Daily Archives: July 18, 2011

Baked Potato Bites


6 medium potatoes, baked (oven or microwave)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup lowfat sour cream

1 package ranch dressing mix

4 slices lean bacon, cooked (microwave) and crumbled

Salt

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Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Allow baked potatoes to cool for approximately 15 minutes. Quarter potatoes (slice length-wise, and then width-wise). Place potato quarters on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and then sprinkle with cheese. Place quarters in oven for ~10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Mix ranch dressing mix into sour cream.

Remove potatoes from oven and top with ~1 Tbsp sour cream and sprinkle lightly with bacon.

Sour Cream Cinnamon Rolls


FOR THE ROLLS:

  • 2 Tablespoons Packed Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
  • ¼ teaspoons Salt
  • 6 Tablespoons Butter, Divided
  • ½ cups Sour Cream
  • ¼ cups Whole Milk

 

FOR THE FILLING:

  • ½ cups Packed Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

 

FOR THE FROSTING:

  • 1 ounce, weight Cream Cheese, At Room Temperature
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter, At Room Temperature
  • ½ teaspoons Vanilla
  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar

Heat the oven to 350 F and spray an 8-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl add the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Dice 2 tablespoons of the butter into small cubes and rub it into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse sand. Set aside.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter (in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, or over low heat in a saucepan) and then combine it with the sour cream and milk. Pour the mixture over the flour and stir until just combined. Set aside while you prepare the filling.

In a small bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon and butter until it forms a smooth paste. Set aside while you roll out the dough.

Lightly flour a work surface and turn out the dough. Press it into a rough square that is 1/4-inch thick. Spread the filling evenly over the dough. Carefully roll the dough into a log then slice into 1-inch rolls.

Place the rolls into the prepared cake pan leaving a little room between the rolls for them to expand while baking. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown, puffed, and spring back when gently pressed in the center. Cool for 5 minutes then turn the rolls out of the pan. The easiest way to do this is to turn the rolls out onto a large plate – just place your serving plate on top of the pan and flip them over.

While the rolls bake, prepare the frosting. Whisk together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar until the frosting is your preferred thickness. You may add more if you like the frosting more stiff.

While the rolls are still warm spread the frosting over the top.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Enjoy!

THE BEST Homemade Chicken Pot Pie


INGREDIENTS

Chicken and stock ingredients:

  • 1 (3 1/2 pound) frying chicken
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 small onion, halved
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Pie crust ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (best to chill cubes in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before using)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
  • 3 to 4 Tbsp ice water

Filling ingredients:

  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 3 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 3/4 cup green peas, frozen or fresh
  • 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Egg wash:

  • 1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water

Special equipment needed:

  • 6 10-ounce ramekins
1 Cook the chicken and make the chicken stock. Combine the chicken, carrot, celery, onion and salt into a large stock pot. Add cold water until just covered and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool for 15 minutes. While the chicken is cooling, continue to boil the remaining water and vegetables in the pot. When the chicken has cooled enough to touch, strip away as much of the meat as you can. Place the meat on a dish, set aside. Return the chicken bones to the stockpot and continue to boil, on high heat, until the stock has reduced to a quart or quart and a half. Set aside 2 1/2 cups of the stock for this recipe. The remaining stock you can refrigerate and store for another purpose.
2 Prepare the pie crust dough. Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the chilled butter cubes and pulse 5 times to combine. And the shortening and pulse a few more times, until the dough resembles a coarse cornmeal, with some pea-sized pieces of butter. Slowly stream in ice water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough sticks together when you press some between your fingers. Empty the food processor, placing the dough on a clean surface. Use your hands to mold into a ball, then flatten the ball into a disk. Sprinkle with a little flour, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days, before rolling.
3 Prepare the filling. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, one minute more. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock. Whisk in the milk. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken meat, thyme, sherry, peas, parsley, salt and pepper and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Divide the warm filling among six 10-ounce ramekins.
4 Prepare the crust. Roll out dough on a lightly flour surface to a little less than a quarter-inch thick. Cut into 6 rounds, slightly larger than the circumference of the ramekins. Lay a dough round on each pot pie filling. Fold the excess dough under itself and use the tines of a fork to press the dough against the edge of the ramekins. Cut a 1-inch vent into each individual pie. Use a pastry brush to apply an egg wash to each pie. Line a baking sheet with foil, place the pies on the baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.