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Sweet Potato + Sage Hand Pies

Is it okay to share with you three hand pie recipes in one week?

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I was going to wait until next week to show you this one, but I just couldn’t wait!

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These sweet potato hand pies are just so good!

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To start, they are simple. I used store-bought dough. Homemade would be lovely, but if you’re in a time crunch, store-bought is the way to go. Roast some sweet potatoes. Mash them with goat cheese and sage. Stuff into hand pies. Brush with egg wash. Bake. Four ingredients. It’s that simple.

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Second, they are delicious. Kind of remind me of Thanksgiving. I said the same thing about these. Yes, I love Thanksgiving meal so much that I could be happy eating food that reminds me of it all year long. Or the actual meal itself. I would have no problem at all eating a Thanksgiving meal right now. Anyone else?

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Back on the topic of how delicious these are: the sweet potato + sage combination is one of my favorites. It will never get old. It’s a classic. Just add goat cheese and that classic combination just got even better. Add flaky pie dough? Divine.

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Yes, a mini savory sweet potato pie for your Friday. 🙂

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Ingredients:
*This will make 14 hand pies
2 9-inch round pie crust dough
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 oz. goat cheese
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
Egg wash — you can either use egg white mixed with water or egg yolk mixed with milk, I tried and liked both
Coarse sea salt, for topping

Start by roasting the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400*. Peel the skin off and then dice the sweet potatoes. Add the sweet potatoes to a bowl and drizzle them with olive oil and toss well so that they are coated. Place on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until they are very soft. Turn the oven heat down to 350*.

Add the roasted sweet potatoes to a bowl with the goat cheese and chopped fresh sage. Using a potato masher or fork, mash everything together well. The texture should be like mashed potatoes.

Prepare your work surface. Lightly flour a flat counter top and get your rolling pin ready. Roll out the two 9-inch pie crusts. Then, cut the circles for the hand pies. I used a 4-1/2 inch round container and it made five rounds. I then rolled the excess dough back out to get two more rounds. I got seven rounds each time from one 9-inch pie crust. You can use a cookie cutter, cup or container to cut the rounds and the size is up to you. I was very happy with 4-1/2 inches. I wouldn’t want to go to much smaller but bigger would be fine.

Once you have the rounds cut out, spoon about 1 tablespoon of the sweet potato mixture onto each. Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash along one side of each round. Fold the round in half, making a half circle, or moon shape. Using your fingers, pinch and fold the edges of the half circle. Then use a fork to push down the edges to really seal the hand pie closed. Make two small slits in the top of each hand pie with a knife and then brush the top with egg wash. I then sprinkled the top with coarse sea salt.

Place the hand pies on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the hand pies are just slightly browned on top.

Enjoy!

*Notes:
*I had a little bit of the sweet potato filling left over, so the next day I mixed it with some noodles, reserved pasta water and parmesan cheese. Delicious!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Raise your hand if you love hummus!

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I do, I do!

I have three cousins under the age of four. At family gatherings we (the adults) always say “Raise your hand if you want ice cream!” when it is time to eat. Of course then, all of the kids just want to eat ice cream instead of real food. I’ve learned two things from this:

1. The adults want the ice cream just as bad as the kids (especially me).
2. Make sure that if you say “Raise your hand if you want ice cream!”, there is actually ice cream to be had. If not, disaster may ensue.

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Okay, what I’ve really learned is that maybe “Raise your hand if you want ice cream!” should be avoided before a meal. Maybe wait until after. Maybe before the meal say something like “Raise your hand if you want hummus and veggies!”

Now that just wouldn’t be as much fun, would it.

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So, about the hummus! This is good. Simple. It can be made quickly. Some beans, oil, a pepper and spices. Served with veggies and crackers, this makes the perfect lunch or snack.

Sorry for the lack of photos today! The process is just so simple, there weren’t many photos to take. Throw everything into a food processor, press on, and done! So simple, but truly delicious!

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Ingredients:
1 large roasted red pepper
2 15-oz. cans of chickpeas
1 15-oz. can white beans
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste

To roast the red pepper, preheat oven to 400*. Once the oven is preheated, place the red pepper on a baking sheet. Place a small amount of olive oil in your hands and rub it all over the red pepper. Once it is covered in oil, place the baking sheet in the oven. Roast the pepper for  about 20 minutes, and then flip it and roast another 20 minutes. The skin should be charred when it is done roasting.

Remove it from the oven and completely cover it in aluminum foil. Let it sit under the foil for about 20 minutes. When you remove the foil, the pepper should be very soft and smaller in size. Peel the skin off (it should come off easily) and remove any seeds from the center of the pepper.

