Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Garlic Parmesan Biscuits

I know April isn't really "soup" month...but at least here in New Mexico we're had our share of colder days. And by colder I mean high 50s or low 60s. But its not the weather itself that makes is cold, it's this darned wind! It's brutal! And maybe you haven't thought of this, because I know I hadn't, but a windstorm in a desert setting means that sand is always in your hair, ears, eyes, and mouth.

 

I've been thinking of a chicken pot pie soup for weeks now, but I couldn't imagine making a soup and topping it with a pie crust. It seemed so boring. So maybe this soup is more like chicken with biscuits or whatever, but to me it's very similar to the filling of chicken pot pie soup. Call it what you want, it's delish. And start to finish, including the biscuits, took me less than 45 minutes.

 

I threw my chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning with some water and a lemon that had been cut in half. The chicken had an ever-so-slight lemon flavor. It also made it super easy to shred. I also ate my biscuit inside my soup. I'm usually against anything that makes my bread soggy (except bread pudding...mmmmmm....bread pudding) but the garlicky cheesy rolls tasted so good with the soup.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Garlic Parmesan Biscuits
by Girls in Aprons

For the soup:
1 Tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 (15 oz) cans chicken broth or chicken stock
2 cups milk
2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb or so), cooked and shredded
2 tsp fresh or 1 tsp dry thyme leaves
1 12-oz bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery and sauté until onion is translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add butter to pot and let melt. Immediately add flour and whisk until butter and flour are combined. Continue stirring, using a whisk, for 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth and milk, whisking continuously. Let simmer for 10 minutes, whisking often to keep milk from scalding on the bottom of the pan. Add thyme and frozen mixed vegetables. Continue cooking until vegetables are warmed, about 3 minutes. Whisk in shredded cheese until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot in a bowl and top with a warm biscuit (or two, or three).

For the biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 1/2 cup shortening (I used butter-flavored Crisco and highly recommend it)
2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
1 egg

In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a bowl, whisk milk and egg. Stir into crumb mixture just until moistened. Drop by heaping spoonfuls 2 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet (I roll mine into about golf-ball sized balls, they make about 12 rolls). Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve on top of soup.

Biscuit recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Easy Croque Monsieurs

I married into a French-Italian family. The best part of this is when my father-in-law would be talking to me and switch into French without realizing it, leaving me clueless. The worst part of this is when I first met my in-laws and my husband left me alone with them for about 10 minutes, leaving me to understand what they were saying through their thick accents. I just sat there and smiled.

 

My mother-in-law is an amazing cook, but her recipes are hard to recreate because she's the kind of cook that uses "a little bit of this and a little bit of that." One day I'm going to have to shadow her and write down what she does, or go crazy trying to perfect her homemade oatmeal and pea soup and half a dozen other recipes I dream about her making for me!

 

My husband didn't grow up on casseroles (what??!!) or traditional PB&J sandwiches. Instead, he had such sandwiches as Croque Monsieurs. Basically a French sandwich with Dijon mustard, ham, swiss, and pepper. Really simple but so good. I've had one at a French restaurant we found in Seattle and it was served with "pomme frites"aka fries (my high school French comes in handy sometimes). This particular sandwich was served with a thick bread, lots of ham, a Swiss cheese sauce, and a lot of pepper.  My recipe is slightly easier, I don't make a cheese sauce. I just use cheese. It's less messy and quicker to make.

 

A variation of the Croque Monsieur is the Croque Madame. It's similar to the Croque Monsieur except that it also includes a fried egg on top, sometimes with béchamel sauce included (again, a step I generally avoid because it defeats the whole "quick and easy" approach).

 

Lastly, Croque Monsieurs and Croque Madames can be eaten open-face or sandwich style. 

 

Did I mention my kids LOVE this particular dinner?! My six-year-old doesn't love Dijon mustard (he also doesn't love cheese...whose kid is he anyway?!) and I use butter on his sandwiches and everyone is happy.

 

 

Croque Monsieur Sandwich (or Croque Madame Sandwich)
by Girls in Aprons

Makes 4 servings, two open-faced sandwiches each

4 ciabatta rolls, cut in half
Dijon mustard
1/2 lb Virginia ham (or any ham, just not honey ham)
8 slices Swiss cheese
Black pepper
Butter (if making Croque Madame sandwiches)
8 eggs (if making Croque Madame sandwiches)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place sliced ciabatta rolls on a cookie sheet, cut side up, and place in preheated oven. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until tops are toasted. Remove from oven.

Spread each piece of bread with Dijon mustard. Top with ham (as much or as little as you desire) and a slice of Swiss cheese. Place back in oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with a pinch or so of black pepper.

If making Croque Madames, which sandwiches are in the oven, melt butter in a small pan and fry one egg per sandwich. If you don't want the yolk to be runny, break the yolk before flipping the egg over to cook the other side. Once the sandwiches are removed from the oven, top with pepper and then the fried egg.

Serve warm. We usually serve our sandwiches with a green salad and fruit.

