Chocolate Chess Pie

This lovely recipe was in my Family Fun magazine 2009 issue. I had company in town this past weekend (always a good reason to make a guilty pleasure dessert, right? :)) This pie was quick and easy to make and it actually tastes as good as it looks!

Ingredients:

Your favorite 9-inch deep dish piecrust (buy or make your own)

1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 C sugar

1 TBS fine yellow cornmeal

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk

1/4 C milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare your pie crust & preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. Put the butter in the top of a double-boiler set over, but not in, slow-simmering water OR place a heat-safe glass or metal bowl in a similarly sized pot (I don't have a double boiler so I tried this second method & it worked well). Scatter the chocolate over the butter without mixing and let it stand until the chocolate and butter have melted, about 6 minutes. Whisk the chocolate mixture until it's smooth, then remove it from the heat and set it aside for 10 minutes to cool.

3. In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the sugar, cornmeal, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, lightly beat together the eggs & yolk. Add them to the sugar mixture, along with the milk and vanilla extract, and whisk together until they're evenly blended. Then whisk in the chocolate mixture until smooth & pour the filling into the piecrust.

4. Place the pie on the center oven rack & bake it for 35 minutes. Rotate it 180 degrees, then continue to bake until it puffs up and forms a thin crusty layer, about 20 minutes more. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool for at least 1 1/2 hours. Serve it slightly warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if you like. (I made homemade whipped cream--so easy, use a mixer to blend 1/4C sugar with 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream--mix it until fluffy...yum!!)

Enjoy!

Chicken Puffs: easy, yummy...(not super healthy) :}

A while back I needed some comfort food...o.k., so you can probably tell by my recipe posts that I often think I need comfort food :)! Anyway, I found this easy chicken puff recipe on the All Recipes website. They are similar to the awesome chicken roll-ups that Lana makes.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed

3 TBS chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

3/4 pkg cream cheese (softened)

6 TBS butter (melted)

3 cans crescent rolls (I only used 2)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over med heat, slowly cook & stir chicken, onions & garlic. Cook until onions are tender & chicken is lightly browned.

2. In a medium bowl, blend chicken mixture, cream cheese & butter until creamy.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

4. Unroll croissants and create rectangles. Place approximately a TBS of the chicken mixture on each rectangle & fold it into a ball.

5. Arrange the chicken puffs on a baking sheet & bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Another favorite soup!

Hearty Potato Leek Soup with Kielbasa sausage...yum!

I found this recipe in the same mag that I discovered my other favorite soup recipe in (Italian Bean Soup); I have decided it's another keeper!

Ingredients

8 oz kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

3 TBS unsalted butter

2 lbs leeks, white & light green parts only, halved lengthwise and chopped (see note below)

1 lb red potatoes, scrubbed & cut into 3/4-inch chunks

1 TBS all-purpose flour

4 C low sodium chicken broth

S&P

Directions:

1. Brown kielbasa in Dutch oven over med-high heat, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate.

2. Add butter, leeks, and potatoes to empty pot and cook until leeks begin to soften, about 5 min. Stir in flour until absorbed, about 1 min. Slowly whisk in broth & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium & simmer until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes.

3. Transfer 1 1/2 cups soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return to pot. Stir in kielbasa. Season with S&P. Serve.

Notes:

*Be sure to wash the leeks well to remove any grit or dirt (fyi, I found leeks in the produce section of walmart but until I discovered them I had planned to just use onions & some garlic...either would probably work)

*The recipe calls for just 8oz of the sausage--if you buy it in the pkg that comes with the two links it's only half of that pkg, but I went back and added in more sausage b/c it gives the soup so much flavor.

*I served this with a caesar salad & Pepperidge Farm cheese bread--they worked well together! Great comfort food! :)

*One last note--the recipe said that it was the pureeing of the soup base & the TBS of flour that made this soup thick & hearty in such a short amount of time.

Enjoy!

Toffee,Chocolate Chip, Pecan Shortbread cookies

This is not exactly a Valentines cookie, but I found it in a magazine and it was listed as "quick and easy," so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did! Trent says these have moved onto his favorite cookies list. They're a true shortbread cookie though, so keep that in mind (meaning they're not especially moist) but the flavor is great!

Ingredients:

8 TBS (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temp

1/4 C confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 C flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I didn't have mini, so I just used regular and it seemed to work fine--I might try mini next time just to see the difference)

1/2 C toffee bits (I used the Heath Bit o' Brickle that I now find all the time at Walmart--FYI, Alyssa! :))

1/2 C chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together butter, confectioners' sugar & vanilla until smooth. Stir in flour and salt just until a dough forms. Fold in choc. chips, toffee bits & pecans.

2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place on prepared baking sheet, 1 inch apart, press down lightly on each one with a moistened palm. (I didn't press down on them at this point--when I checked to see if they were done, I used a fork to lightly press each one and they were easier to work with at that point--then I cooked them for a minute more)

3. Bake until cookies are firm & just golden around edges, 12-14 minutes. Place baking sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days.

**This recipe only makes about 2 dozen cookies...I am sure that I will try doubling it the next time I make them. This size batch doesn't last long!

Enjoy!

Snow Ice Cream

This is a Paula Deen recipe...easy and perfect to make with all of the snow we have in our yards today!

Ingredients:

8 cups snow, or shaved ice
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Place snow or shaved ice into a large bowl. Pour condensed milk over and add vanilla. Mix to combine. Serve immediately in bowls.

Vodka Sauce Parma Rosa

** I bought one of those Knorrs sauce mix packets at Super Target last week and used it to make our dinner tonight. It was REALLY good, easy, and everyone ate & enjoyed it.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped (I just used onion)
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons vodka (I used chicken broth since I didn't have vodka)
Knorr parma rosa sauce mix (1 pkg.)
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup light cream or milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
8 ounces pasta (I used Rigatoni), cooked and drained

Directions:
1. In 3 quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and cook shallot, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in vodka and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Stir in parma rosa mix blended with milk and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheese. Simmer 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened.
3. To serve, toss sauce with hot pasta. Serve, if desired, with freshly ground pepper and additional grated parmesan cheese.

** I sauteed some chicken earlier and added that to it when I tossed everything together. Would also be good with shrimp.

** Mushrooms would be good in it too.

Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Lemon, and Asparagus

REALLY easy recipe from Martha Stewart

• 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 package cut-up whole chicken (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it tasted good, but I think next time I would use a regular chicken like it called for since I think the skin would insure that it did not dry out)
• 1 bunch asparagus (1 pound), trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme (I used dried in my spice cabinet)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place potatoes and half the butter in a roasting pan; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until potatoes are golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes.

3. Scatter asparagus, lemon, remaining butter, and thyme around chicken. Roast until asparagus is tender and chicken is opaque throughout, 5 to 15 minutes. Serve chicken, vegetables, and lemon drizzled with pan juices.