The Grateful Girl Cooks!

10
Dec
2018

Apple Cream Cheese Pastries

categories: Breads, Breakfast, Doughnuts/Pastries

132 Shares

Apple cream cheese pastries are easy to make baked puff pastry sheets, topped with a sweet cream cheese spread, apple pie filling, and vanilla icing!

A few years ago I made some puff pastry tarts that had a variety of flavored jams on top, and we really enjoyed them a LOT! Last year I wanted to experiment a bit with my original recipe. I made a couple very slight changes to my original recipe for Fruit and Cheese Danish Pastry, and used some of my own home-canned apple pie filling, to create a NEW version!

A sweet friend of mine named Grace had knee replacement surgery just over a year ago, so I took dinner over to her home while she was recuperating. I also took her family some of these apple cream cheese pastries, for dessert (or a quick breakfast treat)!

The results turned out wonderful, and she told me they loved them, so now I am FINALLY getting the recipe for these dessert OR breakfast treats on the ol’ blog! Better late than never, right? They are fairly simply to make! Here’s how:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make The Cream Cheese Filling

In a medium sized bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and milk (or half and half) together, using an electric mixer. Mix the filling for 2-3 minutes, until mixture is very smooth and sugar has dissolved. Set this mixture aside, once spreadable.

How To Prepare Pastry Dough For Apple Cream Cheese Pastries

Remove a sheet of puff pastry from the freezer, and let it thaw slightly (for about 15 minutes) before unfolding it. While the dough is thawing, preheat your oven to 400° F.

Once the dough has slightly thawed, gently unfold it. Press the dough together where any line perforations may be, to form one large piece of dough.

Cut the pastry dough into 8 rectangles. Do this by cutting the dough in half, then cut each half in half. Finally, cut each of the 4 squares in half once again. You should end up with 8 equal sized rectangles. I use a pizza cutter for nice even cuts!

Place the 8 rectangles of dough onto 2 parchment paper lined baking sheets. Place 4 pastries per baking sheet, and make sure to leave a couple inches between each pastry.

Scoring A Border On The Pastry Dough

Using a sharp knife, score a border all the way around each of the pastries, about half an inch from the outside edge. By cutting this border in the dough, the edges will rise up and hold the filling in better! Don’t forget to do this step! IMPORTANT: Make sure to NOT cut all the way through the dough to the bottom!

Evenly distribute the cream cheese filling into middle of each of the apple cream cheese pastries. Use a knife or small spatula to spread the filling over the dough, BUT STAY INSIDE THE BORDER!

Add The Apple Pie Filling

Place approx. 2 Tablespoons of apple pie filling onto the cream cheese filling. Gently spread the apple pie filling over the cream cheese, to cover most of the apple cream cheese pastries!

Mix the egg yolk in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg yolk mixture around the outer border of each pastry. While the dough is still wet, lightly sprinkle the outer edge of the dough with a tiny bit of sugar.

Time To Bake The Apple Cream Cheese Pastries

Place the baking sheets into the preheated oven. Bake the apple cream cheese pastries at 400°F. for 13-14 minutes. The pastries should turn a beautiful golden brown, and be slightly crispy around the edges, and will have risen a bit, when done.

Remove the baking pans from the oven. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the apple cream cheese pastries to a wire rack, to cool.

Prepare The Sweet Icing

While the pastries are cooling, mix powdered sugar, water, and vanilla for icing in a small bowl. TIP: If icing is too thick to drizzle, add a few more drops of water. Too thin? Add more powdered sugar.

Once the apple cream cheese pastries are completely cool, use a spoon and drizzle the glazed over the pastries from side to side. TIP: Cleanup is really easy if you put a piece of plastic wrap, foil, parchment or wax paper UNDER the wire rack before doing this step! It will catch any drips!

Let the pastries sit while the icing firms up, then the apple cream cheese pastries are ready to be served!

I sincerely hope you will consider trying this recipe! The pastries are REALLY GOOD! Have a blessed day, friends. Make it a GREAT one!

Looking For More PASTRY Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have several pastry recipes you might enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so. If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1^st and 15^th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
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0 from 0 votes

Apple Cream Cheese Pastries

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

13 mins

Total Time

38 mins

Apple cream cheese pastries are easy to make baked puff pastry sheets, topped with a sweet cream cheese spread, apple pie filling, and vanilla icing!

Category: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cream cheese pastries

Servings: 8 pastries

Calories Per Serving: 318 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

For Pastries:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
4 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon milk , or half and half
16 Tablespoons canned apple pie filling , approx. 2 T. per pastry
1 egg yolk
8 teaspoons granulated sugar

For Icing Drizzle:

1 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered)
2 Tablespoons water , or more (to thin)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and milk (or half and half) together, using an electric mixer. Mix filling for 2-3 minutes, until mixture is very smooth and sugar has dissolved. Set mixture aside, once spreadable.
Remove a sheet of puff pastry from freezer, and let it thaw slightly (for about 15 minutes) before unfolding it. While dough thaws, preheat oven to 400° F. Once dough is slightly thawed, gently unfold it. Press dough together where any line perforations may be, to form one large piece. Cut pastry dough into 8 rectangles. Do this by cutting dough in half, then cut each half in half. Finally, cut each of the 4 squares in half once again. You should end up with 8 equal sized rectangles. I use a pizza cutter for nice even cuts!
Place the 8 rectangles of dough onto 2 parchment paper lined baking sheets. Place 4 pastries per baking sheet, and make sure to leave a couple inches between each pastry. Using a sharp knife, score a border all the way around each of the pastries, about half an inch from the outside edge. By cutting this border in the dough, the edges will rise up and hold the filling in better! Don't forget to do this step! IMPORTANT: Make sure to NOT cut all the way through the dough to the bottom! Evenly distribute the cream cheese filling into middle of each of the apple cream cheese pastries. Use a knife or small spatula to spread the filling over the dough, BUT STAY INSIDE THE BORDER!
Place approx. 2 Tablespoons of apple pie filling onto cream cheese filling. Gently spread apple pie filling over cream cheese, to cover most of the pastries! Mix the egg yolk in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush egg yolk mixture around the outer border of each pastry. While dough is still wet, lightly sprinkle the outer edge of the dough with a tiny bit of sugar.
Place baking sheets into preheated oven. Bake pastries at 400°F. for 13-14 minutes. The pastries should turn a beautiful golden brown, and be slightly crispy around the edges, and should have risen a bit, when done. Remove baking pans from oven. Using a spatula, carefully transfer pastries to a wire rack, to cool.
While the pastries are cooling, mix powdered sugar, water, and vanilla for icing in a small bowl. TIP: If icing is too thick to drizzle, add a few more drops of water. Too thin? Add more powdered sugar. Once pastries are completely cool, use a spoon and drizzle the glazed over pastries from side to side. TIP: Cleanup is really easy if you put a piece of plastic wrap, foil, parchment or wax paper UNDER the wire rack before doing this step! Let pastries sit while icing firms up, then the pastries are ready to be served!