Shepherd's Pie

Sometimes I think Shepherd's Pie gets a bad rap. My husband used to call it a "smorgasbord of whatever is in your fridge topped with potatoes." Sad thing? He was right! I used to make this bland recipe I'd found and then I made it over and over and over until my husband put the kabosch on it.

So what's a girl to do who loves herself some Shepherd's Pie? Granted, I didn't love the recipe I had been using, but it was super easy. Then I remembered my first time having it. It was at The Cheesecake Factory and it was super yummy with delicious mashed potatoes on top and lots of different veggies mixed with a beef broth. I decided to make up my own, then!

This recipe is out of this world yummy. The parmesan garlic mashed potatoes are a breeze to make in your Kitchenaid or Bosch (or whatever you use) and the meat/veggie mixture has a comforting stew-like quality. My husband and brother-in-law couldn't stop eating it. And it makes an entire 9x13 pan. Like up to the tippy-top of the pan. So it feeds a crowd, but the leftovers are even better- if that's possible.

Yummmmm! Look at all those vegetables!

Dice up your carrot, onion and zucchini and set aside.

Start off by browning your 1 lb of hamburger and add your carrots when the meat is about halfway done. When the meat is finished, add the onion and zucchini. They take less time to soften than the carrot does.  

I skipped a couple steps, but here is what you put in the oven. I told you it made a ton! (Side note, this is super easy to halve if you don't want to make this much! I was feeding four adults and seven kids and we ate the entire pan)

Dig in! You'll thank me later!

Peas, corn, carrots, onion and zucchini added to hamburger and a thick gravy topped with parmesan garlic potatoes? Uh... yes please!

Shepherd's Pie

by Girls in Aprons

1 lb hamburger

5-6 carrots, diced

1 onion, diced

2 zucchini, diced

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen petite peas

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1/2 cup flour

4 cups (1 box) beef broth

5 russet potatoes

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

splash milk (to desired consistancy)

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

2-3 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, brown hamburger on medium-high heat. Add carrot when the hamburger is about halfway cooked. Once cooked through, add onion and zucchini. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Set aside.

In another large skillet, melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter over medium heat, then add flour. Stir constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly add beef broth. Increase heat to medium-high and stir constantly until mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Add your meat and veggie mixture, peas and corn. Taste for seasonings and add as needed. Pour into a 9x13 pan.

For mashed potatoes: Peel and dice 5 large russet potatoes. Boil in salted water until a fork stuck in them comes out easily. Drain the potatoes and transfer to your Kitchenaid. With a paddle attachment, mash the potatoes. Add the butter, parmesan cheese and garlic and mix well. Add a splash of milk (I think I used about 1/4 cup) or until the desired consistancy is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slowly spread the mashed potatoes on top of the gravy mixture in the 9x13 pan. Top with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, or until the mixture is hot and bubbly.

Sunday Morning Waffles

 My husband doesn't usually cook or bake in our house. Not that he can't, he just doesn't. And not because he doesn't want to, he works full time, so I usually end up doing the cooking and baking.

But Sunday mornings are usually his. Why? Because he likes to make breakfast, and I'm all about the cold cereal and toast. He has dabbled at homemade pancakes and omelets, but his specialty is waffles. He has the patience and the tricks to make excellent waffles! And this is saying a lot, because for some reason waffles are not my favorite breakfast food, but his changed my mind! These are a little crispy on the outside, and nice and fluffy on the inside. I think it's so fun to have traditions in my family, and my kids look forward to Sunday Morning Waffles every week!! And when you find a good recipe, you just stick with it, right? My kids love theirs with just butter and syrup (boring!!) but here are some fun ways to serve your waffles!

*Whipped cream and berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc)
*Drizzled with warm Nutella, sliced bananas, and candied hazelnuts
*Drizzled with warm peanut butter and your favorite jam
*Sliced strawberries with chocolate syrup and dusted with powdered sugar
*Sliced strawberries, bananas, and pineapple, whipped cream, and sliced almonds

How will you serve your waffles??

Sunday Morning Waffles
by Girls in Aprons

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cooking oil
2 egg whites

In a mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another mixing bowl beat the egg yolks slightly. Stir in buttermilk and oil. Add it all at once to the dry mixture, stirring just until combined. It should still be a little lumpy.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer till peaks form (the tips will stand straight up with you pull the beaters out). Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Do not overmix!

Spray your waffle iron with cooking spray and cook according to the directions of your specific waffle iron. Makes about 12-15 waffles.

Birthday Cake Pancakes

We have a new family tradition! I started making these in August for my daughter's 8th birthday, then made them again for my son's 6th birthday in September, and in December my now 4 year old begged for them on her birthday too. They are super easy to throw together, and the kids really feel like they are eating cake for breakfast!

Mmmm.... so easy to make too!

Love all the sprinkles! Feel free to change up which kind of sprinkles you use.

I had to use a little more milk to thin out the glaze, but it tastes like frosting on top of the pancakes.

YUM! Your kids will thank you, trust me!

 

Birthday Cake Pancakes

 

1 cup pancake mix

1 cup yellow cake mix

3 TBSP candy sprinkles

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs                                          

Glaze and Garnish

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 TBSP plus 2 tsp milk

1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla                                

Additional candy sprinkles for garnish

Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or electric griddle to 375°F; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. (Surface is ready when a few drops of water sprinkled on it dance and disappear.)