Place all beans and the pepper in a food processor. Pulse a few times to begin to break down the beans. Turn the processor on and begin to stream in the oil. As you stream the oil in, everything will begin to blend well and get very smooth. Add the seasoning and then blend until completely smooth.

Serve with veggies, crackers, pita or on sandwiches!

Enjoy!

Sweet Berry Hand Pies

I am so excited to share these with you!

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Hand pies. My mom thinks they are the new cupcakes. I think they are just awesome.

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I’ve been seeing them everywhere. Sweet, savory, you name it, there is a hand pie. I just knew that it would not be long until I tried making my own!

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These hand pies are not hard to make! And the ingredient combination ideas are endless.

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Today I’m showing you two different ideas!

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One is a blueberry hand pie with fig + cocoa spread. The other, raspberries and cream.

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First, let’s talk about the blueberry! I am a huge fan of blueberry anything. I thought that since blueberries are looking good this time of the year, I would choose them. And, the fig + cocoa spread. Don’t be afraid. I know that the word fig turns a lot of people off from eating something. I found this fig spread at the store that also has cocoa in it. It sort of reminds me of Nutella but with the added fig seed crunch. The spread + the sweet blueberries is a great flavor combo that I think even those afraid of fig will enjoy!

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Now, the raspberries and cream hand pie. Oh my goodness. These are a real treat. I was making the blueberry + fig ones and the raspberries and cream idea just came to me. When the weather is nice, we have get-togethers at my parents house and make a fire and spend the evening outside. Once or twice, we have made mountain pies. And we try to get a little creative with them. Once, we made a raspberries and cream one. And it was delicious. That mountain pie completely inspired this hand pie!

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I cannot stop eating these. I need a hand pie intervention! Or someone to share with.. who wants hand pies?

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Blueberries and Fig Hand Pies

Ingredients:
This is enough for two 9-inch pie crusts, or 14 hand pies:
2 9-inch pie crusts, store-bought or homemade
1 pint + 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar + extra for sprinkling on top of hand pies
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup store-bought fig spread
Egg wash — you can either use egg white mixed with water or egg yolk mixed with milk, I tried and liked both

Mix together 1 pint of blueberries, 3 tablespoons of sugar and flour in a pot over medium-high heat on the stove. The mixture will start to smoke a bit and the blueberries will begin to break down. Once that happens, turn the heat down to medium and stir constantly until the blueberries have almost completely broken down and the mixture is thick and sauce-like. Remove from the heat and stir in the extra 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries. Let the mixture cool completely before assembling the hand pies.

Preheat oven to 350*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare your work surface. Lightly flour a flat counter top and get your rolling pin ready. Once the blueberry mixture is cooled, roll out the two 9-inch pie crusts. I used a 4-1/2 inch round container to cut my circles from the crust and it made five rounds and I then rolled the excess dough back out to get two more rounds. I got seven rounds each time from one 9-inch pie crust. You can use a cookie cutter, cup or container to cut the rounds and the size is up to you. I was very happy with 4-1/2 inches. I wouldn’t want to go to much smaller but bigger would be fine.

Once you have the rounds cut out, spoon the fig spread onto each round. I used about a teaspoon on each. Then spoon the cooled blueberry mixture on top of the fig spread. I used a heaping teaspoon of the blueberry mixture. You don’t want the pies to be too full or the filling with spill out when you try to fold them closed.

Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash along one side of each round. Fold the round in half, making a half circle, or moon shape. Using your fingers, pinch and fold the edges of the half circle. Then use a fork to push down the edges to really seal the hand pie closed. Make two small slits in the top of each hand pie with a knife and then brush the top with egg wash. Sprinkle the tops with additional sugar. I used a combination of white decoration sugar, turbinado sugar and white granulated sugar for sprinkling.

Place the hand pies on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, or until the hand pies are just slightly browned on top. Let cool on the baking sheet before serving .

Now, on to the raspberries and cream. The method will be similar, with different ingredients.

Raspberries and Cream Hand Pies

Ingredients:
This is enough for two 9-inch pie crusts, or 14 hand pies:
2 9-inch pie crusts
6 oz. fresh raspberries
8 oz. cream cheese, softened.
1/2 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling on top
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Egg wash — you can either use egg white mixed with water or egg yolk mixed with milk, I tried and liked both

Preheat oven to 350*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract.

Prepare your work surface. Lightly flour a flat counter top and get your rolling pin ready. Roll out the two 9-inch pie crusts. I used a 4-1/2 inch round container to cut my circles from the crust and it made five rounds and I then rolled the excess dough back out to get two more rounds. I got seven rounds each time from one 9-inch pie crust. You can use a cookie cutter, cup or container to cut the rounds and the size is up to you. I was very happy with 4-1/2 inches. I wouldn’t want to go to much smaller but bigger would be fine.