Nutrition Facts

Apple Cream Cheese Pastries

Amount Per Serving (1 pastry)

Calories 318 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 32mg11%

Sodium 159mg7%

Potassium 67mg2%

Carbohydrates 44g15%

Sugar 26g29%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 120IU2%

Vitamin C 0.5mg1%

Calcium 29mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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07
Dec
2018

Quick Easy Cornbread Stuffing

categories: Holidays!, Side Dishes

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Make this flavorful, quick easy cornbread stuffing as a side dish for the holidays (or any MEAL)! This savory dish, which pairs well with turkey, chicken, pork or fish can be made in 10 minutes, which is a real timesaver!

Do you enjoy stuffing, served at Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other day of the year? We do! Many people cook their Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing inside the bird, but many others serve stuffing as a side dish, cooked separately.

When I was growing up, we always had stuffing served as a separate side dish for Thanksgiving. No stuffed bird for our family! It was ALWAYS on the side!

Thanksgiving Day was full of excitement as the meal was lovingly prepared. My sisters and I would watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV while our parents made the stuffing and got the turkey and yams ready to put into the oven. Oh, the yummy smells that came out of our kitchen as they cooked!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

My Mom and Dad Always Made HOMEMADE Cornbread Stuffing

I grew up with the cornbread stuffing cooked as a side dish. My Texas born and raised Mom and Dad called it “dressing”. There are some wonderful holiday memories of my Mom and Dad getting up early on Thanksgiving morning to make their “southern-style” dressing.

Mom would make homemade cornbread a few days before Thanksgiving and let it sit out to get dry and stale. My parents would break up all the dry homemade cornbread in pieces. They would mix up the dressing in a big plastic tub, because my Mom wanted a LOT of dressing for leftovers (it was her favorite dish)!

Mom BAKED Her Cornbread Stuffing

They would add the broth, celery, onions, eggs, and the many spices needed to the dry cornbread pieces. Mom and Dad would each take turns taste testing, mixing, and adding more spices and broth as needed. Once they got it “right”, and the mixture was the right consistency and taste, they would BAKE it for quite a while! Boy, did it smell good!

They did this every year together, and it remains one of my most vivid, wonderful memories! This process took quite a while, but the results were always delicious!

Why I Choose To Make Quick EASY Cornbread Stuffing

Once I started making stuffing for our family (and all the other dishes for the holidays), I realized I could save time by just as easily BUYING a box of inexpensive stuffing mix (with the bread already dried out and all the spices included). I tried this one year to save time, and have never gone back!

I decided I could just as easily add celery and onions to the convenient box of stuffing mix ingredients. Guess what? It ended up tasting very much like the traditional stuffing side dish I grew up with. Plus… it only takes a few minutes to make this easy cornbread stuffing! A WIN-WIN!

Because holidays can be so busy preparing traditional dishes, I like to think of it as a wonderful, timesaving “HACK” of a beloved traditional dish.

Here’s How Easy It Is To Make Quick Easy Cornbread Stuffing

In a large sauce pan, place the water, butter, chopped onion and celery. Bring the water to a boil on medium high heat, which will melt the butter and cook the celery and onion. Cook on medium high for 4-5 minutes.

Adding The Stuffing Mix To The Liquid

I use the Stove Top brand of stuffing mix, because I love the spices they use. The flavor also reminds me of my Mom’s homemade stuffing! No, I am not paid to endorse this product… I just really love the spices they use!

Add the stuffing mix to the liquid and veggies in the pan, and stir the ingredients to fully combine. Remove the pan from the heat. Place a lid on the pan.

Once the dry stuffing mix has been mixed into the liquid, you will see that it begins to rehydrate the dry cornbread pieces. Let stuffing stand (covered) for 5 minutes, because it takes a few minutes for the dry cornbread in the mix to fully rehydrate.

When the easy cornbread stuffing has rested for 5 minutes, fluff it up with a fork. The cornbread stuffing is now ready to serve! See how easy that was?

Transfer the easy cornbread stuffing to a serving dish, and serve! The stuffing tastes great, because the celery and onions add color, texture and additional flavor to this simple side dish!

Quick Easy Cornbread Stuffing Is A Great Side Dish!

We ALWAYS have quick easy cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving (and often for Christmas, too). We have it occasionally through the year for other meals, as well. It is inexpensive and very easy and quick to prepare.

The cornbread stuffing is a perfect side dish, served alongside other traditional family favorites, like Pecan Praline Yams, Green Beans, and Strawberry or Lime Pineapple Jello Salad.

Easy Cornbread Stuffing Is NOT ONLY for The Holidays!

This easy cornbread stuffing is not just for the holidays, though! This can be served any time of the year, with turkey, chicken, pork or fish! It’s a great tasting side dish, because the flavors of celery, onions, and spices in the stuffing mix pair with these variety of meats very well.

I hope you will consider trying this simple side dish! I posted it on my blog, so that long after I’m gone from this earth, my family will know how I made my easy cornbread stuffing each Thanksgiving! They’ll be surprised at just how easy it really was (wink, wink). Hope you enjoy a wonderful day, filled with encouragement, and love.

Looking For More Side Dish Recipes?

You can find all my side dish recipes in the Recipe Index at the top of the page. A few favorites include:

Interested In More Recipes?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

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0 from 0 votes

Quick Easy Cornbread Stuffing

Prep Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

Make this flavorful, quick easy cornbread stuffing as a side dish for the holidays (or any MEAL)! This savory dish can be made in 10 minutes, a real timesaver!

Category: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy cornbread stuffing

Servings: 12 servings

Calories Per Serving: 162 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

3¼ cups water
6 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup celery , sliced
1/2 cup onion , chopped
12 ounces Stove Top Stuffing Mix (cornbread) , 2 (6 ounce) boxes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large sauce pan, place the water, butter, chopped onion and celery. Bring the water to a boil on medium high heat, which will melt the butter and cook the celery and onion. Cook on medium high for 4-5 minutes.
Add the stuffing mix to the liquid and veggies in the pan, and stir the ingredients to fully combine. Remove the pan from the heat. Cover the pan with a lid.
Once the dry stuffing mix has been mixed into the liquid, you will see that it begins to rehydrate the dry cornbread pieces. Let stuffing stand (covered) for 5 minutes, because it takes a few minutes for the dry cornbread in the mix to fully rehydrate. When the easy cornbread stuffing has rested for 5 minutes, fluff it up with a fork. The cornbread stuffing is now ready to serve! Transfer to a serving dish, serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Quick Easy Cornbread Stuffing

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 162 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 15mg5%

Sodium 451mg20%

Potassium 90mg3%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 195IU4%

Vitamin C 0.7mg1%

Calcium 32mg3%

Iron 1.1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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05
Dec
2018

Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Bites

categories: Appetizers, Holidays!

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Make these colorful & delicious Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Bites for your next party or get together! These EASY bite sized appetizers are made in 15 minutes!

Recently I hosted a Christmas get together for former co-workers. Several of us hadn’t seen each other in 12 years! It always seems like the holidays are a great time to renew friendships and enjoy spending time with those you love!

