Glazed Buttermilk Donut Cake

I saw this recipe on FB shared by another friend who loves cooking. It was one of those recipes which I read it. Drove to the store for ingredients. And made it. I was not disappointed. 

I wouldn't put the glaze on it next time. I don't like the overly sweet and and I think the cake would be fine without it. 

Glazed Buttermilk Donut Cake

Recipe from Southernliving.com

Photo from SouthernLiving

Serves 12

Baking spray with flour

1 1/2 c granulated sugar

1 c (8 oz.) unsalted butter, softened

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 c (about 14 7/8 oz.) all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 c whole buttermilk

2 c (about 8 oz.) powdered sugar

1/4 c water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 12- to 15-cup Bundt pan with baking spray.

Beat granulated sugar and butter with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Add vanilla, beating until just combined.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda in a medium bowl. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating until just combined after each addition. Spoon batter into prepared pan; gently tap on counter 3 to 5 times to release air bubbles.

Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Invert cake out of pan onto a cutting board or platter, then gently flip cake back over so rough side is facing up. Let cool on wire rack completely, about 1 hour.

Whisk together powdered sugar and water in a medium bowl until smooth. Brush over cooled cake. Slice and serve.

Indoor BBQ Pork Chops

I get tired of chicken and beef and every now and then have the craving for pork chops. I usually overcook pork, and tonight was no difference. But I also like it done.

The BBQ sauce and spice rub has a nice heat to it with the cayenne. If you don't like heat, leave it out. 

Indoor BBQ Pork Chops

Recipe from Cook's Country

Photo from Cook's Country

Serves 4-6

3 T packed brown sugar, divided

1 T paprika

1 T salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 T cornstarch

8 bone in pork rib chops, 1/2 in thick

1 T vegetable oil

4 T unsalted butter

1/2 c ketchup

1 T cider vinegar

1 tsp liquid smoke

Combine 1T sugar, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne. Transfer 2 T spice mixture to second bowl and stir in cornstarch; reserve remaining spice mixture for sauce.  Using kitchen shears, snip through fat surrounding the loin on each chop in 2 places. Pat dry. Sprinkle all over with cornstarch mixture. 

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add 4 pork chops to skillet and cook until browned and meat registers 140F, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chops to rimmed baking sheet and tent with foil. Repeat with remaining chops. 

Add butter to now empty skillet and melt over medium heat. Add reserved spice mixture and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Carefully whisk in ketchup, vinegar and liquid smoke and remaining 2 T of sugar; bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Return chops to skillet and coat each one with sauce. Serve immediately.

Acapulco Delight

This recipe is basically a taco mixed with an enchilada, to create a baby called a casserole. 

I misread the insttructions and didn't add the taco sauce. And why did I miss it? Because I bought enchilada sauce. I opened the can. Put the whole casserole together and thought, "Hmmm, where does the enchilada sauce come in?" 

Then I reread the instructions and misread "taco sauce" for taco seasoning. And well, now I have 28 oz of Green Enchilada sauce. Guess I'm making green enchiladas next week. 

There was nothing to not like about this dish. It's a taco...in a casserole form. 

I did switch this up a bit. First I put it in an 8X8. I'm only cooking for me after all. 

I layered EACH layer with beans, sour cream, taco meat and cheese. Ending with Taco meat and cheese on the top. Somewhere in the layers I put the green onions and olives. I figured it's all going to the same place, no reason to be specific. 

Acapulco Delight

Recipe from Taste of Home

Serves 10 - easily

2 pounds ground beef

1 envelope (1-1/4 ounces) taco seasoning

Photo from TasteOfHome

3/4 c water

1 bottle (15 ounces) mild green taco sauce

9 flour tortillas (6 inches)

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 can (16 ounces) refried beans

2 c sour cream

4 green onions, chopped

1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained

Chopped tomatoes, optional

Chopped avocados, optional

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook and crumble beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. 

Add taco sauce; simmer until slightly thickened, 5-10 minutes.

Cover the bottom of a 13x9-in. baking dish with three tortillas, tearing them into pieces as necessary. 

