posted each week on Sundays at noon.

It doesn’t matter if you are a football fan or not, great party food is always a good thing. Bring over your grilled goods, chips and dips, appetizers, chili and chowders, cocktails, or any recipes that would be great for the football party buffet!

If any of you would like to host along with us you can click –> get the InLinkz code to add the linky to your blog too. You can post it once in awhile or every week during football season, that’s up to you. The only thing we ask is that you leave a comment here to let us know you are co-hosting, and that you visit and comment on as many of the participants as you can.

We can’t wait to see what you will bring to the party. Let the games begin. Whoo-hoo!

Mock Filet Mignon with Roasted Green Chile Cream Sauce

This past spring, the American Heart Association granted three cuts of beef their “Heart Check Mark” designation of Extra Lean. They have less fat and unsaturated fat than a boneless, skinless chicken thigh. One of these cuts is the “top sirloin filet”.

I had already tried the top sirloin petite roast and was thrilled with how close it was to a beef tenderloin roast but with way less fat and almost half the cost. So I was excited to try the filet.

Mock Filet Mignon with Roasted Green Chile Cream Sauce

servings: 2

Source: Nibble Me This

Ingredients

2 eight ounce top sirloin filet (substitute real filet mignon if you can’t find sirloin filet)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
1/2 tsp garlic powder

For the cream sauce

1 ea jalapeno
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Preheat grill to 450f (medium high heat).
Roast jalapeno over grill until blackened on all sides. Place in a zip top bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Split open, scrape out seeds and then scrape off most of the charred skin. Finely dice the pepper.
In a medium sauce pan, simmer the cream over medium heat until the volume is reduced by half (about 5 minutes once simmering).
Stir in the jalapeno, and remaining ingredients.
Season the steaks with the salt, pepper and garlic.
Grill the steak 4-5 minutes per side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 127-130f for medium rare.
Rest steaks for 10 minutes.
Ladle 1/4 cup of the roasted green chili cream sauce onto a plate and top with a grilled filet. Repeat.

Notes

The taste was excellent but the texture wasn’t as tender as a tenderloin filet (filet mignon). I was surprised because the roast I had tried was every bit as tender as a beef tenderloin.

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this post and paid full price for all products mentioned.

Pie a la Apple–Save Room for Dessert

Pie a la Apple Serves 4

5-6 Granny Smith apples that can stand on their own

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Pie Crust (homemade or pre-made)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully.

I used all of the inside of the apple that I could.

Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking.
Mix sliced apples with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If you prefer more or less cinnamon make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar.
Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.

Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips.
I added a strip inside the top of the apple, which can be seen in the photo above.
Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.
Place apples in an 8×8 pan. If your apples are big you may need a bigger pan. Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan.
Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft.

How yummy does that look? The entire thing is edible too!

Come see me at Paper Plates and China

Chicken and Bean Chili

I’m sorry that this is late. It has been a CRAZY week. Here’s what my family is enjoying today on a cold, rainy (getting ready to snow) Sunday.

Chicken and Bean Chili adapted from Meatless Monday

1 pound ground chicken

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 can black beans, drained

1 can navy beans, drained

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can red kidney beans, drained

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1 16-oz can diced tomatoes

2 8-oz can tomato sauce or 1 16oz can

1-2 cups water

1 small can (4 oz) green chiles

1-2 tablespoon chili powder

1-2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon basil

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup dry red wine (optional)

Directions: Saute onion, garlic, and bell pepper in olive oil until soft. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream if desired.

Here’s what you’ll need:

And these. (forgot them in the 1st picture)

Chop up the onion and garlic.
Put the ground chicken in a Dutch oven to brown. Throw the onions and garlic in with the chicken.

Drain and rinse the beans.
Add the beans to the pot.
Add the can of diced chilies.
Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Add the seasonings.
Simmer and serve.

I originally found this recipe as part of Meatless Monday. I had some ground chicken that needed to be used so I decided to add it.

The addition of the can of green chilies definitely added an extra texture and flavor. For even more peppers you could always add a diced jalapeno or green pepper.

Season to taste. I just kind of kept adding until I got the flavor that I liked.

Hope you enjoy!

April

TIME TO TAILGATE!

IT’S OFFICIAL – FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!

We can’t wait to see what you will bring to the party. Let the games begin. Whoo-hoo!

TAILGATING TIME 2.0

IT’S OFFICIAL – FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!

We can’t wait to see what you will bring to the party. Let the games begin. Whoo-hoo!

Fire Day Friday: Peanut Butter Pie with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Yes, yes, I know.. this has nothing to do with grilling… but I will admit to you that I completely forgot that it was my turn to post today, so I’m giving you the same post I have up on my site. I figured almost everyone would be able to forgive me if I could give you such a great recipe you forget it’s not done over fire 🙂

I’ve been wanting to make this pie since I first saw it on the Taste of Home website. The problem is, if I make a pie, it’s just Chris and I and… well… frankly… we’ll eat the whole thing. No, not in one sitting, but still, we end up eating a whole pie. I feel bad that in 3 or 4 days (or less depending on the size of each slice), I’ve eaten half a pie.. it just feels wrong (yet oh so right) – so, I don’t make a lot of pies, hence why it took me so long to make this 🙂

The nice thing about the holiday season is that I don’t guilt myself about eating half a pie in a matter of days. So, when Chris suggested making a dessert of some kind for Thanksgiving, I immediately said.. Peanut Butter Pie!!! Mmmmmmmm!!! He happily agreed.

