Deep South Eats: Sour Cream and Bacon Chicken

This recipe is super easy and filling - our family can usually only eat half a piece of the chicken each. The only thing that can be tricky from time to time is the timing of cooking. It calls for being cooked on LOW 6-8 hours. The 6 hours is optimal for cooking to lock in the juiciness, but 8 hours is still good just a little dryer. Most people during the weekday will have to cook it 8 hours for timing with work and such, so just be mindful that it may need more of the gravy.

Sour Cream and Bacon Chicken

Ingredients:
4 bacon slices (I prefer center cut)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 can roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of sour cream (I use low fat or fat free - definitely better with the full strength version)
1/4 cup flour
parsley (optional)

Directions:
Wrap one slice of bacon around each chicken breast and place in crock pot. Season lightly with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, and flour. Mix well with a wire whisk to blend. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken and bacon are cooked through. Serve over hot rice with gravy from crock pot and sprinkle with parsley.

If made with center cut bacon and fat free sour cream, a half piece of chicken is 4.5 points.

with Belles and Beauxs

The Sweet Kitchen: Whats on the Menu?

Many of you were interested in the Sour Cream and Bacon Chicken crock pot recipe, so I made sure to incorporate that into my weekly meal plan. If that is all you want to see and don't really care about my weekly menu just fast forward your DVR to Wednesday night when that recipe will be posted with pictures.

This week is another busy week - aren't they all? There are several nights that I will be working accompanied with the dear husband's hectic work schedule. I am committed though to cooking some sustenance as last week we did not eat well....at all. 

Monday: Loaded Taco Salads with Fresh Fruit

Tuesday: Ginger-Glazed Pork Tenderloin, Oven Roasted Potatoes and Lemon Green Beans with Toasted Almonds

Wednesday: Drumroll please...Sour Cream and Bacon Chicken, Steamed Rice and Spinach Salad (This meal was brought to you by the letter "S").

Thursday: (no one will be home for dinner)

Friday: Out to Eat

Saturday: Calzones with Caesar Salad

Sunday: Leftovers

Let me know if any of these recipes sound appealing, but otherwise hold tight to your seats for the crock pot recipe on Wednesday night!

with Belles and Beauxs

Deep South Eats: Crock Pot Delish

After my post on fall readiness, I was asked for a list of 8-10 go-to crock pot recipes. I have a ton that I love to cook, but I definitely think this list represents the foods cooked most often in our crock pot.

• Beef Tips served over Egg Noodles
• Taco Soup
• Golden Chicken served over Rice
• Pot Roast and Assorted Vegetables
• Chuck Roast Barbecue Sandwiches
• Buffalo Chicken (for Salads)
• Sour Cream and Bacon Chicken
• Berry Cobbler
• Chicken with Creamy Chive Sauce
• Creamy Ranch Potatoes

I can't just leave you with your mouth salivating, so I included a recipe for Chuck Roast Barbecue Sandwiches. These are delicious and great for nights when things will be busy. Since they are prepped in the morning they require very little work when ready to eat.

Chuck Roast Barbecue Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 (2 to 2.5 lb) boneless chuck roast, trimmed

2 medium onions, chopped

3/4 cup cola soft drink (I love to use Cherry Coke or Dr. Pepper to switch it up)

3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp beef bouillon granules

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1/2 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp butter or margarine (for the whimps)

6 hamburger buns

Directions:

Combine roast and onions in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Combine cola and next 7 ingredients; save 1/2 cup of the mixture in the refrigerator. Pour the remaining mixture over the roast and onions. Cook, covered, on HIGH for 6 hours until the roast is fork tender. Drain and shred the roast (I use a large slotted spoon to remove it from the juices in the crock pot and place in a serving bowl to shred). Combine reserved 1/2 cup cola mixture, ketchup, and butter in a small saucepan. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until thoroughly heated. Pour over shredded roast and stir gently. Spoon onto buns and serve.

I love to serve these with watermelon or fruit slices, carrot sticks, and chips. I will be happy to feature some of these recipes this fall, so please drop me a comment with the recipe you most anticipate seeing. Remember that there may or may not be a secret giveaway for every comment submitted this week!

with Belles and Beauxs

***This recipe was originally from the Southern Living Book: Quick and Easy Weeknight Meals

The Deep South Dirty: Fall Prep Tips

You will notice that their is no weekly menu this week on Deep South Sweets, and that is simply due to the fact that we are busy, busy, busy. The menu would read something like Mon: Leftovers, Tuesday: Sandwiches and rinse and repeat. When the dear husband has to go out of town and this girl has to work it is just a combo for nothingness in the food department.