Layer half of meat mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with half of cheese. 

Layer with three more tortillas; spread with refried beans. 

Cover with sour cream; sprinkle with green onions and olives. 

Layer remaining tortillas over top; cover with remaining meat mixture and cheese. 

Bake until heated through, 25-30 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before serving. If desired, serve with chopped tomatoes and avocados.

Carne Asada

Forever in search of the best carne asada recipe. This one is pretty close. I double cooked it. Once on the grill, then reheated it in a hot skillet with onions. Popped that in some tortillas...and voila. Yummy town.

Carne Asada

Recipe from CafeDelites

Photo from CafeDelites...cuz her photos
are awesome!

Serves: 4

1/4 c fresh squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)

2 T olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 pound skirt or flank steak

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large shallow bowl or plastic container. Add the meat, rotating to evenly coat, and cover with plastic wrap (or lid if using container).

Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Heat barbecue (or grill) on high heat. Note that lean flank steak is best cooked rare, while skirt steak can be cooked well without losing moisture or flavor because it has more fat marbling. Remove the flank steak from the marinade, and discard excess marinade. Grill for 5-7 minutes per side, or until desired doneness is reached.

Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

To serve, slice against the grain into thin strips.

Jello Cheesecake Cookies

I don't have a sweet tooth, generally. And if I do have something sweet, I don't want it too sweet. These cookies fit that bill perfectly. 

The only sugar free Jello I could find was chocolate...which is great because I love chocolate. I was hoping for lemon because I had some lemon extract that would have worked with these. 

These aren't like your normal cookie making recipe - you know cream sugar and butter, add egg, add vanilla. It's close, but be sure to read the full recipe before you get started.

Jello Cheesecake Cookies

Recipe from Lowcarbediem.com

6 oz cream cheese

4 T unsalted butter, softened

8 drops liquid stevia (or equiv)

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1 pkg sugar‐free Jello, any flavor (4-serving size)

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 c almond flour (or half almond, half coconut flour)

Soften cream cheese and butter. Beat egg together with sweetener and extracts.

Mix in salt and one, 4-serving size packet of sugar‐free Jello (gelatin, pudding, custard, etc.)

Whisk baking powder into the almond flour. {JW Note: I used 1/2 coconut and 1/2 almond. It was a great combination.} 

Add this dry mix slowly to the wet mix a few tablespoons at a time. Blend well using a fork to form a slightly sticky dough.

Wrap dough and place into the fridge until firm, 30 minutes minimum, up to 12 hours.

Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a prepared baking sheet. Leave about one inch between each cookie.

Use a fork, your thumb or the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies. These do not spread very much while baking.

Thin, flat cookies are crispier, bake more quickly, and burn easily. Watch those last few minutes!

Bake 6‐8 minutes at 325 F.

Remove from oven and allow to cool 3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack or equiv. Allow cookies to cool completely before serving or they will crumble.

Per Serving: 147 Calories; 

3g Protein; 

2g Carbohydrate; 

1g Dietary Fiber.

Slow Cooker Asian Beef

Happy Father's Day. On Dad's day I usually make pot roast since it was Dad's favorite. Today, I thought I'd make a pot roast, but with a twist. 

This recipe was flavorful. A little spicy, but not horribly spicy. You can adjust the chili garlic sauce to your level of heat. I dropped in more ginger than 1 tsp. That just didn't seem like enough. 

It needed salt when all was said and done. It was flavorful, but was lacking that little salt. So I added some low sodium soy to my rice and it was fine. 

Slow Cooker Asian Beef

Recipe from Bettycrocker.com

Serves: 8

1 c beef flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)

1/4 c packed brown sugar

1/4 c soy sauce

2 T chili garlic sauce

1/2 tsp ground gingerroot

6 green onions, sliced on the bias, white and green parts separated

1 boneless beef chuck roast (2 to 3 lb)

1/4 c cornstarch

1/4 c cold water 

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 T toasted sesame seed

1 lime, cut into wedges

Spray 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and gingerroot to slow cooker; stir with whisk to combine. Stir in green onion whites. Reserve green onion greens for garnishing; cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Add roast to slow cooker; turn to coat. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until very tender.

