Pioneer Love

One other reason I haven't done a lot of posts lately is I've been making a lot of things from the Pioneer Woman.

Lord bless her & her taste buds.

Here are links to some of the things and my little reviews.

Grilled Chicken Salad
link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/04/grilled-chicken-salad-with-feta-fresh-corn-and-blueberries/
We made this when we were wanting a light dinner. It was FANTASTIC. I wouldn't omit any of the ingredients. I thought about next time adding in a few things like possibly hard boiled egg, but it certainly isn't necessary. Full of flavor and crunch, this is good on it's own, on top of a toasted piece of bread or in a pita.

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi
link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/pasta-ai-quattro-formaggi/
OMG. I died and went to heaven. This is a pasta experience. MUST make.

Pizza
link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/02/my-favorite-pizza/
I wasn't too sure of the eggplant but this recipe is great! I love that there's no sauce...it's not needed with all the cheesy goodness.

Grasshopper Pie
link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/grasshopper-pie/
Wow. This was my first time having this pie. I want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That's acceptable, right? Yum.

I think it's safe to say that I'm officially obsessed with Ree. If you don't know about her check out her website, read a recipe, fall in love and make her food. You'll thank me.

Petite Pochettes

This recipe looks and sounds really complicated, but it's not. It's actually so easy that I prepared the dough with one hand while I held my daughter just out of her baby-arm's reach of the butter. These are delicious, flaky and amazingly sweet. Think kind of like mini-pies. But better.


The recipe is from the food network magazine and can be found online here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/petite-orange-and-raspberry-pochettes-recipe/index.html


(But I'm also posting it here with my pics and notes)

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/3 cup orange marmalade
• 1/3 cup raspberry jam
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

*My friend made me some pineapple preserves with coconut and lime (I know right?! Amazing) so I decided to use her preserves in these little pochettes because it deserved something yummy. Wow. One word to describe that decision: epic. 

Directions

Beat the butter and cream cheese in a bowl with a mixer until light and creamy. Slowly add the flour, mixing just until a dough forms (do not overmix). Divide the dough into 2 balls, then flatten each into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out as many rounds as you can using a 3-inch-round fluted cutter. Top each with a heaping half-teaspoonful of orange marmalade. Brush the edge of the dough with water, then fold the dough over to make a half-moon and press to seal. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Reroll the dough scraps and repeat, then repeat with the remaining disk of dough, filling with the raspberry jam.

Bake the cookies until golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Dust generously with confectioners' sugar.

So delish. One thing to know is this recipe only makes about 2 dozen of these so plan accordingly. They're pretty sweet so you don't really want more than two, but still, doesn't make a ton so you may want to double the recipe if you're making them for several people or an event. Enjoy!!!