Reese's Peanut Butter Pie

Oh yes, you read that right, I created a pie today using Reese's peanut butter cups AND peanut butter cookies. You. Are. Welcome. 

This pie uses the same basic steps of my Snickers pie, just subbing different cookies and candy. Oh the possibilities with this base recipe are endless. 

Ingredients: 

1 bag mini Reese's cups

1 box peanut butter sandwich cookies

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 Tbs peanut butter

1 pie plate

Place cookies in food processor and blend until fine. Combine cookies with melted butter and press firmly in pie plate. Put pie crust in refrigerator while you prep the rest of the pie.

In a microwave safe bowl, place unwrapped Reese's cups and peanut butter. Microwave on high at 40 second increments until melted. (I actually didn't completely melt the cups, I like the idea of little bites of Reese's cups in the pie)

In separate bowl combine 2 cups heavy cream and 1/4 cup sugar. Mix on medium speed until semi firm peaks. (do NOT over mix your cream) 

Slowly fold melted chocolate mixture into heavy cream. Pour mixture into pie crust and return to fridge. Refrigerate 3-4 hours until serving. 

Serve topped with more whipped cream and maybe a little chocolate syrup? If you want to guild the lily, top with chopped Reese's cups too! :) 

Finish product picture to come tonight after I serve at family dinner.....are you salivating yet???

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

While this next recipe doesn't look the most appealing, it it extremely tasty and actually quite healthy. Also vegetarian friendly!

Ingredients:

2 cups cauliflower, cut into similar pieces
4 red potatoes, cut into similar pieces
1 small onion, diced
2 slices thick cut bacon, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry
3 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cup water
1 cup chicken stock
salt/pepper to taste
crumbled goat cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In bowl, combine cauliflower, potatoes, cumin, curry and olive oil. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes or until potatoes and cauliflower are golden brown.
Preheat dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot to medium heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy. Remove bacon, leave bacon grease. To the same pot, add onion and cook until translucent. Add cauliflower and potatoes then coat with water and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Puree soup by either using an immersion blender or placing soup mix
ture in blender and blending.
Add corn and cook another 5-10 minutes or until heated through.
Serve soup topped with dollop of goat cheese and cooked bacon.

Serves 2.

Almond Crusted Tilapia with Garlic Wine Sauce

Sorry I have been incognito for a while! I have made a bad habit of creating meals and forgetting to either write them down or blog. So often I forget about fish for weeknight dinners and quickly realize what a great go-to meal it can be. I served this dish with a baked sweet potato and sautéed green beans.

Note: this meal serves ONE!

Ingredients: 

1 tilapia filet (Publix sells them frozen and individually packaged)

1/4 cup almond meal/flour

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/4 cup white wine

2 Tbs butter

salt/pepper to taste

olive oil

In small dish combine almond flour and bread crumbs. In another dish whisk egg. Salt fish on both sides. 

Preheat small sauce pan to medium heat and add garlic and wine. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add butter, salt and pepper. Reduce to low heat and allow to simmer while you prepare fish. 

Preheat small skillet to medium heat and add 2 Tbs olive oil. Coat fish on both sides in flour, egg, then flour again. Sear in skillet about 2-3 minutes on both sides. (fish doesn't take long to cook at all!)

Serve tilapia with delicious wine sauce. :) 

Serving Size: 1

Em's Mini Meals(and sweet treats!): Em's Gumbo

Em's Mini Meals(and sweet treats!): Em's Gumbo: For those of you that know me, gumbo has become one of my all time favorite comfort foods. It is by far the perfect meal for a cold winter ...

Em's Gumbo

For those of you that know me, gumbo has become one of my all time favorite comfort foods. It is by far the perfect meal for a cold winter Sunday. 

 I actually make this much at one time and then freeze individual portions for later. That way I can get a yummy dinner, lunch and then 2 surprise meals at a later time! 