I made a couple simple desserts, provided beverages, and asked everyone that came to the party to bring an appetizer to share! It was a lot of fun, and there were some nice food choices we all enjoyed!

The appetizer I decided to make was this recipe for Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Bites. I originally found the recipe on Pinterest, from Jessica (at The Novice Chef), and decided to try it!

The recipe is super easy to make, and the results? Fantastic! Creamy, slightly sweet cheese balls, are coated in dried cranberries, fresh parsley, and chopped pecans. These colorful (green and red) tiny bite size treats were a perfect appetizer for the holiday season! YUM!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Bites Filling

Place the goat cheese, cream cheese, honey and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to fully combine these ingredients until blended and smooth.

Once the goat cheese mixture is smooth, add 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans, reserving the remaining pecans (1 cup) for later. Stir the 1/2 cup of chopped pecans into the cheese mixture until combined. This will be the filling for your cranberry pecan goat cheese bites!

NOTE: I “dry-toasted” the pecans in a skillet (no oil, etc.), stirring for a few minutes to slightly toast them before using them in this recipe. I then let the pecans cool before adding them to the cheese mixture. THIS STEP IS COMPLETELY OPTIONAL (but good!).

Covering The Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Bites

Place a sheet of parchment paper on kitchen counter. Put the remaining 1 cup of chopped pecans, dried cranberries and chopped fresh parsley on the paper.

Gently combine the pecans, cranberries and parsley. Spread them out a bit on the parchment paper. Grab a cookie scoop (or a Tablespoon measuring spoon), and get ready to create these cute cranberry pecan goat cheese bites!

Place a scoop of the goat cheese mixture on top of the cranberry/pecan/parsley mixture. Make sure the cheese mixture is rounded into a ball. Roll it around in the topping, until the cheese ball is covered on all sides. When done, place the cranberry pecan goat cheese ball on a large plate or platter.

Repeat this process (one at a time) until all the goat cheese mixture is gone. The recipe will yield about 18 cranberry pecan goat cheese bites!

The cheese balls will need to be refrigerated, for peak flavor and texture. They will firm up a bit as they chill. They are at their best, when served cold, right from the refrigerator! You can make these cute and festive little appetizers up to 3 days in advance, which is really a great timesaver! They need to be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed, airtight container.

Don’t they look colorful? Perfect for the Christmas holidays! And… since they are so easy to make (and can be made ahead of time), this appetizer is PERFECT for such a busy time of year!

Serving The Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Bites

Right before serving the cranberry pecan goat cheese bites, I transferred them to a pretty Christmas serving platter. Gently insert a stick pretzel into the center of each cheese ball, to serve. That step is completely optional, but it made it very easy for my guests to pick up the cranberry pecan goat cheese bites to put on their plate!

I received several compliments on these colorful and yummy appetizers! They are GOOD! Sure do hope you will consider making these for your family, friends, a holiday party… or ANY time of the year! Have a wonderful day, friends. Make it a GOOD one!

Looking For More Appetizer Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index located at the top of the page. A few favorite appetizers (that are wonderful for parties) are:

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Recipe Source: https://thenovicechefblog.com/cranberry-pecan-goat-cheese-truffles/

0 from 0 votes

Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Bites

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

0 mins

Total Time

15 mins

Make these colorful & delicious Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Bites for your next party or get together! These EASY bite sized appetizers are made in 15 minutes!

Category: Appetizers

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry pecan goat cheese bites

Servings: 18

Calories Per Serving: 150 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

10 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
6 ounces cream cheese
3 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ cups pecans , chopped and divided
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place goat cheese, cream cheese, honey and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to fully combine ingredients until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans (reserve the rest for later). Stir the pecans into cheese mixture until combined. NOTE: I "dry-toasted" the pecans in a skillet (no oil, etc.), stirring for a few minutes to slightly toast them before using them in this recipe. I then let the pecans cool before adding them to the cheese mixture. THIS STEP IS COMPLETELY OPTIONAL (but good!).
Place a sheet of parchment paper on kitchen counter. Put remaining cup of chopped pecans, dried cranberries and chopped fresh parsley on the paper. Gently combine pecans, cranberries and parsley. Spread them out on the parchment paper.
Place a scoop (using cookie scoop or Tablespoon) of the goat cheese mixture on top of the cranberry/pecan/parsley mixture. Make sure the cheese mixture is rounded into a ball. Roll it around in the topping, until the cheese ball is covered on all sides. When done, place the cranberry pecan goat cheese ball on a large plate or platter. Repeat process (one at a time) until all the goat cheese mixture is gone.
The cheese balls will need to be refrigerated, for peak flavor and texture. They will firm up as they chill. They are at their best, when served cold, right from the refrigerator! You can make these appetizers up to 3 days in advance, which is a great timesaver! They need to be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed, airtight container. Serve as is, or gently insert a stick pretzel into the top of the cheese ball right before serving. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Bites

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 150 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 12mg4%

Sodium 103mg4%

Potassium 73mg2%

Carbohydrates 10g3%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 360IU7%

Vitamin C 2.3mg3%

Calcium 47mg5%

Iron 0.7mg4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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30
Nov
2018

Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Pasta, Pork

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Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi in a creamy Alfredo sauce, is a simple, delicious Italian comfort food dish that can be ready to eat in about 20 minutes!

Do you like gnocchi? We have really enjoyed trying this little “potato pasta” with several different recipes over the past couple of years. They are known primarily as Italian potato dumplings. Did you know the word “gnocchi” actually means “lumps” in Italian? Yep. There are numerous ways to use gnocchi. These little “lumps” of potatoes and flour can be baked, fried, boiled, etc., and taste amazing when paired with a variety of sauces!

A couple months ago I bought a package of gnocchi at the grocery store (usually found in the pasta aisle). I decided to create my own recipe for Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi, and used a sauce I’ve made a bazillion times to tie all the ingredients together!

The Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi ended up tasting wonderful. Creamy alfredo sauce was the perfect sauce to coat the pillowy soft gnocchi, bacon and fresh baby spinach leaves! The added bonus is that it was a very simple (and quick) dinner to make!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

The first thing you need to do is to cook the bacon. If you cut the raw bacon into thin strips, it will cook a lot faster (thanks, kitchen scissors)! Cook the bacon in a skillet until it is fully cooked and crispy.

Remove the crisp bacon from the skillet; transfer to a paper towel to drain. Leave any bacon drippings in the skillet (there shouldn’t be too much!). This will help give flavor to the sauce!

Making The Sauce For Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

Using the same skillet (undrained), add the butter and cook on medium low heat until melted. Once the butter has melted, add the heavy whipping cream and garlic powder. Stir well, to combine the ingredients. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce in the skillet. Whisk or stir the sauce until the ingredients are fully blended together.

Continue to cook the sauce on medium low heat, until the alfredo sauce has thickened slightly and is heated through. Be careful to not let the sauce come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat once the sauce has thickened.

Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling water according to the package instructions. Once the gnocchi is cooked, drain it well in a colander or strainer. Do not rinse the gnocchi.

Finish The Gnocchi For Serving

Place the drained, hot gnocchi back into the saucepan. Pour the alfredo sauce, fresh baby spinach leaves and crumbled bacon back into the pan.

Stir the ingredients well, to fully coat everything with the alfredo sauce. Turn the heat to low, and continue to heat the bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi until it’s heated through. It only takes a couple minutes to heat through, and the spinach will wilt down as it cooks.

Once the bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi is heated all the way through, it is ready to serve! Portion out the gnocchi to individual serving bowls or plates. Top each serving with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve the bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi while it is hot… and enjoy every bite!

We truly did love this Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi! The creamy flavorful gnocchi is Italian comfort food at it’s best! I sincerely hope you will give the recipe a try, because I think you’re gonna love it, too! Have a wonderful day.

Looking For More Recipes Using Gnocchi?

I have a few recipes using gnocchi on my blog that you might also enjoy! They include:

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

0 from 0 votes

Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

20 mins

Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi in a creamy Alfredo sauce, is a simple, delicious Italian comfort food dish that can be ready to eat in about 20 minutes!

Category: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi

Servings: 4

Calories Per Serving: 742 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

2 strips bacon , cooked until crispy
4 Tablespoons butter
1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
1¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt , plus more to taste
17.5 ounces gnocchi
2 cups baby spinach leaves (fresh)
Parmesan cheese , optional for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook bacon in skillet on medium heat until fully cooked/crispy. TIP: If you cut the raw bacon into thin strips before cooking, it will cook a LOT faster! Remove crisp bacon from skillet; transfer to a paper towel to drain, then crumble (if not already cut into small pieces).
Using the same skillet (undrained), add butter; cook on medium low heat until melted. Once the butter melts, add heavy whipping cream and garlic powder. Stir well, to combine. Add grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce in skillet. Whisk or stir sauce until the ingredients are fully blended together. Continue to cook sauce on medium low heat, until it has thickened slightly and is heated through. Be careful to not let the sauce come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat once the sauce has thickened.
Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling water according to package instructions. Once the gnocchi is cooked, drain it well in a colander or strainer. Do not rinse the gnocchi. Place the drained, hot gnocchi back into the saucepan.
Pour the alfredo sauce, fresh baby spinach leaves and crumbled bacon into the pan of gnocchi. Stir well, to fully coat everything with the sauce. Turn heat to low, and continue to heat gnocchi until heated through. It only takes a couple minutes to heat through; the spinach will wilt down as it cooks. Once gnocchi is heated all the way through, it is ready to serve! Transfer gnocchi into individual bowls or plates. Top each serving with more grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve hot... and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

Amount Per Serving (1 (1/4 of total))

Calories 742 Calories from Fat 477

% Daily Value*

Fat 53g82%

Saturated Fat 31g194%

Cholesterol 166mg55%

Sodium 1256mg55%

Potassium 200mg6%

Carbohydrates 48g16%

Fiber 3g13%

Protein 20g40%

Vitamin A 3120IU62%

Vitamin C 4.7mg6%

Calcium 438mg44%

Iron 5.1mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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26
Nov
2018

Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup

categories: Beef, Main Dishes, Soups

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Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup is a delicious, flavor-filled dish, with baked ground beef meatballs and pearl couscous, in a simple garlic/shallot broth.

A couple of weeks ago, I tried a new soup recipe that I recently found on Pinterest. The recipe was for a Moroccan meatball couscous soup, and I thought it sounded really interesting, due to the spices used in the tiny meatballs.

Do you like meatballs in soup? We do! One of our favorite soups with meatballs is my Albondigas Soup, which has traditional Southwestern flavors. I wasn’t too sure how this Moroccan meatball couscous soup (using pearl / Israeli couscous) would turn out, but thought I’d give this unique sounding soup a shot!

WOW! We LOVED this simple soup! Tiny meatballs, made with ground beef or lamb (I used ground beef), are mixed with a variety of Moroccan spices. The spices include turmeric, cinnamon, chili powder, curry powder, and several more.

Those little meatballs are baked, then added to a simple chicken or vegetable broth, which has been flavored with garlic and shallots. The end result? A wonderful tasting Moroccan meatball couscous soup that will knock your socks off! The soup is very easy to make – here’s how:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup

The first thing you will need to do is preheat your oven to 375° F, and line a 13×9 inch baking sheet (with edges) with parchment paper. Place a rack in the middle of the oven.

Mix together the spices for the meatballs in a small bowl. Place the ground beef (or ground lamb) in a medium bowl. Add the spice mixture and tomato paste to the meat in the bowl. Mix thoroughly (with clean hands), until all ingredients are completely blended.

For each meatball, use a rounded teaspoon of meat. Roll meat between your hands to form a small meatball. Place meatballs onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the meat is gone. I ended up with 43 little meatballs out of this mixture.

Place meatballs into the oven (on the middle rack). Bake at 375° F. for 10-12 minutes, until they are fully cooked through. When done, remove baking sheet from oven, and set aside.

Preparing The Couscous

While the meatballs are baking, you can cook the Israeli (pearl) couscous. For this recipe the couscous is lightly “dry toasted” first, then cooked. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium heat in a saucepan. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the pearl couscous. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally while it lightly “toasts”. Lightly “toasting” the couscous, helps develop a slightly nutty flavor.

Add 1¾ cup water, and a tiny pinch of salt to the toasted couscous. Let the water come to a full boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pan. Cook the couscous for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until the water has been fully absorbed. Remove pan from heat once done. Set aside.

Putting The Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup Together

Heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil on medium high heat, in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the minced garlic and 3 chopped shallots to the hot oil. Cook, stirring often, for one minute.

Add the chicken (or vegetable) broth to the pot, along with 2 more cups of water. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and carefully add the meatballs and the cooked couscous to the hot broth.

Simmer the Moroccan meatball couscous soup (uncovered) on low heat for 10 minutes. See how nice and plump the pearl couscous is?

Time To EAT!

Once the Moroccan meatball couscous soup is finished cooking, remove the pot from the stove. Taste test the broth. If you find more salt or pepper is necessary to suit your taste, add it now. Ladle the hot soup into individual serving bowls. To serve, garnish each bowl of Moroccan meatball couscous soup with some chopped fresh flat leaf parsley.

That’s how simple it is to make this delicious soup! I wasn’t sure I was gonna like it at first (being honest), but my husband and I ended up loving it! The leftovers were fabulous for lunches, too! YUM.

I really do hope you will consider trying this scrumptious Moroccan meatball couscous soup recipe. You will be surprised at the wonderful flavors in the meatballs and in the broth! Have a wonderful day, friends.

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

You can find all of my soup recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. Some of our favorites include:

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Recipe Source: littlespicejar.com/moroccan-meatball-couscous-soup/

0 from 0 votes

Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

45 mins

Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup is a delicious, flavor-filled dish, with baked ground beef meatballs and pearl couscous, in a simple garlic/shallot broth.

