Mini Turkey Pot Pies



After a Christmas dinner, there's always the inevitable leftovers.  Whether the leftovers are dreaded or a delight, is really up to us.  Nick loves pies in all shapes and forms.  From fruit pies, crumble pies, pumpkin, to meat pies, all pies are viewed and eaten equally and finished quickly.   So when we found out William Sonoma was selling the Breville Mini Pie Maker during the Christmas season, we quickly picked one up before they sold out.  It was handy for making leftovers a delight. The pie maker can make 4 pies but we chose to make 3 pies as that's exactly 1 sheet of Pillbury pie crust.  They do make perfect pies in 10 minutes.  We're looking forward to using this with beef stews, cooked fruits, chunky sauces.  This machine will probably be used very regularly to put leftovers to go use.  If you want to see the other uses of the Breville Mini Pie Maker...take a look at our recipe for Beef Stew Mini Pies here.

Mini Turkey Pot Pies

Makes 3 Mini Pies (machine has the ability to make 4 pies)

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 10min

INGREDIENTS: 

- 1/2 pack of Pillsbury Pie crust (at room temperature)

- 2 cups of cooked turkey leftovers (we used Turkey, peas, carrots, stuffing, butternut squash)

- 3 tablespoons of Campbell's cream of chicken soup

HOW TO MAKE IT:

1) Preheat the Breville Mini Pie Maker (Red light means it's heating, Green light means it's ready)
2) Chop leftovers into little pieces, mix with 2-3 tablespoons of Cream of Chicken soup.
3) Roll out the Pillsbury pie crust, stamp 2 bottom crusts and 2 top crusts. 
4) Recombine the remaining pie crust, roll it out thinly, and stamp the last bottom and pie crust (you should have 3 tops and 3 bottoms)
5) Place bottom crust into the machine, use the black push wedge from the pie maker to set it into the pan, fill each pie up to the top and a bit more, making a mound on the top
6) Top pies with the top crust.
7) Lock machine, bake for 10 minutes.
8) Serve immediately.

3 Meat, 3 Cheese Pasta

3 Meat, 3 Cheese Pasta

Serves: 4

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 20min

INGREDIENTS: 

- 1/2lbs Lean ground beef

- 5 strips of Bacon

- 2 Italian Sausages

- 1 Red Pepper

- 1 medium size Onion

- 1 handful green beans

- 1 Jar of your favourite Pasta Sauce

- 1tbsp Olive Oil

- 1tbsp Italian Seasoning

- 1tbsp Fresh Diced Parsley

- 1 cup shredded cheddar Cheese

- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

- Pasta of your choice (approx. 1 cup per person)

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Dice the Red Pepper and Green beans and set aside.

- Dice the Onion and set aside.

- Slice the uncooked sausage and bacon into small chunks. Break apart ground beef into similar size chunks.

- Warm a frying pan over medium heat.

- Begin boiling a pot of water for the pasta.

- Add oil and Onions, stirring occasionally until the onion is starting to get soft.

- Add meat, and cook covered, stirring occasionally, add Italian Seasoning when partly cooked.

- Add vegetables, cover and cook for 3-4min.

- Start boiling the pasta, per the directions on the package.

- Add pasta sauce to meat/vegetable mix, reduce heat and let it simmer.

- Add parsley to the sauce just before serving, mix in thoroughly.

- Serve pasta, cover with sauce, and top with cheese.

Steak and Grilled Veggies

This: 

Came from this:

 

We usually buy our steak from St. Lawrence market or when AAA prime rib is on sale in a grocery store then slice the steak ourselves (so we get steaks of proper thickness, which is about 1.5" thick).  So simple to make we almost have steak weekly.  That's simply awesome.

STEAK and GRILLED VEGGIES

Serves: 2

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 25min

INGREDIENTS: 

- 2 Steaks (we used prime rib steak, with the bone removed). A proper steak should be roughly 1.25-1.5 inches thick, and cut to even thickness, without thick/thin spots.
- Montreal Steak Spice
- 2tbsp butter, softened but not melted
- Vegetables of your choice (in this case 1 each of: White Onion, Red Pepper and Zucchini)

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Chop vegetables into large chunks and set aside. If using Onions, set those aside separately.
- Heat a frying pan to HIGH heat (do NOT use a non-stick Pan. If you have it use a Grill pan or Cast Iron pan)
- When the pan is hot, butter one side of the steaks, then sprinkle with steak spice.
- Place steaks, buttered/seasoned side down in the pan.
- Butter and season the other side of the steak (while It's in the pan).
- Cook for 6min per side for Medium-Rare to Medium, Less for a more Rare steak, and more for a more well done steak.
- Place the steaks on a place to rest, covering tightly with tin foil, and leave them covered until ready to serve.
- Using the same pan the steaks were in, add onions, cook for approx 2min, stirring often.
- Add other vegetables, stirring occasionally, and cook until they reach your desired tenderness. Approx 3-4min.
- Serve and Enjoy!