As always, I got so excited about eating that I forgot to take a finished product pic. Much just take a deep breath and imagine the smell of New Orleans cuisine filling your kitchen. Ahhhhhhh

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs- cut into similar bite sized pieces

1 lb andouille sausage(I buy Aidells Cajun Andouille)cut into similar bite sized pieces

1 smoked ham hock(I highly recommend Whole Foods-super affordable, but Publix carries them too)

1 onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

¼ cup flour

¼ cup olive oil plus 2-3 Tbs

32 oz box chicken stock
salt/pepper to taste

1 cup frozen okra

Jasmine rice- cooked according to package directions

Pre heat 2-3 Tbs olive oil in dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot to medium heat. Add all meat to pan, including ham hock. Allow to sear for 10-12 minutes on all sides.

Remove meat and set aside. Reduce heat to medium low and in same pot add ¼ cup olive oil and flour.  Whisk flour and oil constantly for 10-20 minutes or until a dark golden brown color. Once the proper color, add onion and pepper to pot. Cook veggies for 5-10 minutes or until tender. Add meat back to pan(including ham hock). Cover with entire box of chicken stock and stir to combine.

Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce back to medium low heat. Cook for 3-4 hours.

At about 3.5 hours, remove ham hock from pot. Pull all meat from hock and place back in the gumbo. Add okra. Cook another 30 minutes or until okra is cooked through.

Serve over jasmine rice!

Serves 4 people.

Em's Mini Meals(and sweet treats!): Chicken Pot Pie for 2

Em's Mini Meals(and sweet treats!): Chicken Pot Pie for 2: Happy Holidays fellow foodies!  I have finally taught myself how to make pot pie for 2. Or pot pie for one with leftovers for lunch or anot...

Chicken Pot Pie for 2

Happy Holidays fellow foodies! 
I have finally taught myself how to make pot pie for 2. Or pot pie for one with leftovers for lunch or another dinner! 
This is a hands on meal and not one for the early learner. 
I can tell you that I made this start to finish on a week night and ate by 7pm. Not bad! 


Ingredients: 

1 pre made pie crust(I recommend Pillsbury and not store brand, whoa what a difference)
1/4 cup frozen butter beans
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup frozen green beans
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup fresh diced carrots
1 chicken breast
1/4 cup white wine
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs flour
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 small onion, diced
1 1/2 cups milk OR chicken stock
salt/pepper to taste
1 small casserole dish(mine is 6x9)

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350. 
Place chicken in small pot and cover with water. Bring to boil, reduce to medium. Cook chicken until fork tender. 
While chicken cooks, proceed with rest of recipe. :)
Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Roll out pie crust as thinly as possible and cut in half. Place one half in bottom of casserole dish. 
Combine peas, beans, carrots, and corn in microwave safe bowl. Add about 1/4 cup water. Microwave for 5 minutes. Put aside. 
Preheat medium saucepan to medium heat. Add olive oil and onion. Cook onion for about 1-2 minutes then add garlic. Continue to cook for about 2-3 more minutes. Add white wine and cook another 2-3 minutes or until wine reduces. 
Add butter to pan and once melted add flour. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Its important to allow flour to cook to get rid of flour taste, otherwise your sauce will taste like flour. Add stock or milk. You may want to add more stock or milk depending on how thick you want your sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. 
Once chicken is cooked, take out of water and dice/shred into bite sized pieces. 
Combine veggies, sauce and chicken in bowl. Taste again for seasoning. Add salt/pepper if needed. Pour into pie crust lined dish and top with other half of crust. 
Seal edges together and cut about 4 small slits into top of crust. 
Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbly. 

Tips! 

• store your frozen veggies in freezer ziploc bags for longer life span
• when you bring your chicken home from the grocery, store in individual freezer bags 
• stock up of frozen veggies when on sale, these guys make great go-tos for casseroles or any meal!
• Save your time dicing garlic and just smash the clove, pick the cloves out of the sauce before mixing with other ingredients. 
• freeze your butter for longer shelf life, still able to cut off whatever you need when cooking
• buy Publix snack size bags of carrots. these make GREAT servings for any meal, AND they keep longer in their individual packages. I used one full bag for this recipe