In medium bowl, stir together pancake ingredients until blended. Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle. Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook until pancakes are golden brown. Stack on serving plates.

In small bowl, beat powdered sugar, milk and vanilla with whisk until smooth. If it is too thick (like mine was) slowly add more milk until it is a smooth consistancy.

To serve, top each serving with glaze and additional candy sprinkles.

Recipe courtesy: Betty Crocker

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet is sort of a family tradition for me. I had never even heard of red velvet until I met my husband, and I have to be honest...the first time I ever had it I thought it was awful. I think, though, it was because I was expecting it to taste like a chocolate cake or vanilla cake, and it doesn't. It definitely has it's own flavor!

After my husband and I got married, and I knew it was his favorite cake, I tried several time to find a recipe that was 1) easy 2) moist (nothing is worse than a dry red velvet!) and 3) husband approved. My first attempt was a three-layer cake with buttercream frosting for Valentine's Day one year. While the cake was okay, it was a little dry and I didn't love the pairing with the buttercream.

My next attempt was also a cake, and still dry. I used (gasp - don't judge me) canned cream cheese frosting. Still, not amazing, and I learned that day that I was never going to use canned frosting again.

After all this, cupcakes became all the rage in Foodie land. So I found a few red velvet cupcake recipes and after several attempts at each, I combined elements of each that I liked and created what my family thinks is the perfect red velvet cupcake recipe!! It is so easy to make and very elegant for any occasion. We make it for Valentine's Day every year and Christmas too. You could also substitute the red food coloring for green and make green velvet cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day!

**If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own! Place 1 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar in a measuring cup. Pour milk into cup until it reaches 1 1/2 cups total. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Ta-da! Buttermilk!!

 LOVE the ruby red color!

I frost mine with a large star tip

Red Velvet Cupcakes
by Girls in Aprons

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cocoa powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
3 T red food coloring
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. (Sifting is important here because it helps the texture to be more fluffy). In a large bowl gently beat the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the went and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake papers, about 2/3 full. (I find it really easy and lots cleaner to pour the batter in a gallon-size baggie and snip of a corner. Then I can just squeeze the amount of batter in the cupcake liner without dripping all over the pan like I do when I fill with a spoon.) Bake in oven 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once halfway through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

FROSTING:

1 cube unsalted butter, softened
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 3/4 to 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I use a little more because I like my frosting stiffer)
1 tsp vanilla

Beat the butter and cream cheese together. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time and vanilla.

Strawberry mousse in dark chocolate cups

My sisters and I also belong to another food blog called Family Favorite Recipes started by our friend, Christina. It's a group of family and friends that contribute favorite recipes. A few years ago, Christina challenged us to an Iron Chef-type competition. Without the 60-minute time frame. Or the strange ingredients. And we didn't have snarky judges either. Nonetheless, it was fun to create a new recipe using...

 

strawberries!

 

Who doesn't love strawberries?

 

I knew immediately what I was going to do. I'd been making chocolate cups for several years, although they were made with normal cupcake-sized liners and served as bowls for ice cream. At some point in my Food Network watching years (before crazy kids and an even crazier job) I'd seen Giada make white chocolate cups with chocolate mousse. They were bite size and decadent. I figured I could easily recreate the idea with chocolate and strawberries.

 

No joke, these are amazing. It's a fancy version of chocolate dipped strawberries and you can't eat just one. My husband and I find ourselves helping ourselves to "just one more" until we've eaten the whole batch in one night.

 

 

 

 

Try painting all the way up the sides to the very top, pushing the chocolate into the crevices of the cupcake liner. I actually found it easier to keep the cupcake liners in the mini-cupcake pan while I painted them, but whatever works for you.

 

Pulse the strawberries in a food processor until pureed. If you want, you can use a fine sieve to strain the strawberry seeds out, but I don't. I don't even notice them.

 

Strawberry Mousse in Dark Chocolate Cups

by Girls in Aprons

 

For the cups:

1 bag dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
36 mini-muffin cupcake liners

Pour half of the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate chips are melted. Using a small paint brush (I used one from the kids' watercolor set...washed first of course), coat the bottom and sides of the cupcake liner and place in a mini-muffin pan. Freeze until the chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. Melt the remaining chocolate chips in the microwave and paint a second layer of chocolate into each cup (if you hold the cup up to the light you can see what parts of the cup need extra chocolate, pay special attention to the sides because they break easy, put a nice thick layer on). Freeze until completely set, about 1 hour. Peel the cupcake liners off. Place the chocolate cups on a serving tray or plate.

For the mousse:

1 cup whipping cream

3 Tbsp sugar
8 oz mascarpone cheese (found near cream cheese), at room temperature
16-18 strawberries, hulled and halved

Using an electric mixer, mix the whipping cream and sugar together until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Place the strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree. Pour strawberries and mascarpone cheese in a bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat until just mixed. Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream. Place mousse in a pastry bag with a large tip, or a plastic freezer bag with the corner cut off, and pipe mousse into each chocolate cup. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set the mousse.