Transfer roast to cutting board. Cool slightly; cut or shred, and return to mixture in slow cooker. Increase to High heat setting. In small bowl, beat cornstarch and cold water. Quickly stir into liquid mixture in slow cooker. Cover; cook 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened.

Divide shredded beef among bowls of rice. Top with reserved green onion greens, cilantro and sesame seed; serve with lime wedges.

Keto Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

Weird fact #142 about me: I hate pumpkin pie. Blech. But I love pumpkin bread or pumpkin bars, or pumpkin cookies. It's a texture thing. 

I've had this recipe tagged for my "weekly" bake for a bit and just never made it. Today I made it. This house smells amazing, BTW.  

A couple of things, in traditional cookie baking you cream the butter and sugar together. I was unsure in this recipe if the erythritol was considered a "dry" ingredient. It's not listed the the wet list so I took a gamble and put it in with the dry. I have how I might change this up in the baking notes below. 

Turns out, if you read the blog this came from, it explains how it should be put together.

Keto Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

Recipe from Ruled.me

Makes 12-15

The Cookies:

1 ½ c almond flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ c erythritol

¼ c salted butter

½ c pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

25 drops liquid stevia

The Topping:

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp erythritol

Pre-heat oven to 350F. 

Measure out dry ingredients and mix.

In a separate container, measure out the butter, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and liquid stevia. [JW note: I creamed this all together with the egg.]

Mix everything together well until a pasty dough is formed. Roll the dough into small balls and set on a cookie sheet covered with a silpat. About 15 cookies in total.

Press the balls flat with your hand (or the bottom side of a jar) and bake for 12-13 minutes.

While the cookies are cooking, run 2 tsp. erythritol and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice through a spice grinder.

Once the cookies are done, sprinkle with the topping and let cool completely.

JW Notes: I would cream the erythritol and butter together before adding the pumpkin puree, egg, vanilla and stevia.

Cashew Chicken (Martha Stewart)

OOO Chinese food. How I love thee!

Martha's recipes are usually complicated and too "foofy" for me. This one was simple and delicious. 

Cashew Chicken (Martha Stewart)

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Serves 4

Photo from Martha Stewart. com

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 T cornstarch

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 T vegetable oil, such as safflower

6 cloves garlic, minced

8 scallions, white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces

2 T rice vinegar

3 T hoisin sauce

3/4 c raw cashews (4 ounces), toasted

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch until chicken is coated; season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken, tossing often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add remaining oil and chicken to skillet along with the garlic and white parts of scallions. Cook, tossing often, until chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Return first batch of chicken to pan. Add vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.

Add hoisin sauce and 1/4 cup water; cook, tossing, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in scallion greens and cashews. Serve immediately over white rice, if desired.

20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

I'm a fan of enchiladas, but never make them at home unless they are Mom's Enchiladas. I don't particularly like enchiladas that use flour tortillas. I feel like they get too soggy too quickly. I also feel like with corn tortillas they aren't flexible enough in most recipes and crack. 

The FLAVOR of this recipe was outstanding and super easy. But alas, the corn tortillas cracked (even with steaming them) and that makes me sad. 

I modified this recipe just one small way...I added a can of diced green chilis to the chicken mixture. I had the can in the pantry and figured I'd just use it up. Oh wait...two small ways. I added cheese inside the tortilla before I rolled it up. 

This recipe sounded easy and delicious. I will add it to my rotation, though I may just make it in a lasagna style: Tortilla, chicken mixture, cheese, tortilla, chicken mixture, cheese, etc. 

20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe from Myrecipes.com

Serves 6

1 c prechopped onion

1 c unsalted chicken stock 

1 T all-purpose flour

1 1/2 T chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

3 c shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (about 15 ounces)

1 (15-ounce) can unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Cooking spray

3 ounces preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese (about 3/4 cup)

1 cup chopped tomato

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

6 tablespoons sour cream

Preheat broiler to high.

Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil over high heat; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Reserve 1 1/2 cups sauce mixture. Add chicken and beans to pan; cook 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.