Crispy Cheesy Toast

Inspired by Ace Bakery's Cheddar mini crisps and the need to do something useful with a dry baguette...came the creation of Crispy Cheesy Toast.  They are tasty and incredibly addictive, but also simple to make.  Good as a snack or at a party.  They don't last long at home, I can barely keep myself from devouring it all right out of the oven.

CRISPY CHEESY TOAST

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 10min

INGREDIENTS:

Well Aged Cheddar (I prefer 5 year old Balderson cheddar, if you are using younger cheddar that is not a strong, you may need to add a bit of sea salt to the top.)

A baguette

Olive Oil
Sea salt (optional)

HOW TO MAKE IT:

1) Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

2) Slice old baguette into 1/4 inch slice toasts

3)  Grate a mound of cheddar

3) Brush both sides of the toast with olive oil and lay flat on a baking sheet

4) Sprinkle the toasts lightly with grated cheddar cheese, sprinkle sea salt if needed.

5) Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges of the toast is slightly brown

Oven Roasted Chestnuts

You know it's the holiday season when chestnuts show up in grocery stores.  And while I do love chestnuts roasting on an open fire....(queue festive songs that annoy Nick because I only know the tune and have made up the rest of the words), alas...I live in a condo where a fireplace is not readily accessible so an oven will have to do.  

 

Roasted Chestnuts

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 20min

INGREDIENTS: 

1lb of Chestnuts (Pick ones that are not shriveled up and do not have holes in them)

HOW TO MAKE IT: 

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2) Wash chestnuts in a bowl of water

3) Find the flat side of each chestnut and cut a large "X" with a sharp paring knife all the way through the skin.

4) Place on a baking sheet with X side up and bake for 20-30 minutes, until cooked.  It usually means I can crack the shell open by squishing it in a towel.

TIP: 

More of a warning -- Cut a large defined X on the chestnut or else they could explode if the steam is unable to escape from within the chestnut.  Some of my "X"s were not sufficiently large and it caused 2 chestnuts to explode in the oven (makes for an annoying cleanup, and a burnt chestnut smell the next time I used the oven), and one chestnut targeted Nick as he took them out of the oven spraying a fine mist of chestnut debris all over the kitchen.  We still occasionally find bits of it stuck on the fridge or a cabinet door.  

Sunday French Toast

Lazy Sundays....what could be better then rolling out of bed at 10am, or 11am or my personal favorite, after 12 noon.  This would be the easiest breakfast with no fuss.  Use a good non-stick pan and you don't even need to butter the pan (unless you want to).

 

SUNDAY FRENCH TOAST

Serves: 2

approx prep time: 2min

approx cook time: 10min

INGREDIENTS: 

4 Slices of bread (photo is of a french bread loaf, but our personal favorite is Cobs Bread:  white bread loaf)

4 Eggs (Eggs vary depending on how absorbent the bread is)

Toppings:  Fruit, butter Syrup, Cinnamon, or my personal favorite: melted Lindt Bittersweet dark chocolate or Toblerone Dark bars.

Non stick frying pan

HOW TO MAKE IT:

1) Whisk eggs in a wide shallow bowl with a fork.

2) Dip bread in eggs lightly on both sides.

3) Place dipped egg bread into pan and cook each side until golden brown.

4)  Serve with a side of fruit and your french toast topping of choice.

Burgers!

BURGERS

Serves: 2

approx prep time: 15min

approx cook time: 15min

INGREDIENTS: 

- 1lbs Lean ground beef

- 4 strips of Bacon

- 1 small onion (finely diced)

- 3-4 sweet gherkin pickles (finely diced)

- 2tbsp Montreal Steak Spice

- 2tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

- 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

- Toppings of choice (Pickles, Tomato, etc..)

- Buns of choice (Kaiser rolls recommended)

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Cook the bacon in half strips until crispy and set aside.

