Category: Snacks

Chicken Pot Pie Muffins

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Chicken pot pie is one of my very favorite comfort foods, but it comes with a host of problems. They are hard to make, because, pie, they are really dense so I can (read: should) never finish one, and unless I have a frozen one on hand I am never going to satisfy said craving when I’m actually feeling it. Imagine my delight at discovering this little hack! It’s simple, uses up left over rotisserie chicken if you have it, and all comes together with typical pantry staples so it’s economical as well.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup diced Rotisserie Chicken or 1 10 oz can shredded chicken in water, drained
  • 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
  • 1 10 oz package of frozen Peas and Carrots
  • 1 can of Pillsbury Grand Biscuits
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

  • Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Prep muffin tin with either a coat of oil or non-stick spray.
  • Combine chicken, half of the bag of frozen peas and carrots, salt and pepper, and Cream of Chicken soup.
  • Press one biscuit into each muffin cup and spread it out so that it covers the surface.
  • Once the crust is prepared, spoon the mixture into each crust base and fill to about 3/4 quarters of the way.

Optional:

  • You can add cheddar or parmesan cheese.

Pop the tin into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. I recommend coating the crust with a little butter to give it a nice brown.

Cool for about 5 minutes, sprinkle with parsley, and Nom On!

~Crunchy

Cinnamon Buns (of Oblivion)

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Cinnamon buns really piss me off. You see, I am extremely intolerant of sugar. I can never remember if its hypo or hyperglycemia. I just know that two Cosmopolitans had enough sugar in them to knock me out cold sitting in rock hard seats in the nose bleed section outside at a White Zombie/Ozzie Osborne concert on a blustery November night. Oh yeah, that happened.

So you can imagine how much I have to avoid sugar. An interesting problem, since I love to bake. I can enjoy the wonderful smells at least, and the smiles my cookies and cakes give to others. Not so with the smell of freshly baked cinnamon buns. I always break down and eat a half of one. Then I sink into black oblivion, the gooey evidence of my trespass clutched in my sticky hand. If you want to join me there, friends, just follow the cinnamon and cream cheese frosted road…

Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Cream Cheese
  • 3 oz Butter
  • 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  • 8 oz Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt

Preparation

  • Place butter in a small bowl and microwave for 30-60 seconds, or place in a small pot and melt over low flame. Once its mostly melted, set aside. It will be fully melted by the time you need it.
  • Add self-rising flour to a medium mixing bowl along with 2 Tbsp of melted butter. Add in the yogurt, 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 Tbsp of water.
  • Mix with clean hands until you have a shaggy dough.
  • On a flat work surface, like a large wooden cutting board or marble counter top, sprinkle liberally with bench flour. Coat your hands liberally, too. Add some more flour to a bowl and keep it handy. You’ll need it.
  • Turn out the dough onto your work surface and knead into a smooth and slightly sticky ball. You may need to sprinkle the dough with flour or coat your hands a few times during this process. Let the dough rest (being kneaded is hard work, after all) for 5 minutes while you make the cinnamon mixture.
  • In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, remaining butter, cinnamon, and salt.
  • Using a rolling pin coated in flour, roll out your dough into an 8 X 11 oval. Cover almost the entire surface with the mixture. I leave a very thin edge all the way around.
  • Starting on the short side, roll your dough into a cylinder. Cut into 6 equal slices.
CinnamonRollsPrep.JPG

  • In a round baking pan or cast iron skillet, coat with a little oil or non-stick spray, and then assemble your slices into a tight ring with one slice in the center and the rest surrounding. They need to be snuggly pressed together to ensure the rolls don’t fall open during baking and the dough puffs upwards.
  • Bake the rolls at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. The tops should be lightly brown when done.
  • While the buns are baking, stir together the cream cheese, remaining powdered sugar, and 1 Tbsp of water. Stir the mixture until smooth.
  • Once the buns are done, I like to spread the frosting while they are still pretty warm so you get the drippy and gooey effect. If you like your frosting firm, let the buns cool first before you spread.

Oblivion awaits,
~Crunchy

Quesadilla Flight: The cure to the Saturday lunch doldrums

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Oh lord, it’s Saturday afternoon again. The whole family is milling around, wanting lunch and a stack of sandwiches just sounds so….weekday sad. The errands are done and maybe you have a little more time to cook than usual. You look in the fridge and see a bunch of random, almost used up stuff like chicken breast, deli meat, and a couple hunks of cheese. I keep a stack of corn tortillas handy to handle Saturday afternoon, because nothing uses up leftovers and delights the palate like the quesadilla flight!

