There is nothing at all wrong with buying your pie dough.  I do it all the time.  Those twin packs of Pillsbury pie dough are convenient and really tasty.  However, if you can find the time to make pie dough from scratch, it is well worth it.  The great thing about this particular recipe is that it makes enough for a double crusted pie so you can use one now and keep the other in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Since I was going to make quiche with this pie crust, I had to blind bake it.  I hate blind baking.  I always feel like my efforts to make an attractive edge are futile.  After putting the dough in the pie plate you have to put in and take out the foil and pie weights which inevitably causes some part of the edge to get bumped.  I am not good at this.  This time I also had a little trouble with the crust sliding down from the top of the plate during baking, so I had to squish the still pliable dough back up to the top of the plate.  After searching a little on this issue I learned that a quick rest in the freezer would have kept it from losing as much of its shape during the blind baking.  An obvious thing that I probably should have known to do, but didn’t.   Even though this crust was far from the prettiest it was delicious.

Thanks to the generous amount of butter, this crust is absolutely delicious.  You just cannot beat the flavor of butter.  The crust is also slightly flaky and the layers just melt in your mouth.  A mix of butter and shortening is supposed to yield a more flaky dough, so I will have to try that sometime.  The dough comes together quickly in a food processor, but you can also use a pastry blender.  It rolls out easily, but do make sure you dust your surface and rolling pin with flour as you’re rolling.  After a few rolls make sure you pick up your dough and rotate it 90 degrees.  I have the tendency to roll with more pressure when the pin is closest to me and less pressure when it is far away.  So rotating the dough not only helps with sticking, but also with keeping your dough an even thickness.

This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.

Pâte Brisée

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup ice water, more if needed

Ham & Cheese Quiche

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup non-fat evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup grated white cheddar
• 1/2 cup chopped ham
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1 pie crust

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Blind bake the pie crust for 7 minutes, then remove the pie weights, (rice, beans, etc.) and bake for an additional 4 minutes.
3. Whisk eggs, whites, milk, salt and pepper until foamy.
4. Stir in ham, cheese and scallions.
5. Pour filling into pie crust and bake for 35-45 minutes.  Center can be slightly jiggly, but bake for the longer time if you want a firmer texture.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

This meal was an adaptation of a recipe I found on epicurious, here is the link to the original recipe that uses snap peas and capers.  I used haricots verts, added cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced my potatoes and used some different seasonings.  Instead of grilling the packets, I baked them in the oven.  Many of the comments on the website talk about the variations on this dish and all the many things you can use to make these packets fit what you like or what you have in the kitchen.

Ben and I both thought it was a nice, light dinner.  We also liked the amount of clean up!  As long as you don’t cut through the foil (like I did on one of the packets) you won’t have any pots and pans to clean.  There are a few things I would do differently the next time I make these.  I’d probably skip the tomatoes.  While I love the color they add, they were just too mushy.  Maybe a few slices of sun-dried tomatoes would have been better, or roast them separately and toss them on after the fish is baked.  I’d also add less liquid, or serve with some nice crusty bread to soak up the sauce.  If you want it less saucy, shoot for the smaller amount of liquid listed below.  I did not make my foil long enough, so everything was really crammed together in the packets.

For the seasoning I used Citrus Seafood Rub from Adams Reserve seasoning that I bought at HEB.  The ingredient list printed on the label includes garlic, onion, coriander, dill weed, tarragon, pepper, paprika, fennel seed, lime and lemon oil.  If you can’t find this rub, but I would suggest you at least try to find it because it is so delicious, you could use some of the spices listed in the rub, or find another seafood rub or any spice mix you enjoy.