Now, had I been thinking proactively, I probably would have added some vanilla bean into the pie mixture, but for some reason I had it in my mind to make vanilla bean whipped cream and didn’t think past that. That’s ok, the pie was incredibly fantastic and the homemade whipped cream was just the icing on the cake… or the whipped cream on the pie in this case, I guess you could say. The pie is simple, the whipped cream is simple, there is no excuse NOT to make this.

Peanut Butter Pie with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
Pie recipe courtesy Taste of Home, Whipped cream recipe created by Jenn’s Food Journey
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (8oz) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust
For the Whipped Cream –
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3-4 Tablespoons powdered sugar (you may want to use more or less depending on taste and consistency you desire)

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, cream cheese, and 1 cup powdered sugar together until smooth. Fold in whipped topping; pour into pie crust. Chill for at least 4 hours.

To make the whipped cream – add the whipping cream and vanilla bean to a bowl. Beat in the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time until you get the right flavor and consistency. Serve on top of pie. Refrigerate any leftovers. Enjoy!

TURKEY BACON ENCHILADAS

Need something to do with those turkey leftovers?

I love this time of year. All the super cheap turkeys around. I’ll cook one up just to shred it for meals like this! Enchiladas, soups, casseroles, potpies…tons of things to do with shredded turkey!

…and of course the bacon makes it better!!

Smokey Bacon Enchiladas Recipe Adapted from Meg’s Cooking Corner

Filling:
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic; minced
5 cups cooked chicken breast; shredded
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
3 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
15 – 100 calorie whole wheat flour tortillas

Sauce:
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
3 cloves garlic; minced
1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Topping:
5 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 green onion, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350,

In a medium sized bowl combine all sauce ingredients and stir to mix well. Set aside.

In a pan sprayed with cooking spray, add onions and cook until onions are soft. Add garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. Remove to a large mixing bowl. To the onions, add chicken, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, shredded cheese and 3/4 cup of the prepared sauce. Stir to mix.

Spoon 3/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the 9 x13 baking pan and spread evenly. Warm tortillas slightly until they are soft and flexible. Spoon 1/2 cup of the chicken filling down the center of each tortilla. Fold in the ends and roll up the tortillas. Place seam side down in the Dutch oven or baking pan. Spoon the remaining sauce over the top and top with cheddar cheese and green onions.

Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes or until hot and cheese is bubbly.

We put 10 enchiladas in a 9 x 13 pan and then 5 of them in an 8 x 8 pan and froze the small pan.

Total calories = 4500
15 servings = 300 calories per enchilada

2 Bacon Enchiladas = 600 calorie dinner

S’mores and Turtle Kiss Pies–Save Room for Dessert

This is my kicked up version of the kiss pie. A Hershey’s kiss and a little pie crust just wasn’t enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. If a little bit of caramel, pecans, and chocolate sound good to you then we’re on the right track. If marshmallows, graham cracker crumbs, and chocolate are more your style, I’ve got something for you too!

Let’s Get Started:

Turtle Kiss Pies

1 refrigerated pie crust (I rolled mine out to make it a little thinner)

Pecans

Caramel bits

Hershey kisses

3 Tablespoons of melted butter

1 Tablespoon sugar

I didn’t give exact measurements because it’s going to depend on how much you want to put into each kiss pie and how large you cut your squares or circles from the pie crust.

I placed a Hershey kiss, several caramel bits, and a couple of pinches of pecans on top of the pie crust and then cut a square big enough to be able to pull the sides together. Using a glass and cutting a circle out will work too.

Pull the sides together above the kiss to seal everything in.

This step is optional–Melt butter and stir in sugar to combine. Brush the top of each kiss pie with melted sugar butter.

Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes on 400 degrees F .

Optional–Sprinkle with powdered sugar

S’mores Kiss Pies

1 refrigerated pie crust (I rolled mine to make it a little thinner)

Hershey kisses

marshmallows

graham cracker crumbs

3 Tablespoons of butter

1 Tablespoon of sugar

I didn’t give exact measurements because it’s going to depend on how much want to put into each pie and how large you cut your squares or circles from the pie crust.

I placed a Hershey kiss, a few marshmallows, and a couple of pinches of graham cracker crumbs on a section of the pie crust and cut squares around it, allowing enough space to fold the edges together.

I added 4 marshmallows to each kiss pie but will add more next time. Four just didn’t seem to be enough.

Bring the edges together above the kiss and seal.

This step is optional–Melt butter and stir in sugar to combine. Brush the tops of each kiss pie.

Bake for about 15 minutes on 400 degrees F on a greased cookie sheet.

Optional–Sprinkle with powdered sugar

Come visit me at Paper Plates and China

Category: OKK MEMES & PRIOR CONTRIBUTORS