Category: Main Dish, Soup

Cuisine: Moroccan

Keyword: Moroccan meatball couscous soup

Servings: 8

Calories Per Serving: 360 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

For Meatballs:

1½ pounds ground beef (or lamb)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For Soup:

8 ounces Israeli (pearl) couscous
2 teaspoons olive oil ,for toasting couscous
3 Tablespoons olive oil ,for cooking shallots/garlic
8 cloves garlic ,minced
3 shallots , finely chopped
4 cups chicken broth ,may substitute vegetable broth
3¾ cups water , divided
chopped flat leaf parsley ,for garnish - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F, and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a 13x9 inch baking sheet (with edges) with parchment paper.
Mix spices for the meatballs in a small bowl. Place the ground beef (or lamb) in a medium bowl. Add the spice mix and tomato paste to the meat. Mix thoroughly (with clean hands), until completely blended. For each meatball, use a rounded teaspoon of meat. Roll meat between hands to form a small meatball (40-45 total). Place meatballs onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until meat is gone. Place meatballs into oven (on middle rack). Bake at 375° F. for 10-12 minutes, until fully cooked through. When done, remove baking sheet from oven, and set aside.
While meatballs bake, cook the couscous. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium heat in a saucepan. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the pearl couscous. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally while it lightly "toasts". Add 1¾ cups of water and a pinch of salt to the toasted couscous. Let water come to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, and cover the pan. Cook couscous for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until the water has been fully absorbed. Remove pan from heat and set aside when done.
Heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil on medium high heat, in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add minced garlic and chopped shallots to the hot oil. Cook, stirring often, for one minute. Add the chicken (or vegetable) broth to the pot, along with 2 more cups of water. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low; carefully add meatballs and cooked couscous to the hot broth. Simmer the soup (uncovered) on low heat for 10 minutes. Once the soup is finished cooking, remove the pot from the heat. Taste test the broth. If you find more salt or pepper is necessary to suit your taste, add it. Ladle the hot soup into individual serving bowls. To serve, garnish each bowl of soup with chopped fresh flat leaf parsley. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 360 Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Fat 19g29%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 57mg19%

Sodium 667mg29%

Potassium 449mg13%

Carbohydrates 24g8%

Fiber 1g4%

Protein 20g40%

Vitamin A 60IU1%

Vitamin C 10.1mg12%

Calcium 36mg4%

Iron 2.8mg16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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23
Nov
2018

Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

categories: Desserts

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Apple pie dessert pizza features a thin pizza crust, topped with apple pie filling, a brown sugar and oats streusel topping, drizzled with cinnamon icing. YUM!

My husband and I recently had homemade pizza for dinner. I made enough homemade pizza dough for two crusts (using this recipe).

Unfortunately we ended up only making ONE pizza. That meant I had a bunch of leftover pizza dough.

I wrapped the extra dough ball VERY TIGHTLY in plastic wrap (multiple times), to stop the dough from continuing to rise. We refrigerated the dough overnight.

Ready To POP!

The next day I had this BULGING ball of plastic wrapped pizza dough in my refrigerator begging for mercy! I’m not kidding! It looked like it would EXPLODE if I poked with a pin… ha ha.

THAT is how I came up with this idea to use the pizza dough to make an apple pie dessert pizza. Someone had to do it, BEFORE that silly dough ball exploded!

What To Do… What To Do

I knew I also had some home canned apple pie filling in our pantry, so I put my thinking cap on, and came up with this delicious apple treat!

The GOOD NEWS is that you can use store bought pizza dough and a small can of apple pie filling! This will save you lots of time, if you don’t want to make the dough yourself.

The recipe for apple pie dessert pizza is super easy to make, and tastes GREAT! Here’s how to make this yummy treat:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make The Streusel Topping For The Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

The first thing to do is to make the streusel topping that will be used to top the apple pie dessert pizza. Place cold butter, all purpose flour, quick cooking oats and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl.

Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut the butter into the rest of the ingredients. When done, the butter should be about the size of peas. Set the topping aside until later.

How To Make The Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

Place the prepared pizza dough (enough for a single pizza) onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll the pizza dough out into a 12″ circle.

Fold the dough over in half, and place it onto a pizza stone, pizza pan or a large baking sheet. Carefully unfold the dough back into a circle shape..

Evenly spread the apple pie filling over the dough, leaving about an inch border around the edges bare.

Here is the apple pie dessert pizza, right after spreading out the apple pie filling. Remember to leave a 1″ border (without filling) around the edges.

Evenly distribute the streusel topping over the apple pie dessert pizza. You will want to cover all the fruit filling, but still leave the border edge slightly bare.

Cooking The Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

Place the apple pie dessert pizza into a preheated 400°F oven. Bake it on the middle rack for approximately 20 minutes. Oven temps vary quite a bit, so check it at about 18 minutes.

When done, the streusel topping should be golden brown, the filling will be bubbly, and the bottom crust will be golden brown, as well.

Transfer the apple pie dessert pizza to a wire rack or cutting board to cool completely. NOTE: Do not drizzle with the vanilla icing until the dessert pizza has completely cooled.

Make The Vanilla Icing For Drizzling On The Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

While the apple pie dessert pizza is cooling, you can make the simple vanilla icing. The icing will be drizzled over the dessert pizza, once cooled completely.

This icing is made by mixing together powdered sugar, apple juice (or water), cinnamon and vanilla until the mixture is smooth.

Once ready (and the pizza is completely cooled), drizzle the icing in any kind of pattern over the top of the pizza.

There’s really no rhyme or reason to this… just drizzle all the icing over the top. You can’t hurt it! Let the icing harden before slicing and serving the apple pie dessert pizza!

Ready To Slice And Serve!

Once the icing has firmed up, it’s time to slice this apple pie dessert pizza! I used a standard pizza cutter to slice the dessert into 12 slices.

The slices of apple pie dessert pizza are ready to eat You can eat it by either holding a slice (just like regular pizza) or by using a fork on a plate.

The combination of apple pie filling, with buttery cinnamon streusel topping on a thin crust can’t be beat! YUM!

Sure hope you enjoy this apple pie dessert pizza! It’s a fun way to serve your guests a delicious tasting apple pie treat!

Thanks for stopping by today, and I invite you to come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, and have a GREAT day!

Looking For MORE Apple Desserts?

You can find ALL of my dessert recipes in the Recipe Index at the top of the page. Some of my favorite dessert recipes using apples include:

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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes

Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

Apple pie dessert pizza features a thin pizza crust, topped with apple pie filling, a brown sugar and oats streusel topping, drizzled with cinnamon icing. YUM!

