Thai Peanut Chicken Pie

We all love Chicken Pot Pie, but I wanted something a little different so I combined a few ideas!





1 lb chicken breast, roasted and shredded(I did mine with garlic powder, oriental seasoning and pepper)
1 medium broccoli crown, chopped small
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 TB olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup peanut sauce(peanut butter is an acceptable sub if you want)
1/4 cup orange juice
1-2 tsp Thai Curry Paste(Green is Spiciest, then Red, Yellow is Milder)

1/4 cup chopped peanuts




Crust:
1 1/4 cup flour(GF alternative if you like, add 1 tsp xanthan gum)plus a bit for rolling
1/4 cup finely ground peanuts or peanut flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
6-8 TB ice water


Mix flour and peanuts together, in a food processor or high powered blender (or by hand) place flour mix butter and green onions, pulse until it resembles coarse sand. Add salt and ice water 1 TB at a time until it just holds together(dont go overboard on water!)













Remove and place on a hard surface, smoosh it down with the heels of your hands a few times. Form into a disk, sprinkle with flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.









Filling:










In a large pan heat oil over medium heat, add onion and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes until tender.




Add green onion, cilantro, chicken broth, peanut sauce, oj and curry paste. Simmer together for 2-3 minutes.








 Then add chicken, broccoli and pepper and stir well. Heat through.










Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish.










Sprinkle with peanuts

Preheat oven to 375









Remove crust dough from fridge, allow to warm for 5-10 minutes.

On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin GENTLY roll to just larger than 13 x 9 rectangle(I actually prefer to roll it on floured wax paper, it makes transfer so much easier!)

Gently place the crust over the top of the pie filling, tucking in the side as needed. Make 3 large slits, and brush with butter or egg wash if you like.

Bake for 35-45 minutes until it is browned and bubbly.

Strawberry Peach Vodka Slush

A nice refreshing drink for a sunny evening....

Enjoy responsibly ;)




5-6 frozen strawberries
1-2 slices frozen peaches
club soda
ice as needed
Peach flavored Vodka (Cîroc is AWESOME!!)

place strawberries and peaches in a blender, turn it on and slowly add the club soda(and more ice if desired) until a smooth slushy consistency is reached. Add in vodka. Pour in a glass and serve.

Colby Jack Bacon Mac and Peas

A little twist on plain ol' mac and cheese.











16 oz pasta of your choice( I used homemade gluten free macaroni)

6 slices bacon, chopped into pieces
1/4 cup flour OR 3 TB cornstarch
2 cups milk
8 oz shredded colby jack cheese
1 TB dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1/2 cup mashed cauliflower


Cook pasta according to package directions(or as needed for fresh)

Place bacon in a deep pan and cook over medium heat until tender crisp










If you are using flour, add it directly to the bacon and stir well until a nice paste forms, if you are using cornstarch whisk it into the cold milk.


Add milk to the pan and cook stirring often until thickened.






Add all but 1/2 cup of the cheese and mustard, stir until the cheese is melted.










Stir in peas.

Drain pasta(rinse if desired)








Mix pasta into cheese sauce and transfer to a greased baking dish.









Bake at 350 degrees until hot an bubbly(about 20-30 minutes) sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake just enough to melt it.

Gluten Free No Added Sugar Fruit and Oatmeal Cookies

I saw a recipe floating around facebook and it sounded good. No added sugar, just the natural sweetness of yummy fruit! I decided to change it up just a little bit though. This made me about 30 good sized cookies.  Great for a quick breakfast!








4 cups old fashioned oatmeal(certified GF in necessary)
3 mashed bananas(about 1 cup)
1 cup pureed pumpkin
2/3 cup applesauce(I used a granny smith apple)
1 cup raisins ( or craisins, or a mix of both!)
1/2 cup milk(almond, soy, cows, coconut, whatever you like)
1 egg( a flax egg is a great replacement if you cant have eggs*)
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt


*flax egg:
Mix 1 TB ground flax with 3 TB water, mix well and allow to sit until gelatinous(5 mins). Use in place of 1 egg.

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease cookie sheets.

Mix all your fruits together in a large bowl, add in milk, egg , cinnamon, powder, soda and salt.









Add in the oatmeal and mix very well.

Allow to sit for a few minutes to soften up the oats.









Scoop by heaping spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet, flatten slightly










Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.











Allow to cool on sheets for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to cool completely.

Root Beer Pulled Pork with Coleslaw and Fried Jalapenos

We took our son to a local BBQ joint for his birthday and I had the most delicious pulled pork sandwich! I figured it would be easy to make at home. I had an extra bottle of root beer leftover from his party(1 left with 3 kids in the house = CHAOS!) so I decided to use that. Very simple and delicious. You can use a hoagie, a tortilla or I put it over leftover corn bread!! Sorry no process pictures, I really didn't think about it while I was making it!!






2lb pork roast
12 oz bottle QUALITY root beer
1-2 TB Liquid Smoke
Seasoning Salt
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Pepper

Quality BBQ sauce of your choice, my favorite is Honey Bourbon

Fried Jalapenos
Fried Pickles
(THIS recipe  is my fave for both!)

Coleslaw:
8 oz coleslaw mix(premade or make your own, whatever you like)
1/3 cup mayo
3 TB sugar
1 TB milk
1 TB white vinegar
garlic powder
salt
pepper



Place the roast in a slow cooker, pour over root beer and liquid smoke, season to taste and cook 8-10 hours on low. Until the meat is falling apart (generally needs to be about 200 plus degrees when measured with a meat thermometer, it might seem like that is "over cooked" but it is NOT you just need it falling apart!)