Tilapia Packets with Potatoes and Haricots Verts

Ingredients

• 4 tilapia fillets
• 2-3 red potatoes, thinly sliced, larger slices halved
• 1-2 cups haricots verts, cut in half
• 12-15 cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
• salt and pepper
• Adams Citrus Seafood Rub (or another seafood seasoning you like)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2-4 tablespoons white wine or chicken broth
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• Parsley, freshly chopped, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Toss potatoes and haricots verts with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
3. Cut 4 pieces of heavy duty foil into 18-inch pieces, fold each in half, then unfold.  Spray one side with cooking spray and lay one fillet down.  Season with salt, pepper and between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon of the spice rub.  Sprinkle with 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice.
4. Take 1/4 of the vegetables and spread them around the fish.  Add halved cherry tomatoes now if using.  Fold up the sides of the foil and pour 1/2-1 tablespoon of wine around the edge.  Dot the top with a few small pieces of butter.  Fold the top of the foil down and crimp all the edges together.  Cut a small slit in the top of the packet and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Repeat with remaining fillets and bake packets for 15-20 minutes.  Check a potato slice for doneness.
6. Open packets, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

The recipe is simple.  Sauteed veggies mixed with chicken in a simple chicken broth sauce spiced with cinnamon and cumin and served over whole wheat couscous.  I made things even easier by shredding a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the pound of chicken breasts the recipe calls for.  I also left out the tomato paste, did not drain the canned tomatoes, used 2 cups of broth instead of 1, and garnished with fresh cilantro and mint.  The combination of fresh herbs with the spices was wonderful.

You can easily make this a vegetarian dish by leaving out the chicken, using vegetable broth, adding more tomatoes, zucchini, chickpeas, or trying some different veggies.  I guess you could use some type of mock meat…if you’re into that kind of stuff.  I have tried and actually liked some of those choices, like a Philly “Steak” made with seitan at a food truck called Counter Culture in Austin.  Thanks for taking me, Sarah!  It really wasn’t bad, but I don’t see myself ever cooking it.  If I am going to cook something vegetarian at home, I stick with veggies and protein packed beans.  Plus I don’t think Ben would ever go for it.  He had a hard time eating chicken sausage, so I don’t think he’d go for tofu or seitan in place of good ol’ reliable meat.

Chicken and Chickpea Stew

Adapted slightly from epicurious.com

Ingredients

• 1 small rotisserie chicken, shredded (use 2-3 cups of chicken)
• 1 box whole wheat couscous (prepare what you need according to the instructions)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 zucchini, chopped into 3/4 inch chunks
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• chopped fresh cilantro and mint for garnish (0ptional)

My dinner plans were to make these meatballs from this recent Smitten Kitchen post, Scallion Meatballs with Soy Ginger Glaze.  But after reading through the recipe I decided to look for a baked meatball recipe (instead of pan fried) with more substance that would serve as a meal and not a glorified appetizer.  That search led me to this recipe from Skinny Taste, Asian Turkey Meatballs with Sesame Lime Dipping Sauce.  So I combined the two, and with a little tweaking here and there I wound up with these.

Serve these meatballs with some rice to soak up the delicious sauce.  We ate them with white rice, but brown would be a great choice, and a healthier one.  Simple steamed broccoli is a perfect side dish.  There is so much flavor in the meatballs that you don’t really need anything else.  I used a mixture of turkey and beef because I had an extra 1/2 pound of lean ground beef from another recipe I wanted to use, but use all turkey if you like.  Enjoy!

Baked Asian Turkey Meatballs with Soy Ginger Sauce

Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup panko crumbs
• 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tbsp peeled ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 3 tsp sesame oil

Directions

1. Combine ground turkey, beef, panko, egg, salt, scallions, ginger, cilantro, and soy sauce.  Mix with your hands until combined well.
2. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining mixture.
3. Bake at 400°F until cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup soy sauce, reduced sodium
• 1/2 cup white wine (or mirin)
• 1/4 cup peeled ginger, chopped

Directions

1. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar melts completely.
2. Reduce heat to a medium-low and add soy sauce, wine and ginger.
3. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced, 20-30 minutes.  You can simmer it longer to get a thicker sauce.
4. Serve sauce on top of meatballs and rice.  You can strain the sauce to get rid of the ginger pieces, but I left mine in the sauce.