Stack tortillas; wrap stack in damp paper towels and microwave at HIGH for 25 seconds. 

Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture in center of each tortilla; [JW: I put some cheese in at this point too] roll it up. Arrange tortillas, seam sides down, in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. [JW Note: I put a spoonful of sauce in the bottom of the dish instead of spraying it with cooking spray.] 

Top with reserved sauce and cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and sauce is bubbly.

Top with tomato and cilantro. Serve with sour cream.

Stir Fry Beef & Green Beans

When mom passed I brought home her gray box of recipes. It's full of OLD recipes that are handwritten, some typed, some clippings out of a magazine. You know how they used to store recipes.  I've got a process when it comes to selecting my recipes for the week and I realized a couple of weeks ago, these recipes weren't on the list that I choose from. So I added them. 

Then this week one of them was randomly selected. 

Now as I've read many of the recipes in this gray box I chuckle at the "assumptions" that are made. Or the list of items in the ingredients that never show up in the directions. Or the other way around. Items in the directions that aren't on the ingredients. 

This recipe I thought had an item in the directions that wasn't in the ingredient list - until I realized "red pepper" in the directions meant the red pepper flakes in the ingredients list.  

This is your standard stir-fry recipe. I didn't read the recipe thoroughly enough ahead of time and so started to cook dinner and realized I should have marinated the beef. SOOOO...I choose to not marinate the beef. I do think it would make a difference in the flavor of this dish. So allow yourself an hour to marinate. 

Stir Fry Beef & Green Beans

Recipe from Mom's Gray Box

Serves 4

2 T soy sauce (I used low sodium)

2 T dry sherry

1 clove garlic, crushed (Yah right. I used 3 cloves)

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/3 c corn oil, divided (I used vegetable oil)

1 lb beef, thinly sliced diagonally (round or flank steak)

1 c thinly sliced onion

1 lb green beans, diagonally sliced in 3/4" pieces

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 c beef broth

2 T corn starch

In a medium bowl, stir together soy, sherry, sugar and ginger.  Add beef and marinate for 1 hour. 

In a large skillet or wok, heat 3 T of oil over medium-high heat. Add green beans, onions and stir fy for 4 minutes or until tender-crisp. Remove and set aside. 

Add remaining oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add beef and red pepper. Stir regularly for 2 minutes or until browned.  [JW note: I now see that the "red pepper" in the directions may be referring to the red pepper flakes]. 

Return beans and onion to the pan. Stir beef broth into corn starch until smooth. Add to skillet. Stir constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Serve over rice. 

Other ways to make this:

Beef & Cauliflower - Same recipe. Substitute 1 small head of cauliflower for green beans. Stir in 1 jar pimentos. 

Beef & Mushroom - Same recipe. Swap 1 lb sliced mushrooms for beans. 

Beef & Chinese Vegetables: Same Recipe. Substitute green beans with 1 c diagonally sliced celery, 1 c sliced mushrooms, 1 can (8oz) water chestnuts drained and sliced, 1 can (8oz) bamboo shoots drained.

Skillet Shepherd's Pie

This is comfort food at its finest! Shepherd's Pie! Technically, this is Cottage Pie because it uses beef. Shepherd's pie, technically, uses lamb. Actually, I don't think there's anything "technical" about it. It's fact. 

I'm not a fan of lamb, so this works in my favor! 

Super easy, super flavorful meal. I made a few modifications...I can't help myself. 

1. I didn't put any cheese in the mashed potatoes, nor did I broil them. I simply plopped a spoonful or two on top of the filling when I served it. If I were making this for people, I'd totally do both: add cheese and broil. 

2. I didn't add any flour to help with the sauce. I used 96% lean beef so there wasn't much liquid from that AND I let the wine cook all the way out. It wasn't saucy at all, so did not use flour. Yah...saved some carbs. Hahahah...

The best part about this is going to be the leftovers tomorrow for lunch. 

Skillet Shepherd's Pie

Recipe from Cuisine at Home October 2017

FOR THE TOPPING, COOK:

Photo from JoCooks.

