Top 10 Recipes of 2013

It's hard to believe that 2014 is just hours away! This past year has been such a great one, I'm a little sad to leave it behind. Stephen started his last year of law school, I got a wonderful job at Sur La Table and we found out we were expecting/welcomed our son into the world. Blogwise I joined the Lil' Luna contributor team and learned a whole lot about organizing and running the blog in a more efficient manner. Now that I've gotten the hang of things and have learned how to balance motherhood and baking/writing, I've started to plan out all of the things that I'm going to make during this upcoming year. I can already tell it's going to be a delicious one! Anyway, I thought I'd share with you the most popular posts of 2013, as chosen by your visits!

Loaded Mini Chicken Pot Pies

It was finally time to put the pot pie maker to good use. Stephen and I whipped up some filling and cooked pies for his parents and James. The filling came together in about a half hour, and the pies took 8-10 minutes to bake (4 at a time). Everyone seemed to enjoy them, so I'd say the recipe is a winner. Note that it is the same amount for baking a full-sized pot pie, so if you're looking for a recipe, look no further.

Loaded Chicken Pot Pie {recipe adapted from thepioneerwoman.com}

NOTE: Recipe was used with Breville Individual Pot Pie Maker

Ingredients

1/2 stick butter

1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. onion, minced

1/2 c. celery, diced

2 c. classic mixed vegetables (frozen corn, carrots, green beans, potato, peas etc.)

2 c. chicken, finely cubed (as a time-saver, we used a rotisserie chicken from SAM's)

1 can chicken broth

1 c. heavy cream

1 tsp. Nature's Seasoning

1 tsp. ground thyme

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground pepper

2 packages Pillsbury pre-made pie crusts (in roll) [1 package if making large pot pie or crust recipe found here]

DIRECTIONS FOR PIE MAKER:

1. Melt butter in pot or dutch oven. Add onion and celery. Cook until translucent. 

2. Add flour and stir. Mix in chicken broth and cream and bring to a slow boil.

3. Once liquids are boiling, toss in chicken, then mixed vegetables. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

4. Check to see if filling needs additional seasonings. Add according to taste.

5. Prepare pie crusts and turn on machine. Once heated, spray lightly with cooking spray.

6. Place crust bottom into maker and scoop 1/3 c. filling into each pie. Place top crust on each pie.

7. Cook for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

8. Unplug machine and let cool for 2 minutes. Remove pies with a spatula and let them rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.

DIRECTIONS FOR OVEN:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt butter in pot or dutch oven. Add onion and celery. Cook until translucent. 

3. Add flour and stir. Mix in chicken broth and cream and bring to a slow boil.

4. Once liquids are boiling, toss in chicken, then mixed vegetables. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

5. Check to see if filling needs additional seasonings. Add according to taste. 

6. Roll out crust and fill bottom of pie pan. Pour mixture in.

7. Place the crust top on and press sides together to seal the pie. Use knife to cut vents in the top of pan to allow for steam to pass through.

8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Allow pie to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Lemonhead Cookies

I've talked a lot about Over The Top Cookies, so I thought I'd talk some more... only this time it'll be about a recipe I've duplicated. I've been searching for the perfect recipe for quite some time... and yes the lemon cookies I made last time were really good, but they weren't at all the same. This time though, I stumbled upon the one. There were a few changes I made, they'll be reflected in the recipe below. So try them out, you're going to love them!

Lemonhead Cookies
Ingredients
3 c. flour
1½ c. granulated sugar
1½ c. butter or Crico
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 (8 oz.) bag of Lemonhead candies, crushed

Icing:
2 tsp. lemon juice
½ c. powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar, eggs and butter (or shortening) together. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute.
3. Stir in salt, baking soda, flour (add flour one cup at a time), lemon zest, and crushed Lemonheads.
4. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, flatten and bake on a pan lined with parchment paper for 10-12 minutes.
5. Let cool on pan for 3 minutes.
6. Transfer to cooling racks and prepare glaze by whisking together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add additional powdered sugar if necessary. Use a spoon to drizzle lightly over cookies. Let cool.
Stephen + Natalie | Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies

Stuffed Peppers

So a couple days ago I mentioned we were going to try out the southwest stuffed bell pepper recipe from Our Best Bites. Well, we did, and it was pretty good, but I decided to alter the recipe a bit to make it even better. So if you're looking for something relatively quick, healthy and filling... here it is:

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers- adapted from ourbestbites.com

Ingredients:

4 very large or 6 medium sweet peppers (red, yellow, or orange)

1/2 C white rice (I used Uncle Ben’s white rice that you boil in a bag for 10 minutes

and it turned out just as good as any other rice I’ve made)

2 Tbs olive oil (or vegetable oil)

1 small onion, diced (white, yellow or purple)

3 garlic cloves, minced (I used ½ Tbsp minced garlic that comes in a jar)

1/2 – 1 jalapeno, minced

1 whole Anaheim chile, diced

14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup canned or frozen corn (whole)

2 links of Aidell’s Spicy Mango with Jalapeño sausage, cubed

1 green onions, sliced

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes (fire roasted)

1 cup pepperjack cheese

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

3-4 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare peppers by washing, slicing tops off, and removing insides. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Boil whole peppers for about 6-8 minutes, until they begin to soften. Remove from water with tongs and place on paper towels to drain. Add rice to boiling water and cook until tender, about 13 minutes (or boil in bag for approximately 10 minutes if using Uncle Ben’s). Drain thoroughly. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno and Anaheim chilies and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add corn, beans, sausage, green onions, onion powder, garlic powder and kosher salt, and pepper. Stir until corn and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Place peppers in a baking dish. Remove skillet from heat and add rice, tomatoes, 1 cup cheese (a mix of the pepperjack and cheddar), and cilantro. Stir to combine well.  Add additional salt, pepper, and seasonings to your liking. Then evenly divide mixture between peppers. Top peppers with remaining 1/4 cup cheese (or more if you can fit it on there).

Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes. Serve with chips and salsa.

Leftover stuffing makes great burritos for dinner the next night- just add a diced avocado to mix!