More Pie? How About Mini Pies and LARGE Pies?

I wanted to share some cute little pies...and not so little pies I made with you. It's fun to come up with different uses for pie crust! Share your ideas too!

Mini turkey pies! Line a mini muffin pan with small rounds of pie crust and fill with turkey pie filling (just like turkey soup without as much broth). Fill with fruit filling for sweet pies! 



Cover with another round of dough on top and press gently into the bottom crust, blending the two doughs.  Use a fork to make them stay...and so they look pretty. :)




Use a LARGE muffin pan for an individual size of turkey pie, or of course fruit pie. Cover as above mentioned.



Make ham and cheese pies using pie crust and ... you guessed it: ham and cheese! I've decided that next time I will make a cheese sauce (white sauce and add cheese) so that they aren't as dry. I love this idea though because it makes nice snacks for the kids during school, my husband's lunch or.. just whenever!




After you'd topped the bottom crust with filling, top it with another crust...



This tool is splendid. I'm not sure if they are still selling them but it's made by Pampered Chef. You make the circles first and then press down in the top handle so it will crimp the edges like this....

Aren't they cute?

Cut a small slit in the tops of each one to allow air to vent through. Be creative! Fill it with fruit, pepperoni, sauce and cheese, chicken, just veggies...




How about a HUGE pie? Line a Large Bar Pan with pie crust, fill and top! It serves more and if you love the crust best, this is the way to go because there isn't as much filling as a regular pie pan would hold.




Not perfect but still good.



And...there's dinner!

Ceasar Salad Wraps

Are you getting of the same old kind of salad? I get tired of it! My new sister-in-law's Dad has a great recipe that I've been using now! If you need an impressive salad for a potluck or even just a fun way to eat salad at home...try this one out! It's SUPER simple!

 

I added halved orange, cherry tomatoes from the garden. Even though they are tiny they sure have incredible flavor!

Caesar Salad Wraps

Romaine heart Lettuce (The kind that is still whole and not chopped up in a bag)

Caesar Dressing of your choice

Parmesan or Italian blend cheese

sunflower seeds, pine nuts, soy nuts

lime

1.Chop the end off the lettuce that you don't eat. Wash the lettuce. Dry it with paper towels. Lay it out flat in a single layer on a platter or large plate. (Be creative and make a circular design or...??? whatever you come up with!) 

2.Drizzle Caesar Salad dressing over the leaves, mostly in the centers of the leaves.

3.Sprinkle nuts and seeds over it. I use about 20 seeds/nuts in all on one leaf. (Pine nuts are $16/lb so you'll want to use them sparingly anyway, right?)

4.Sprinkle cheese over the top of that.

5.Slice a lime, lengthwise, making wedges and squeeze the juice over the entire salad. (It's nice to add several wedges around the platter in case someone wants to add extra zip to their salad.) 

6.The best part is HOW to eat it! (ha ha) Grab a whole leaf, fold it in half lengthwise and eat it like a taco! Kids really love these because it makes salad fun!

NOTE: Try it with strips of seasoned, cooked chicken for an entire meal!





Chicken Penne Alfredo with Bacon and Broccoli

Here's our latest favorite! My husband claims this is in my top 10 best recipes and I made it up! Sweet! If you pair this with a fresh Spinach Strawberry Salad, it's a perfect meal of comfort and healthy!

1. Start by boiling water for the pasta. For this recipe, use 1 box of Barilla Penne pasta. Cook till tender (al dente- as directed by the package). Drain and set aside in a large pot or bowl, keeping warm with a lid on.

Meanwhile;

2. Cook 4 pieces of bacon in a large frying pan, reserving bacon grease. (Cover with splatter screen to make it less messy!) Cool on paper towels or paper napkins. Cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces and add to the pasta pot.

3. Cut 3-4 chicken breasts in bite sized pieces and fry in the bacon grease with seasoning of your choice. I use Pampered Chef's Sun-Dried Tomato Seasoning Mix and Johnny's Seasoning. Add salt if necessary. Cook until lightly browned. Add chicken to the pasta pot, leaving a little grease in the frying pan.

4.  In the pan from the chicken, saute' 4-6 cloves of freshly pressed garlic. This only takes about 30 seconds. Watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn. Use this pan to make the sauce next.

5. To make the sauce: Melt 1/4 cup butter in the frying pan or in a saucepan on medium heat. Take pan off heat and stir in 1/2 cup flour. Slowly pour in 1 pint of cream (heavy cream is richer, 1/2 & 1/2 is good, milk might work but I'd call it low-fat). Return to stove. Stir until it's well combined and then thickened. Once it's a thick sauce, add 1 cup sour cream or 4 oz. cream cheese (for a richer sauce), then pour in the amount of milk you like for how thick you want the sauce. I think I use about 1 1/2-2 cups of 2% milk. Remember that it's better to use less to start with. You can always add more later to thin the sauce. Add salt (to taste, about 1 teaspoon) and a spinkle of pepper. Cook a few minutes longer until it's the consistency you want. Add to the pasta pot.