- Combine ground beef, diced onion, diced gherkins, Montreal steak spice, and parmesan cheese, mixing throughly.

- Form mix into patties, roughly 3 to 3.5" in diameter and 1" thick.

- Cook to desired doneness. I use either a grill pan, or a mini george foreman grill. If cooking in a frying pan or grill pan, you'll want to cook for about 5-6min per side for Medium.
- When cooked, put the burgers on the bun, with all the fixings, and serve hot!

Herb and Cheese Crusted Lamb

HERB AND CHEESE CRUSTED LAMB

Serves: 3-4

approx prep time: 20min

approx cook time: 20min

INGREDIENTS: 

1 Rack of lamb (thawed and Frenched and at room temperature)

2 slices of bread

1/4 cup finely chopped Parsley

1 tbsp finely chopped Rosemary

2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

4 tbsp Grainy Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated

2 tbsp Butter, melted

salt

pepper

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Pre heat the oven to 425 F

- Toast the slices of bread, then chop into small pieces (small cubes, but not quite crumbs).

- Mix bread crumbs, chopped parsley, rosemary, garlic and grated Parmesan cheese together in a large enough bowl to fit the rack of lamb.

- In a separate, small bowl or glass, mix melted butter and mustard.

- Heat a cooling pan of your choice over medium-high heat.

- Season the rack of lamb on all sides generously with salt and pepper.

- Sear each side of the rack in the pan (add a small amount of oil if the pan is not non-stick.) for approx 4 min per side.

- Brush all sides of the lamb with the butter/mustard mix.

- Roll lamb in the breadcrumb/herb/cheese mix. You may need to pat it on top to get it to stick if you're breadcrumbs are too large.

- Bake for 12-15 minutes (for a medium-rare to medium doneness.  See comments for meat temperatures). If you prefer your lamb more well done, cover the rack with foil after 10min to prevent the breadcrumbs from burning.

- Cover with foil and let rest for 3-5min before slicing and serving.

COMMENTS: Allow internal temperature to be 5 to 10 degrees less than you like because the meat will continue to cook while it sits. Bloody rare: 115 to 125 degrees F Rare: 125 to 130 degrees F Medium rare: 130 to 140 degrees F Medium: 140 to 150 degrees F

Mega Nachos

MEGA NACHOS

Serves: 4-6

approx prep time: 25min

approx cook time: 15min

INGREDIENTS: 

- 1 Bag nacho chips (I used Tostitos Rounds)

- 3-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

- 6-8 strips of thick sliced bacon, cooked then diced

- 1/2 lbs Lean Ground Beef, crumbled, cooked, and drained.

- 1 Chicken Breast, diced, and cooked (we cooked ours in the leftover bacon fat for extra flavour)

- 4 Green onions, diced (extra small)

- 1 yellow, orange or red pepper, diced

- 1 green pepper, diced

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Preheat the oven to 350F.

- In a large oven safe dish, layer about a third of the chips, sprinkle with roughly a third of each of the toppings (peppers, onions, bacon, beef, chicken, and cheese).

- Layer half of the remaining chips ontop. Cover that layer with half the remaining toppings.

- Finally layer on what's left of the chips, and finish off with the last of the toppings. You may want to sprinkle the top layer with a little extra cheese for show.

- Bake for approx. 15min, until the top layer of cheese is just starting to brown.

- Server straight out of the oven with or without salsa and/or sour cream!

White and Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

My friend Melly first made these insanely awesome cookies back in the day when I lived close to her place.  She use to feed me about 3x a week.  She'd only bake with the best ingredients, so when it came to cookies, it HAD to be white chocolate Tolberones and Dark Lindt.  Now that I'm spoiled, I refuse to make cookies with any thing else.  If there was cocoa powder in the recipe, it had to be Valrhona brand (at $14.50 a 250g box, it was pricey)...and she makes the meanest chocolate bundt cake around, but that's another story for another time.  In any case, stock up on Toblerones and Lindt right after Christmas.

These are definitely one of the more chocolate infused cookies out there.  Nick loves cookies.  I love chocolate. The cookie dough is really just a vehicle to hold on to the chocolate.  I usually make them in large batches and freeze most of them so that Nick and bake up fresh cookies whenever he wants.

