Pumpkin Crumble

Ingredients

Crumble topping:

• 3 tbsp sugar

• ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed

• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¾ cup all purpose flour

• 6 tbsp salted butter, melted

Batter:

• 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

• 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 large eggs (room temperature)

• 1 cup sugar

• ½ cup salted butter melted* (not too hot)

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 can pumpkin puree

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ¼ cup apple juice

Cinnamon icing:

• ½ cup powdered sugar

• dash of ground cinnamon

• 2+ tsp milk

Instructions

For the crumble topping:

• In a medium bowl, mix sugars, cinnamon, and flour. Add the melted butter and stir until combined. Set aside.

For the muffins:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9 x 13 glass dish.

• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

• In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, *melted butter, olive oil, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and juice until combined. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, being careful not to over-mix.

• Pour batter into greased dish, and crumble the topping over the top. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

For the icing:

• Whisk all ingredients until smooth, increasing the milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Adjust the consistency as necessary by adding more powdered sugar (to thicken) or more milk (to thin). Drizzle icing over the top of your cooled crumble.

*Be sure that your butter is not too hot. If it is too hot, your eggs will begin to cook when mixing with the melted butter.

Scratch Chicken Pot Pie

This is one of my family’s favorite meals. While it is a bit time consuming, it’s well worth it. Unlike baking, this isn’t an exact science. You can make adjustments where you wish, but being from the south we like lots of flavor in our food!

Start by preparing your crust either the day before or the morning of. This needs to be done ahead of time so that it can chill properly.

Crust ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1/2-1 teaspoon salt

1 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (2 sticks)

4 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Instructions:

I use a blender, but you can use a food processor or blender (this is too large for a small smoothie blender)

1.       Add flour, salt, and butter to a food processor. I add half of the flour, half of the butter, followed by the other half of each. This way the ingredients are staggered.

2.       Pulse for up to one minute until all flour is coated in butter. It should be mostly a crumbly butter/flour mixture.

3.       Transfer to a medium bowl then sprinkle ice water over mixture — start with 4 tablespoons and add from there. Using a large spoon (I prefer a wooden spoon), press the dough into itself. The crumbs should begin to form larger clusters. If you pinch some of the dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough falls apart, add 1 tablespoons of water at a time and continue to press until dough comes together.

4.       Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Work the dough just enough to form a ball. Cut the ball in half then form each half into discs (2 discs total). Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months (just thaw it overnight in the fridge before using it).

Pot pie mixture ingredients:

1 package chicken breast

1-2 cup chicken broth

1 ½ - 2 cups frozen peas and carrots

½ cup frozen corn

1 can green beans

1 small yellow onion (finely chopped)

2-3 stalks of celery (finely chopped)

1 tbsp garlic

1-2 tbsp ghee

1-2 tsp salt (or favorite seasoning, we use Tony’s Chachere’s Original)

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup milk

Instructions:

1.       I begin by placing my chicken breast in the crock pot in the morning with about 1 cup of chicken broth, 1-2 cups of water, and a little seasoning. Let cook on high for 4-6 hours (let it come to a bubble in the crock pot before using).

2.       Remove one dough disc from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. I weigh them and choose the larger one for this step. Heat oven to 400 F.

3.       Chop onion and celery. Add to a skillet with ghee and garlic and let it cook over medium to medium-high heat until the onions are transparent (I usually cover with a lid). I like to allow mine to get slightly golden. 

4.       While your onion mixture is cooking, add your frozen vegetables to a large saucepan with a little water, 1 tbsp butter, and salt or seasoning. Bring to a simmer and let cook.

5.       Once your onions are transparent add this mixture to your frozen vegetable mixture and allow it to cook down together, then set aside. Keep the skillet that you prepared your onions in, no need to rinse.

6.       Roll out your dough for your crust to match the size of your dish. I usually roll it slightly larger because it will shrink once you bake it. I use a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

7.       Line dish with crust, poke a few holes with a fork, and bake at 400 F for about 10 minutes until the edges become golden brown.

8.       Remove second dough disc from refrigerator at this point.

9.       Remove chicken from crockpot, DO NOT TOSS BROTH!!! Shred your chicken, set aside, and keep your broth for your gravy.

10.   In a larger measuring cup add 1 cup of the broth from your crock pot (you may have to strain it) and 1/3 cup flour. Mix this together (is use a whisk). Then add your milk, 1 tbsp butter, and flour mixture to your skillet. Cook over medium to medium-high heat. Add another cup or more of broth because you would rather have too much gravy than not enough! You can add a pinch of seasoning here if you wish, but don’t add too much. Whisk this together in your skillet until the mixture is gravy like. Set aside.

11.   Roll out remaining crust to be the top of your pot pie.

12.   In a large bowl add your veggies and chicken and mix together. Next, add half of this mixture to your baked crust, then add gravy on top coating the mixture well. Place remaining veggies on top and follow up with remaining gravy.