6. Either between cooking the above things or after, steam 1-2 heads of broccoli. Add to the pasta pot, of course!

7. Stir the pasta pot and serve with a delicious salad! Out kids love this recipe so hopefully yours will too! I used 6 cloves and it wasn't too spicy. Next time I may use more!

*Note: You could also bake this once it's cooked and mixed or keep it warm in an oven-safe pan on low heat.

**Also, I normally add about 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan to my alfredo sauce and that would be wonderful with it. I just didn't have any and it was still loved by all without it! :)

My Favorite Pie Crust

Perfect Pie Crust can be made!

 The crust recipe was originally from my friend, Carol Reeves but I exchanged some shortening for butter and I think lard would also work well. Don't get worried about all of the instructions but please read through it if you haven't made pie crust before. There are helpful tips for a first-time pie maker! I will also be adding variations of pies, so watch for them on my blog!Your family will love these pies- I promise!!

Flaky, tender crust with a great flavor!!

So here goes:

Carol's Perfect Pie Crust

8 cups unsifted flour, lightly spooned into cup

2 T sugar
4 tsp salt

2 -2/3 c butter flavor shortening * (I replaced 1/2 of it with real butter cut into small squares)

1 large egg or 2 med eggs
2 t apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

This recipe makes 4 double crusts or 6-7 single crust pies. You can freeze it by leaving in the round circle or by rolling it out and puting it in the pan or rolled up into waxed paper.

TIPS:

*Use a Pampered Chef measure all cup- the one the pushed the stuff out. It works great for shortening

** It really help to place another pie tin of the same size in a single crust before it bakes. Because the crust is so pliable it tends to want to sink down into the pan as it bakes, and you could wind up with a large tart crust!

***Keep a light dusting of flour on your rolling pin. Also keep a small amount (1/2 cup) flour nearby to sprinkle on your table as you rolld, to prevent the dough from sticking. A pastry mat works great as a guide and to easily get the crust off of the counter but you caould also use a piece of clear vinyl, marking a circle around it with the pie crust measuring 1 1/2- 2" larger than your pie pan.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir dry ingredients with fork. Add shortening (or butter/ lard) and cut in till crumbly with a pastry cutter.(If you don't have one I think you could use 2 knives.)

2. In a small bowl, beat vinegar, water and egg. Combine with flour mixture and stir until moist with a large spoon. You will then, need to use your hands. Kned the crust mix until it all sticks together. (Really squish all of the butter together so it's mixed well or you might think it's too dry. (Experience talking?? LOL) Add extra flour to your hands if necessary. it should stay very soft and elastic. Form it into a big , flattened ball then using a huge knife, cut into 6-8 equal parts (depending on the size of crust you need). Pat those pieces into circles, about 1/2- 3/4" thick and about 5 inches across.

3. Roll out dough onto a well-floured surface starting in the center and roll toward the outside. Dough should be about 1/8" thick.*** Cut off the excess, uneven crust outside the circle, and stack the strips for later use (if you want a lattice topped pie). Fold the circle in 1/2 and lift it across to the center of the pie plate. Unfold the crust and adjust for eveness.

For double crust: Unfold one crust onto the bottom, udjusting for evenness then add the filling and poke holes in the top crust with a fork or use a knife to create a design before you place a folded crust on top. When placeing the top crust crust, unfold, adjust for evenness and pinch the two layers togetherso it stnad above the edge of the pie pan. Crimp of pinch the edges together. Trim excess.

For a single pie crust: Unfold crust into the pan, roll the edges under so it stand above the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers, or the back of a spoon.

There is no comfort food greater than Chicken Pot Pie! (Double Crust)

For a baked single crust pie: Poke holes in the crust before puting it into the pan. Fold it in 1/2, lay it in the pan, then unfold it. ** Bake at 425' for 15-18 minutes or until crust is light brown. If edges start to brown too much, tear 2 inch strips of foil and arrange around edges. (or use a crust edge cover by PC). Watch the pie closely because ovens differ and this may be too hot and too long for your oven.

For ideas to use with your beautiful pie crust, go over to my past blog post . Enjoy!

.

Jerk Chicken Nachos, PC recipe

This is one of our favorite quicker -type meals! Full of flavor and quite nice on a dreary day when you're looking forward to summer! I also add a clove of garlic to the peppers for extra goodness!