Here in the South it is still feeling a lot like the summer, but you can still make the inside of your home feel festively fall. You know sort of the if they build it they will come mentality. These are in no certain order, but intended to help you find a few things you can do around your house to make fall more warm and cozy. Without further ado, here is a list of my random tips for fall prep.

• Pull your crock pot out to where it is easily accessible. Find 8-10 solid recipes that you enjoy in your crock pot and plan to cook at least one every week. Nothing says fall like coming home to the smell of a roast or soup cooking in the crock pot.
• Find cinnamon, pumpkin and vanilla candles. Even a home that is not spic-n-span can quickly become inviting with a warm, spicy scent.
• Toss comfy, plush throws over living room chairs and sofas. When the chilly breezes start blowing outside it is amazing to curl up under a blanket and read a good book.
• Make sure and stock your pantry with hot apple cider and hot cocoa mixes.
• Purchase a couple of different sized mums for your front porch. Don't be like me and buy them when it is crazy hot still or you will now be looking at dead mums on the front porch.
• Clean out that closet and make it ready for your fall/winter wardrobe. Don't simply pack away your summer clothes. Take the time to go through them and toss out what is unnecessary. If you did not wear it once this entire summer - toss it! I promise you that if you hang on to it saying to yourself "I'll wear it again someday," you won't. Toss, toss, toss it! Pass those clothes on to someone who truly will wear it again or Goodwill. Same goes for shoes, purses and accessories. Hanging on to things will only clutter up your closet. Do the same thing with the fall clothes you wore last year. If it was never worn during last fall/winter season, toss it!
• Wash your windows. This is a great thing to do once every season to get them bright and shiny. I recently tried the Windex Outdoor All-in-One Glass Cleaning Tool, and was very pleased with the results. It took all of 30 minutes to get the lower level windows clean, and saved a fortune from hiring someone. 
• Get out in your lawn and trim your hedges and bushes back. Have your pine straw and mulch refreshed. This is something I will be hiring someone to do for me. I do not mind doing the weekly lawn work myself, but these harder tasks I leave to the professionals.
• Lastly, pull out your fall decor from the attic and decorate! I love pumpkins and fall fruits on tables and in glass bowls. Different colored leaves are great to scatter along sideboards and tablescapes. Don't go overboard, but simply add a few accents here and there.

I know these are completely random, and I could go on and on. Take the time and find a few things to do around your house to get in the fall spirit. Leave a comment if you have something on your brain that you can add to the list - who knows - a few comments might entice me to do a fall favorites giveaway!

with Belles and Beauxs

Deep South Home: Furniture Redo

Here in the South, furniture is an heirloom. Pieces are passed from generation to generation (along with sterling, jewelry, etc). The find of a great antique is like scoring that winning touchdown in the fourth quarter with 15 seconds left on the clock. 

The piece that I chose to redo is one that was originally my parents. I can remember exactly where it was from house to house growing up. My dear husband and I have had this piece in our first apartment where it served as a bookshelf and then in our first home holding our TV in the living room. When we moved into our current home we were unsure of where we could use it to its full potential. It also needed a little rehab after our dear daughter had pulled the handles off the drawer and broken one of the slats within the drawer. The right leg had also been lost somewhere in a move.

It has sat in our garage for months holding the gasoline can and weed control sprays high from the reach of two year old hands until I recently looked in and noticed it had two rows of hooks. Brainstorm!! It would be perfect for our garage entry area or mudroom as we say in the South. I color-matched the paint with the curtains in the adjacent hall bath and then got down to the nitty gritty.

Starting out I took a damp cloth and wiped down every surface that was going to be painted. Even if your piece of furniture hasn't sat around in a dingy this still is helpful for giving yourself a clean painting surface. My dad also gave me the tip of painting a small area to make sure the paint would actually adhere or if the surface needed to be sanded. Then take a quality painting tape and tape off the lines of where you plan to paint. This may seem a little silly, but this particular piece was not going to be painted on the inside. I love Frog Tape 82011 Pro Painters Masking Tape, Green 1-Inch by 60-Yards. It is worth the extra money to get those beautiful clean lines!

