Chicken Pot Pie Muffins

If you happened to catch my MOTW | 4 you'd know I had set my sights on making this dish, I did just that + the results were delicious! I had never tried to make pot pies before, but I really liked this 'muffin' version of it, which is why I chose to use this recipe. It is somewhat of a non traditional pot pie recipe as there isn't any gravy involved, but I really liked it + I know you will too! 

Grab your ingredients + let's make some pot pies! :) 

Whatcha Need:

• * 1 T. Baking Powder
• * 1 t. Salt
• * 1/4 t. Pepper
• * 1 1/4 C. Milk
• * 1/4 C. Butter, melted
• * 1 Egg
• * 2/3 C. Parmesan cheese, shredded 
• * 1 C. Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
• * 1 C. Frozen Mixed Veggies, thawed

Note: I only had grated Parmesan Cheese on hand + it worked just fine for this recipe. I also didn't have Rotisserie Chicken so I used boneless, skinless chicken breast which I diced + boiled before getting everything else together. Be resourceful! :)  

How To: 

- Preheat oven to 400.

- Combine flour, baking powder, salt + peppa.

- In a separate bowl whisk milk, egg + butter, add to flour mix.

- Fold in cheese, chicken + veggies into the dough, 
be sure not to overwork. 

- Grease a 12 count muffin tin + fill each cup 3/4 full, 
sprinkle some Parmesan Cheese on top.

- Place in oven + bake 25 mins.

Fresh out of the oven!

- Serve with butter, ketchup, or hot sauce on the side or go crazy + add some hot Velveeta Cheese or Country Gravy right on top! Enjoy!

Dense, layered goodness!

Really loved this recipe + definitely plan on using it again in the future! I served my pot pie muffins alongside some Mac n' Cheese + salad, + it was the perfect combo! In fact it was the Mac n' Cheese that made me think of trying Velveeta cheese on top of the muffins next time! I think it'd be so delicious! My bf suggested these muffins would also taste great with some Country Gravy on top + I totally agree! I think the gravy would also kind of convert these non traditional pot pie muffins into more of a traditional pot pie. These muffins warm up well microwaved + if you have leftovers changing up what you top these with will almost make it seem like you're eating a whole different meal when really it's just your leftovers :) I think next time I make these I might try a different variation on this recipe, a couple of ideas my bf + I came up with...

* Chicken Cheese Broccoli Muffins

* Chicken Bacon Cheese Muffins, dipped in Ranch 

* Turkey + Cranberry (would be great for the upcoming holidays!)

+ 1 more variation which is currently top secret info, just know it's going to be good! 

There really are so many different variations + toppings one could try with this recipe which is really why I liked it so much. Plus it's super easy to put together + like I said the muffins reheat great! Will be sure to catch up with ya later about the top secret variation of this recipe that's currently under works! ;) 

Until next time friends...Cheers!!

<3 Noonie

Chocolate Avocado Mousse | Don't Be Scared!

Rich, creamy goodness!

I know some of you out there might have your face twisted up + head cocked sideways after reading the title of this post. I know I did when I first read it on a dessert menu while out at a restaurant one day. But my curiosity got the better of me, I ordered it + it was heavenly! So rich, creamy + full of chocolatey flavor, I swear if I didn't know it I would have never guessed there was avocado in it! I was hooked. But I definitely didn't want to have shell out $6 bucks every time just to enjoy this delicious dessert + so I decided to try to make my own Chocolate Avocado Mousse + it turned out delicious!

I searched around a bit before I decided on this particular recipe which can be found here. I decided to go with this one as it was very simple + had exact ingredient quantities, unlike other sites I looked at it. I also found some helpful tips on other sites which I will also share with you below. Although I did use this particular recipe as a guide I did end up changing it just a bit, but I'll get more into that later. As I mentioned you might be somewhat hesitant about this dessert, but I swear you'll love it! 

Let your curiosity take over, grab your ingredients + let the adventure begin! :)

Ingredients:

1 Avocado

3 tbs Honey

1/4 cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

2 tbs Milk
Garnish (optional)

Like I said I used the recipe above as a guide, I ended up adding a lot more of the ingredients than what the recipe originally called for. When I made my mousse I added a total of about 5-6 tablespoons of honey, 1/2 cup of the cocoa powder, a few pinches of salt, + about 4 tablespoons of milk. But that's just me, my sweet tooth is out of control which is the reason for adding so much honey. When I only added the 1/4 cup of cocoa powder like the recipe called for the mousse still had somewhat of an avocado flavor, the chocolate flavor wasn't prevalent enough which is why I added some more cocoa. I love a good sweet + salty balance which is why I added more salt, just to get it to an even keel. More below about why I added the additional milk.

How To:

* Blend avocado until smooth

* Add remaining ingredients + blend until smooth

* Pour into a bowl + chill for 2.5 hours

* Serve as is or garnish

(Garnish ideas below)

When I first started making this dessert, I did follow the recipe + used a blender to blend the ingredients smooth. However when I tried to just blend the avocado alone it wasn't working very well which is why I added 2 tablespoons of milk to it which made it a lot easier to blend. Once I had the avocado pretty much blended all the way I added the other ingredients + once again ran into the problem of it just not wanting to blend well for me, which is why I added 2 more tablespoons of milk, hoping it would help. But it didn't. So in the end I ended up using a mixer to get the mousse smooth. Next time I make this I think I will just use the mixer + see how that goes. 

Tips

This dessert is super rich so the serving size shouldn't be much larger than a big tablespoon. I swear it'll be enough. 