11/2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, cubed

ADD: 

1/2  c half-and-half

4  T unsalted butter

11/2 c shredded sharp Cheddar

1/4  c minced scallions

  Salt and cayenne pepper   to taste

FOR THE FILLING, HEAT: 

1  T olive oil

1/2  c each diced onion, celery, and carrot

1  T minced fresh garlic

1 lb. ground sirloin

2 T chopped fresh 

  rosemary

1  T each all-purpose flour and tomato paste

1/2  c dry white or red wine

1  c low-sodium beef broth

1  c  each frozen corn kernels and cut green beans, thawed

1  tsp Worcestershire sauce 

  Salt and black pepper to taste

For the topping, cook potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water until fork-tender, 10–12 minutes. 

Drain potatoes; return to pot. Cook potatoes over medium-low heat, stirring, to remove excess moisture, 1–2 minutes. 

Add half-and-half and butter, crushing with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in cheese and scallions, then season potatoes with salt and cayenne. For the filling, heat oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium. 

Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic; sweat until softened, 5–7 minutes. 

Add ground sirloin, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until browned, 5–7 minutes. 

Stir in rosemary, flour, and tomato paste; cook 1–2 minutes. 

Deglaze skillet with wine and reduce until nearly evaporated.  Stir in broth, corn, green beans, and Worcestershire and bring to a boil. 

Cook filling until liquid is nearly reduced, 7–8 minutes. Transfer skillet to a baking sheet. Preheat broiler to high with rack 6 inches from element. Spread topping over filling and broil until potatoes are browned, 3–4 minutes. 

Let pie rest 5 minutes before serving.  

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy (Weight Watchers)

Salisbury steak has been one of my favorites since Dad made it for me back in the early 1980's. I grew up on "burger steaks" and Salisbury steak is just a glorified burger steak. 

I made this with mashed potatoes - which isn't really healthy or low cal in any way. So while the recipe is a Weight Watchers recipe, I made it not so. Hahaha. 

I only made one modification to this recipe and that was I didn't add the bread into the ground beef. I really don't think it was necessary and decided to not add it.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy (Weight Watchers)

Recipe from WW 50th Anniversary Cookbook

Photo from SugarFreeMom

Serves 4

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 onion, finely chopped

2 slices thin-whole wheat bread, cut into cubes

Salt and Pepper

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 lb white mushrooms, sliced

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 T flour

1 c reduced sodium beef broth

Stir together beef, onion, bread, salt and pepper. Mix well. Shape into four oval patties. 

Spray a large nonstick skillet with non stick spray and set over medium heat. Place the patties in the skillet and cook until well browned, 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate. 

Return the skillet to the heat. Swirl oil, then add mushrooms and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the mushrooms with flour, stirring to coat. Add the broth and bring to a boil; stirring until sauce bubbles and thickens.

Return the patties to the skillet, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered until cook through, 4-5 minutes. 

Beef Pot Pie Soup

I think it's no surprise to anyone that I love pot pies. I hate making them, but love to eat them. As the weather appeared to be rainy and gross today I figured a perfect opportunity to make Beef Pot Pie Soup. 

I made a few modifications... 

1. I used frozen corn (about 1 cup)

2. I omitted the potato and parsnips. Figured the puff pastry was enough carbs.  

Also, get your puff pastry started sooner than the recipe says. It takes about 30 minutes to bake. 

Beef Pot Pie Soup

Recipe from Tasteandsee.com

Serves 6 (maybe...if you're having salad along side of it)

Photo from Tasteandsee.com

1 T olive oil

1 pound lean ground beef

2 tsp salt (divided in half)

1 tsp pepper (divided in half)

1 large onion, chopped

6 large garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

3 T finely chopped fresh thyme

3 T chopped parsley (more for garnish)

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 pound red potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes

3 parsnips, peeled and diced

3 T tomato paste

3 T Worcestershire sauce

4 cups beef stock (I used no salt added. See note!)