After your surface is prepped, you want to paint a single coat of primer. This insures that you get all those pine surfaces evenly covered so they do not show through the paint. The people at Home Depot recommended Gripper Primer. I was very pleased with the results, just don't look at the large white spot on my garage floor where I dropped the can! I also recommend using a very good brush Purdy 400730 Pro Extra Swan Paint Brush 3-Inch. I have heard of some people rolling furniture. I tested this method and did not like the texture it created. Let this dry for the maximum amount of time listed on your primer can. I gave it overnight to be generous.

Once your primer is dry, brush on your paint. Use a small one inch brush to get the detailed areas and your edges. I had my mom come out and help me and it was useful to have one person doing the detail and the other brushing the large surface areas. We were then able to stop and see each others work and note what places were missed. Do two coats and let dry overnight before moving into your home.

Finished product! I added new hardware to the drawer to give it a more modern look. Sorry for the picture quality but this was a funny angle that only a wide angle lens could capture. I still have to fully fix the leg.  It balances very well as of now, so I can just prop the broken leg up to make it look even.

with Belles and Beauxs

Deep South Eats: Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

One of my good friends emailed the other day asking about these beauties, and my are they tasty. This recipe has definitely taken a few attempts to work out kinks. I even felt horrible when I recommended them to my mother and they completely bombed (she is a super good cook too). The last two times I have made them I have made subtle changes that I now feel like I can share them with my Deep South Sweets' readers.

I originally discovered the recipe over at Crazy Cravings. They are a Giada De Laurentis recipe from her cookbook: Giada's Family Dinners. They are super flavorful and fanciful. Perfect for a weeknight dinner with simple sides or dressed up for a weekend dinner with company. We have served them in the past with a Mushroom Rice Casserole and Mixed Greens Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette, and the other night I served them with Browned New Potatoes and Roasted Green Beans with Toasted Almonds. Versatility is a great quality in a main dish.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops (the Deep South Sweets way)

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 Cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I prefer to use shredded Parmesan as it enhances the flavor a lot)
4 - 6 boneless pork chops (to cut time buy the thin cut pork chops if your grocer sells them, if not you will need to pound them thin)
salt and pepper
6 Tablespoons of olive oil
Lemon wedges for serving

Directions:
Whisk eggs in a pie plate. A large salad plate will work as well. Pour the bread crumbs in another pie plate (or salad plate) and the Parmesan cheese in a third. If you bought regular boneless pork chops you will want to place each pork chop between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them to 1/4 inch thin (just eyeball it) using a quality meat mallet. I use this Oxo Good Grips Meat Tenderizer and make sure you use the smooth side as the pointy side is for tenderizing meat. Sprinkle the pork chops generally with salt and pepper. Taking your first pork chop, lay it in the cheese and pat it to adhere the cheese. Flip and repeat. Then dip both sides in the eggs, and finish by dipping both sides in the bread crumbs, patting to adhere. Repeat with the remaining pork chops.

Warm 3 Tablespoons of oil in a non stick skillet like the Calphalon Unison Nonstick 12 Covered Fry Pan Individual Pieces Cookware. While I don't own this particular fry pan, I have used it before and it performs beautifully. You definitely want to use a non stick skillet no matter what kind you own. Cook pork chops 3 or 4 at a time in batches to insure you don't overcrowd the pan. Cook until the bottom edges start to brown and flip carefully not to tear the breading. Continue cooking until the pork chops are golden brown and the center has reached at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit (about 3-4 minutes per side if 1/4 inch thick). Repeat with remaining batches using additional olive oil as necessary. Serve with lemon wedges and encourage diners to squeeze over chop before eating. The lemon-Parmesan combo is amazing!

I love using a meat thermometer to insure healthy temperatures when serving my family and friends, but I know some people aren't as keen on them. I have used this cheap digital one for years Norpro Digital Thermometer and have managed to drop it in the bottom of my oven and into the flame of my burner and it has stood the test.

