Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie
Makes 4 servings
Bakes 45-55 minutes
Temp 350 degrees

INGREDIENTS:

2 C cooked cubed chicken, salted
½ C sliced carrots
1 C cubed potatoes
½ C chopped onions
¼ C sliced celery
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ can evaporated milk or 2% milk
½ tsp crushed thyme
1/4 tsp freshly grated pepper
1 TBS butter
1 C frozen peas
pastry for 1 pie crust (or 2 crusts if wanting to have crust on top and bottom)

DIRECTIONS:

1. If pie crust is frozen, take out of freezer so it can thaw. This can take 60-90 minutes to come to room temperature.

2. Steam or boil carrots, potatoes and celery until barely tender, drain.


3. Stir in meat, onions, soup, milk, butter, thyme, pepper and peas.

4. Pour mixture into a 9 inch pie pan. (optional-can have it lined with one pie crust if desiring crust on top and bottom).

5. Roll out pastry pie crust over the filled pie dish. Seal edges around the rim or it will leak when you cook it. Make three 3” slices in the center of pie pastry for venting.

6. Brush pastry with milk. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

7. Let cool for 10 minutes before eating.


Recipe Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything
Note: I am looking to update this recipe with one that does not contain Cream of Chicken Soup :)

Peppermint Bark

So this recipe is super yummy and easy. I made the above almond bark pretty thin. Next time I will make it thicker and not spread it so thin. A Christmas classic!

Peppermint Bark

1 lb (24 oz) block of white almond bark

1 tsp peppermint extract

1 package peppermint candy canes

1. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

2. Unwrap all candy canes and put them in a food processor. Pulse until the candy canes are small chunks to a coarse powder. If desired, remove bigger chunks and set aside.

3. Melt almond bark in a double boiler until fully melted, stirring frequently.

4. Mix candy canes and peppermint extract into the almond bark.

5. Spread mixture over wax paper. Sprinkle with reserved bigger pieces of candy canes, pushing them down into the hot mixture before it cools. Let cool.

6. Once cooled, break into 2-3 inch sized pieces.

Note-do not store peppermint bark in the same bag as other candies or else your entire stash will taste like peppermint.

Butterflied Coconut Shrimp

Coconut Butterflied Shrimp

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb large shrimp, shelled with tails intact
1 extra large egg
6 TBS milk
1 TBS brown sugar
½ C all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
4 oz (1 1/3 C) unsweetened shredded coconut
vegetable oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

1. Butterfly shrimp by cutting along curved back almost through other side. Open each shrimp like a book and remove intestinal vein. Rinse gently under cold running water.
2. Whisk the egg, milk and sugar in mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in flour and salt, then continue whisking constantly until batter is perfectly smooth. Let stand 30 minutes.
3. Spread coconut in a thin layer on baking sheet. Hold one shrimp by the tail and dip in batter, making sure batter coats all surfaces. Wipe shrimp against rim of bowl to remove excess batter and place on coconut. Repeat with remaining shrimp.
4. Turn each shrimp in coconut to lightly coat and place on wire rack to allow coating to set.
5. Pour enough oil into large deep skillet to measure 1 inch. Heat over medium high heat until end of shrimp dipped in oil sizzles at once. OR If available, use a deep fryer; it is much easier.
6. Add half the shrimp to skillet and fry, turning once, until shrimp are cooked through and coating deep golden brown, about 2 minutes.
7. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to paper towels to drain briefly. Fry remaining shrimp in same manner. Serve as a hot appetizer.


Coconut Shrimp Dipping Sauce
(Note: I am looking for another dipping sauce recipe.  This one is still good, just not "The One").
Mix Together:
½ C orange marmalade
¼ C Dijon mustard
¼ C honey
shredded ginger
optional: few drops hot pepper sauce


Recipe Source: My SIL Heather, not sure where she got the recipe.
Photo Source: Forkful of Comfort

Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Ok, so my husband and I are HUGE Greek food fans. We loved going to the Greek festival when we lived in Salt Lake City. We moved to Henderson and found a cute little Greek Cafe called "Manna Mediterranean" off of Gibson and American Pacific. We loved going there, but to pay $7.00 for a gyro was just getting too expensive for us being poor medical students. I went home and found this recipe from the Foodnetwork. It is usually made with lamb, but I didn't know where to find specialty meats so I improvised and used ground turkey. It worked just as well, was cheaper and still tasted GREAT! This dish is yummy served with Greek Cucumber Salad too.

Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded
2 lbs ground lamb (ground turkey works well too)
1 TBS finely minced garlic
1 TBS dried marjoram
1 TBS dried ground rosemary
2 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Gyro Meat:
1. Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds. If there is any juice from the onion, drain and discard. Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl. It also works, although not as authentic, to mix thoroughly all ingredients with hands in a mixing bowl.

2. *Press meat mixture firmly the into bottom of a wide pan. Place lid on pan and turn stove to medium heat. Let meat cook for a few minutes, so the meat cooks together and is not crumbly. Using a spatula, cut the meat into bigger pieces and turn over. The meat is done when the juices run clear, about 10 minutes or so. Serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, lettuce, tomatoes and feta cheese.

*Note*This way of cooking the meat was easier than the directions given from the Foodnetwork. If desired, here is the link to the Original Source at The Foodnetwork for their directions.


Tzatziki sauce: Yield 1 ½ Cups
-make a few hours ahead of time so the flavors have time to mix

16 ounces plain yogurt (the brand "Mountain High" works really well because it is thick)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 TBS olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
5-6 mint leaves, finely minced (optional)


1  . Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.



Other Ingredients to Make the Gyro Complete:
Mediterranean pita bread (I found this at The Sunflower Farmers Market)
tomatoes, sliced
onions, sliced in rings
lettuce, shredded
feta cheese


Photo Source: Oasis Restaurant

One Bowl Healthy Pumpkin Muffins & Bread

The name of this recipe comes from the fact that you can just dump everything into one bowl-hence...easy! I added the "healthy" part and this recipe does well in its substitution with a more healthier version of the delicious pumpkin bread.

One Bowl Healthy Pumpkin Muffins & Bread
Source: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/, altered by Mel

3/4 C honey (I even used just 1/2 C or 1/2 C brown sugar)
2 eggs
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves (I usually omit this because I don't have it)
1 TBS molasses (I didn't have this and it still tasted great)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 2/3 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C melted butter
1/4 C cold water
1 C pumpkin (about half of a 15 oz can, or use fresh pumpkin puree)
optional: raisins and chopped walnuts

*(If ever I have a ripe banana around, I usually will mash it and throw that in there as well.)

Place all ingredients except nuts in a bowl and mix. For muffins, spoon mixture into 12 muffin tins for large muffins or 18 muffin tins for smaller muffins. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with nuts if desired. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. For bread, spoon mixture into greased bread pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

Fruit Crisp (Apple)

This is a dish I usually try to cheat and make more healthy. My husband recently asked me to STOP and just make it so it tastes good. So here you have it. A yummy taste good apple crisp.

Fruit Crisp (Apple shown above)
Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

5 C sliced, peeled cooking apples, pears, peaches or apricots, or frozen unsweetened peach slices(I personally always leave the peel on for fiber reasons)
2-4 TBS granulated sugar (This is one thing you can omit and it still tasts great
1/2 C regular rolled oats
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon (I do 1/4 tsp nutmeg and cinnamon and it could even use more in my opinion)
1/4 C butter or margarine
1/4 C chopped nuts or coconut (I use chopped walnuts or pecans)

1. Thaw fruit if frozen. Don not drain. Place fruit in a 2 quart square baking dish. Stir in the granulated sugar.

2. For topping, in a medium bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, flour and nutmeg. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the nuts. Sprinkle topping over fruit.

3. Bake COVERED in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes (40 minutes for thawed fruit) or until fruit is tender with a golden topping. If desired, serve warm with vanilla ice cream.


Photo Source: Get Crocked

Yummilicious Fruit Salad

Recently I had some friends Kyler and Angie over for dinner and needed a last minute fruit salad to complete it. I had been out of town so I threw together some canned fruit, fresh bananas and an apple. The sauce for this fruit salad is super yummy and different than most recipes out there.

Source: Maryelle Redd

Cook over low heat:
2 eggs (beaten)
4 TBS sugar
4 TBS lemon juice

Add:
2 TBS butter

Cool. Then add:
whipped cream (I don't know the exact amount, but I just added half of an 8 oz carton)

Serve with mandarin oranges, peaches, bananas, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries or any other fruit you so desire.