Category: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple pie dessert pizza

Servings: 12

Calories Per Serving: 308 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

For Pizza:

1 batch Pizza Dough (enough for 1 medium pizza) (homemade dough or store bought- for 1 pizza
1 pint prepared apple pie filling

For Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup butter , cold
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

For Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons apple juice or cider (may substitute water)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place cold butter, all purpose flour, quick cooking oats and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl. Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut the butter into the rest of the ingredients. When done, the butter should be about the size of peas. Set streusel topping aside until ready to use.
Place the prepared pizza dough (enough for a single pizza) onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll the pizza dough out into a 12" circle. Fold the dough over in half, and transfer it onto a pizza stone, pizza pan or a large baking sheet. Unfold the dough.
Evenly spread the apple pie filling over the dough, leaving about an inch border around the edges bare. Evenly distribute the streusel topping over the apple pie filling, leaving the border around the edge bare.
Place the apple pie dessert pizza into a preheated 400°F oven, on the middle rack. Bake for about 20 minutes. Oven temps vary, so check it at about 18 minutes. When done, the streusel topping should be golden brown, the filling will be bubbling, and the bottom crust will be light golden brown, as well. Transfer the pizza to a wire rack or cutting board to cool completely.
While pizza cools, make the icing, by mixing together the powdered sugar, apple juice (or water), cinnamon and vanilla until smooth. NOTE: Do not drizzle pizza with the icing until pizza has completely cooled. Drizzle the icing decoratively over the top of pizza. Let the icing harden before slicing and serving the apple pie dessert pizza! Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: The caloric calculation for this dessert was made based on the use of a 13.8 ounce container (in the tube) of Pillsbury pizza dough for the crust. I used homemade pizza dough to make this dessert, as I acknowledge that a lot of people will use store bought pizza dough. Your calorie count will vary, based on the ingredients in the dough used.

Nutrition Facts

Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 308 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 10mg3%

Sodium 305mg13%

Potassium 72mg2%

Carbohydrates 64g21%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 34g38%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 140IU3%

Vitamin C 1.7mg2%

Calcium 14mg1%

Iron 1.5mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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19
Nov
2018

Southwestern Bacon Quiche

categories: Breakfast

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Bacon, jack cheese, green chiles, salsa, peppers, mushrooms and onions give this Southwestern Bacon Quiche in a flaky pie crust it’s fantastic flavor! YUM!

Do you enjoy quiche? I sure do. Quiche, to me, tastes great for lunch OR for breakfast! There are so many way to transform a traditional egg “custard” quiche.

Recently I had an open carton of heavy whipping cream open that I needed to use up. I decided to create a homemade quiche with the Tex-Mex flavors I love. This Southwestern bacon quiche is what I came up with, and it was absolutely FANTASTIC! We LOVED it!

I used my base recipe for quiche as my starting point, then added ingredients as I went, to give it some great flavor! I’m not kidding- this turned out to be a delicious quiche, and it is NOT too spicy (in case you were wondering)! NOTE: I made a homemade pie crust from scratch for this quiche. You can save time by using refrigerated pie pastry dough or buy a frozen deep dish pie crust (uncooked).

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make A Southwestern Bacon Quiche

The first thing to do is cook the chopped onions, mushrooms and red bell pepper in butter in a skillet on medium heat. Cook until the veggies have softened (approx. 3-4 minutes).

Add the chopped green chiles and minced garlic to the veggies in the skillet. Cook, stirring often, for an additional minute. When done, set aside to cool.

In a separate skillet, cook bacon until browned and crispy. I like to cut the bacon into very small strips with kitchen scissors (or knife). The bacon cooks faster this way. Once the bacon is browned and crispy, transfer the bacon crumbles to a paper towel to drain. Set aside.

Fill The Pie Crust

Place an uncooked deep dish pie crust (purchased/ handmade) into pie pan. Crimp the edges to form a crust. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust in several place with the tines of a fork. Place the shredded jack cheese in the unbaked crust, then add the crumbled bacon pieces.

After the bacon, add the cooked veggies (green chiles, garlic, mushrooms, onions, and red bell peppers). Evenly distribute the bacon and veggies around the quiche.

In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the egg filling for the quiche. Carefully pour the egg filling over the Southwestern bacon quiche. The egg filling for the quiche will come almost to the top of the crust. Do not stir.

Baking The Southwestern Bacon Quiche

Carefully place the quiche into a preheated 425° F oven on the middle rack. Don’t let the filling slosh around- be slow and careful getting the quiche into the oven. Bake the quiche for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 300°F, and continue baking the Southwestern bacon quiche for another 35-40 minutes.

When done, the filling should be set in the middle, and the Southwestern bacon quiche should be golden brown on top. The filling will have puffed up considerably while baking. The top of the quiche will un-puff as it cools, and will settle a bit.

Transfer the hot Southwestern bacon quiche (still in the pie pan) to a wire rack to cool. Once it has cooled for about 15 minutes or more, it will slice and hold together better. Slice the Southwestern bacon quiche into 8 equal sized pieces, and serve! Store leftovers covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

When ready to eat the refrigerated leftovers, simply place a slice on a microwaveable dish in the microwave, heat it up, and you’re good to go!

I really hope you enjoy this absolutely delicious Southwestern bacon quiche! The quiche is creamy, filled with great veggies, and has a wonderful Tex-Mex flavor (but is not too spicy at all!). This quiche was served for dinner with a crisp green salad! We also enjoyed the leftovers for our lunch and breakfast the next couple of days!

Have a wonderful day! With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, why not have a great meal (like this quiche) ready for you to enjoy before or after a busy day?

Looking For More QUICHE Recipes?

You can find ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have several other absolutely delicious quiche recipes for you to enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

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Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Recipe Source: My brain. My hungry brain.

0 from 0 votes

Southwestern Bacon Quiche

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

1 hr 5 mins

Bacon, jack cheese, green chiles, salsa, peppers, mushrooms and onions give this Southwestern Bacon Quiche in a flaky pie crust it's fantastic flavor!

Category: Breakfast

Cuisine: Southwestern

Keyword: Southwestern bacon quiche

Servings: 8 slices

Calories Per Serving: 468 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

1 unbaked deep dish pie crust
1 cup grated jack cheese
3 slices bacon (cooked crisp/ crumbled)
1/4 cup onion , chopped
3 large white mushrooms (roughly chopped)
1/4 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
2 Tablespoons diced green chiles (canned)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

For The Egg Filling

4 large eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons chunky salsa
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Melt butter in skillet on medium heat. Add chopped onions, mushrooms and red bell pepper to skillet. Cook until the veggies have softened (approx. 3-4 minutes). Add the chopped green chiles and minced garlic to the veggies in the skillet. Cook, stirring often, for an additional minute. When done, set aside to cool.
In a separate skillet, cook bacon until browned and crispy. Once bacon is browned and crispy, transfer the bacon crumbles to a paper towel to drain. Set aide.
Place an unbaked deep dish pie crust (purchased/ handmade) into 9" pie pan. Crimp the edges to form a crust. Prick the bottom crust in several place with a fork. Place the shredded jack cheese in the unbaked crust, then add cooked bacon pieces. Add cooked veggies. Evenly distribute the bacon and veggies around the quiche.
In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the egg filling. Carefully pour egg filling over the quiche. It will come almost to the top of the crust.
Carefully place the quiche into a preheated 425° F oven on middle rack. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 300°F, and continue baking for another 35-40 minutes. When done, the filling should be set in the middle, and the quiche should be golden brown on top. The filling will have puffed up considerably while baking. The top of the quiche will un-puff as it cools, and will settle a bit.
Transfer the quiche (still in the pie pan) to a wire rack to cool. Once it has cooled for about 15 minutes, it will slice and hold together better. Slice quiche into 8 equal sized pieces, and serve! Store leftovers (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts

Southwestern Bacon Quiche

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 468 Calories from Fat 360

% Daily Value*

Fat 40g62%

Saturated Fat 20g125%

Cholesterol 192mg64%

Sodium 550mg24%

Potassium 188mg5%

Carbohydrates 16g5%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 1285IU26%

Vitamin C 8.2mg10%

Calcium 165mg17%

Iron 1.3mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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15
Nov
2018

Classic French Toast

categories: Breakfast

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It’s EASY to make classic french toast in about 10 minutes, using a few common ingredients! You’re gonna love this cinnamon flavored breakfast treat!

We LOVE French toast in our home! When I was growing up, it was always a big treat when my Mom would make classic french toast for our family. Usually we had cereal for breakfast, so it was only an occasional treat to enjoy this for our breakfast!

Classic French Toast is an incredibly EASY and quick breakfast to make! The recipe, as written, makes enough batter for three slices of French Toast. The ingredients are easily doubled or tripled, if cooking for more than one or two people.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

A Very Brief History Of Classic French Toast

It’s interesting to note that although the French are given the applause for this dish (their name is in it, right?), the origins of classic French toast actually go back much further in history, even before France became a country!

Historic writings show that even back as far as the 5th century, the Roman Empire had a dish called “aliter dulcia”. Apparently the Romans would dip their stale bread into a milk mixture, and then fry it, with butter and oil. Even in medieval times, writings show that this type of “fried bread” was made to help reduce the amount of waste, due to stale bread.

French toast is called by many different names throughout the world. It is known as Spanish Toast, Nun’s Toast, German Toast, and in France they call it Pain Perdu. The popularity of this “Pain Perdu” (with eggs added in) spread through Europe and reached England in the 16th or 17th century and was given the name “French Toast”. The early settlers to America brought this dish with them from England, and now we have it here… Classic French Toast!

How To Make Classic French Toast

To make the batter for the French toast, place eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract into a large bowl (large enough to hold the slices of bread). Whisk the ingredients together until they are fully blended.

Place a slice of the bread you are using (I used brioche) into the batter. Use a fork (or your fingers) to carefully flip the bread to the other side, to fully coat all sides with the batter. Once the bread is coated, lift bread from the batter. Let the excess batter drip back into the bowl before placing the soaked bread in a hot skillet.

Cooking Classic French Toast

The classic French toast is then placed into a buttered, hot skillet on medium heat. Once the French toast is in the skillet, lightly sprinkle the top of each piece with additional cinnamon.

Spoon any of the remaining egg batter onto the top of each piece of French toast. I use a fork to pierce the top of the bread, which allows the egg mixture to soak into the bread.

Cook until the bottom of the bread is nice and golden brown. Carefully flip the bread over. Continue cooking the other side for another couple minutes until fully browned.

Serving Classic French Toast

Once the French toast is fully cooked through and nice and browned, remove the slices from the skillet and transfer to a serving plate. Butter each piece if desired. To serve, I usually drizzle pancake syrup on top, and then add sifted powdered sugar, to finish..

Using Other Breads For This Recipe

I’ve also made classic Trench toast using some of the Miracle Bread (a French bread loaf), made from scratch. The miracle bread classic French toast is shown in the photo below. French bread makes wonderful French Toast! Go figure!

I hope you will give this classic French toast a try. It has a bit more cinnamon than is typical, and we think the flavor is exceptional, because of it! If you enjoy this breakfast, be sure to check out my recipes for Baked Eggnog French Toast, Blueberry French Toast Cups, and Triple Berry French Toast Cups!

Thanks for taking the time to visit this website today. I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a fantastic day!

Looking For MORE Breakfast Recipes?

Here are a few favorite breakfast recipes. These and ALL of my recipes can be found in the Recipe Index at the top of the page.

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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0 from 0 votes

Classic French Toast

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

10 mins

It's EASY to make classic french toast in about 10 minutes, using a few common ingredients! You're gonna love this cinnamon flavored breakfast treat!

Category: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: french toast

Servings: 3 (total of 3 slices)

Calories Per Serving: 231 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

For French Toast Batter:

2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 Tablespoons milk

For French Toast:

1 teaspoon butter (for skillet)
3 slices brioche bread (or bread of choice)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (for sprinkling)
powdered sugar (optional-for serving)
pancake syrup (optional-for serving)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the batter for french toast, place eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract into a large bowl (large enough to hold a slice of bread). Whisk ingredients together until they are fully blended.
Place a slice of the bread into the egg batter. Use a fork and carefully turn the bread to the other side, to coat all sides with the batter. Once the bread is coated, let excess batter drip back into the bowl before placing the soaked bread in a hot skillet.
Melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Place french toast into the buttered, hot skillet. Lightly sprinkle the top of each piece with additional cinnamon. Spoon any of the remaining egg batter onto the top of each piece of classic french toast. Use a fork to pierce the top of the bread, which allows the egg mixture to soak into the bread.
Cook french toast until the bottom of bread is nice and golden brown. Carefully flip the bread over. Continue cooking the other side for a couple minutes until fully browned.
Once the french toast is fully cooked through and browned, remove slices from the skillet and transfer to a serving plate. Butter the french toast, if desired. To serve, sift powdered sugar over the top, then drizzle pancake syrup on top. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: Caloric calculation does not include powdered sugar or pancake syrup (amount used can vary per person). Calculation was based on the use of brioche bread. Different breads will have different caloric calculations.

Nutrition Facts

Classic French Toast

Amount Per Serving (1 slice (w/out syrup/pwdr sugar))

Calories 231 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Cholesterol 190mg63%

Sodium 232mg10%

Potassium 85mg2%

Carbohydrates 18g6%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 570IU11%

Calcium 73mg7%

Iron 0.9mg5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!

12
Nov
2018

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

categories: Mixes, Tip Of The Day

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Do you need pumpkin pie spice mix for a favorite recipe this Fall? There’s no need to run to the store and buy it, when it’s SO EASY to make your own!

Have you ever been plowing through a recipe, making something you can hardly wait to try, and realize you are missing one of the main ingredients?

That was the case for me, recently. I was making pumpkin muffins, and must have glanced at the ingredient list too quickly. Halfway through making the recipe, I realized I was needing pumpkin pie spice mix, but I was out!

Uh Oh. I was in trouble. You just have to have pumpkin pie spice for PUMPKIN muffins! Years ago I had made my own pumpkin pie spice mix from scratch, but couldn’t find my recipe anywhere. OH NO! What to do, what to do?