This recipe is from a cookbook my mother-in-law gave me a few years ago called “Twenty Minute Chicken Dishes”.  If I had made this meal in one sitting, I think I would have been able to do it in twenty minutes.  But with a little guy around, I had to find a way to do some prep beforehand.  I made the sauce in a mini food processor (something I love having around), and kept in the fridge all day.  So all I had to do once we were ready to eat was pound the chicken out, cook it for 5 minutes per side, then warm up the sauce.  Easy.

Pouring this yummy sauce over chicken is but one of the many ways to use it.  It has great roasted pepper flavor, a nice creamy texture (without using any cream) and I think it would be great on beef, fish, vegetables and pasta as well.

This recipe serves 2 with some sauce leftover, probably enough for 2 more chicken breasts.  The sauce could easily be doubled, but I’m not sure if you could freeze it since it contains sour cream.  If you want to freeze the sauce, puree it without the sour cream, then add it in after thawing.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons butter and 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 12-ounce jar roasted red (or red and yellow) peppers, drained and patted dry
• 1/4 cup light sour cream
• 2 tablespoons salsa (I used Arriba Garlic and Cilantro)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil, cilantro or parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Make sauce: Combine peppers, salsa, sour cream, flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth. Set aside (or refrigerate for up to 2 days).
2. Pound chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. Pat dry, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook chicken, 4-5 minutes per side, until done.  You may need to do this in batches if your chicken breasts are too large for your pan.  Remove chicken to a plate and cover with foil.
4. Add garlic to pan, cook for 1-2 minutes, do not let it burn.  Add red pepper sauce, reduce heat to medium-low, and stir until sauce thickens slightly, 3-5 minutes.
5. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with herbs and serve.

I changed a few things.  More bacon, of course.  I’m pretty sure I doubled it, but I wasn’t really keeping track.  I also roasted some brussels sprouts along with the other vegetables.  I didn’t think I liked brussels sprouts until about 5 years ago when my husband’s aunt cooked them for Thanksgiving.  It was a huge eye opener for me.  I guess I’d just always thought I was supposed to hate them, so I did, without any good reason.  Thank you, Lynn!  They might be one of of my favorite vegetables now.  I also opted to use medium pasta shells because I was not about to pay $8 for a bag of orcchiette.  Not going to happen, Martha.  I shaved big hunks of Parmesan into the pasta but I wished I’d grated at least some of it, as the recipe suggests.  It’s nice to get those big pieces of salty cheese, but I think smaller pieces that can make their way into the nooks and crannies of the pasta would’ve been better.  A few shaved pieces on top are all you need.

This was a lovely dinner.  A definite comfort food that fed 4 quite generously.  I will be making this again as the weather continues to cool off.  Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-4 ounces bacon, preferably slab, chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 head cauliflower, trimmed into 1 1/2-inch florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 bag of brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces orecchiette or other medium pasta shape
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 ounces), plus more, shaved, for garnish
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Greek food is something I could eat everyday and not get sick of.  If I wanted something light, I could have  a refreshing Greek salad loaded with tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, parsley and feta.  In the mood for something warm and comforting…lamb gyro slathered with tzatziki or a nice plate full of pastitsio.  And then there is baklava…oh, baklava…

These dinner sized spanakopita are not too light or too heavy, but are not exactly easy to prepare.  I found myself quite frustrated with phyllo dough by the last few pies.  My tip to you is this.  Make sure you buy your phyllo a day before you plan to make these and let it defrost in the fridge overnight.  I let mine stand at room temp to defrost and a section of it got too wet from defrosting and was incredibly sticky.  I spent a lot of time and energy wrestling with it.

The spinach and feta filling dotted with yummy toasted pine nuts is simple and delicious.  Taste the spinach and onion mixture before adding the eggs and make sure it is well salted.  I found the filling to be a little lacking in salt.

