Breakfast Pockets

Frog Prince and I have been on a quest to have breakfasts that are not pancakes/waffles/muffins at least one morning each week.  

This recipe is a hybrid -- it brings together our beloved carbs, and mixes it with yummy veggies, scrambled eggs, and of course, a little cheese.  

We made a big batch of these up over the weekend, and unlike my pizza pockets, these actually made it into the freezer!  So, we have a quick breakfast pocket in the freezer just waiting for growling tummies in the morning.

Breakfast Pockets

{makes ~10 pockets}

Dough

1 C really warm water

1 tsp. honey

1 T yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 T olive oil

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour

1 C white whole wheat flour

Filling

~1 C shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz. mushrooms

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 C broccoli, chopped

4 eggs

1/4 C milk

salt and pepper, as desired

4-6 slices of bacon, cooked 

Begin by preparing the dough.  Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in the bottom of a large bowl (or mixing bowl if you are using your stand mixer).  Allow the yeast and water to sit for about 1 minute.  Then, add in the honey, salt and olive oil.  Stir in the flour.  You can either do this by hand, or with your mixer.  Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until smooth.  Allow the dough to sit, covered for 5 minutes while you prepare your filling.  

Add the sliced veggies to a skillet with a few drops of olive oil.  Saute the veggies until crisp tender.  

While the veggies are cooking, whisk together the 4 eggs and the 1/4 C milk.  Scramble the eggs in a lightly greased skillet until eggs are set.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  

Combine the veggie mixture together with the eggs.  Then, crumble up the cooked bacon strips and mix them into the egg veggie filling.  

Now, divide the dough into 10 small balls.  Flatten and roll out those dough balls into dough circles.  Place the dough circles on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Now is also the time to preheat the oven to 400.  

Divide the topping mixture into proportions equal to the number of pockets you have to fill.  For us, that equated to about 1/2-3/4 C mixture per pocket.  Place the filling on half of the dough pocket.  

Sprinkle each pocket with shredded cheddar cheese.  

Using a pastry brush, spread water around the edges of the dough.  

Fold the dough over the filling and press to seal.  Use a fork to seal the edges tightly.  

If desired, sprinkle the top of the pockets with Italian seasoning, or chives.  

Bake at 400 for 12-14 minutes until pockets are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped.  

Serve warm.  

If desired, cool the pockets completely.  Then, freeze in plastic freezer bags.  To cook, remove the breakfast pocket from the freezer and microwave for 1-3 minutes (depending on your microwave) until warmed.  

Linked to: What's Cooking Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Recipe Swap, Mangia Monday, Tasty Tuesday, These Chicks Cook

Creamy Potato-Leek Soup

Okay, okay....just after bragging about my new fresh spring menu, I found this soup recipe waiting to be published.  I hadn't cooked with leeks much before, but after seeing how deliciously creamy this soup looked and reading the reviews on it I couldn't wait to give it a try.   The texture turned out as fabulous as I expected, but taste wise it was a toss-up on likes and dislikes in our family.  Everyone ate it, but there were a few of us that didn't really care for the flavor of the leeks.  I figured that with the positive reviews on the Sister's Cafe (where I originally got the recipe) and the fact that my family really isn't accustomed to eating leeks, that I'd go ahead and share it here.  I also liked that the soup itself (without the bacon) is fairly healthy with only a small amount of butter used and evaporated milk instead of cream, which means that you don't need to feel guilty about garnishing it with cheese and crumbled bacon.   Enjoy!  

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 leeks, washed, sliced, including white and light green parts

1 cup chopped onion

2 carrots, sliced

1 stalk of celery, sliced

4 cups chicken broth

1 Tbs. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp garlic salt

2 Tbs. butter

12 oz. can evaporated milk

12 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled

sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

chives, chopped - optional

Directions: 
Crockpot Directions:  Combine everything except last 4 ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low 7-9 hours or on high 3-4 hours. Stir in the can of evaporated milk the last 45 minutes. Serve hot topped with bacon, cheddar, and chives.

Stovetop Directions:  In a large sauce pan on medium heat,  saute onion in a tablespoon of oil until soft (about 7-8 minutes).     Add the potatoes, leeks, carrots, celery, chicken broth, parsley, garlic salt, and butter and simmer together  for about 30 minutes.  

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then in a blender puree about 1/3 of the soup or until desired texture has been reached. 

Reheat.  Serve hot topped with bacon, cheddar, and chives.   

Enjoy! 

Garlic-Tomato Pasta (with 12 whole cloves of garlic)

I found the recipe for this garlicky piece of heaven over at Stirring the Pot, where Kim originally got it from a Mark Bittman cookbook.  Don't be intimidated by the 12 cloves of garlic...when I say "garlicky" I mean it in a nice pleasant flavorful way, not in an overwhelming way at all.  The dish was easy to make and we all unanimously agreed on a five star rating for this one.   Thank you to Kim for sharing a wonderful recipe!

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients: 

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. butter
12 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup thick sliced bacon, cubed
1 can (15-ounces) crushed tomatoes, drained
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound ziti or penne pasta
1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
1 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, or a combo

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Combine the oil/butter, garlic, and bacon in a medium to large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the garlic becomes deep golden, nearly brown, all over, 10-15 minutes. (NOTE:  keep the heat on medium-low or the garlic will burn).