13.   Add your top crust, and then bake at 400 F for about 10 minutes until the crust is light golden brown.

14.   Remove from oven and enjoy! CAUTION, the inside will be very hot!

Quick & Easy Taco Seasoning

Have you ever stopped to look at the ingredients in your package of taco seasoning? If you have, you’d notice that most contain things like maltodextrin, corn starch, vegetable oil (canola, high oleic soybean and/or sunflower oil), corn flour, silicon dioxide (anticaking agent), citric acid, and sugar. I can’t even tell you what some of these things are, but I know enough to know that they are highly processed or modified ingredients.

I came across a taco recipe a few years ago for tacos, and I’ve adjusted it to fit our family.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef (we prefer 90/10 or 93/7 because this recipe doesn’t allow you to drain the meat)

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp ground Comino

• 1 - 3 tbsp Cholula Hot Sauce

  • The more Cholula you use the spicier your meat will be, start small if you are sensitive to spice!

Step one:

Add your raw ground meat, spices, and Cholula to a skillet. Mix all ingredients together and cook until your meat is thoroughly browned.

• I personally prefer to mix all ingredients well before I turn the heat up on my stove. You can mix in a bowl or in a skillet, whichever you prefer.

Step two:

Once you have thoroughly browned your ground meat, you are ready to serve. Add this delicious taco meat to your favorite salad, tortillas, chips, queso, etc., and enjoy!

Small Batch Butter Tortillas

Being from Texas, tortillas have been a main food group in my life for as long I could remember! My step-grandmother was Hispanic, and would always send me on my way with a hot homemade butter tortilla. Then, in my mid-twenties I lived in South Texas where Mexican food was just food. I have come across several ways to make tortillas and have finally come up with my favorite recipe. Nothing about making tortillas is exact, but I will do my best to guide you.

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 cups flour

  • set aside an additional small bit of flour for rolling out your dough.

• 1 tsp baking powder (I prefer to use aluminum free)

• 1/2 - 1 tsp salt (some people prefer less, some more!)

• 2 - 4 tbsp softened butter (real butter, not margarine)

  • I make an exception here. I prefer to use 2 tbsp butter, and 1 tbsp ghee. If I don’t have ghee, I use nearly 4 tbsp of butter. The more butter/ghee you use the richer your tortillas will be).

• 1/2 cup boiling water

Step one:

Add your ingredients to your mixing bowl, and stir in your boiling water with a spoon. Stir until you feel that the dough is cool enough to begin handling with your hands (usually less than a minute).

Step two:

Dust a little bit of flour onto a clean surface and remove dough from bowl. Begin kneading your dough; it should not be sticky. If you feel that your dough is sticky you can add bits of flour (about a tablespoon at a time) to it until it’s no longer sticky. If you feel your dough is too dry, add a few drops of water. Knead the dough until you feel that you have mixed all the ingredients well, especially the butter. Then set your dough aside in the bowl and cover for about 5 minutes (this makes it easier to roll).

Step three:

Remove your dough from your bowl and break into 6 equal balls. Dust your rolling pin (you can also dust your surface) with flour, then begin rolling your dough into a circle. This part takes practice, and honestly it doesn’t need to be perfect, the taste is what matters! Roll the tortillas quite thin and add to an already hot pan or skillet. No need to grease your pan, if it is hot your tortilla shouldn’t stick, there is plenty of fat in them with the butter. Cook on each side about 20-30 seconds at a time, flipping them until they have cooked to your liking.

Step four:

Enjoy your tortillas just by themselves or add whatever you like!

Note: For me, this has never been an exact science. I feel like the weather, or just my own measuring skills can make a difference on how much water or flour I may need. I can make this recipe several times a week, and some days I may add more flour while kneading my dough, and some days I need a tad more water. This is just a starting point, and after making them a few times you can adjust your recipe to your liking!

Carie's Blueberries (Muffins)

First things first, pre-heat your oven to 425 F

Gather your ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups sugar

• 1/2 cup softened butter

• 2 eggs (room temperature)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (room temperature) I use whole milk honey yogurt, Noosa is my favorite

• 1/2 cup whole milk (room temperature)

• 1 tsp avocado oil

• 2 cups flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 pint blueberries rinsed and dried

• 1 tbsp coarse sugar (to sprinkle on top)

• Cupcake or muffin pan and cupcake/muffin liners (makes 12 regular size or 6 jumbo muffins)

Mix together:

In a medium size bowl, whisk together your sugar (1 1/4 cups) and softened butter. Once your sugar and butter is mixed well, add your vanilla extract, yogurt, milk, avocado oil, and eggs.

Mix together in a separate bowl:

In a large bowl mix your flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Next:

Add your sugar mixture to your dry ingredients bowl and stir together. Do not over stir! Your mixture should be thick, but easy enough to spoon into your muffin liners. If your batter is too runny your blueberries will sink.

Blueberries:

Rinse, drain, and dry, your blueberries, then add whole blueberries to your muffin mixture. They will burst within the muffins in the oven.

Bake:

Preheat oven to 425 F, spoon mixture into your muffin liners in your muffin pan (I prefer to make 6 jumbo muffins), sprinkle coarse sugar over the top of the muffins. Place muffins in oven at 425 F, then within 2 - 5 minutes reduce temperature to 350 F, and bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

Remove warm muffins from oven, let cool, and enjoy!