The Pampered Chef ®Jerk Chicken Nachos Recipe


6 cups tortilla chips
3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

2 tbsp Jamaican Jerk Rub, divided

1 small yellow or red bell pepper or combination
1 lime
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup sour cream and 1 tsp additional Jamaican Jerk Rub (optional)

1.Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange tortilla chips in a slightly overlapping layer on Large Round Stone with Handles.

2.In Classic Batter Bowl, combine chicken, cheese and 1 tbsp of the rub; mix gently using Small Mix ‘N Scraper®. Sprinkle chicken mixture evenly over tortilla chips. Bake 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted; remove from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack.

3.Meanwhile, dice bell pepper with Santoku Knife. Cut lime in half crosswise. Juice half of the lime using Citrus Press into Small Batter Bowl; add bell pepper and remaining rub and mix well.

4.Snip cilantro in mincing cup of Herb Keeper using Kitchen Shears. Slice remaining lime half using Ultimate Mandoline fitted with v-shaped blade; cut slices in half using Utility Knife.

5.Spoon bell pepper mixture over nachos; sprinkle evenly with cilantro. If desired, combine sour cream and additional rub in resealable plastic bag; trim corner to allow sour cream to flow through. Pipe sour cream mixture over nachos. Garnish with lime slices.

Yield: 12 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 200, Total Fat 10 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 50 mg, Carbohydrate 10 g, Protein 16 g, Sodium 300 mg, Fiber 1 g

Cook's Tip: Use the Classic Batter Bowl to measure tortilla chips easily. Discard broken chips.

This recipe can also be prepared on the Large Bar Pan, if desired.

© 2009 The Pampered Chef used under license.

My kids really don't care for the pepper mix but they chose that over salad! :)



I had a huge bed of lettuce under mine and added avacado! Exquisite!



Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

  

This week I've been making homemade pasta (that's a recipe for another day...) and one of our meals was Spaghetti with meatballs (another recipe for another day) and Ragu sauce. As much as we like Ragu, I've made some sauce before that we've liked and I really wanted to make a bunch to put in the freezer so we don't have to buy it! I went to Costco and finally bought those HUGE cans of tomato sauce. They are only about $2.50 per can. (I've been waiting for an excuse to buy them because they're such a good deal!)

Here's what I came up with. It works best if you have everything chopped ahead of time so you can keep adding it to the pot and not have to stop to cook, cut, dice, chop, slice...etc. Many of the ingredients I used were already prepared because I had them in the freezer, chopped already- straight from the garden or leftover from another recipe (cooked Italian sausage). The spices are best priced if you buy them bulk from stores like Winco or Fred Meyer. I hope you love it! And be prepared--- it makes a large stock pot FULL! I didn't add a ton of meat because we will use this sauce with meatballs and I also plan to puree it and use it on pizza!

Kristin's Spaghetti Sauce

10 cups chopped carrots ( I used some carrots I had canned and almost pureed them to add more veggies to the sauce.)

3 cups finely chopped onions
2 cups finely chopped celery
2 cups chopped bell peppers (I used red and I'd add even more if I had more!)
2 cups cooked Italian Sausage
4 cups chopped yellow squash (or zucchini)
1 (#10 can) tomato sauce (these large cans are about 1 gallon and you can find them at Coscto - #10 is the can size. Do not buy 10 huge cans! LOL)
1 (#10 can) tomato paste
1 (#10 can) stewed or diced tomatoes
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 bulbs garlic, sliced (or you could press them but it's spicier when you use pressed garlic)
5 cups sliced Baby Bello mushrooms
1/2 cup sugar (or more if you're used to it super sweet)
4 T Basil
4 T Oregano
4 T parsley
2 T garlic powder
2 T sea salt
2 T Johnny's Seasoning (Or add more salt if you don't have this. We just love the flavor!)
2 tsp marjoram
2 tsp rosemary
2 tsp thyme
1 1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix all of these ingredients and simmer very low all day. I don't advise leaving it overnight because you need to stir it every 20 minutes or so. Tomato sauce burns if left alone and you don't want to ruin all of your hard work! Once I had all of the ingredients mixed, I divided it into 3 large pots on the stove. This was to cook it down more easily and to prevent it from burning.

Cool. Store in 4 cup amounts in freezer containers. Label with date. When you're ready to use, get it out of the freezer the morning of the day you cook or defrost it until you can plop it out of the bag/container and heat on the stove or in a microwave safe bowl.

This is a chuncy style of sauce- our favorite! If it's too chucnky for you, just puree 1/2 or all of it in a blender, depending on your preference. 



Chicken Divan

Chicken Divan is a great comfort meal! I used brown and white rice mixed this time but I usually use just brown.

Chicken Divan


This is one of our family's favorites! Mom has always made it and now I make it for us.

Prepare rice first. I use 2 cups rice in 4 cups water. (Boil water, add rice. Cover, turn onto low for 20 minutes for white, 50 minutes for brown rice. Add 1/2 cup more water for brown.)

