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Don’t be a nutter, try this fluffernutter pie

Remember how a few weeks ago I talked about my adventures with a peanut butter and jelly pie, and my excitement to adapt it?

Well, I couldn’t wait.

My sweetie suggested a fluffernutter pie, and I had to know how it’d work as an adaptation.

Fluffernutter pie with pretzel crust ingredients.

Another thing I wanted to try was a pretzel crust. The sweetness and the salt sounded exciting, and tasty. I thought the extra sweet fluffernutter would be the perfect test vehicle for my salty crust.

So, in (very technical) science terms, I added some extra variables, but the constant from the peanut butter and jelly pie was the center peanut butter filling.

The first variable I thought I had tried before, mixing marshmallow cream into whipped cream. I had not; in past instances, I’d mixed the marshmallow with meringue as a delightful way to “toast” the marshmallow in a S’mores pie and a Thanksgiving sweet potato pie. This time, though, I wanted an icebox pie, no cooking beyond the crust required. So, it was a test. Does whipped cream folded into marshmallow cream work? It resoundingly does.

The second variable I was more confident in, as I’ve already made a saltine crust earlier this year and, in theory, crushed pretzels aren’t that different from crushed graham crackers. The pretzels took a little more pounding, but otherwise, it was much the same as the graham cracker/saltine crusts. So again, it was a test, but I was less surprised when this was also a resounding success.

Even better, it all came together great. It was, like the last pie, the perfect adaptation of the original favorite sandwich, just sweetening the deal a little. (My sweetie has next suggested a Take 5 pie … I might take him up on it, but I might also take 5 *wink* on repeating a peanut butter pie every month.)

Salt, sweet, marshmallow, peanut butter, perfection.

Here’s what I did, adapting the peanut butter and jelly pie Taste of Home recipe from last month:

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 ½ c. pretzel crumbs (I’d estimate I used about 3 c. of pretzel twists and then pounded the sh*t out of them with a meat tenderizer)
  • 5 T. unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ c. sugar
  • Pinch of salt

For the pie:

  • 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
  • ½ c. confectioners’ sugar
  • ½ c. peanut butter (I went with creamy for the pie, even though I like crunchy, but you do you)

For the topping: 

  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • 7 oz. marshmallow fluff

Directions

For the crust:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the ingredients in a medium bowl, and then press them into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch skillet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the edges are golden. Remove from oven, and let cool completely.

For the pie: 

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. Spoon into cooled pretzel crust. Top with whipped topping (directions below).

For the topping: 

Beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the marshmallow fluff into the whipped cream.

To finish: 

Place the whipped topping on top of the pie. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, and enjoy!

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A simple side for all occasions

OK, so maybe I spent an evening last week going through my Betty Crocker cookbook since I didn’t have the brainpower to read a book nor the mental health state to keep up on Twitter but had the anxious energy to do more than simply watch TV.

That’s just maybe how last week’s and this week’s recipes came to be the top of my queue of food to make. Even better, both last week’s 5 ingredient chicken and this week’s orzo vegetable side dish were simple to make, and (full disclosure) went well together.

Veggie orzo side dish ingredients.

The original recipe is for a main dish that uses plain sauteed chicken tenders that are first cooked and then mixed into orzo mixture. Since I planned to use it as a side dish with chicken, I skipped the chicken in the recipe and made a nice vegetarian side dish (or main dish but with fewer servings).

Anyone who owns a Betty Crocker cookbook knows that the recipes are not often the most exciting, but they’re also not the most difficult. They’re perfect, in other words, for a weeknight dinner when you want something homemade but don’t want to be cooking all night.

This one in particular was a nice reminder to me that orzo is a great pasta for a fast, tasty side dish. I think it’s one I’ll play with and enjoy over and over again.

So simple, so tasty.

Here’s what I did, adapting the Betty Crocker main dish:

Ingredients

  • 14 oz. (1 can, or homemade) vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 ⅓ c. uncooked orzo
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped (yielding about 1 ½ c.)
  • 1 ½ c. cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small bell pepper, chopped (yielding about 1 c.)
  • 1 c. water
  • ~1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
  • ½ t. salt

Directions

Heat a 9- to 10-inch skillet on medium heat. Stir in the broth, pasta, and garlic. Heat to boiling, and then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 8 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add in the vegetables, water, rosemary, and salt, and stir together. Heat to boiling, and simmer another 5–7 minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp and the pasta is cooked through. Let cool slightly, and enjoy!