Enjoy and if they don't turn out perfect, try try again! I have made these probably 6 times before I was satisfied with the result. Each time I have seen the potential in the flavor so I have persevered through the recipe to get it just right. As I say, if the flavor of a new recipe doesn't meet your standards and you can't see changes to make in terms of flavor to better the recipe, don't try it again. If you bomb a recipe but see potential in flavor, stick with it!

with Belles and Beauxs

Guest Room: Phase 3: Paint Chip Showdown

Imagine that Western music playing in the background you know right before the two men are going to have a showdown. I tried to type it out for you but to be honest it doesn't translate over with the same effect. Looks more like I am working on saying my "W's". 

I am really excited to pick a paint color for the guest room. It will probably be awhile before the actual painting takes place as I have decided I am going to have to paint the ceiling. That leads to hiring people because I am not the best wall painter to begin with. The idea of me painting a ceiling might be a bit scary to those I have helped paint walls (ahem Ryan). Lets just say I got a little roller happy. 

So without further ado, here are paint chips 1, 2 & 3. The lighting in the room is a little wonky, but I tried to get it a time of day when some sun was shining in, but not too much. They have each been compared with the trim color and furniture pieces in the room, and they all look good. They look the most different against the headboard since it is the focal piece of the room. These are all in the grey family and they differ in their undertones.

Leave me a comment with which number you like best and I will tally them up and give you guys the result!

with Belles and Beauxs

The Sweet Kitchen: Whats on the Menu?

The winner of the MyRecipes Quick & Easy Cookbook is:

ERIN REINSTEIN!!!

Please email me and I will get the cookbook to you.

This week I am off work for the whole week. I am already amazed by how much I have been able to accomplish just today. This week I got my inspiration for my meals from The Pioneer Woman. I have had her cookbook for quite some time and been reading her blog for YEARS, but to be honest have cooked very few things. That is all changing this week. I am trying 5 of her recipes! I used what was on sale at my local grocery to guide me when searching through her vast database of recipes. If you are ever in a rut please check her out!

Monday: Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce*, Caesar Salads, Garlic Toast

Tuesday: Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops, Browned New Potatoes, and Roasted Green Beans

Wednesday: Chuck Roast BBQ Sandwiches, Chips, Watermelon Slices

Thursday: Tequila Lime Chicken*, Roasted Corn Salad*, and Seasoned Black Beans

Friday: Clear out the fridge (Leftovers)

Saturday: Family Dinner

Sunday: Breakfast Bowls*, Cinnamon Rolls, and Mixed Fruit

I will also be making her Oatmeal Crispies to freeze.

I am really excited about digging into these recipes! Let me know if you would like any featured here on the blog. I really enjoyed reading about the new recipes you all were trying last week.

Coming up this week:

• Mudroom Furniture Redo
• Fall Organization Tips
• Guest Room: Paint Chip Showdown

with Belles and Beauxs

Deep South Party: Rose Topiary How-To

Are you ready? I am getting ready to give away one of my deep secrets. I feel completely vulnerable, sort of like I am speaking to a crowd in my underoos. Yikes that is a scary mental image. Read closely these are E-A-S-Y. They will take you a few times to get the hang of them, but before you know it you will feel prepared to enter floral arrangement competitions...that might be a bit much to be honest.

I am often called upon to make these Rose Topiaries for parties, and after a few years I assume I must now pass along my wealth of knowledge.

Assemble your supplies:

• One medium sized container (or two or three depending on how many arrangements you would like) Terra cot pots work great and can be painted over and over to match your parties theme.
• 1 1/2 to 2 dozen roses - You can mix colors or stick with a single color. When first attempting to create this on your own start with 1 1/2 dozen as it is less to handle and manipulate.
• Durable scissors that you don't care too much about
• Floral wire
• Pete moss or reindeer moss (prettier and less messy)
• A large rectangle of decorators foam to fit your container
• Old newspaper
• At least 1 1/2 inch wired ribbon in the pattern/color to match your party

Follow the directions:

