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The Recipies:  Not everything I cook gets burned.

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No Brainer Sweet Potato Pies

4/6/2013

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There are two versions of this recipe - the easy way and the hard way.  Both are equally good.  Honestly, if I made them side-by-side and did a taste test, you'd probably never know the difference. 
The easy way takes less than 30 minutes.
The hard way will imprison you to the kitchen for at least an hour.

Tough choice, huh? 
Yeah, the easy way & I are very good friends. 
      

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                            THE EASY WAY
You'll need:
1 box Betty Crocker Mashed Sweet Potatoes
2 packages of Keebler Ready-Crust Graham Mini Crusts
1 cup Mini Marshmallows
Milk and Butter
1/2 cup of finely chopped Plain or Candied Pecans
Brown Sugar, AllSpice, Nutmeg
Optional: Cinnamon

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   Directions:
    *  Set the oven to 375 degrees.
    *  Whip together the potatoes, following the package 
        instructions.   (you'll need water, milk, and butter)
    *  While fluffing the potatoes with a fork, stir in a sprinkle of 
        AllSpice and Nutmeg (and if you like, Cinnamon)
    *  Arrange the empty pie crusts on a cookie sheet.
    *  Place a heaping dallop of sweet potato in each crust
    *  Add Marshmallows and Chopped Pecans 
    * Throw 'em in the oven on the top rack for 10 minutes

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Meanwhile...   
The Brown Sugar (Lazy) Glaze
* Drop 2 Tablespoons of butter into a small pot
* Heat on stove until melted and slightly boiling
* Add a heaping spoonful of brown sugar
* Over the burner, whip up sugar and butter with 
   a whisk or beater until it is a honey-like
   consistency
Note: If the glaze gets too thick, add a little bit of water to loosen it up.  If it is too loose, stir in more sugar. 
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I love this lazy glaze. Throw the used beater into your cup of coffee when you're done... a sweet reward!
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Finishing Touch
Time to pop those puppies out of the oven! 
The marshmallows should be gooey and melty now.  
    *  Using a fork or spoon, add drizzles of the 
       glaze to the top of each pie. 
    *  Then, combine a little AllSpice, Nutmeg, & Brown
       Sugar into a prep bowl (I used one of the 
       plastic protectors from the graham crusts).  
       Add cinnamon if you like!
    * Lightly dust the top of each pie with the spice mix
    * For additional flair, top with a whole Pecan.

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Keeping it simple...
It's because these pies are so simple that I make them quite a bit - for any occasion, big or small, holiday or no.  
I like them because they are pretty versatile, given that they are individual servings; that means that I can leave off the marshmallows or the nuts, or even skip the glaze on a few so they can fit some people’s preferences.  
Even with individualizing them to my family's preferences, they're still super easy – not just to make, but to serve (no separate utensil required) and to clean up (simply toss that mini pie tin into the recycle bin!).
          
   Food doesn’t have to be complicated to taste good, and you shouldn't have to labor over it for hours to make it worthy enough to share with others. 
But for those of you who enjoy a challenge, there is a harder way.  The “from scratch” way.  
More on that by clicking here:


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Turkey Stuffed Mushrooms

9/21/2012

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Pretty easy turkey stuffed mushrooms!
  The Stuff:                                                                
* 6 Large Portobello Mushrooms
* 1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey (we used Jennie O Brand)
* 2 Green Bell Peppers, chopped
* 1/2 cup finely chopped celery (optional)
* 1/2 cup chopped white onion (optional)
* Spicy Brown Mustard (we love Koop's Beer and Braut)
* 1 tbl Sea Salt; 1 tsp Pepper; 1/2 tsp Paprika & Garlic
* Pam Olive Oil Spray
        - Grab a Melon Baller - it comes in handy!
        - Piece of wax paper for the counter top
        - You'll also need a broiler pan.  
          Line the bottom with foil for an easy clean up!
        - Set the oven to 350 degrees.                           
Feeds 4 - 5
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A bowl of Portobello bowls
- First, clean out the Portobellos with warm water
- Remove the gills. 
- With a melon baller, scrape out the stem and some of the flesh of the mushroom cap.  The idea is to try and make a bowl out of it.  Set the flesh and stems aside.
 - Then, place the turkey, chopped veggies, and scraped out mushroom pieces in a mixing bowl. 
 - Add Spicy Mustard to coat the top of the pile.  There's no real measurement, just go for it... if you have to have a measurement, it's probably about 1/2 cup. 
 - Then add all the spices.

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Give your mix a hand! But wash them first, okay?!
- Like meat loaf, the best way to mix this stuff up is by hand.  Dig in!  If you're squeamish, you can also use a potato masher, but where's the fun in that?
- Once thoroughly mixed, take a handful and roll into balls, about 3" in diameter - or, enough to fill the mushroom caps.  Set them aside on the wax paper. 
- Alright, you had your fun!  Now wash your hands &  spray the broiler pan & mushrooms lightly with Olive Oil
- Take a ball of the turkey meat mix, and stuff lightly into each mushroom cap.   Gentle - the caps can break.   
- Now place the mushroom, cap side down, over the slits of the broiler pan (this helps the drippings fall into the pan below).   
- Heat at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
 
Test: The mushrooms are done if the center of the balls have lost the pink hue of the turkey meat.  The tops will appear slightly brown, and the peppers will be tender.   For some garnish, a light dot of brown mustard and a dusting of paprika is very pretty.  But they don't need that to taste great.                                                 Enoy!  

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This is one of my favorite things to cook.  They're pretty easy, and since it's a pop-in-the-oven fare, I can do a few other tasks while they cook.  Plus, I can also premake them and have them in the fridge, ready to go to the oven when I get home from work!   No standing over a stove with these beauties! 
For variety, I have also used lean ground beef.  When substituting beef, I like a ketchup instead of the mustard, so it's almost more of a meat loaf.  Since red meat also has more drain-off, I will also cut a few slits in the cap of the mushroom, so that the drippings can escape while cooking. 
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