Bacon, Egg & Cheese Tart

Gorgeous isn't it? 

Well, I saved the best for last!  How do I know this is a winner winner chicken dinner?

1.  Jalen ate it

2.  When she saw a picture of this on my phone she squealed "mama! This is EXACTLY like the picture on your food magazine"!  

Sad, but this is how I define success.

I was the lucky recipient of a subscription to Food Network Magazine at Christmas from my wonderful friend Mark L.  This cover caught my eye.  I thought it was brilliant.  I don't get out much do I?

First I must warn  you, if you have never worked with puff pastry, it can be a little intimidating.  Ok, a LOT intimidating haha!  But go ahead, be brave, JUST TRY IT! This little breakfast can be changed up with different cheeses, herbs, meats or veggies.  

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Tart

(Courtesy of Food Network Magazine)

All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of a 17-to-18-ounce package), thawed
2 strips bacon
1 1/2 cups shredded gouda, colby jack or whatever cheese you love
3 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
4 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 
  
Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 12-inch square, then cut into 4 equal squares. Slightly fold and pinch the edges of each square to form 4 round tart shells. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets and prick all over with a fork. Bake until very lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes.  You will bake them again, so don't overbake the first time!

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then crumble.

Let the tart shells cool slightly on the baking sheets. If the centers are very puffy, prick with a fork to deflate. Sprinkle evenly with the cheeses. Make a shallow well in the cheese in the center of each tart and crack an egg into each; season lightly with salt and pepper. Parmesan is very salty already! Top with the bacon, then return to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set, 10 to 15 minutes.  You can freeze the extra shells in a freezer bag, after the first bake :)

Southern Style Buttermilk Biscuits

Are you drooling yet?  Are you wondering "hmmm are these REALLY as good as they look"?  Are you making excuses like "they must be too hard to make" or "they must be dry", blah, blah, blah!

Let me ASSURE you these are the EASIEST dag gum biscuits to make.  Light, fluffy, delicate, moist and did I mention easy?

I have tried a few biscuit recipes as my child is ADDICTED to biscuits and gravy in an unnatural way for a child her age (this started around 3years old).  Most of my recipes were....passable but definitely not memorable.  Until now.  And....THEY ARE FREEZABLE!  Oh and they held up well left over.  We just popped them in the toaster oven to bake at 350 for a few minutes to liven them up again.  Let me know what you think!

Southern Style Buttermilk Biscuits

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tblsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 tblsp unsalted butter, VERY cold
1 cup buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk you can sour regular milk using 1 cup milk and 1 tblsp vinegar or lemon juice, mix, let sit 5 minutes)

DIRECTIONS


Preheat oven to 450.  Combine dry ingredients in a bowl or bowl of a food processor.  Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles coarse meal (use a pastry cutter, 2 knives or food processor). Add the buttermilk and mix until JUST combined (do not over mix!).  If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk.  It should be pretty wet.

Turn the dough out on a floured board.  Turn the dough over onto itself about 5 times.  GENTLY pat (do not roll with a rolling pin or this will overwork the flour and make tough biscuits) the dough out until its about 1/2" thick.  The less you work the dough the better, I promise!  I patted mine into a square/rectangle and then I used a pizza cutter to cut SQUARE biscuits.  This way you will not need to roll up and pat out the left over scraps of dough.  The first batch is always the most tender.

Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with oil.  I put mine on with sides barely touching, resulting in a light and fluffy, risen biscuit.  If you wish to have crunchier sides, place 1" apart (I recommend my way lol).  Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned on top and bottom.   DO NOT OVER BAKE.

TO FREEZE


Make the biscuits, cut, then place on a cookie sheet to freeze.  Once frozen, wrap properly for freezer storage.  To bake, place frozen biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven at 450 for about 20 minutes.

Worlds Best Pancakes

Because I am blogging from my new cell phone and because these really are the worlds best pancakes and because I haven't blogged in months and because I love you, I am going to share this recipe! How's that for proper sentence structure?

*Disclaimer - I have never in my life used an app from a phone to blog so if it eds up looking horrible please forgive me and just move on to the dang recipe and trust me ha!

Ok this is the easiest homemade pancake recipe I have ever tried.  The fact that it is the only homemade pancake recipe I have ever tried means nothing hehe.  I will never, EVER buy pancake mix again....these are THAT good and THAT easy.  Scouts honor.  They are light and fluffy and ohhhhh so filling.  I fed these to two teenage boys who could only eat three each.  I swear these rival ihop.  To top it off they are foolproof.  How do I know you ask? Because I have screwed up the recipe three times and they still came out amazing lol


Worlds Best Pancakes
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/8 cup buttermilk

Ok It also calls for melted butter but I tried it once and I messed up the batter.  I also cut the salt waaaaaay down.  This also only will make 4 pancakes really.  If you double or triple the recipe, don't add all the butermilk at once.  Instead watch the consistency.  You want it slightly lumpy and pretty thick.  Let it sit for about 10 minutes and it will get sort of foamy.  This is good.  Once your pour on the pan, spread slightly but not too much or the won't puff up.  Cook as you would a normal pancake and enjoy!