The ingredients

Cookie crumble batter

Close up of raw cookie crumble

Raw cookie dough ready for the freezer

Freshly baked cookies

White and Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

makes approximately 62 cookies

approx prep time: 45min

approx cook time: 10min

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour loosely packed

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

250g of chopped Lindt bittersweet dark chocolate
200g of chopped white chocolate Toberlone

How to:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.

2) In a large bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth.

3) Beat in the eggs and vanilla, until well blended. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chunks by hand using a wooden spoon.

4) Mold cookies into 2 inch rounds.  At this point, you can either bake them or freeze them.  As you can see, I've frozen all of mine on a baking sheet lined with parchment before bagging into freezer bags.

5)  If baking:  Place each cookie dough round 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

6) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are light brown. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.  If baking from frozen, it 10-12 minutes depending on cookie size and oven variances (it takes 11 minutes in my oven).  Don't over bake, or they won't be soft and chewy.

Modified from original recipe here.

Slow cooked Roast Beef

SLOW COOKED ROAST BEEF

Serves: 6

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 7 hours

Super simple, fall apart, roast beef done in the slow cooker. Great for hot sandwiches, or served with rice or potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:

- Roast of your choice (We used a Sirloin roast for this one) approx. 4lbs

- Schwartz's Steak & Beef spice (from Schwartz's Deli in Montreal, which can also be ordered online at http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/. Or for an easier to get solution, you can use Montreal Steak Spice)

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Rub all sides of the roast generously in seasoning.

- Place the roast in the slow cooker, along with approx 2tbsp of water.

- Cook on low for 7-8 hours (7 hours for a roast 4lbs or less, and 8 hours for a 4-6lbs roast).

- Do not open the lid of the slow cooker while cooking, or until ready to serve.

- Slice and serve immediately.

Slow cooked BBQ Ribs

SLOW COOKED BBQ RIBS

serves: 5

approx prep time: 5min

approx cook time: 7hours

A super simple BBQ ribs recipe, that makes delicious fall off the bone ribs! You'll need a slow cooker/crock pot for this one.

INGREDIENTS: 
- 3 racks of pork side ribs.
- 1 bottle of your favourite BBQ sauce. We use Diana Original BBQ sauce.

HOW TO MAKE IT: 
- Cut ribs into chunks of roughly 3 to 5 bones each.
- Layer ribs in slow cooker, adding a bit of BBQ sauce between each layer.
- Pour a bit of extra BBQ sauce on top of the last ribs.
- Cook in the slow cooker on low for 7 hours.
- When serving, drizzle a little bit of BBQ sauce on the ribs as soon as they come out of the slow cooker.


NOTE: If cooking the ribs from frozen, thaw them for 12 hours in the fridge first, and adjust the cooking time to be 2 hours on High, followed by 5 hours on low.

Baked Potato Wedges

"These are the best fries ever!" quoted by Nick's nephew.  They definitely are, crispy and crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, they are a hit with adults and children alike.  The best part is....they couldn't be simpler! 

BAKED POTATO WEDGES

approx prep time: 5min

approx cook time: 40min

These are a quick and easy french fry substitute, and they taste great!

INGREDIENTS: 
- Russet Potatoes (1/2 to 1 potato per person)

- Coarse Salt (Sea Salt works well)

- Ground Pepper

- Olive or Vegetable oil

HOW TO MAKE IT: 
- Pre-Heat oven to 425F
- Cover a baking sheet generously in oil
- Cut potatoes into quarters (Be sure to wash them throughly first!).
- Roll potatoes in oil until well covered on all sides.
- Stand potatoes on the skin side, on the baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 40min, turning 3 or 4 times, so that each side gets at least 10min touching the pan and in the leftover oil.
- Serve right out of the oven!

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Scenario:  It's a gloomy Sunday morning, the grey skies cause us to sleep in undisturbed by light, alarm clocks, or annoying fire alarms, and we accidentally wake up at 11am.  The time for breakfast is long over, I mean, even McDonald's stop serving breakfast at 11am, but we're hungry!  What do we do? 

Sunday brunches have long been my favourite occasions.  Past brunches we've made waffles and french toast, but today Nick craved pancakes.  So I went to make them.  Well...I made the batter, and Nick cooked them...I can't take all the credit. 

The buttermilk + baking soda + baking powder made them the lightest, fluffy pancakes we've ever had!  It's not too bad for you either health wise, as the entire recipe only has 2 tablespoons of butter, and if you use a good non-stick skillet, you don't even have to grease the pan. 