Add the drained crushed tomatoes, along with salt and pepper, to the skillet. Stir and simmer while you salt the boiling water and cook the pasta.

Drain the pasta when it is tender but firm, reserving a little of the cooking water and adding it to the sauce if it appears dry. Toss the pasta with the sauce and most of the basil, along with the cheese.

Mince the remaining basil, garnish the pasta with it, and serve.

Enjoy! 

Bacon Parmesan Pasta

 This quick and easy pasta recipe from Pioneer Woman was as tasty and indulgent as its rich ingredients would indicate.   We completely devoured it and will keep this recipe in the rotation whenever we're looking for some hearty comfort food I know the whole family will enjoy. 
 

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

1 lb. bacon
1 lb. rigatoni, penne, or ziti pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup (2-ounces) cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 whole eggs
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper


Directions:  In a skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. When done, remove bacon until cool enough to handle and roughly chop. 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done. 

Place cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan.  Heat over low until cream cheese is melted, and whisk until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Add the Parmesan cheese, eggs, pepper, and crushed red pepper and whisk until blended. 

Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of hot water) and return to pot.  Immediately add the white sauce and toss to coat.  The hot pasta will cook the eggs.

Stir in the bacon, and add some reserved pasta water until desired consistency is reached. 

Enjoy!

Pasta with Creamy Mushroom-Bacon Sauce

Any glance at our weekly menus will show that we rather like chicken and pasta dishes around our house.  Throw in a little bacon to the mix and you've got a hit all around.  Thanks to my friend Tami for the recipe for this tasty dish! 

 Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:


8-ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled (I cooked the whole package and saved the rest for garnishing)
1 lb. pasta (bow-tie or rotini)
1 Tbs. butter
12-ounces chopped mushrooms, use a variety if possible
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock
2/3 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley


Directions:  Cook and crumble bacon, set aside.  Cook pasta in a large pot, according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper.

 

  Cook until liquid mostly evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally (about 12 minutes).  Add chicken stock, cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Add the cream, Parmesan, parsley, and bacon.

 

Stir until cheese is incorporated.  Toss in pasta and stir to combine.  Garnish with more fresh parsley and crumbled bacon if desired. 

 

Enjoy!

Baked Potato Soup

Frog Prince has been requesting a "baked potato soup".

Being a good wife, I of course, added it to our weekly menu in an attempt to make his desired bowl of soup.

Only problem was, when it came to "soup night", I was stuck in the lab, working with students.

So, my dear husband, mother and sister went to work preparing this yummy soup.

It sure is a winner!

Baked Potato Soup - Finding Joy in My Kitchen
{Print Recipe}

5 C diced russet potatoes
water to cover the potatoes
6 oz. chopped broccoli
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 C milk
1 C cream
1 C extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 C bacon bits
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic powder


Boil potatoes in water; season with salt and cover allowing the potatoes to cook for about 30 minutes.  Stir potatoes occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the soup kettle.

Mash the potatoes a few times with a potato masher.  Then, add in onion and broccoli.  Allow the broccoli to cook for about 5-7 additional minutes, until slightly tender.

Meanwhile, shred the cheese.

Combine 1/4 C flour with 1 C milk, and stir until well blended.  Pour into the soup mixture.  Then add in the cream.  Heat until warmed throughout.

Remove from the burner.

Then, add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until melted.

Sprinkle in bacon bits.  Season with paprika and garlic powder.

Serve with a crusty bread.



This post is linked to:

• Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods
• What's on Your Plate

Cheddar Chicken and Rice Soup

We've been craving soups around here over the past couple of weeks.

Hot, creamy, delicious soups.... oh, how I love fall.

I spied this recipe from Picky Palate for a creamy cheddar chicken and rice soup and we decided to make it {with some adjustments to make it healthier} for dinner on Sunday evening:

• Adjustment #1 - reduce the amount of olive oil to 1 T.  
• Adjustment #2 - eliminate butter.  By thickening the soup a different way, the butter in the sauce can be eliminated.  There are saturated fats in the cheese, so I'll eliminate a few extra grams of fat by removing the butter.  
• Adjustment #3 - use brown rice.  Brown rice is much better for you, and it's easy to hide in the soup!
• Adjustment #4 - use white whole wheat flour as a thickening agent rather than all purpose flour.  If you are GF, use corn starch here.  
• Adjustment #5 - use more homemade chicken broth!  The soup was way too thick to enjoy with only 1 3/4 C chicken broth -- I ended up using 4 C, and still had a thick soup.  

Cheddar Chicken and Rice Soup - Adapted from Picky Palate
{Print Recipe}

1 T olive oil
3 stalks of celery, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 T minced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 C shredded chicken
2 C cooked brown rice
1/4 C white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 C chicken broth
1 1/2 C extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 C crumbled bacon, garnish

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Then, add in garlic and heat until the garlic scent is strong.  Add in diced celery and carrots and saute until tender -- about 10 minutes.

Stir in the shredded chicken and minced onion. Coat the veggies and chicken with flour.

 Then, slowly add the chicken broth, stirring after every addition until a creamy sauce is formed.  Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes until veggies are tender.  

Then, add in the rice, heating until warmed throughout.

Remove from the heat.  Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese.  Allow the soup's heat to melt the cheese -- then, scoop into bowls.

Garnish with crumbled bacon.

Enjoy!



This recipe is linked to:

• Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Delicious Dishes
• URS: Soups