Easy Slice & Bake Cookies

I have been slightly reluctant to post this next recipe.  You see, I have been looking for that PERFECT sugar cookie.  Considering I am still learning quite a bit, I didn't recognize that the recipe I am about to post is more of a shortbread cookie and not a sugar cookie.  DUH lol!  Because I was so unimpressed by their "sugar cookie quality" I only baked up a few and only took one picture of them.  I baked them up next to a new sugar cookie recipe and ate them again only to realize, hey these really melt in your mouth!

Here is the absolute beauty of these cookies...Its one recipe that can be adapted to numerous amounts of flavor combinations.  Seriously.  These are cran-pistachio.  The other flavor I made was lemon poppyseed.  Then I drizzled those with lemon icing.

These are a breeze to whip up.  Now getting them into said "log" shape with exact measurements for me was the challenge.  My cookies came out half dollar size, a skosh small.  The texture was melt in your mouth, light and buttery.  These would be great to keep on hand in the freezer in different combo's for a quick coffee with friends.  They would even fair well on the yearly Christmas platters.  

Slice-and-Bake Cookies
(Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen)
Makes about 50 cookies


2 sticks (8 ounces; 230 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour


Options:

• Mix in grated zest of 2 lemons; coat with or mix in 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• Mix in grated zest of 2 oranges and 1/2 cup dried cranberries 
• Mix in grated zest of 2 limes; coat with 1/4 cup cornmeal
• Mix in 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots; mix in 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
• Mix in 1/2 cup mini chocolate or peanut-butter chips
• Mix in 1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger; coat with or mix in 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• Swap 1/4 cup of flour for unsweetened cocoa
• Swap 1/2 to 1 cup of flour for ground almonds, pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts

1. Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until it is smooth. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and silky. Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the salt and any dried fruits, zest, nuts or seeds. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, beating just until it disappears. It is better to underbeat than overbeat at this point; if the flour isn't fully incorporated, that’s okay just blend in whatever remaining flour needs blending with a rubber spatula. Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and divide it in half. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. 

 2. Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches (2.5 to 3.2 cm) thick. (Get the thickness right, and the length you end up with will be fine.) Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 2 hours. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month). 

 3. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  (I used a silpat). 

 4. While the oven is preheating, roll cookie logs in any coatings of your choice. Then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/3 inch (10 mm) thick. (You can make the cookies thicker if you’d like; just bake them longer.) Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) space between them. 

 5. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature. 

Do ahead: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature, or in the freezer for a month. Unbaked logs can be frozen for longer.

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

I am acutely aware that this picture is covered in SO much mozzarella cheese that you cannot see the delicious marinara I actually made from scratch...please just believe me.  The broken cell phone camera saga STILL continues as well (ugh).  

Let me tell you that this started off as a "quick" meal.  When I say quick think instant.  You can do this one of 3 ways:

1.  Frozen Italian style meatballs & jarred marinara sauce

2.  Make your own meatballs & jarred marinara sauce (thats how the recipe was originally)

3.  Make your own meatballs and marinara sauce (how I decided to go)

I had a pound of 80/20 ground beef and purchased a can of San Marzano style tomatoes.  I followed the directions on the little meatballs precisely HOPING that they wouldn't turn out dry.  HALLELUJAH they did not!  For the sauce I quickly pulsed the tomatoes to a puree (not quite it was a little too chunky actually), added some dried herbs *GASP* yes dried herbs people its all I had (oregano, basil, parsley), minced garlic, salt substitute and pepper.  I simmered until reduced.  Ok here is where I messed up.  When I saw that the marinara was too chunky I should have given it a whirl in the food processor again.  I didn't.  But the taste was delicious.  I know I  know its not a true marinara like I found online, but I didn't have celery and carrots and all that stuff!  This was....kind of sweet.  I just loved the tomatoes! 

Now the bread...omg'sh do I have a pic, let me see....no I don't which is a shame because I am straight addicted to these rolls.  I eat them nearly every day.  There I said it.  I'm a glutton for carbs.  These are little FROZEN artisan style rolls.  Thaw for 5 minutes then throw in your toaster oven for 5 more and you get a deliciously crispy, golden, soft in the middle, rustic roll.  You can get these at Fresh and Easy in the freezer section.  They also have mini loaves too which would work wonderfully I'm assuming.  At first I thought I had made the wrong choice in bread and wondered if a soft, supple potato roll would have been better.  But the more I ate the more I noticed that this bread held its "stuff" wonderfully.  Never getting too soggy to hold or eat.  YUMMY!

