Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes

Believe it or not, I have never made a chicken pot pie.  In fact, I haven't eaten one since I was a kid.  But when I saw this chicken pot pie cupcake recipe, I had to try it.  My kids love anything that resembles a cupcake, even when there are peas and carrots tucked inside.  I love the portion control that this recipe provides, and the added seasonings make these mini pot pies full of delicious flavor.  This one gets two thumbs up from my entire family every time I make it.

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 cups of cooked, diced chicken
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup (low sodium and/or low fat if possible)
  • 1 cup frozen mixed veggies
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 tablespoon of  dried thyme
  • 1/2 tablespoon of dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 (10 oz) can buttermilk biscuits 10 biscuits)

DIRECTIONS:
  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, frozen veggies, cheese, herbs and spices.
  3. Lightly grease 10 cups of a 12-cup muffin tin and place the biscuits into each cup, pressing into the bottom and up the sides. 
  4. Spoon the chicken mixture into each biscuit cup. Bake for about 15 minutes checking at the 12 minute mark.

Difficulty: pretty easy
Time: if the chicken is already cooked, the prep takes less than 10 minutes; cooking time is 12-15 minutes

Monday, August 19, 2013

English Muffin Pizza

My kids are picky eaters.  My husband and I tried to force them to eat the meals I prepared; we tried to make them sit until the plate was clean; we tried wrapping the plate and producing it for the next meal.   Dinnertime became a daily battle that we decided to stop fighting, but  I refused to live only to eat meatballs, ham, and pasta (okay, they DO eat a few more things). I will not make a new meal for the kids, but I do have foods on hand that they can organize easily into a meal.  

These pizza muffins are not only a safe alternative, but they are quick for those days we need to be at practice at 5:00.   Or, they are great when I am tired of preparing 3 meals a day and cleaning up tons of dirty dishes.




INGREDIENTS:

  • English muffins
  • Pizza sauce
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Italian spices
  • Pepperoni or other toppings
DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
  2. Split English muffins and place halves on baking sheet.
  3. Top each muffin half with sauce (about 1 T each), pepperoni, and cheese or other toppings.
  4. Sprinkle with dash of Italian seasoning.
  5. Bake 4-6 minutes until cheese is bubbly.
In this picture, you miss seeing the one with no sauce and the one with no cheese...but they ate and asked for more.

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 10 minutes
Source: My friend Jennifer ate this all the time growing up

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

I simply cannot express how good this chicken is.  It is hands down the best chicken we have ever grilled.  We even served it to guests this summer who agreed that it was amazing.  I do think that it is important to use thighs for this recipe, but I imagine it will be fine with bone-in thighs as well as the boneless.  Be sure to make more than you think you need, though; My kids and husband devoured this, leaving me with no leftovers.  When we were feeding two guests in addition to my family of four, I nearly doubled the amount of chicken and again it all disappeared.

INGREDIENTS:
  • 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 cup soy sauce (consider low sodium)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 bunch of green onions, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
  • 1/4 cup of a white onion, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
  • 1 (13.5 ounce) can of coconut milk
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Trim fat from chicken thighs. Mix all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken, gently toss to coat, and marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight to make sure the flavor gets infused.
  2. Grill chicken at a low heat (so that the marinade does not burn) for 5-7 minutes per side or until done. 
  3. Serve over rice with green onions and a some additional soy sauce.



Difficulty: easy
Time: 10 minutes prep, 8 hours or overnight for marinating, 15 minutes grilling

Monday, August 5, 2013

Backyard Barbecue Menu and Giveaway

If you haven't noticed by now, in addition to cooking, running, and spending time with our families, these two busy moms love to stretch our pennies.  Often, in our ingredients pictures, you will see off-brand, local, and store-brand products because they give us a great value without sacrificing quality.  One of the common brands you may notice us use is Essential Everyday, which is the store brand of our favorite local grocer - SHOP 'n SAVE.  Recently, SHOP 'n SAVE provided the two of us bags full of great products perfect for a backyard barbecue.  From paper products to marinades and condiments, these goodies make the perfect supplement to any picnic or barbecue, and using Essential Everyday products helps to save money so you can spend a little extra on the big items like meat and produce...and you have a chance to win the whole bag!


We love a great backyard barbecue, getting together with some friends, and eating on the deck.  We put together some ideas for a menu so that it might make it a little easier to plan one yourself.  We hope you enjoy our backyard barbecue menu, and if you are from the Pittsburgh area, make sure you enter to win this awesome bag of goodies from SHOP 'n SAVE at the bottom of this post!

Main Dish Options
  • Hot dogs/sausages
  • Burgers with a variety of cheeses and toppings
  • Asian Pork Chops
  • Marinated chicken  (There is a great herb and garlic marinade in the bag.  We recently threw some chicken thighs in a resealable bag with some of the marinade, left it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, and grilled them.  Mmmmm.)

Side Dish Options

Dessert Options


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