Southern Treats: Holiday Leftover Dinner Pie

Southern Treats: Holiday Leftover Dinner Pie: "Here is a little comfort fast food and a great idea to make use of all your holiday leftovers. I used some roasted turkey breast, honey gla..."

Holiday Leftover Dinner Pie

Here is a little comfort fast food and a great idea to make use of all your holiday leftovers. I used some roasted turkey breast, honey glazed ham, ready made pie crusts, puff pastry sheets, cream of mushroom, diced onions, diced peppers, brown rice, dried cranberries, cheddar jack cheese and mixed veggies. Started out by sweating the onions and peppers, in a little butter, in a pan. Once the desired color was obtained, I added the meat(s) and warmed them up. Then added the cream of mushroom, cooked brown rice, veggies and cranberries. Seasoned the mixture, with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a touch of cinnamon. I set up the deep pie crusts and let the puff pastry thaw out( about 45 minutes). Once the stuffing was cooled, then poured into each pie crust.
Topped with cheddar cheese and then rolled out the puff pastry, crimped to the crust, with an egg wash mixture and used a fork to secure to the crust.. Made four slits to allow for ventilation and egg washed the top for a golden crust. Pre-warmed the oven to 400 degrees, and then placed the pies on a sheet pan for about 10-14 minutes.
Let the pie cool off a few minutes and dig in. This is what the cut section looks like.
A good wholesome meal with minimal effort and maximum satisfaction. This was a big hit with our guests. Definitely a crowd pleaser! Enjoy!
Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with the family and friends! Happy Holidays!

Southern Treats: Crockpot Chicken Rice Soup

Southern Treats: Crockpot Chicken Rice Soup: "As the weather starts to cool down, a little homemade soup can sure hit the spot. But who has time to make chicken soup from scratch? The ..."

Crockpot Chicken Rice Soup

As the weather starts to cool down, a little homemade soup can sure hit the spot. But who has time to make chicken soup from scratch? The answer is your old reliable Crockpot. This was nice and easy and minimal preparation. We started out with a 3 to 4lbs. whole chicken, that was washed and the giblets and neck removed. We then got a combo pack of pre diced onions and celery, a half a bag of small carrots, about 4 cups of chicken stock (I prefer the low sodium kind), some sprigs of rosemary and thyme, 1/2 a cup of margarita mix, a splash of lemon, 2 tsp. diced garlic, 2 tbs. of Goya Recaito (a cilantro based seasoning, used to flavor rice, soup and sauce dishes) and salt and pepper lightly. I use about 4 or 5 sprigs of rosemary and thyme and tie them up with butcher's twine. Throw it in the pot. It is easier to get them out at the end.
At this point you can also add a shot of Tequila, if you wish to make a more authentic Mexican flair chicken soup.
Put the lid and set the Crockpot on low for at least 8 hours or longer, if you are short on time, set it on high for about 6 hours. You could even start it overnight, this is the easy of cooking with the Crockpot.
After about 8 hours on low, or 6 on high, I like to test the chicken with my instant read thermometer, you are looking for a temperature of 180 degrees in the thigh or 160-170 in the breast area. The reality is that you will probably have a higher temperature, but these are the safe minimums. The higher the temperature, the easier it will be to pull apart the chicken, if it hasn't started to fall apart already. At this point, I remove the chicken onto a large cutting board, and let it cool off or a few minutes. I also remove my bundle of herbs and toss them out. I like to thicken my soup and grab the immersion blender and carefully start to pulse the liquid, in the pot to get a thicker consistence. After I have reached the desired thickness, I add a cup of whole grain rice and taste and re season, with salt and pepper, if needed. If you are looking for more of chowder type soup, if could also add a little heavy cream or milk. The Crockpot is set to low and covered, while I start to pull the skin and pull apart the chicken, this whole process can be done about 30 minutes, before serving. Once the chicken is pulled and the bones removed, return to pot and give it about 30 minutes, for the rice to cook.
Serve nice and warm and add your favorite garnish. We like to top it with grated Parmesan cheese and some store bought biscuits and you can see why this is called comfort food. Hope you try it soon, enjoy!

Quadruple "P" (Pulled Pork Pot Pie)

This is what happens, when you are bored and start looking through recipes. The weather is getting cooler, and started thinking of some comfort food, that is satisfying and easy to make. I though of the classic chicken pot pie, but was thinking, what else could be used besides chicken. I looked in the icebox and saw I had some pulled pork left over, so I decided to use it instead of chicken. Ingredients included Campbell's cream of mushroom, with low sodium, frozen veggies and Bisquick(Heart Smart option).
Started by heating up the pork and thawing out the veggies. Then added the veggies and the two can of cram of mushroom. Cooked the mixture for about 10 minutes.
While the mixture cooked, I stared mixing the batter of 2 cups of Bisquick, 1 cup of milk, and 1 whole egg for the topping. Whipped together in a separate bowl with a whisk. Layer the mixture, into an un-greased 12 x 9, 3 qt. Pyrex pan. Even out the the mixture and then topped with the batter. Spread the mixture nice and evenly, and into a 375 degree, pre-heated oven, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, sprinkled with shredded cheddar cheese and back in the oven, for 5 minutes, to melt the cheese.
The crust was nice and golden and thick, the filling was flavorful and very tasty. A meal all by itself and 10 minute prep. and 35 minute cook time.
A highly recommended crowd pleaser, and easy dish that will make you look like a pro.

New Meatloaf Ideas....

Instead of using ketchup, try using Peter Luger's Steak Sauce and instead of bread crumbs, try using Stove Stop Stuffing....easy on the salt. Those things have plenty of sodium. Enjoy!