Muffin Pans Aren't Just for Muffins

People are getting creative and coming up with a variety of recipes other than muffins or cupcakes that are made in muffin pans.  I am sure that you have seen the following recipe floating around Pinterest or Facebook.  For awhile all I saw was a picture with no descriptions, but eventually I found the recipe.  I have wanted to try these for quite some time, but I kept forgetting them.  I finally remembered the other night and I am glad that I did!

Chicken Pot Pies

Chicken Mixture

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I put mine in the crock pot so it would be shredded like I do for my soups)

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (I used mixed veggies that also included green beans and corn)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme (I almost didn't buy this, but I am glad that I did because it really added flavor)

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

Baking Mixture

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

Heat oven to 375°F

First, start with Bisquick baking mix, milk and eggs .Combine and start with a little less than a tablespoon in each greased muffin cup or use muffin liner

Next add your filling .. Add about ¼ cup of the mixture to each cup.

Finally, top it off with one more tablespoon of the Bisquick® mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes then pop them out of the pan.

I made a double batch so that I would have leftovers and they are still quite yummy!

I saw one version of the recipe that used cream of chicken soup instead of the broth and I think I might try that next time to make them creamier.  There was another one that used packaged biscuits instead of the Bisquick and I think that could be yummy too if you want more bread.  They were rather simple and delicious!

More muffin pan recipes to come...

Bringing the Restaurant Home

With a cold front blowing in this week, I knew it was going to the perfect week for a new soup, but I wasn't sure what to make.  None of the recipes from my magazine were popping out at me and money is a bit tight, but I was determined to find something to make.  I searched some recipes that I had saved from Facebook and did some online perusing before I found a recipe I was excited to try.  It's been awhile since I have been to Olive Garden, but I love getting their soup and salad.  My favorite soup?  Zuppa Toscana.  I found a crock pot copycat recipe and decided to give it a try!

I found the recipe here:   http://allshecooks.com/2013/04/09/copycat-zuppa-toscana/

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 lb bacon, chopped (I decided to leave this out and didn't miss it.)
1 lb hot Italian sausage (I used mild and added some crushed red pepper flakes when I was cooking it.)
1/2 cup onion
2 garlic cloves
3 medium (or 2 large) russet potatoes, sliced
4 cups chicken stock (I used broth)
2 cups water
3-4 cups chopped kale (I grabbed what I thought was a bunch of kale at the store because that's what the sign said, but it ended up being mustard leaves instead!  Thankfully they worked and didn't ruin the soup, but I would like to try it again with kale. Guess I have to pay attention to the names on the rubber bands around bunches!)
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1.  Brown bacon and sausage.  While cooking, break into small pieces.  Add onion and garlic once meat is mostly cooked and allow flavors to blend.
2.  Add meat mixture to crock pot once cooked.
3.  Add potatoes, stock/broth, and water to crock pot.
4.  Let cook on low for 3-4 hours.  (Like the cheeseburger soup, I wish my potatoes were more done, so I think I should have waited for the longer time here.)
5.  Add chopped kale, heavy cream, salt, and pepper.  Let cook an additional 1-2 hours and then turn down to warm to serve.

Overall, I think the soup turned out pretty good even though I had mustard leaves instead of kale and my potatoes weren't as soft as I would like them.  The soup did have a kick to it...not sure if that was from the sausage, crushed pepper flakes, or mustard (apparently it has a peppery flavor).  When I try this again, I think I will add my kale later so that it is still a bit crisp instead of limp and soggy.
 
We enjoyed our soup with garlic herb breadsticks that I found at Wal-Mart.  Yum!  Not quite like Olive Garden, but close :)

Something Old and Something New

For our new soup this week I wanted to try cheeseburger soup, but the recipe in my fave magazine is not a crock pot version and I knew that I would not have time to make it the "normal" way, so I went on hunt for a crock pot recipe.  I found several, but this one was the one I decided to try.
I found the recipe here http://crockpotladies.com/recipe-categories/soups-stews/crockpot-cheeseburger-soup-2/

Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients
1 Pound of Ground Hamburger
1 Yellow Onion Diced (I just used my frozen onions.)
1 Tablespoon of Garlic, minced
1 Can (14.5 ounce) Diced Tomatoes
6 Strips of Cooked Bacon, Broken up into Pieces (I didn't add the bacon.  I think I would rather add it in the end anyway.)
2 Stalks of Celery, Chopped thin (I put in 1 cup)
2 Cups of Potatoes, Cubed (any kind will work well for this recipe) (I cut up 3 medium sized potatoes)
1 Cup of Shredded Carrots
8 Ounce of Cream Cheese Cubed
4 Cups of Chicken Broth
2 Teaspoons of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Pepper
1 Cup of Milk
1/4th Cup of Flour
2 Cups of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

