Mini Brie en Croûte with Apple Shallot Chutney

This one is fairly simple and pretty fancy! An easy way to provide your guests with the fancy brie en croûte, but in a more convenient bite size version.

Here's what you'll need:
1 sheet of puff pastry
1 wheel of brie, free of the rind (why? because it's gross.)
2 granny smith apples, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
egg, beat with some water
1/4 stick of butter

Here's what to do:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Pull pastry out of the freezer to begin to defrost.
3. Heat butter, chopped apples, shallots, sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt over medium heat. After a few minutes, reduce to med-low. Allow to simmer until it reaches a consistency you like.. It took mine about 15-20 minutes.
4. While apple mixture is simmering down, it's time to prepare the pastry. Unfold the pastry and cut down the 2 creases. Also add 3 cuts, perpendicular to the previous cuts, so that you've produced 12 rectangles.
5. Take a rectangle, a chunk of brie (as much as you desire), and a spoonful of the apple mixture and wrap it up in the pastry. Don't expect to use all of the brie.. I used a little more than half. The remaining amount was perfect for the Thanksgiving pie. You will probably have to stretch the pastry and you will definitely have to twist the tops together. It will probably take you a couple to figure out how much will work and the best system to do this... or maybe it only took me a couple? :)
Here's what mine looked like at this phase, to give you an idea..

6. Brush with egg mixture and bake for about 20-30 mins, depending on your oven. Keep checking on it every couple minutes.
7. I'm not sure if it made a difference, but after I pulled the minis out of the oven, I put them on a wire cooling rack. Here's a shot of that...


Here's some of the final product and presentation...


Like I said, delicious and super cute! They were a huge hit.. almost made me wish I had made a double batch! Feel free to customize, but be sure to enjoy!!

Thanksgiving Pie

It's that time of year... it's post Thanksgiving and we've got leftovers. Everyone has leftovers. Everyone makes sandwiches. Everyone is bored!

So, I decided to go a route, not yet ventured. I took the idea of a turkey pot pie and made it my own. I essentially made a turkey pot pie/shepherd's pie hybrid. The beauty of it is, you can use what you have and do what you'd like. The most important thing, is to read this recipe all the way through, prior to preparing:

Ingredients:
stick of butter (I used light)
1-2 shallots (depending on size and amount desired)
1 tsp chopped thyme
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1/3 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped leftover turkey
1 cup stuffing
2-3 cups of mashed potatoes (either leftover, from scratch, or from a packet)
1/2 cup cheese (I used brie, but I imagine mozz or provolone working well)
pie crust
salt
Optional: 1 egg, whisked with a tiny bit of water (for shiny pretty pie crust)

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare mashed potatoes, if necessary (I made from scratch, but you don't have to)
3. Make sure you have your pie crust out and resting.. a pie crust just below room temperature is much easier to handle. (for sake of time, I use the kind in the refrigerator)
4. Sautée 1/2 stick butter and shallot over medium heat in moderate sized pan. Once translucent, add herbs. Once they are aromatic, add pecans. Once sautéed and smelling delicious, add carrots and turkey.
5. Time to start building the pie! Prepare the pie crust, by rolling out just enough so that it will be big enough to spread in a pie pan. Load up with the mashed potatoes.. as much as you'd like! Add in the pan ingredients and then top with your chosen cheese. Fold over the crust and brush with the egg mixture (if desired).
6. Bake for about 25 minutes. I say about because I have a convection oven, so that times may vary. Do yourself, and whomever else is eating this pie, check on it occasionally. Set a timer for 10 mins, and check. Then 5 and check. Then 5 and check. If it's getting close then set for 2 minutes and check. Seems annoying, but a perfect pie it totally worth it.
7. Slice and enjoy!!


The most important thing is to trust your gut. Pans, ovens, stoves, taste buds are all different. Just because something worked for me, doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you. If it's looking a little dry, add some more butter. If the temp seems too hot, lower it and vice versa. It is of utmost importance that you make decisions about your preferences first! This is your meal.. I'm only providing you with what I've done, a skeleton if you will :)

Here's photos of my product:

My favorite dessert lately..

I am mildly obsessed with these apples! It's the perfect season for them around here and the topping just enhances the deliciousness.

Baked Apples topped with Havarti



Ingredients (serves 2)
1 granny smith apple (or apple of your choice)
A couple slices of havarti cheese
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
2 tablespoons of marscapone
1/2 tsp cinnamon

- Preheat oven to 350°
- Slice apples in half
- Split the ingredients amongst the apple halves
- Bake for about 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your apples)

That's it! So simple, so delicious!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this last night for dinner. It was delicious, simple, quick to make, and surprisingly pretty healthy.