This is definitely a Sunday brunch staple from now on.  Served with ripe pineapple, raspberries, blackberries and thick sliced crispy bacon...they make any gloomy day brighter. 

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Serves: 4
makes approximately 22 (3 inch wide) pancakes

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 10min

Ingredients:

1 cup of buttermilk + a bit more for adjustment

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 mixing bowls (small and large)

How to: 

1)      Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl.

2)      Whisk egg and melted butter into 1 cup of buttermilk into the large mixing bowl.

3)      Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.  If the batter looks too thick to pour, add more buttermilk until it is a pourable pancake mixture texture.

4)      Heat a large non stick skillet over medium heat.  Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side. 

Serve immediately, with a pat of butter and maple syrup, and side of bacon and fruit.

Modified from original recipe here. 

Bacon Nachos!

BACON NACHOS

Serves: 4

approx prep time: 15min

approx cook time: 10min

INGREDIENTS: 
- 1 Bag nacho chips (I used Tostitos Rounds)

- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

- 6-8 strips of thick sliced bacon, cooked then diced

- 3 Green onions, diced (extra small)

- 1 red pepper, diced

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Pre heat the oven to 350F.

- In a large oven safe dish, layer about a third of the chips, sprinkle with roughly a third of each of the toppings (peppers, onions, bacon, and cheese).

- Layer half of the remaining chips ontop. Cover that layer with half the remaining toppings.

- Finally layer on what's left of the chips, and finish off with the last of the toppings. You may want to sprinkle the top layer with a little extra cheese for show.

- Bake for approx. 10min, until the top layer of cheese is just starting to brown.

- Server straight out of the oven with or without salsa and/or sour cream!

Hidden Rose Apples

Nick found these at Longos the other day.  At about $1.20 an apple, they weren't cheap, but the allure of having a green apple on the outside, but a pink hue on the inside, was alluring. 

Apparently Hidden Rose Apples are only available in November and possibly December.   They have the same texture as a Granny Smith apple,  the taste is a little different.  Some say they taste like Strawberry Lemonade but I didn't experience that at all, it was tart and sweet at the same time, more so then a granny smith.  The rose colour was fun to see and eat.  A friend of mine that tried it with me mentioned it reminded her of a poisoned apple from the Snow White fairytale. 

Apparently these Hidden Rose Apple® is patented, trademarked and registered exclusively by Dragonberry Produce Inc. located in Clackamas, Oregon.  They are only harvested once in late October.  They are grown organically, and no pesticides are ever used.  They also scar easily, so only 40-50% of apples are blemish free to be shipped to your the grocer. 

Interesting apple, it's definitely fun to eat....I wonder how they would do if cooked, in a crumble, or a pie.  I think they would give a great colour to smoothies and such as well (though I think it's a bit of a waste.)

Have you tried these?  I think Longos would still have them.  Have you found them in other grocery stores?

(edit: actually posted by Cindy,  it just says Nick because he added the picture)

Stuffed Peppers

STUFFED PEPPERS

Serves: 4-6

approx prep time: 20min

approx cook time: Filling: 10min, Peppers: 30min

INGREDIENTS: 

- Green (Or red/orange/yellow) Peppers

- 1.5 cups white rice

- 1tsbp butter

- 3-4 Chorizo sausages
- 2-3 Green onions
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- approx. 1.5 cups of Tomato or meat sauce of your choice... I'll post the recipe for my home made, slow cooked meat sauce soon!


HOW TO MAKE IT:
- Cook the rice according to the directions on the package (For plain white rice this should be: 1.5 cups rice, 2.5 cups water, 1tbsp butter, bring to a boil, reduce temp and cook covered for 20min).

- Cut the tops off the peppers and save the tops for later. Clean out the inside of the peppers to make room for the filling.
- Soak the peppers in a sink or bowl full of hot water for about 5min.
- Pre-heat oven to 350C.
- Dice onions and remaining pieces of pepper.
- Remove sausages from casing, and break into small chunks.
- Bring a large frying pan to temperature over medium heat.
- Brown the green onions in Olive oil slightly.
- Add sausage chunks and brown those as well.
- Add green pepper chunks and cook covered for 2-3min.
- Reduce stove to low heat.
- Add rice, 3/4 cup of sauce, and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese
- Mix well.
- Place peppers standing in an oven safe dish or pan.
- Stuff peppers with mix, top with 1/5th cup of sauce per pepper, and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Bake at 350C. for 25-30min.
- Serve right away.