Instructions
Cook the hamburger until brown and no longer pink (I cooked my onions with the meat.)
Add the cans of diced tomatoes, crumbled bacon, celery, garlic, potatoes and carrots with the hamburger and onions into the crock pot.
Make sure the cream cheese is in small cubes and place in with the crock mixture.
Pour the chicken broth over the mixture.
Cook on low for 8 hours. (I had some soup after only 7 hours and unfortunately my potatoes weren't quite done.  I don't know if I cut the pieces too big or if I just didn't let them cook long enough.)
When you have a few minutes left before the soup is done, mix the flour and milk together with a whisk, whisking until it’s completely mixed and no chunks are left.
If you have cream cheese that hasn't melted, scoop it out and mix it well with the milk, flour mixture.
Add the milk, flour mixture into the crock and stir it in well.
Add the cheese in and mix in.
Re-Cover for about 10 minutes, cheese should be melted when your ready to eat.

I won't say that this soup is one of my new favorites, but it was good.  It definitely has potential :)

I used to enjoy making soup for the staff at my school in Korea, but it has been awhile since I've had a group to share soup with, so I decided to make soup for the staff at the school when I have been interning this semester.  I gave them some options and they chose to try one of my favorites!  When I made this soup for the first time a couple of years ago, it instantly became a favorite.  I liked it so much that I sent the recipe out in my Christmas cards that year.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients
3 cans (15 1/2 oz each) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups of cubed cooked chicken (I put a pack of chicken tenderloins in the crock pot with water and a can of green chilies so that I would have some yummy shredded chicken.)
1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 to 2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies (I cooked one with the chicken and then added the other one to the soup)
1 1/2 cups frozen gold and white corn (I have never been able to find a package of frozen gold and white corn, but I did find canned so I used that.  This time I used one can of gold and one of white.)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup (4 oz) shredded pepper Jack cheese (I just use one package, 2 cups, of shredded pepper Jack - no Monterey)
1 cup sour cream
1 small sweet yellow pepper, chopped (I haven't added this in the past because colorful peppers can be expensive, but I did add it this time and it was a nice addition.  I don't think it's necessary, but it adds a veggie.)
1 small onion, chopped (I used 1 cup of frozen onions)
3 garlic gloves, minced (I used 1 tbsp of minced garlic from the jar that I have)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp white pepper
1 to 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I did not want to spend the money to get all of these seasonings separate, so I bought a white chili seasoning package at Wal-Mart.)
May add cilantro if desired.

Combine ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through.  Serve with tortilla chips.
This soup has a kick too it, but it's not too spicy.  You could leave out the green chilies if you want it be more mild.
I think this batch is one of the best I have made!  Definitely still one of my favorites!!  The soup was a hit at school and I hope it will be for you too!!  Enjoy :)

Pinterest Soup Success!!

I love Pinterest, but the amount of time that I spend on it goes up and down.  There are times when I am fully addicted and then others when I forget it's there!  I am so glad that I decided to check it out last week, because I found one of my favorite new soup recipes!  The soup magazine that I love and have used for many of the soups had a tortellini soup that I wanted to try, but this one looked better so I tried it instead! Tomato soup is one of my favorite comfort soups.  Gotta love a bowl of steaming tomato soup with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich!  This soup takes a normal can of tomato soup and makes it into a restaurant worthy grown-up version of a classic favorite.

I will list the ingredients and any changes I made below, but here is the link for the original recipe http://recipeswagger.blogspot.com/2012/08/creamy-tomato-tortellini-soup.html.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

2 whole large cloves of garlic, minced (I have a jar of minced garlic, so I used a tbsp of that.)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 10 3/4 oz cans of condensed tomato soup (I made a double batch as usual so that I would have leftovers for lunch, so I used 2 of the large family size cans of Campbell's.  I used one regular and one heart healthy.)
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped, or 2 tbsp of sun dried tomato paste (I read the comments on the blog where I found the recipe and some people has chosen to use sun dried tomato pesto, because they couldn't find the paste and didn't want to deal with chopping the tomatoes.  I went that route too!  I used 4 tbsp of the pesto. You can decide how much you like based on the taste. I was afraid that amount might be overwhelming, but I think it was just right.)
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp onion powder (In the comments someone said that they used 1/2 cup of real onions instead, so that's what I did too!)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 pepper
1 whole 9 oz package of cheese filled tortellini (Because I doubled it, I bought a package that was 20 oz.)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, for garnish
I added a couple of cans of diced italian tomatoes to add some texture and flavor.