1 cIrish stout beer

10 Frozen Puff Pastry Shells

1½ c frozen peas, rinsed and drained (about 6.5 ounces)

11 ounce can of corn, drained

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the ground beef and break into small pieces as it cooks. Season the meat with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook until no longer pink (about 5 minutes).

Add the onion and cook 4 more minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley then cook 2 more minutes. 

Stir in carrots, celery, potatoes and parsnips.

Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, stout beer, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and stir together.

Bring the soup to a simmer, then cover and cook the mixture for 20 minutes.

While the soup cooks, bake the puff pastry shells per the package instructions. JW Note: Cut the puff pastry into the individual serving size you want. I cooked the whole sheet without cutting it and, well, it was a bit unwieldy. 

After the soup has cooked 20 minutes, stir in the peas and corn.

Garnish the soup with some chopped parsley and serve warm with a puff pastry shell for dunking. Top with grated Parmesan if desired.

Herb Butter Salmon and Asparagus Foil Packs

Salmon...how I love thee! I don't eat nearly as much as I'd like and I've vowed to eat it more this year. I bought myself a small fillet of Copper River Salmon...which is not cheap, but oh so good. 

This is a great, easy recipe. I only made one fillet and still used the same amount of garlic. That, I admit, was a bit much. Kissing no vampires tonight. 

Herb Butter Salmon and Asparagus Foil Packs

Recipe from Lecremedelacrumb.com

Photo from Creme de la Crumb

Serves 4

4 boneless skinless salmon fillets

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed

1 lemon, thinly sliced, (plus additional wedges for garnish)

½ c butter, at room temperature

3 tsp Italian seasoning

3 tsp minced garlic

fresh thyme or parsley, for garnish

Season salmon generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Arrange one salmon fillet and ¼ of the asparagus in the center of one 12x12 inch piece of foil. Repeat with remaining salmon and asparagus on 3 other pieces of foil. Slide lemon slices under the salmon and asparagus.

In a small bowl mix butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Drop large dollops of the herb butter on top of the salmon and asparagus.

Fold the foil tightly around the salmon and asparagus, being sure to seal the ends together tightly so the juices and butter doesn't run out while cooking. Grill over medium high heat for 6-8 minutes on each side, OR bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until asparagus is tender and salmon is flaky.

Drizzle fresh lemon juice over the top and serve immediately.

Southwestern Beef Hand Pies

These little gems are in the oven right now. I've tasted the filling before I put them in the pies and it's fantastic. I can think of so many other ways to use the filling that I'm going to take notes about so I can remember later. 

I used premade pie crust. 1) because I'm lazy and 2) I don't do pie crust well. The premade pie crust tastes fine to me and really is much easier to pull out of the fridge to make these. 

Southwestern Beef Hand Pies

Recipe from Air Fryer Perfection Cookbook

Makes 8 pies

 8 oz 93% ground beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

Photo from Air Fryer Perfection

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano (1/4 tsp dried)

1 1/4 c black beans, rinsed (I tossed in the whole can)

3/4 c frozen corn

4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1 c mild tomato salsa, drained

2 T chopped cilantro

1 package store bought pie dough

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Brown the ground beef and season with garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Drain. 

Transfer to bowl, let it cool slightly. Add cheese, salsa, cilantro, beans and corn. 

Roll 1 dough round into a 12 inch circle. Using a 5" round biscuit cutter; stamp out 4 rounds; discard scraps. Repeat with second round of dough. JW Note: I didn't have a biscuit cutter so I found a bowl that was 5" round and used it. 

Mound beef mixture evenly in center of each stamped round. Fold dough over filling and crimp edges with fork to seal. Transfer hand pies to parchment paper lined baking sheet, brush with egg and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. JW Note: Um, I missed this note and just threw them in the oven. They turned out fine. 

JW Note: I used the oven instead of the air fryer. I wanted to cook them all at the same time. Call it laziness. I baked them at 375F for about 15 minutes, until they were basically golden brown and yummy looking.

Maybe freezing them before the air fryer is necessary. 

Lightly spray base of air fryer. Arrange up to 2 hand pies in prepared basket, spaced evenly apart. Set temp to 350F. Cook until hand pies are golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.