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Page

Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention

I didn’t want to run all the way to the store and buy some, so I ended up making some homemade pumpkin pie spice mix! Then I remembered seeing a “recipe” for it on Pinterest recently.

Long story short- I found the ingredient list (thanks to Trish at “Mom On Timeout”), whipped up my own homemade pumpkin pie spice mix in under 5 minutes, and finished making some really delicious muffins! Yee Haw!

How To Make Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

Today I thought I’d share the “how to’s” with you, in case you ever need this spice mixture and can’t get to the store! The ingredients for pumpkin pie spice mix are simple. They consist of 5 spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, cloves, and allspice.

The spices are simply placed into a small bowl, and whisked together, until fully combined. EASY PEASY!

Once you have the pumpkin pie spice mix combined, place it in an airtight, covered container for storage. I used a pint sized canning jar. The spice mix filled up half the jar. The plastic apples, leaves and pumpkins are just there to make plain ol’ spice mix look PURTY! Ha Ha!

See? Shown below are the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins I used my homemade pumpkin pie spice mix to make! The muffins had a perfect pumpkin spice flavor, thanks to my handy dandy homemade spice mix!! Crisis averted! Whew!

Uses For Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

If stored in an airtight container, you can expect the pumpkin pie spice mix to keep its maximum flavor and effectiveness for about 6 months (or more, if you’re lucky). You can use the pumpkin pie spice mix for muffins, pie, pumpkin bread, coffeecakes, or other pumpkin themed recipes. It’s really handy to have around, especially during the holidays!

I hope you will try this recipe, and see for yourself just how handy and convenient it is to make this spice mix for yourself, in under 5 minutes! Have a wonderful day, and be sure to check out ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page.

Looking For More SPICE MIX Recipes?

Speaking of “spice mixes”, you might also be interested in my recipes for Italian Seasoning, Cajun Seasoning, Taco Seasoning, or Dry Rub Spice Mix. These spice mixes will also save you lots of your hard earned money in the long run, by making them from scratch!

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Original recipe source: Trish, at https://www.momontimeout.com/homemade-pumpkin-pie-spice-recipe/

0 from 0 votes

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

0 mins

Total Time

5 mins

Do you need pumpkin pie spice mix for a favorite recipe this Fall? There's no need to run to the store and buy it, when it's EASY to make your own!

Category: Spices

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin pie spice mix

Servings: 9 Tablespoons (approx. 1/2 cup)

Calories Per Serving: 11 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Measure out spices into a small bowl, and whisk together, until fully combined, and any lumps are removed.
Place pumpkin pie spice mix into an airtight, sealed container for storage (I used a canning jar).
Store spice mix in pantry for up to 6 months, for maximum flavor and effectiveness.

Nutrition Facts

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

Amount Per Serving (1 Tablespoon)

Calories 11

% Daily Value*

Sodium 1mg0%

Potassium 17mg0%

Carbohydrates 2g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Vitamin A 10IU0%

Vitamin C 0.1mg0%

Calcium 30mg3%

Iron 0.3mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!

09
Nov
2018

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

categories: Breads, Breakfast, Muffins

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Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are a yummy Fall breakfast treat! Made with Greek yogurt and no oil, they are light, delicious, and easy to make!

Fall is here and pumpkins are everywhere you look! I decided to get in on the crazy pumpkin recipe trend. So, this past weekend I tried a new “lightened up” recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. This particular recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins intrigued me, because no oil was used in it. There also was no granulated sugar, just a small amount of brown sugar. The recipe also called for Greek nonfat plain yogurt. Needless to say, I was very curious to try these muffins.

I only made a couple very slight tweaks to the original recipe. All purpose flour was used, instead of whole wheat flour, and regular chocolate chips were used, instead of miniature chips. The pumpkin chocolate chip muffins were incredibly quick and easy to make, and turned out GREAT! They have a slightly different texture than traditional pumpkin muffins, due to the tweaking of the ingredients. The great news is they still have ALL the flavor you would expect, with only 154 calories per muffin!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

The first thing to do is preheat your oven to 400°F. While the oven is preheating, place paper muffin liners into a standard sized (12 holder) muffin tin. Lightly spray paper liners with non-stick cooking spray.

Place pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract into a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk these ingredients together to form a smooth batter.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, spices, and rolled oats). Add this dry mixture to the pumpkin batter in bowl. Stir the batter only until all ingredients have been combined. Be careful to NOT overmix!

Add chocolate chips, then fold them into batter.

Evenly divide filling into prepared paper muffin liners in pan. The batter will almost come to the top of the liners. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a few more chocolate chips.

Time To Bake The Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Bake the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins in preheated 400°F oven for approximately 15-17 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into center of a muffin. If the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are done.

Time to EAT!

Remove the muffin pan from oven. Carefully lift out pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins can be served either warm or at room temperature (my preferred temp). Store leftovers in an airtight covered container. Here is a photo of the inside of one of the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, after cooling down. The muffins are filled with flavor (and chocolate chips!).

I hope you enjoy these easy to prepare muffins! Each muffin, when prepared as written, have a total of approximately 154 calories. That’s pretty low in calories for such a great tasting muffin! Hope you enjoy these muffins…Have a GREAT day!

If You Enjoyed These Muffins, Read On!

We love muffins! Be sure and check out my other muffin recipes in the Recipe Index (at the top of the page). There are many delicious muffin recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Original Recipe Source: https://buildyourbite.com/skinny-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins/

0 from 0 votes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

17 mins

Total Time

27 mins

Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are a yummy Fall breakfast treat! Made with Greek yogurt and no oil, they are light, delicious, and easy to make!

Category: Breakfast, Snacks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

Servings: 12 muffins

Calories Per Serving: 154 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

1 cup nonfat Greek plain yogurt
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips (reg. or mini)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. While oven preheats, place paper muffin liners into a standard sized (12 holder) muffin tin. Lightly spray paper liners with non-stick cooking spray.
Place pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract into a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk these ingredients together to form a smooth batter.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, rolled oats, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt, baking soda). Add to pumpkin batter in bowl. Stir batter only until all ingredients have been combined. Be careful to NOT overmix! Add chocolate chips; fold them into batter.
Evenly divide filling into prepared paper muffin liners. Batter will almost come to top of the liners. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a few chocolate chips.
Bake muffins in preheated 400°F oven for 15-17 minutes.To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into center of a muffin. If toothpick comes out clean, muffins are done. Remove muffin pan from oven. Carefully lift out muffins, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Muffins can be served warm, or at room temperature. Store leftovers in sealed airtight container.

Recipe Notes

Caloric calculation was based on using all purpose flour (versus whole wheat).

Nutrition Facts

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)

Calories 154 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 29mg10%

Sodium 97mg4%

Potassium 147mg4%

Carbohydrates 26g9%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 12g13%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 3235IU65%

Vitamin C 0.8mg1%

Calcium 64mg6%

Iron 1.4mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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How To Make Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

Uses For Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

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Time to EAT!

If You Enjoyed These Muffins, Read On!

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
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Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks