Hamburger Puffs

I've mentioned before how much Grandma loved puff pastry. This is a dish that she used to make for her bridge parties, so the recipe is versatile in that these could be served as hors d'hoeuvres or a main dinner course. 

By the way, have I mentioned that I still have so much to learn about cooking? This dish is a perfect example.

The difference in the way I made it and the way Grandma used to make it was the size of each serving. She chose to cut little circles with a biscuit cutter, spoon a little meat mixture on top and cover it with another circle. Instead I rolled out the puff pastry dough, cut it in four squares, spooned the mixture onto the square, and sealed it up......the verdict? My method yielded way too much puff pastry! A little is all you need and Grandma's way of doing it was much better. You can try it both ways, but I'm sure you'll agree.

Hamburger Puffs

1 box Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry

1 pound lean ground beef

1 small onion, diced

3-4 white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or Grandma's homemade)

Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

garlic powder

Thaw puff pastry in refrigerator and roll out each sheet onto floured board. Cut circles with biscuit cutter and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F. In large skillet or Dutch oven, brown hamburger with onion, mushrooms, green pepper, garlic, salt pepper and Italian seasoning until onions are translucent and meat is no longer pink. Discard any liquid or fat. Stir in cream of mushroom soup. Set aside to cool. Place spoonfuls of meat mixture onto puff pastry circles and top with another circle. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.

Super Chicken

On Super Bowl Sunday, we served this make-ahead, marinated chicken for our crowd and it was a hit! This is one that's suitable for almost any casual gathering any time of year.

All the wonderful flavors of soy, ginger, garlic and onion give the chicken a little tang and the white wine vinegar tenderizes to perfection. Not only is it super tasting, but it's also super easy to prepare and a budget pleaser! We made all this chicken for about $6. Far less than buying a bucket of fried or even a tray at the grocery deli counter.

Now that I look at the picture, it's actually a "pretty" dish too (even in the aluminum pan)!

Super Chicken

18 chicken legs

3/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

4 cloves of garlic, peeled but left whole

1-2 bay leaves

8 green onions, chopped (reserve half for garnish when serving)

2 cans chicken broth (or 2-1/2 cups of your own homemade stock)

2 tablespoons flour (made into roux with 1/2 cup water)

2 tablespoons dried parsley

Wash chicken legs, pat dry, and place in plastic bag or marinade container.  Whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger. Add garlic, bay leaves, and half the chopped onion and pour into marinade container or plastic bag thoroughly coating the chicken legs. Secure container and place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

After marinating, remove bay leaves and put chicken, marinade liquid, garlic cloves and onion in a large pan and add chicken broth. Heat to boiling and cook for 45 minutes. 

Remove cooked chicken and garlic cloves and place on serving plate.  Continue boiling liquid, add flour roux, and stir constantly until liquid has thickened slightly. Spoon some of the thickened liquid over chicken and garnish with parsley and remaining chopped green onion.