mini meals

Welcome to my first blog post!  I hope you'll find this blog a helpful place to find some fun new things to try out in your life...

I have a ton of recipe books. However, I much prefer the internet.  Pinterest is my new friend. I have found so many great ideas.  My husband and I have made muffin pan meatloafs before but I have recently found recipes for mini calzones and mini chicken pot pies!  I'm so excited, you have no idea.  I like food, can you tell?

The first one I tried was the mini calzone. I bought pizza dough in the deli section of the super market.  It was not the frozen kind, although you can probably do it that way.  Use a biscuit cutter (I used a round cookie cutter) to cut rounds in the pizza dough.  Place 1 round inside each well of a greased muffin pan.  Add your favorite fillings and place another round of dough on top. I used sauce, shredded mozzarella, and thawed frozen spinach. Lightly press dough rounds together.  Brush tops with butter and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Bake on bottom rack at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Soooo good and very easy!

**Update: I just made these for the second time. When you are putting the "toppings" in, it may seem as though it's going to be too much. However, the dough will rise and give way to more room so feel free to put in a little more filling than you think will fit. Delicious!

The next muffin pan meal I made was mini chicken pot pies.  These were a big hit with my husband and, again, these are very easy to make.

First, lay down a layer of thawed frozen vegetables, followed by a layer of shredded cheddar cheese. You may want to throw in a little salt somewhere to add a little extra flavor. I did not do this and wish I had.

Next, put a layer of rotisserie chicken. You could just shred it but I put it in the food processor first. 

Then make pancake batter according to the instructions on the box and fill 3/4 of the muffin well. For me, that didn't work out. I just poured it on top of the mixture until it looked like there was enough.  I placed a little extra shredded cheese on top before baking.  You can never have too much cheese, right?

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Super easy recipe for those busy nights.  And, think about freezing them for later.  (Thank you shout out to my friend, Stefanie, for that idea!) 

Make sure to let these cool a little bit before cutting into them or this will happen.  I was hungry and didn't want to wait.

If you wait, this is what you'll get.  Enjoy!