• Find a good spot in your kitchen near a sink and lay your roses out.
• Tear all the leaves and more prominent thorns off leaving only a few sparse leaves near the actual flower.
• Measure the height you would like your roses to be from about an inch in your container up. Your roses will stick about and inch into your foam so you want to adjust your height accordingly. I definitely just eyeball this and hold one rose next to the container to decide.
• Cut one rose to this measurement. Use this rose as a guide to cut the remaining roses. Do not try to make this perfect.
• Gather 3 roses in your hand to be your center, and add the other roses a few at a time around this center. Don't try to even up the bottom of the stems to match, but make the flowers create a sort of half-circle (if this doesn't make sense look at the picture of the final result and you will understand).
• Once all roses are gathered together very tightly, tie a piece of floral wire at the level you want your bow. In order to achieve this very tight, crisp effect you will want to borrow a second set of hands to tie the initial floral wire while you hold tightly above and below where you want the wire. The wire should be TIGHT. Repeat with me "TIGHT". Wrap the remaining wire around the initial tie very tightly as well. Now take a second piece of wire and do the same thing about 1 inch from the bottom of your stems. This will anchor the roses more tightly.
• Tie your ribbon around the upper wire and create a bow (I sure hope I don't have to explain how to tie a bow - If you have ever worn shoes with laces we should be good on this point. If not, you might want to google how to tie your shoes)
• Now take your floral foam and cut it to fit your container. I usually stuff newspaper in the bottom of my container really snug and then put my foam on top of the newspaper. I also use newspaper to anchor the sides of the foam. Stuff LOTS of it to make it super secure (Yes, Super Secure would make a great crafting superhero).
• This is the real fun. Save up all your aggression for this portion of the craft. Take the tied together stems and jab them swiftly and forcefully into the foam. Do this in a straight line, otherwise it will end up all wonky. I usually have someone hold the container still while I jab away. If done correctly and the foam is anchored correctly, it will stand up on its own. You may have to push the stems a little further into the foam after the initial jab.
• Now take your moss and arrange it cover the foam and wire at the bottom.

This is what your end result will look like (Minus my dad in the mirror in the background - that would be pretty hard for you to achieve without some additional directions)

This is an example of how it looks on a round buffet table for a wedding shower. If your table is oval or rectangular, I recommend creating two of these beauties. The topiary shown is using 1 1/2 dozen roses. I like a simple and classy it appears without being too frou-frou.
Let me know if you have any questions, but practice does really make perfect in this case.

with Belles and Beauxs

***Don't forget to enter the Giveaway below on The Sweet Kitchen: Whats on the Menu? for this week. Entries close this Sunday at 8:00 pm EST.***

Guest Bedroom: Phase Two

I guess that Phase One was truly a phase of acceptance and planning. Accepting that the room was in dire need of help since it wrote a letter of desperation and planning how to execute my ideas within my budget and time allowance.

Phase Two included the creation of the headboard. I used several tutorials from around the internet and combined them to make exactly what I wanted. It started with gathering the supplies necessary for a homemade upholstered headboard. A large sheet of plywood cut to your dimensions, two 1x4's to anchor the headboard to the bed frame, a bed frame, 1-2 inch decorator's foam (save coupons to use for this as it can be very expensive), batting, fabric, staple gun and staples, spray adhesive, and wood screws.

We (yes I called my dear Dad for help) started by measuring and drilling the holes for if I decided to tuft it once it was finished. We then cut the foam to fit the board and sprayed adhesive to adhere the foam to the board. After allowing that to set we laid the batting on the floor and made sure it was very smooth. We laid the foam side of the plywood on top of the batting and then pulled one side of the batting over one side of the board and stapled. In between stapling sides we would stand the board up and smooth out the batting. You should do opposite sides first (like the top and bottom and then side to side) rather than working in a square. This will help you when it is time to finish the corners. Repeat this same procedure with the fabric. Once the entire headboard piece is assembled it is time to measure the bed frame for placement of your 1x4's. These were then screwed down with four, two inch wood screws.

After setting the board up with the bed frame I decided that I would like to apply nail head trim rather than tuft. Because of this decision we have not attached the headboard to the bed frame, but will do that as soon as my nail head trim arrives and is attached.

Without further ado, here is the view from the doorway:

Please excuse the lack of sheets and bed skirt. The sheets were in the wash from our guest staying in the room this weekend. The duvet cover is back ordered until the first of October. I have searched for a decent 21" drop bed skirt, but they are very expensive and not nice looking. Therefore I will resign myself to making my own.
I tried to upload a picture of the nail head I will be using, but it messed up my post.

Phase 3 will include: attaching the nail head trim, sewing an accent pillow for the one seen on the bed (still in its package), and recovering/repainting the desk chair.

