09-24-11 Something a little different

So, it was time to step out of my comfort zone box and try something new. So I went on a recipe hunt for something new and creative. Came across a million recipes and found a few that really caught my attention and things I knew I had in the house. I don't want to cook anything too fancy or make something where an ingredient isn't normal. I want to make things with ingredients that we all or at least most of us would have in a normal 'ish' kitchen. Otherwise what is the point. If I only cooked with ingredients that weren't easy to find, you wouldn't be making that at home, or even thinking about it, so at that point why not just go out to eat and not cook. I am not a fancy person, I love the basics, and enjoy finding new favorites, well today I found one new favorite and one disappointment in two different recipes.

I decided to make my dessert in the afternoon since I had no idea what I was getting into... I am making Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie-Stuffed Pies. This was the disappointment of my day. They are simple to make, quick to put together but just not what you would expect at all from them! I still had a great time making them, and I will work on tweaking the recipe to find something that does work for me and my liking!!!

They suggest using refrigerated pie crust and cutting into 3 1/2 inch circles. Well lets be real here, I am not breaking out a tape measure, and who has something that cuts circles, so do they want me to use a knife and hope I make a round figure?? So being creative, I grabbed my 1 cup measuring cup and decided it was about the right size. Or at least I was going to make it the right size, and imprinted into the pie crust to make my circles!!

Next they tell you to place one ready to bake chocolate chip cookie on the pie crust cut out, and then place a Hershey kiss upside down so the point is sticking into the cookie dough, Oh wait they didn't call them Hershey kisses, I think they said chocolate candies, but come on now, what other candy has a point. So I will say it for them, Hershey kisses!!!!

After that is done, you need to put the other 3 1/2 circle cut of pie crust on top, moisten the edges with water so they stick a little better and also use a fork to smush the edges together for a seal. Here is where I was not happy with the recipe. I think the circles for the top should have been of a different size, a larger size, so that they would wrap over the cookie and Hershey kiss and connect to the edges. I also think this should be done off the main pan (My mistake) so that you can manipulate these and stretch out the top pieces and then make them appear more appealing. I will work on this next time, and will find something to cut a larger piece of the pie crust!!



So they came out OK after baking, but look at the picture where it is cut open, can you find the chocolate chip cookie?? Don't worry it is there, but you don't taste it either. For something that is called a chocolate chip cookie stuffed pie, it certainly wasn't so, somehow the cookie flavor isn't there, you can see and taste the warm Hershey kiss and of course the pie crust and the sugar that was sprinkled over the top but the cookie flavor was just not there. If it wasn't for the pictures I took, I would have thought I forgot to put the cookie in, it's like OK where is the cookie?? I am almost tempted to cook them for less time the next time and see if that helps. A little nervous to end up with raw cookie dough, but i need something here. All in all they are good, but for something that has a name so perfect the flavor just was not there, I hope that I can tweak this to make it into what it really should taste like.

Most of the recipes I use,  I receive from somewhere, then end up making my own alterations at the end. I make these to fit me and my taste buds and those that I am cooking for. And when a recipe that seems so easy, I mean they wanted me to use ready made pie crust, and ready to bake cookies, so really what did i have to do?? Just bake, and it still came up less than up to par, is disappointing but also pushes me further to perfect it and get it up to my standards. Just never thought Pillsbury wouldn't be up to my standards.



For dinner I made a Chicken Alfredo biscuit casserole!! Super delicious!! NOT disappointing at all. Also a recipe from Pillsbury!! I guess it was a Pillsbury type of day, even though I didn't use a single Pillsbury ingredient for this one. I have made something similar to this a long time ago, but lost the recipe and this one was just super simple. Still cheating using store bought ingredients, but I will take that upon myself next time to make more from scratch!

First I took some butter and some diced onions and fried them in a pan for a few minutes just to soften the onion,

You just want to cook them enough so they get soft and are no longer crunchy. I like mine a little overdone, but for someone else you might only want to toss them for about 3 minutes or so.

Next you toss in a jar of Alfredo sauce (Next time I will prepare better and make homemade) cubed chicken breasts (about 2 chicken breasts) and cooked and drained broccoli (I use a steam bag to make the broccoli in the microwave rather than boiling it and making it super soft, the steam bag softens it but keeps it crispy enough that after baking this dish it won't turn to mush) add 1/4 cup milk to the pan, and some basil or parsley for seasoning. Also you could add mushrooms when you are cooking the onion, I certainly wouldn't as I don't eat mushrooms, but it is good in the dish I am told.

Now since this was raw chicken, I like this to sit for about 15 minutes on simmer to ensure that the chicken is cooked even before it bakes, take no chances with chicken. You could also fry up the chicken prior to this step so that when you add it in it was already cooked, but I didn't want to get the crisp outside. Maybe try poaching the chicken in water. Once you are content with the mixture being cooked in the pan, drop it into a 9x9 dish. Take a can of biscuits and rip each biscuit in half, placing them around the edge of the dish slightly overlapping each other.



Now, take a little melted butter and drizzle it over the uncooked biscuits and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. If you have fresh Parmesan that would be ideal, but if not grated works just fine. Place this in the oven and bake. Since everything in the mixture is now cooked, you are basically baking the biscuits and making sure that chicken is fully done, bake about 20 minutes.

Comes out delicious!!!

And for the record, I am cheap these were not Pillsbury biscuits, they were the $0.39 can of biscuits from Aldis. and they work just as well!! :) :) :)