Saute garlic in the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until golden brown (be sure to keep an eye on it so that it doesn't get too brown or burnt!)
When the garlic is done, add tomato soup, tomatoes, half-n-half, chicken stock, and spices...bring to a simmer.  Once simmering, drop tortellini into the soup.  Cook according to the package directions (the package directions said to cook for 9 minutes in boiling water, but the soup was simmering not boiling.  I'm not exactly sure how long I cooked it before the tortellini was ready, because I was getting other things ready, but I don't think it was too much longer than 9 minutes.)
After the tortellini is cooked, ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.
(Just fyi...in the comments someone said that they put all the ingredients in the crock-pot and cooked for 3-4 hours on high, so it's worth a try!)

We had our soup with caesar salad and garlic knots that I found at Wal-Mart.  I doubled the recipe and had enough left to fill 6 of my small round containers!  Can't wait to have leftovers, because I think it will be even yummier now that the flavors have had more of a chance to fuse together.

One of my new favorites!  Give it a try and let me know what you think! :)

Yum!! Favorite Soup So Far!!

Two thumbs up for tonight's new soup!  I wish I could take credit for making this soup up, but it's another recipe from my favorite Taste of Home soup magazine.  It was warm and delicious...perfect for a cool, fall night!  If you haven't tried any of the other recipes, I think you should try this one!

Chicken Wild Rice Chowder
(The recipe said it only makes 4 servings.  I like to have leftovers for lunches, so I made double.  I'll give the original recipe amounts and then let you know how I changed the recipe.)
2 cups sliced fresh carrots (I used shredded carrots that I had leftover from the potato soup that we had last week.  I think they are great for soup.  I didn't double the carrots, because I thought that 2 cups was enough.)
1/2 cup each chopped onion and celery (I used the frozen onions that I had left.  I like that I don't have to chop them and get watery, stinging eyes, but I don't know if they have as strong of a taste as fresh ones.  I did use a cup of each of these.)
2 tbsp butter (I used 4 tbsp of the light stick margarine that I had in the fridge.)
3 tbsp all-purpose flour (Just doubled it.)
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (I used 2 cartons of the reduced sodium broth.)
2 2/3 cups cubed chicken breast (I put 3 breasts in the crock pot with some water and seasonings then allowed it took cook all day so it would be shredded.  I prefer shredded chicken in my soups.)
1 package (8.8 oz) ready-to-serve long grain and wild rice (I used 2 packages of Uncle Ben's.)
1/4 cup half-and-half cream (Just doubled)
1/8 tsp pepper
I also added some other spices like parsley and garlic powder.

In a large saucepan, saute the carrots, onions, and celery in butter until tender.  Stir in flour until blended then gradually add the broth.  Bring to a boil then cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in the chicken, rice, cream, and pepper/seasonings.  Heat through.

We enjoyed some wheat rolls with our soup and it was delicious!  Enjoy!!

Potato Soup and A Fall Craft

This week potato soup sounded yummy.  It was a busy week, so I needed to find a crock pot recipe.  I found the following one from Betty Crocker.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 32 oz bag of frozen southern-style hash browns (the cubed ones)
1/2 c frozen chopped onion (I did buy a bag of frozen onions cause it was cheaper than buying the container of already chopped onions, but I'm sure fresh would work just great too.)
1 medium stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup) (I chopped up several stalks to get 1/2 cup.  I had never put celery in my potato soup before, but I decided to try it.)
1 32 oz carton chicken broth
1 cup water
3 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 8 oz bag shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon
Green onions (I didn't use the green onions.  I figured that if I was going to add celery then I could add some more veggies, so I added 1/2 cup of shredded carrots and a cup or so of fresh green beans.  I liked the veggies and probably could have added more.)

Put potatoes, onion, celery, broth, and water in the crock pot...mix together.  Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.  In small bowl, mix flour into milk and then stir into potato mixture.  Increase heat to high, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes until mixture thickens.  Stir cheese in until melted.  Serve with pieces of bacon and green onions if you like.

The only seasoning I added was pepper.  I think it could have used a little more flavor, but I wasn't sure what to add.  I do think I used the low sodium broth, so that could have made a difference too.  Overall I thought it turned out pretty yummy though, especially with the bacon (I used turkey bacon).

Fall Craft...
Last year I posted a Facebook status saying that I would make a fall craft for anyone who commented on the status.  I think I had around 10 people comment, so I painted some jack-o-lantern candle holders and leaf clay bowls.  I figured I would make fall crafts again this year, so I posted a status and waited for comments.  This year 17 people said they would enjoy receiving a craft.  I didn't have as much time or money to make things as elaborate as last year, but I was happy with my final product and I think my friends who have received them so far like them too!

I found some simple plain wood scarecrows at A C Moore and thought they would make great magnets, so I painted them and glued a magnet to the back.  I think they are pretty cute :)