Ingredients:
- 2 flour or 4 corn soft tortillas, cut into 1-by-2-inch strips
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat and diced
- 2 cups bell peppers, diced - I used red and orange
- 1 cup diced onion, I used shallots
- 1/2 a regular can of corn, or a small can
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 (14-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- couple dollops of sour cream, if desired
- couple shakes of hot sauce, if desired (I used Cholula)

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread tortillas strips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned and crisp, 5-7 for flour, 10-12 for corn.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. (Don't have a dutch oven? No big deal, use a moderately sized pot)
- Add peppers, onions and cumin to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
- Add broth, tomatoes, pepper and lime juice; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender. Continue stirring, until heated through. Remove from the heat.
- Serve topped with the toasted tortilla strips, a little sour cream, and some cheese.

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This recipe makes about 2-4 servings. I doubled it. We were able to both eat a portion, refrigerate a portion for our lunches, and freeze the rest for a later date. I've been trying to do this a lot recently. We've got a jam-packed fall and I feel like there will be a lot of days where we're going to need something very easy, sans cooking. We'll be able to pull this out of the freezer, put it in a saucepan, and heat it up and enjoy... again!

Meatloaf, chantilly potatoes, and glazed carrots.

Most of the time, when people compliment my cooking I deflect with mention of recipes. This meal, compliments were accepted. I created each portion of this meal. I used knowledge from things learned and just cooked. No recipe to continuously refer to. It was up to me to create a flavor profile and I can't believe how well it turned out. Not to toot my own horn, but I couldn't have been more proud.

Let's start with the meatloaf. Pay mind, that this is not your mama's meatloaf. It was loaded up and very flavorful. It was crumbly, but only because it was so moist.

Meatloaf



1lb of ground beef (I used a 1/2 -1/2 sirloin/chuck to decrease fat content)
1 egg
1 large shallot, diced
2 tbl A-1
1 tbl worcestershire
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup ketchup + extra for topping loaf
1/4-1/3 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
3 tbl whipped cream cheese
3 tbl sour cream
6 slices of bacon, (4 chopped up tiny)
1/3 + 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Steven loves sharp, so that's what I used)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Getcha hands in there! Mix everything together, except the 2 whole bacon slices, and 1/4 cup of cheese.
2. Roll it into a big ball. I find it's easier to form into a meatloaf shape that way. Put the loaf into a pan; I used one a little larger to give it some room to breathe.
3. I topped the meatloaf with the remaining 2 slices of bacon (cut them into thirds and arranged on the top of it). I also sprinkled the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on the top. I also topped with ketchup - made for the crispy crunchy top you see in the picture above.
3. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. Check it as it cooks for desired doneness.


Glazed Carrots



Sounds kinda fancy huh? They were simple and delicious! Most importantly, they just simmered while I prepared the rest of the meal which is always time appreciated.

5 large carrots, with a quick peel (doesn't have to be perfect) and angled chop
1 can of diet orange soda
1 tbl butter
1 1in piece of ginger
1 tbl soy
2 tsp rice vinegar

Add everything together and simmer on med-low (might be medium depending on your stove), until carrots attain desired tenderness. Think about 30-45 minutes.


Chantilly Potatoes



Sounds fancy, huh? Not as difficult as you might think :) I've only read chantilly recipes, and I totally made this one up.. in a healthier (less fat) way.

3lbs of potatoes, peeled and chopped into small 1in cubes
1 shallot
3 slices of bacon, chopped small
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1tbl sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2-1 cup havarti (or desired cheese)
1/4 cup parmesean cheese (shredded)

1. Boil the potatoes as if you were making traditional mashed potatoes.
2. Whip the vanilla, sugar, heavy cream and half and half together - it will not whip up as the heavy cream usually does, but it will becoming bubbly and fluffy.
2. Combine remaining ingredients (except bacon) and fold in the cream/half-half mixture.
3. Once the potatoes are tender enough, mash them!
4. Fold everything together.
5. Sprinkle bacon on the top, and broil. Broiling times of ovens vary, so you will have to keep a close eye on this one.


Here's the finished product:


Here's a tiny tip.. utilize foil! Anytime I know we won't be up for a ton of dishes I line the pans with foil. I can hear you hippies saying that's not the best for the environment, but I use recycled foil and that's less damaging to the earth than the water it would take to clean the pans :) Time saving and earth conscious? Yes, please!

Enjoy!