Once you have the rounds cut out, spoon the cream cheese mixture onto each round. I used about a half tablespoon on each. Then place three raspberries onto the cream cheese mixture. You don’t want the pies to be too full or the filling with spill out when you try to fold them closed.

Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash along one side of each round. Fold the round in half, making a half circle, or moon shape. Using your fingers, pinch and fold the edges of the half circle. Then use a fork to push down the edges to really seal the hand pie closed. Make two small slits in the top of each hand pie with a knife and then brush the top with egg wash. Sprinkle the tops with additional sugar. I used a combination of white decoration sugar, turbinado sugar and white granulated sugar for sprinkling.

Place the hand pies on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, or until the hand pies are just slightly browned on top. Let cool on the baking sheet before serving .

*Notes:
-Okay, for the recipe, I used store-bought refrigerated pie crusts. This would absolutely be good if you make your own! I provided you amounts to make a full recipe of each — 14 blueberry and fig and 14 raspberries and cream. A full recipe uses two 9-inch round pie crusts. If you want to make both but use only two pie crusts, cut each ingredient list above in half and make a half recipe of each. You would used one 9-inch pie crust for each and get 7 blueberry and fig and 7 raspberries and cream hand pies.

Enjoy!

Portobello Sandwiches + Oven Fries

I’ve got something a little different for you today.

I have two things for you. And I’m going to show you how I made them.

Balsamic portobello mushroom sandwiches with crispy onion, melty cheese and fresh tomato. Yes. And, baked french fries.

This super simple, quick and easy meal will amaze you!

I would say that neither of these are exactly recipes. They are ideas, really. Simple ideas. And two things that can become a regular weeknight meal.

For the easy oven fries, start with a potato (or two or three — this is very easily doubled, tripled, etc. for how many you need!)

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Cut the potato in half.

And then cut the halves in half to make quarters.

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And then again, cut the quarters in half.

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Take the quarters, and slice them into fries.

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Put the fries into a bowl and drizzle with some olive oil.

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And then season those fries. I used salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika and garlic salt. Look below for specific amounts.

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Toss those fries up so that they all get evenly coated.

And then, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper is not completely necessary, but will make cleaning up easier!

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While the fries are baking away in the oven, it’s on to the sandwich!

Start by prepping the ingredients. Slice a tomato, onion and some cheese.

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Then take care of the onions. You are going to cook them in very hot oil to sort of flash fry them. Read below for detailed instructions. Here is what they will look like once they are done.

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Then, take a nice, big portobello mushroom.

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Pull off the stem and using a spoon, scrape out the black insides.

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Heat a pan over medium heat with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, place the mushroom in the pan.

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Let the mushroom cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. When it’s done, it should be soft and will have shrunk in size.

Once the ‘shroom is soft, turn up the heat to medium high. Pour some balsamic vinegar into the pan. And stand back. It may splash everywhere. You will have some cleaning up to do!

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Let the mushroom cook in the balsamic for an additional 3-4 minutes and then turn off heat and place the sliced cheese on the mushroom.

To assemble, first, take a bun. Any bun. One that will make you happy!

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Place the tomatoes on that bun. Some fresh, ripe, juicy, red tomatoes. I used two, sliced thick.

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Then, the balsamic ‘shroom that now has melty delicious cheese on it.

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Top that mushroom with crispy pan fried onion rings.

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And there you have it, a portobello sandwich!

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Smash down, cut in half, dig right in. However you prefer. Go for it.

It will be good. And it will be messy!

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This is one of my favorite quick and easy meals. It takes no time at all and has few, simple ingredients that make for a not-messy kitchen after.

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I hope that you will enjoy this meal as much as I do!

Ingredients
*For one. This recipe is very easily multiplied.
1 potato
Olive Oil
Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic salt
1 portobello mushroom
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Sliced tomato
Sliced red onion
Cheese (I used fontina)

Preheat oven to 400*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Start with the potato. Slice it in half. Slice the halves in half to make quarters. Slice the quarters in half. Then slice into fries. Add the fries to a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the seasoning. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, a pinch of paprika and a pinch of garlic salt. Toss well to evenly coat the fries. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Clean the mushroom. Remove the stem and using a spoon, scrape out the black insides.

Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions. The key here is to make sure the oil is very hot before you add them. They will sort of flash fry and get caramelized and crispy, quickly. Once they are done (mine took about 5 minutes), remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more olive oil to the same pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the mushroom and let cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. When it’s done, the mushroom should be soft and have shrunk in size. Turn the heat to medium-high and then add the balsamic vinegar. Let the mushroom cook and additional 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cheese slices to the mushroom.

Assemble the sandwich by placing the sliced tomato on a bun. Top with the mushroom that now has melted cheese on it, and then the red onions.

Take the fries out of the oven and enjoy the meal!