Prepare chicken: Bake or boil 2 chicken breasts till cooked. You could also use leftover roasted chicken. Cut into bite sized pieces.

Prepare Broccoli: Steam 2 heads broccoli. (I use my PC Micro cooker and add a 1/2 " water in the bottom. Cook until tender.)

Prepare sauce: Combine 2 cans cream of chicken soup (or try homemade- it's better! This recipe is SO good! It's the one I always use.), 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tsp lemon juice and 3/4 tsp curry powder.

Layer:

(1) Rice

(2) Broccoli
(3) chicken
(4) sauce
(5) 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

(6) Optional: top with Ritz crackers or breadcrumbs mixed with a bit of melted butter

Bake for 30 minutes at 350' or until heated through.

Double the recipe and take it to someone who's sick, or who's had a baby!

Carne Asada Tacos for Dinner!!

Tonight's menu:

Carne Asada Tacos~ Avacado Pico de Gallo Salsa ~ Juanitas Tortilla Chips ~ Coke

Make the salsa ahead of time so it's ready when your tacos are.

Avacado Pico de Gallo Salsa

2 Avacados, cut in small chunks

3 roma tomatoes, with seeds taken out ( for less water in salsa)

2-4 cloves of fresh pressed garlic (Garlic will add SPICE so, if you have kids, about 2 cloves is good for them.)

1/2 cup finely chopped white or sweet onion

the juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp salt, or more or less to taste

1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, finley chopped

Mix together and set aside, to serve on tacos or to eat with chips!

                                                                     Kristin's Carne Asada Tacos

Marinate 1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced top sirloin, flank steak or "flap" steak in the juice of 2 limes, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper or steak seasoning for at least 30 minutes in the fridge. Turn; coating meat in marinade. After the meat has soaked, cut it into very thin strips, about 1/8" thick.

Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a pan on med heat. The steak will take very little time to cook. Just don't overcook it or it will become chewy. While the steak is cooking, warm up your corn tortillas. I doubled them up and put in a large spoonful of meat, then salsa and sprinkles of Queso Fresco. (It tastes like mozzarella but it crumbles like Feta.)


Serve with extra salsa and lime if desired, a serving of Juanitas Tortilla Chips and a Coke! Enjoy!

Juanita has a great recipe for chips! These are our favorite!

Garden Goodness for Dinner!

There is nothing like walking through the garden gate to get fresh food for my family.

I've also been getting so much use out of my bread machine. Today I used my usual oatmeal Bread recipe but added many other grains in exchange for the wheat flour.

For dinner I made a casserole of sorts to go along with the bread, by layering cooked ground beef with veggies into my Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. First I cooked the ground beef. Then I dug up white potatoes, carrots and onions and sweet talked my husband into helping with the washing and slicing of the veggies. These were layered with a homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup that I made up tonight too. (This is a great and easy recipe! You'll especially like it if you're not a fan of MSG.)

Here's the yummy bread. It seemed even better than usual too! It could be the added grains but my husband even commented that it reminds him of what his grandma used to make.... and now I'm Mrs. Ramsey too, of course.

Here's the recipe for the bread. It's from the cookbook, Bread Machine Magic and it's called:

Honey N Oats Bread

"The egg and oats lend a wonderful, rich, creamy flavor to this bread. Serve it with a crock of sweet butter and homemade preserves."

1- pound loaf

1/3 cup old -fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1 T honey
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp Red Star brand active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan [by order listed], select Light Crust setting and press Start.

After the baking cycle ends, remove bread from pan, place on cake rack, and allow to cool one hour before slicing.

Notes from me: I exchanged about 3/4 cup of the wheat flour for a few tsp each of 7 grain cereal, barley flakes, triticale, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. I also always add about 1 T flax seed and I double the honey to 2 tablespoons. What a great recipe! This time instead of letting it bake in the bread machine, I just used the dough cycle and then set it in a stoneware bread pan in the oven. (Turn your oven on warm till it gets heated and then shut off till the bread has risen double. )Then bake for at least 25 minutes at 350. the texture of doing the bread this way was similar to an english muffin bread. It had lots of holes.

Here is the Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup before it was thickened. I even added Italian Parsley from my herb garden.

I made a double batch of the soup so that I could put 1 "can" of it in the freezer.

The potatoes and carrots were sliced up and layered between this saucy delight.

And here is the finished product! I could have used less soup, I suppose but my family does love saucy foods, instead of drier ones. This pan was FULL so I had to bake it for about 1 1/2 hours. The texture was similar to scalloped potatoes but the taste was more like a creamy, beef flavor. Try it sometime for a simple, delicious "homey" meal!

My daughter just saw the pictures for my post and said, "That's yummy!" I guess you now have her opinion. :)