Slow-Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Biscuits

When the weather starts to get colder (this is finally starting to happen a little here in Texas), there's nothing quite like a warm, hearty meal. Chicken Pot Pie is always a good comfort food staple, and this slow-cooker version makes it extra easy! 

Recipe adapted from here.
Ingredients: 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced 5 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 medium onion, diced 1/2 cup water 1/3 cup flour 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs) salt and pepper 1 sheet thawed puff pastry 1 cup frozen corn 1 cup frozen green beans 1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions: 1. Put the mushrooms, carrots, onion, flour, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 cup water in a slow cooker. Stir. 2. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and season with salt and pepper to taste. 3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours (until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender). 4. 30 minutes before serving, prepare the biscuits. Use a jar lid or cookie cutter to cut the puff pastry into four circles. Put the four circles on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes, or until golden.  5. Ten minutes before serving, shred the chicken with two forks. Remove the bay leaf. Add the corn, green beans, and heavy cream, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until ready to serve.  6. To serve, place the chicken mixture in bowls and top with the pastry rounds. 

(veggies w/ flour and bay leaf)

(all mixed up!)

(chicken on top)

 

(puff pastry cut into circles)

(ready for the oven...)

(10 minutes before serving)

(adding the last ingredients)

(cooking for the last half ten minutes)

(biscuits are done!)

(all ready!)

Ta-da! 

Enjoy!

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

This recipe is super easy (especially if you get your husband to do the grilling for you), and it tastes way better than any 4-ingredient recipe should! We've made this a few times now, and it always turns out great! 

Recipe adapted from here. Ingredients: 1/4 + 1/8 cup honey 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 6 cloves garlic, minced 6 boneless thin pork loin chops (about 4 oz each), trimmed to remove excess fat Directions: 1.  Whisk together honey, soy sauce, and garlic. 2. Coat pork chops in the mixture. Reserve the leftover mixture for basting. 3. Heat a grill using medium high heat. Cook pork chops on the heated grill, basting 2 times with reserve honey-soy mixture. 

(honey + soy sauce + garlic)

(coated pork chops)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

French Coconut Pie

This pie is ridiculously easy to make, and if you like coconut - it's delicious! I've even heard people that don't normally like coconut say they love this pie, so it's a people-pleaser for sure! 

Recipe adapted from here. Ingredients: 3 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened) 1 stick butter, melted 1 tbsp white vinegar 1 tsp vanilla pinch of salt 1 9-inch uncooked pie crust (I used the Pillsbury one, but you could make your own!) Directions: 1. Beat the eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Add all other filling ingredients (everything except the pie crust) to the eggs and mix well. 2. Place the pie crust into a pie pan, then pour in the filling. Crimp the pie crust edges. 3. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until the top is lightly browned. Cool before serving (so the filling with firm up). 

(crust in pan)

(mixing the filling)

(filling in crust)

(crimped pie crust edges)

(all done baking and lightly browned!)

(mmmm!)

Ta-da!

Enjoy! 

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Candy corn has always been a little bit of a struggle for me. I think it’s so cute and Fall-ish, and I’d love to have a cute little bowl of it sitting on my counter during October, but I really, really hate how it tastes. However, I’m happy to report I’ve found the solution to the candy corn problem – candy corn cookies!!

This is a pretty easy recipe. It’s perfect for baking with kids, and it makes adorable little cookies to serve at a Halloween party!

{Recipe adapted from Kaitlin in the Kitchen}

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

3 cups flour

½ tsp baking soda

red food coloring

yellow food coloring

extra white sugar for coating

Directions:

1. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until well-mixed.

2. Add egg, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat until mixed.

3. Add baking soda and flour, one cup at a time. Mix until combined.

4. Divide dough into three even pieces. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly-greased plastic wrap. Press one piece of dough evenly into the bottom of the lined loaf pan.

5. Put each of the remaining two dough pieces in a separate bowl. Mix yellow and red food coloring with one piece to create orange dough. Press the orange dough evenly on top of the un-colored dough in the loaf pan. Mix yellow food coloring only into the third piece of dough to create yellow dough. Press the yellow dough evenly on top of the orange layer.

6. Refrigerate the dough overnight.

7. Flip the loaf pan over and empty the dough onto a cutting board. Remove the parchment paper/plastic wrap. Slice the block of dough into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cut each slice into six candy-corn-shaped wedges, and place the wedges on a cookie sheet.

8. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 7-10 minutes.

9. Toss cookies in white sugar to coat, and cool on a wire rack.

(butter, sugar, egg, lemon juice, and lemon zest)

(dough before adding flour and baking soda)

(finished dough)

(non-colored layer in the loaf pan)

(mixing 1/3 of the dough with red and yellow food coloring)

(orange layer)

(yellow layer)

(dough block, after chilling overnight)

(1/4-inch thick slices)

(cut into wedges)

(on a baking sheet)

(toss in white sugar after baking)

(sugary!)

(cool on a wire rack)

(yummy!)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Asian Turkey Meatballs

I think ground turkey is a really underrated meal ingredient. It has all the simplicity of ground beef, but it's healthier (and also tastes yummy)! I love to make Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers or Turkey Lettuce Wraps with it. I think turkey pairs really well with Asian flavors (like in these Asian-Inspired Turkey Sliders), so I was pretty excited to try this recipe for Asian Turkey Meatballs, and it didn't disappoint! 

This recipe makes about ten meatballs, so feel free to half it if you're doing it for just two people (but it makes really good leftovers if you save the extra sauce, so don't feel bad about having extras!). 

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:

(meatballs)

1/2 cup panko crumbs

1 pound lean ground turkey

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

5 scallions, chopped

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

(sauce)

2 scallions, chopped

4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp water

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine turkey, panko crumbs, eggs, salt, 5 chopped scallions, ginger, cilantro, 2 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp sesame oil. Mix with hands until well combined.

2. Separate meat mixture into about 10 pieces, and form each piece into a ball with your hands (each meatball should have about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture). Place the meatballs in a baking dish.

3. Bake meatballs at 500 degrees for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

4. For the sauce, mix together lime juice, water, 4 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp sesame oil in a bowl. Add in 2 chopped scallions.

5. After meatballs are cooked, put them in a serving dish and drizzle them with the sauce. This pairs great with a green veggie (broccoli or green beans or something), and you can drizzle some extra sauce over the vegetables as well! 

(meatball ingredients)

(meat mixture)

(meatballs before baking)

(sauce)

(meatballs out of the oven!)

(drizzled with the sauce)

(yum!)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!