Remove the roast, allow to cool until easily handle-able then shred well.

Return to the slow cooker juices, add in BBQ sauce to taste(depends on how sloppy you like it!)

Mix your coleslaw dressing , season to taste, then toss in the coleslaw mix.

Scoop pork over a hoagie, into a tortilla, over cornbread, over mashed or baked potato....whatever you like!!!

Add a few jalapenos and/or pickles and top with coleslaw!

Overnight Maple Bacon and Sausage Waffle Casserole

My son had a sleepover for his birthday so I wanted to have something to just throw in the oven for breakfast to feed the slew of hungry boys. This worked out very well! I found the original recipe HERE, and changed it a little bit.









12 waffles(I used gluten free Apple Carrot Waffles, you can use your favorite recipe or even frozen waffles if you like, just toast them first)
16 oz link sausage, cooked and sliced
6-8 oz bacon, cooked crisp
12 eggs
2 cups shredded cheddar(more if you like!)
2 cups milk
3/4 cup maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste


Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
Cook your bacon and sausage and slice as desired.

















Fit 6 of the waffles into the bottom of the dish(tearing/cutting as needed)

Sprinkle on the sausage and 1 cup of the cheese.






Layer the remaining waffles, crumbled bacon and remaining cup of cheese











Whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup. Season to taste.










Pour over the waffles.











Cover with plastic wrap, then place some kind of weight over the top...like another casserole dish with some cans or a cast iron pan...








Refrigerate overnight.

Allow the casserole to sit at room temp for 30 minutes before cooking!







Preheat oven to 350

Uncover and bake for 60-70 minutes until it is puffed in the middle and golden brown.

Allow to set for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

  I had a few slices left  so I froze them and wrapped them individually. Remove the plastic wrap in a paper towel and heat in the microwave(check after a minute, then go to 30 second intervals) for a quick breakfast!

Double Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Cake

This was my son's request for his 11th bday.....chocolate, chocolate and MORE chocolate LOL! Rather a process but WELL worth the effort!!!


















Brownies:(for in the ice cream and on top of the cake, I actually made these ahead of time and froze them)

3 oz semi sweet chocolate
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour(Gluten Free mix is good too!, with 1/2 tsp xanthan gum)

Grease the bottom of a 8 x 8 pan and preheat oven to 350
Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat, gently stirring until fully melted and combined.







Beat eggs with sugar, salt and vanilla.










On medium spped, Slowly drizzle in the chocolate mixture.
Gently stir in flour








Pour into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes.












Allow to cool, remove from pan and crumble well.....and try not to eat it all LOL. Set aside.










Ice Cream:

3oz  86% Cocoa  Dark Chocolate(I used Ghiradelli Midnight Reverie)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt

Melt chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat.












Slowly add in milk, eggs and sugar. Heat until the sugar is fully dissolve and the temp has reached 160. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add heavy cream vanilla and salt, mix well and chill, then proceed with according to your ice cream makers instructions. At the end of the cycle add in 1 cup of the brownie crumbles.








Cake:
I used a modification of Hershey's Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups flour(excellent with GF flour, add 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum as well)
1 cup Special Dark Baking Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp white vinegar
3/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350
Grease and flour 2-9 inch round pans
Combine sugar, flour baking cocoa, soda, powder and salt. Mix well.







Add in eggs, oil, milk sour cream and vanilla. When fully combined, Beat well on high for 2 minutes.

Gently stir in white vinegar and boiling water.

Pour into prepared pans and bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.







Cool in pan for 30 minutes, remove from pans and chill in fridge until cold.

Return the cakes to pan(upside down) and divide ice cream evenly between the 2 cakes.

Freeze until the ice cream is solid.












Fudge Sauce: (this makes about 3/4 cup)

6 TB white sugar
1 1/2 TB special dark baking cocoa
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 cup evaporated milk*
1 TB butter
1/4 tsp vanilla

* to avoid opening a whole can you can mix 2 1/2 TB dry milk powder in 3 TB water for the evaporated milk

In a small sauce pan mix sugar cocoa cinnamon and salt.  Stir in evaporated milk and bring to a boil over medium heat, boil 2 minutes stirring constantly.








Remove from heat(still stirring) and stir in butter and vanilla.







Allow to cool.



















Frosting:

1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup special dark baking cocoa


Sift powdered sugar and cocoa together.

In a chilled bowl whip cream until it starts to thicken. Add cocoa sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.








Assembly:

Remove cakes from pans, place one on a platter, cake side down
















Top with 1/2 the remaining brownie pieces and 1/2 cup of the fudge sauce. (warm it just to drizzle consistency. It cant be HOT though.)










Top with the other cake(cake side down) smooth up edges of the ice cream to fill in any gaps.











Frost quickly with the whipped cream frosting... Top with remaining brownie pieces and drizzle with remaining fudge sauce(again, warmed just slightly)

Return to the freezer to freeze firmly. (you may need to smooth the sides as it firms up, as you can see it was a TAD on the runny side due to the warm fudge sauce.










I had a near catastrophe and my freezer had been turn to low...I almost cried when I saw it but thankfully it was still frozen enough to salvage!!!









Allow to defrost for a few minutes before slicing!