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Quick & easy chicken, Fun style

I mentioned last week that my sweetie found boneless, skinless chicken, and he was good enough to buy 2 lbs, which meant I could make Amy Thielen’s wonderfully fancy yet simple rosemary chicken with half the meat.

But it also meant that I could use the rest to make a Betty Crocker recipe that coats chicken breasts in sour cream and onion potato chips. From the time I came across the recipe, I knew I had to make it as soon as my sweetie could bring home the special cut of meat.

Potato chip-coated chicken ingredients.

Of course, fried/sauteed chicken could be made with thighs or bone-in breasts, but this seemed to me the type of thing that would work best with what it called for. So, I was willing to wait until we could get what we need, and willing to eat less meat and get different cuts going forward so I could enjoy this the way I wanted.

There’s not a lot of work to it, but that doesn’t make it any less tasty. Besides, what’s not to love from chicken and potato chips mashed together.

It was a true delight, and I hope to make it again someday when meat is easier to come by and I feel less guilty buying some, since I’m usually content with a nice vegetarian meal.

Potato chips and chicken make pure perfection.

Here’s what I did:

  • ~4 c. sour cream and onion potato chips, crushed (yielding ~1 c.)
  • 1 T. parsley flakes
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
  • ~2 T. vegetable oil
  • 4 (about 1 ¼ lb.) boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions

Place the crushed potato chips on a large shallow plate, and mix with the parsley. In a separate small bowl, beat together the egg and Worcestershire sauce.

In a 9- to 10-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat (cooking only half at a time or using 2 skillets if it doesn’t all fit into one skillet). Dip a chicken breast into the egg mixture and then coat with the potato chip mixture, pressing in as appropriate. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.

Cook the coated chicken breasts in the heated oil for about 10 to 12 minutes, turning once about halfway through, until the coating is a deep golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Let cool slightly, and enjoy!

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Quick & easy chicken, Fancy style

My sweetie managed to find some boneless, skinless chicken breasts so for the next two weeks, we feast!

I know for foodies that boneless, skinless chicken breast is not the mark of a true chef; however, I like its texture and blank-canvas nature. It has its place, and I’ve missed that it’s harder to come by, while I would gladly give it up entirely if we’d have done more to make meat-packing plant workers safer or, simply, kept them home for longer.

Still, old habits die hard, and when my sweetie found these at the co-op, I was excited to have a couple of different simple, but delicious, meals to serve showcasing this cut.

My first foray was an oldie but a goodie. Ever since I found out about Amy Thielen, I’ve been a fan. I love her Midwest-style, and while she’s been a big-time chef, she’s managed to take her recipes from haute cuisine to stuff I can do in my kitchen.

This rosemary chicken is one of those that seems like it’d be served in a farm-to-table restaurant, but I can also make it at home without stress and with few ingredients. It also lets its few ingredients shine.

Rosemary chicken ingredients.

While it’s perfect as a main dish with a side to accompany it, I’ll be honest, my sweetie and I usually enjoy it as a sort of appetizer. It’s great to go from warmed plate to living room table, and we’ll snack as we either wait for something else or have already had a salad. Sometimes simple can be so sweet.

I’ll note that Thielen’s recipe calls for discarding the rosemary sprigs after they’ve been infused, which I did this time and felt that it could have had more rosemary flavor. My sweetie and I have both made this before where we’ve left the sprigs in (or used more than 2); your mileage may vary on how strong of a rosemary flavor you like, but consider using more or keeping it infused for longer/while cooking if you want a heaping dose of the herbal, floral flavor.

Here’s what I did, following her recipe (but downsizing the skillet slightly):

Ingredients

  • 16 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 T. (½ stick) butter
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 t. fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Directions

Cut each chicken breast into three long, fairly equal pieces. Set aside.

Heat a 9- to 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, When it foams and then turns nut-brown, remove it from heat and add the rosemary sprigs, tilting the pan so that the butter foams over the rosemary. Set aside to infuse for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the rosemary sprigs (or keep them for a stronger, more rosemary flavor).

Set the skillet back on the burner, over medium-low heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and then add them to the skillet. Cook slowly, moving and turning the pieces often, until all the pieces have cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the parsley if using, and place on a warm plate, pouring the pan juices over the chicken, and enjoy!