Leftovers are easy as PIE!

Today has been a great rainy Fall day. When I googled pictures of rainy Fall days, this picture popped up. I thought it was a perfect fit!

This morning Kevin and I woke up, had a quick workout together and then we both went to the kitchen to figure out what to do with ALL our leftovers. We had a ton of apples, carrots, sweet peas, 1/2 bag of frozen pearl onions, 1 potato and a few sheets of puff pastry. We decided on apple pie and chicken pot pies (I always keep chicken breasts in the freezer).

Since Kevin makes an AWESOME apple pie, I cut and sliced the apples and he assembled the pie. While he was making his pie, I started making the chicken pot pies. The whole process didn't go quite as fast as I would have liked but, everything was ready to go for lunch.

Here's kinda what he did for the apple pie:

6 peeled, cored & thinly sliced apples

2 tbsp. flour

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 tbsp. butter

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 tbsp. cream or milk

Mix sugars, flour, salt and spices together. Mix in apples. Place this mixture in a 9" unbaked pie shell. Lace the pastry dough lattice work for the top of the pie and dot with butter and spoon cream over all. Bake for 15 minutes in a 425 degree oven, then 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until apples are tender.

The chicken pot pies were easy....just took a while for the chicken to thaw.

Ingredients:

1 Cup baby carrots

1 Cup sweet peas

1/2 bag frozen pearl onions

1 potato

1 sheet of puff pastry

Salt

Pepper

1 Clove of garlic

3/4 Cup of chicken broth

While I waited for the chicken to thaw:

First I peeled and cubed the potato and put it in a pot of salted boiling water to cook.

While the potatoes were cooking, I chopped the carrots and set them aside.

Next, I sauteed onions and garlic. To that I added butter, salt and pepper. Then added flour, stirring until it was well mixed. Since this is the base of the sauce it's important to make sure it's well blended. Once the roux was well mixed I added chicken broth to deglaze the pan. When it became thick, I added milk. Then I just lowered the heat to low and let it simmer.

Back to the potatoes, since they were almost done I added the carrots - I figured since everything was going to end up together, why not?!?

When the chicken FINALLY thawed, I quickly threw it into the oven and waited.... When it was done I quickly chopped and cubed it.

In an attempt to save some calories, I thought I'd just top the pot pies with puff pastry. Believe me, I like puff pastry as much as the next person but...wow, it is not low fat! So, I poured the filling into the oven-safe bowls and topped each with puff pastry.

Brush the top of each with egg wash and bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sunday Celebration Brunch

A while ago one of our good friend's had a birthday. During his party, he thanked us all for coming and then turned to his girlfirend and asked her if she would give him his birthday wish and marry him. It was so sweet, we were felt very lucky to be present for such a wonderful event. So, to celebrate, we had them over for brunch the next day!

Menu:

Blueberry Muffins

Sleepin' in Omelette

Fruit Salad

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

The Blueberry Muffins

Here's Martha's Recipe
Ingredients
Makes 1 dozen
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Working over the bowl, toss blueberries in a fine sieve with about 1 1/2 teaspoons flour mixture to lightly coat; set aside the flour mixture and the blueberries.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Mix in vanilla.
With the mixer on low speed, add reserved flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add milk, beating until just combined. Do not overmix. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the blueberries. Divide batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. If desired, in a small bowl, mix together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and nutmeg. Sprinkle sugar mixture on top of muffin batter.
Bake, rotating pan halfway though, until muffins are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes.
Turn muffins on their sides in their cups, and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.


The Sleepin' in Omelette

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
(I made half the recipe)

Ingredients:
Onion Rolls, Eggs, Milk, Butter, Cream Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Dry Mustard, Salt, Cayenne Pepper, and Chives.
Directions:
To begin, generously butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Next, tear six onion rolls into chunks and place them in the bottom of the dish.
Now, sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the top.
Next, take an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and begin tearing off small pieces.
Then, get a 1/2 stick of butter, slice it and begin placing slices all over the top of the bread and cheeses.
Next, crack 10 (yes, I said “ten”) eggs into a bowl, whisk them in a bowl and add 2 cups of milk.
Now, measure 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard and a dash of cayenne pepper and dump them in.
Throw in a handful of fresh herbs (she used chives, so did I since I also had some in my herb garden)
Now grab your dish with all the bread and cheese and butter and sin. And pour the egg mixture over the top.
Make sure to move slowly, getting it all around the edges and in the crevices.
Cover it with foil and let it sit in your fridge overnight.
Bake at 325 degrees, COVERED, for 45 minutes. Then remove foil, increase heat to 350, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Let stand five minutes before serving.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Here is a picture before it went in the oven. Unfortunately, it was eaten so fast that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.

From Epicurious
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb (1 1/2 pounds untrimmed)1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2 cups)1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar1/2 cup sugar1/4 cup cornstarch1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend.
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter flass pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang.
Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into fourteen 1/2-inch-wide strips. Spoon filling into crust. Arrange 7 dough strips atop filling, spacing evenly. Form lattice by placing remaining dough strips in opposite direction atop filling. Trim ends of dough strips even with overhang of bottom crust. Fold strip ends and overhang under, pressing to seal. Crimp edges decoratively.
Brush glaze over crust. transfer pie to baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.