Spinach & Feta Spanakopita

Courtesy of Ina Garten, Back to Basics

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
• 4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Plain dry bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups small-diced feta (12 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 24 sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Directions

Yes, I made yet another meal with couscous.  I like couscous.  My grocery store had whole wheat this time, so I grabbed 2 boxes just in case they decide to stop carrying it again.  This is an incredibly simple meal to prepare.  The only bad part is having the oven not only on, but on at 450°F to roast the vegetables.  It’s in the triple digits outside, so it does seem a little crazy to make it even hotter inside.  I do love the flavor that roasting vegetables produces, so it’s worth it.  The combination of rich roasted vegetables with the cumin and the bright flavor of the lemon is wonderful.

This recipe came from my dear friend Martha Stewart.  I played with it a little bit, but will not say that I “adapted” it at all.  I used baby carrots, omitted the arugula completely, and then the dressing I just mixed up without measuring.  I used about a tablespoon of olive oil, the zest and juice of one large lemon, and salt and pepper.  I’ve said this before, I do not like things to be overdressed or sauced.  You can always add more, but you can’t take any away.  It’s like cutting bangs, sort of.  Some of you know what I mean.  Anyway, start by adding a little dressing, taste, and then add more to your liking.  The recipe below reflects my changes.  The original can be found here.  Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Couscous Salad

Courtesy of marthastewart.com

Ingredients

The only thing I would do differently with this recipe is to use bone-in chicken instead of boneless chicken breasts.  I knew that might be an issue, but I wanted to use what I had, and what I had was boneless chicken breasts.  Our chicken was a tad dry after cooking all day, in my opinion anyway.  Ben thought it was good, but Ben thinks most of what I make is good…I think he was just being nice : )

As far as flavor goes, this was a good slow cooker meal.  The apricots and raisins get nice and plump after soaking up the cooking liquid and add a nice sweetness to the dish.  The carrots stay surprisingly sturdy, not at all mushy, as long as you’re generous with your cut.  I sliced them on a bias somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick.  A slight change I made was the addition of 2 extra carrots because I like more vegetables.  The original recipe calls for 2 onions, but since mine was rather large I only used one, and am glad that I did.

The slow cooker bible says DO NOT take the cover off the slow cooker while cooking!  I disobeyed this rule.  After about 4 hours of cooking  I stirred everything up so that the chicken would be covered in more liquid.  I don’t know how much of a difference that made.

Served atop the couscous, and sprinkled with the fresh cilantro and pine nuts, this meal is quite tasty.  The freshly made components make this seem less like your typical slow cooker meal.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken

Serves 4-6

From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

• 4-6 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 lb. meaty chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs, and drumsticks), skinned
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 1 14-oz. can chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Salt and Pepper
• Hot cooked couscous
• Pine nuts, toasted
• Fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

This turkey meatloaf can be made as one large loaf or 4 mini loaves.  I chose to do the mini ones so they would cook a bit quicker…and I like the idea of my own cute personal meatloaf.

Here is the link to the original recipe from skinnytaste.com.  I used 93/7 ground turkey, soaked the oats in a few tablespoons of buttermilk for some more moisture, and used a combination of dried thyme, basil, parsley and oregano instead of the marjoram.  Whatever herbs you like would be good.  These were tasty.  I’ll make them again.

With the leftover loaves I made meatloaf sandwiches the next night.  You don’t have to reheat the meat, just toast some whole wheat buns, spread with mayo, slice the meatloaf, layer on the bun and top with dill pickle slices.  Ben first opted out of the pickles, but after a few bites he decided to give them a chance and said it was much improved.  Enjoy!

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Adapted from skinnytaste.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1.3 lb 93% ground turkey
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk (or milk)
• 1/4 cup ketchup + 2 tbsp
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, basil, parsley and oregano
• salt and pepper to taste