Also left to complete in the room: paint, window treatments, accent furniture, lamps, and wall decor.

with Belles and Beauxs

The Sweet Kitchen: Whats on the Menu?

At the grocery store the other day, I picked up a new copy of the My Recipes.com: 101 Quick and Easy Recipes. It made menu planning this week very exciting because I was able to pick out several new recipes to try that were also lacking in the labor intensive department. I try each week to incorporate 2 to 3 new recipes into our meal planning. This is very helpful in keeping you out of a rut, and trying new flavors.

Sometimes it is taking an old recipe book off the shelf and flipping to any page, sometimes you search the internet to find a recipe similar to a favorite restaurant entree, and other times it can be picking up an inexpensive new cookbook at the store. Whatever it is I challenge you to try at least one new recipe a week. There will definitely be times when they bomb completely and you make pb & j's for dinner, but mostly they will coax you out of your comfort zone.

This week in the Deep South Sweets household we will be savoring:

Monday: Leftovers from our cookout Sunday night

Tuesday: Chicken Burritos*, Seasoned Black Beans, and Mexican Rice

Wednesday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Garlic Toast, and Steamed Green Beans

Thursday: Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin, Onion Rice, and Roasted Broccoli

Friday: Ham and Pineapple Pizza* with Chopped Balsamic Salad

Saturday: Eating snacks in the suite at the Brave's Game

Sunday: Small Group Meal: Chili, Cornbread, Salad, and Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce*

* indicates a recipe I am trying for the first time

So tell me, what new recipe(s) are you going to challenge yourself to try this week? Let me know and you will be entered to win a copy of the cookbook mentioned above (if I can find another one, otherwise you will get my copy).

Giveaway ends Sunday, September 12 at 8:00pm EST

with Belles and Beauxs

Deep South Saturday: The Day Has Arrived

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Everyday truly gives us reason to celebrate in the Lord's blessing, but today is a particularly special day. SEC football is underway and this sweet, Southern girl could not be any more excited. Nothing ushers fall in quite like a football game and SEC rivalry. I would like to feature a few favorite sites for game day gear.

Ladies Casual Dresses and Tops for Game Day: http://www.trucolorsapparel.com/

Children's Smocked Dresses, Bibs, and John-Johns for your favorite team: http://www.bestdressedchild.com/cotewe.html

The Ultimate Tailgating Bag for Women: http://haulcouture.com/

Great Polos, T-shirts, Car Gear, Etc: http://www.secstore.com/

I am sure that all you readers have many other sites that you frequent. Please leave a comment so we may all further our investment in game day gear!

Now, lets all go put on our purple and gold and give a GEAUX Tigers!

Tap, Tap, Tap... Is this thing on?

I said, lets ALL go put on our PURPLE and GOLD and give a GEAUX TIGERS!!!

Now off to the Georgia Dome for a little game day action!

Deep South Eats: Chicken Pot Pie Empanadas

One panada, two panada, three panada, four

I absolutely love Chicken Pot Pie. It is one of the quintessential comfort foods on this Earth. The problem is it can be a little labor intensive. Every now and then I love to devote the time to make it from scratch, but for the day-to-day, hectic life this recipe will save you time but deliver on comfort. My family ate it all up and the leftovers were wonderful as well. I recommend serving with some fresh fruit since it already contains vegetables and starches.

Chicken Pot Pie Empanadas

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 Tablespoon flour

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

1 - 3 to 4 pound store bought rotisserie chicken, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

1 package of refrigerated pie crusts (the package should contain 2 pie crusts)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Still stirring slowly add the broth. Cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the mixed vegetables, chicken, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.

Cut each pie crust in half to form 4 semi circles. I used a pizza cutter to make it quick and easy. Spoon 1/4 of the chicken mixture over the bottom half of each semi circle, leaving a half-inch border. Using your fingers, wet the border with water. Fold the top of the crust over the chicken mixture to form a quarter circle. Press to seal. Make three 1 inch slits in the top of crust. Repeat with remaining semi circles. Transfer to a foil lined baking sheet. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until golden.

These were very large portions for my family, so we split each quarter circle in half.

with Belles and Beauxs

*original recipe is from My Recipes and can be found here: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1131852&adsqs=raid:1893152