The Quesadilla Flight

Ingredients

  • Cheese – any kind, seriously. You can use cream cheese, too. I find jack or mozzerlla to be the most-kid friendly, so if you have that, use it.
  • Filling – empty your fridge of things like the tomato and avocado that are close to spoiling, the almost empty tub of deli meat, that lone left over chicken breast, the ubiqutous 1/2 onion … you get the idea. These all sound obvious but you can use up squash and that 1/4 jar of spaghetti sauce, too. Corn tortillas are one of the most versatile canvases ever, so don’t assume your flight has to only offer the more classic Mexican cuisine flavors.
  • Corn tortillas – they are healthier, tastier, and less caloric than flour. They are also smaller in size and maximize your number of canvases to make your combos. You’ll see.
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

  • Thinly slice veggies or finely dice whole pieces of meat such as chicken breast or pork tenderloin. Thinly sliced or finely diced ingredients cook better in quesadillas.
  • Shred your various cheeses and, depending on how compatible the flavors of the cheese, either keep them seperate or blend them. For examle, jack, cheddar, and mozzerella can be blended. Gouda usually can’t pair unless you have another nutty or smokey cheese like gruyere left over also. If you really want to up the diversity of your flights, don’t combine cheeses.
  • Let the crazy begin! I just go with flavors and pairings that I know to go well together based on what I have to work with. Cheddar, ham, and tomato slices. Pepper jack, turkey, and avocado slices. Cream cheese with tomato and olives. Jack with shredded chicken, diced onion, and cilantro. If I have nutty or smokey cheeses to use up, I add thin apple slices and some sauteed onions. Some cheeses pair well with pesto or berry jams, and of course if you have left overs from spaghetti night, just do a thin smear of tomato sauce, mozzarella, ham, and olives.
  • To cook the quesadillas, just put your pan over a medium-low flame and add a litte EVOO. Place the tortilla into the pan and rub around to coat. If using sauce, spreads or jams, spread that first. Then, sprinkle the cheese and then layer meat and then veggies. I let the cheese melt a little and then fold the tortilla over. You just want to cook each side to lightly brown and get the cheese gooey.
  • Repeat with various combos, based on your ingredients. I generally end up with quite a variety, even in I just omit an ingredient here or there or sub another. The goal is to make a flight, so they shouldn’t all taste just the same.
  • Serve with dips, lime or lemon wedges, or extra tomato slices dusted with salt and pepper. A little side salad if you have it handy.

Note: These guys get cold fast, so I am basically a short order cook. Serve as batches are ready and encourage your peeps to dig in. As Chef, you should be nomming as you cook. For this reason, I don’t make the same quesadilla twice in a row or your batches won’t be ‘flights.’

Dips to serve with my flights?

Before you warm up the griddle, you can make these easy-prep dips before you start the flights.

Quick Guacamole Dip

Ingredients

  • 2-3 Ripe avocados, cubed
  • 1 or 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 Red onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 to 3 Garlic cloves, roughly diced
  • Fresh squeezed juice from 1 to 1 1/2 Limes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Ground cayenne, to taste
  • Cilantro, ripped or roughly chopped

Preparation

  • With a fork, mash and stir the avocado. You can leave it a little chunky; it’ll get smooth as you mix in your spices.
  • Fold in the tomato, onion, diced garlic and stir.
  • Squeeze in the lime juice and stir.
  • Add in about 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Stir and taste.
  • Add in a few shakes of cayenne. Stir and taste.
  • If your guacamole seems bland, you can add in a little more salt or cayenne, but don’t go too crazy. Ground spices are more potent than freshly chopped peppers so the taste changes quickly.
  • Cover with plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
  • When you serve, sprinkle a little cilantro on top.

Spiced Sour Cream Dip

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Ground cayenne, to taste

Preparation

  • In a small pan, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil.
  • Add in a half cup of chopped yellow onion and sauté until they are clear and soft.
  • In a small bowl, mix 1 cup of sour cream with a pinch of salt and a pinch of cayenne or black pepper.
  • Fold in the sautéed onion.
  • Cover and chill for 20 minutes.

Doldrums be gone, and Nom On!

~Crunchy