Garnishings: The possibilities are endless when it comes to a good garnish for this dessert. 
A few of the top of my head: 

+ Nuts

+ Caramel

+ Pinch of Sea Salt
+ Cinnamon + Sugar

+ Oreo Crumbles

+ Mint Oreo Crumbles

+ Andes Mint Pieces

+ Chocolate Sauce

+ Salty Cracker Crumbles
+ Fresh Fruit 
(Berries would be delicious!)
+ Dollop of Peanut Butter or Whip Cream

* If you want to make a simple 2 ingredient Chocolate Avocado Mousse simply combine avocado + hot chocolate mix until smooth, chill + serve!

Like I mentioned this recipe can easily be made into a Vegan friendly dessert by simply substituting Agave syrup instead of the honey, skip the Vanilla Extract, + instead of regular milk use almond or soy milk.

- I served coffee along side the mousse + it was out of this world! :)

Not only is this dessert super good it's also on the healthier side! If you're feeding this to skeptical/picky eaters, just don't tell them there is avocado in it until they've enjoyed it, they'll be shocked! :D

Until next time friends...Cheers!!! 

<3 Noonie

Creamy Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Fettuccine

I don't recall where I originally was inspired to try to make this dish, but I found this recipe + it sounded so delicious I knew I had to make it! I made it my goal as part of my MOTW|Ed 3 to try this recipe this week + that's exactly what I did. I've never made any sauce from scratch so I was pretty excited to try my hand at this recipe, which turned out delicious + super easy to make! The sauce has a perfect balance between the lemon + garlic, neither of them overpowering the other, but rather complementing each other perfectly. I've been craving shrimp lately, so although the original recipe I looked at didn't call for shrimp I decided to add some in + it was so. damn. goood. Because the sauce does have so much flavor + is somewhat rich, eating it as is without any meat would be just as delicious. Below is the recipe as I found it, however I do have some other notes as to what I did differently which can be found at the bottom.

Let's get down to business...

Ingredients:

Garnishment:

* 3 t. Lemon peel, grated

* 2 t. Fresh parsley, minced

* 2 Garlic cloves, minced

Sauce:

* 1/4 C. Butter

* 1 Small onion, chopped

* 2 Garlic cloves, minced

* 1 t. Lemon peel, grated

* 1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream

* 1/2 t. Salt

* 1/8 t. Pepper

* 4 oz. Cream cheese, cubed

* 2 T. Lemon juice

* 2 Tomatoes, diced

* 2 t. Fresh parsley, minced

* Parmesan Cheese, grated

* Fettuccine Noodles

How To:

* Mix garnishment set aside, + start your Fettuccine noodles.

* In a large skillet over medium high heat melt the butter. 

* Add onion + cook 3-4 mins until tender.

* Add garlic + lemon peel.

* Slowly stir in heavy cream, salt + pepper.

* Whisk in cream cheese + stir until melted.

* Remove sauce from heat + let it cool slightly.

* Add in lemon juice

* Add pasta, tomatoes + parsley to the sauce + toss to coat.

* Serve immediately, top with garnishment + Parmesan cheese.

* Enjoy! :)

Notes: 

* Like I said I added shrimp to my pasta. I just bought a 40-60 count bag of frozen cooked shrimp, defrosted it + then warmed up the shrimp in a skillet with a few spoonfuls of the sauce + some water.

* I opted to omit the tomatoes since I wanted more of a lemon garlic flavor. I also didn't include the lemon peel which I don't think really played in a big factor, my pasta still had a nice zesty lemon flavor from the lemon juice alone. 

* I love a ton of sauce on my pasta so next time I make this I think I may double the sauce recipe, I got about 3 servings out of the recipe as it is. 

* I didn't toss my pasta in the sauce like the recipe calls for, however I do wish I had as it is a very thick sauce + would be best tossed rather than ladled onto the pasta. 

I can't say enough good things about this recipe, it was that delicious! Definitely putting this one down in the recipe book + can't wait to make it again! Next time I might try making it with chicken + maybe I'll add broccoli to it :) There are just so many combinations that would be so good with this sauce, I'll go do some experimenting + get back to ya.

Until next time friends...Cheers!!

<3 Noonie

Brown Sugar + Garlic BBQ Chicken

I bring you this delicious recipe as a result of my most current MOTW (that's Musings of The Week for the newbies). I had it set in my mind that I'd try this recipe for the first time this past week + boy was I happy I did! It's both delicious, super easy to make + it takes less than 30 minutes to bake! Doesn't get much better than that! :) I'll admit when I first found this recipe on Pinterest I was a little apprehensive about the whole brown sugar + garlic combo. But after reading that even the author's picky family liked it I thought I'd give it a go. I mean after all I never thought meatloaf with a brown sugar sauce on top of it would taste good, but it really does! So I went for it + like I said I was happy I did!

+ I know you will love it too! 

Get your ingredients together + let's make some chicken!

Ingredients:

* 4 T. Brown Sugar

* 4 T. Minced Garlic

* 4 Chicken Breasts

* 1/2 C. BBQ Sauce

(I always use Sweet Baby Ray's Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce, 

which went exceptionally well with this recipe since it too has brown sugar in it)

How To:

- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

- Coat a 9X12 pan with baking spray

-Combine brown sugar + garlic in a small bowl

                                                    

- Place chicken in baking dish + smother it with the brown sugar/garlic mix

- Bake chicken about 15-20 mins (or until juices run clear)

                                                  

-Turn broiler on + brush the BBQ sauce evenly over the chicken

-Broil about 5 minutes +....

Enjoy!

I served this chicken alongside some Italian garlic pasta + corn. Definitely the perfect combination.

Until next time friends...Cheers!!!

<3 Noonie

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