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

(courtesy of Pioneer Woman Cooks)

• 1 pound Ground Chuck Or Ground Beef
• ½ cups Panko Or Other Bread Crumbs
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• ½ cups Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ½ whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 jar (large) Marinara Sauce (or make your own as I did above)
• 12 whole Dinner Rolls (or Slider Rolls)
• 4 slices Provolone Cheese, Cut Into Four Wedges Each (I used mozzarella and it was wonderful)

Preparation Instructions

Mix meat with bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Knead together with hands. Roll into heaping tablespoon-sized rolls.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for one minute. Add meatballs between the onions and brown for one minute. (You might have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet.)

Pour in jar of marinara; shake pan gently to mix. Put on lid and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

When ready to serve, cut each dinner roll in half. Place a wedge of Provolone on the top and bottom of each roll. Spoon a meatball with the sauce onto the bottom bun; top with the top bun.

Serve immediately!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a girl's best friend.  A one pot wonder.  A night off.  This is the thing you use to make everyone believe you have slaved all day over a hot stove.  The universal sign of an easy meal ahead.  The Crockpot.  Today, in MY crockpot, I made Chicken Tortilla Soup.  

Now let me tell you, briefly, about my love affair with Chicken Tortilla Soup at Garcia's Restaurant in Phoenix, AZ (and Pollo Fundido but that is for another post).  Me and my friends used to go to Garcia's all the time for Happy Hour.  My ex hubby and I used to eat there all the time and I blame Garcia's as a main contributor to our fatness.  Yes my friends, we were F.A.T. and it was all Garcia's fault.  Ok.  Probably not so true BUT I had to try.  

This soup was SO incredibly easy.  I got the recipe off of Allrecipes.com and tweaked it to get as close to the restaurant version as possible.  I was leery about some of the ingredients but it was BOMB DIGGITY!  Have I ever let you down?  It was easy..did I say that? Easy! Quick! I already had all the ingredients on hand except black beans and cilantro.  I used whatever chicken I had in my freezer.  I literally added two thawed, skinless thighs on the bone and a frozen skinless, boneless, chicken breast lol The result was a nice mixture of dark and white meat, a mild warmth that coats your mouth but does not burn.  You can tweak it to your spicy-meter any way you want.  I imagine this will freeze well too (I have some cooling for the freezer now).  It mad A LOT too.  

(Lord Jesus forgive me for using my broken cell phone camera AGAIN)

(and again AMEN!)

The home fried tortilla strips are an absolute MUST I tell you. Please if you love me DO NOT CHEAT!  Oh and a dollop of sour cream would be divine :)

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

• 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken (I used 2 skinless thighs and one chicken breast that was frozen lol)
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed (I used fire roasted but you could use Rotel also)
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I used dried minced onion)
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water (I used 1.5 cans water using the tomato can)
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (ok I didn't have any so I used cayenne pepper about 1/4 tsp)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf (don't forget to remove when done cooking)
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn (I used 1 small can niblets corn)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 7 corn tortillas
• 1 Avocado
• Colby Jack Cheese (or cheese of your choice) cut into small cubes
• vegetable oil

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.  Half way through, add black beans and corn.  
2. Heat oil in a skillet.  
3. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread in single layer in hot oil.  
4. Fry until crisp.  Drain on paper towel, lightly salt.
5. Put avocado and cheese cubes into bowl, spoon soup over the top, add tortilla strips and a couple cilantro leaves and serve immediately.  

Creamy White Chili

Yesterday, I was FREEZING cold and had soup on the brain.  Specifically anything that would warm my cold, cold body.  Then I started thinking about what would work...then I started googling...and looking at my favorite blogs and this is what caught my eye:

I know I always claim things to be divine...lovely...superb...BUT this being my first soup-ish post....I can say that it is all of those things.  It is DELISH!  It gently warms the tongue with its spices without burning and making you gasp for air.  It is ridiculously easy (especially if you go semi-homemade as I did and buy an already cooked deli chicken), most of the spices you will have on hand.  This is not for the calorie counter oh no sir-ee!  It boasts a cup of sour cream as well as a half a cup of heavy cream hehe....er um you were NOT under the impression I posted healthy food were you?  I made this as an accompaniment to enchilada pie, well and because I was skeered it wouldn't turn out I needed a belly filler.  Boy did it turn out.  I will be eating this for the next 3 days thank you.  If you love me and trust me...try this today!

Creamy White Chili

(Courtesy of My Kitchen Cafe)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used a 2 lb pre-cooked deli chicken as I assumed minus all bones it would weigh 1 lb - love my calculations?)

1 medium onion, chopped (I used dried onions from the dollar store haha)

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder (um oops totally forgot to add this gees - still delish)

1 tablespoon oil

2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained (never had this, please try them, smooth and buttery creamy texture)

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth

2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can - I used 2 cans and still very low kick)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips. Makes about 6 servings.

Just so you don't panic, mine was a very odd color before adding all of the creams.  Here's a "during" picture:

See, looks kind of gross huh? Its not, it's magically delicious!  I left the deli chicken chunks quite big and added dark and white meat.  I also used more chicken stock than it called for because, well, I had a mutant chicken that was very meaty lol.  

Don't forget to share your stories,

Special K