Sweet Spud Pecan Pie Tarts

I'm posting this at midnight in addition to it is FIFTEEN BELOW ZERO HERE!!
This terminal weekend was our 39th marriage anniversary; nosotros were high schoolhouse sweethearts. To celebrate, I made a big roast beef dinner in addition to these heavenly petty tarts that I flora on Shelby's The Life in addition to Loves of Grumpy's Honybunch. They are absolutely delicious tiny bites (about the size of a tassie) of cinnamon spiced sweetness spud in addition to pecans all baked inwards a pre-prepared mini-phyllo cup. They are impressive looking, cracking tasting, ultra-easy in addition to (believe it or not) the recipe says they are solely most 45 calories each!! It doesn't become much amend than that!!!

1 loving cup cooked and mashed sweetness potato
3 tablespoons white sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 loving cup chopped toasted pecans
¼ loving cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon black corn syrup (I used light)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white

2 (2.1 ounce) packages mini-phyllo shells

Poke sweetness potatoes a few times alongside a knife in addition to house them inwards a pie plate alongside two tablespoons of water; encompass loosely alongside waxed newspaper in addition to microwave on high for 5 minutes (mine took seven minutes) or until tender.

Mash in addition to mensurate out one loving cup of sweetness potato. Add sugar, cinnamon in addition to tabular array salt in addition to stir good (I used my electrical mixer to actually crush the potatoes). Set aside.

In a pocket-size bowl, combine toasted pecans, dark-brown sugar, syrup, vanilla in addition to egg white. Stir good in addition to laid aside.

Set mini phyllo shells on a baking canvass in addition to lay most one teaspoon of the sweetness spud mixture into the bottom of each compaction (gently force down-in a little). Spoon ½ teaspoon of pecan mixture over the sweetness spud mixture. Bake at 350F for twenty minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

NOTE: Our super-store sells these petty pre-made phyllo shells inwards the ATHENS brand.

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Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins

These piddling gems sense of savour only similar a Pecan Tassie. They are made out of half dozen every 24-hour interval ingredients together with are dandy alongside a morning time loving cup of tea, or the luncheon box or a long machine ride (not at all messy). These are Hubby's "new" favorite snack. Store covered.

1 loving cup lite dark-brown sugar

½ loving cup flour
2 eggs
2/3 loving cup soft butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 loving cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease together with flour a mini muffin pan (or spray alongside a cooking spray that has flour inward it, similar Bakers Joy). Mix the moisture ingredients inward a medium size bowl together with and hence stir inward the dry out ingredients, its only that simple!!

Mix long plenty to only become the batter smooth. Make certain you lot usage the MINI muffin pans (not cupcake size). Fill cups alongside i tablespoon batter each (makes 24). Bake for 17 minutes.

NOTE: Dusting pan alongside flour is important.

NOTE: My oven cooked these inward xvi minutes.

NOTE: Taking these out of the pan is the exclusively (mildly) tricky run of this recipe. Letting the muffins cool for two or three minutes earlier you lot endeavor to withdraw them from the pan volition attention a lot, but don't leave them inward the pan longer than than that, since they volition become harder to withdraw from the pan every bit they cool.

NOTE: Slide a  sparse knife gently to a greater extent than or less the sides of the muffins, together with hence gently elevator them out using the knife.

NOTE: If you lot hold upwards along these muffins covered well, they volition remain soft for a long fourth dimension (they tend to become a little crispy to a greater extent than or less the edges if left out inward the air).

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Easy Baked Mini-Omelets

I encounter swell possibilities amongst this piddling recipe. Not alone is this the perfect way to use those bits as well as pieces of veggies, meat as well as cheese in your fridge, but each mini-omelet tin displace move made to order. Another argue I similar this recipe is that it tin displace easily move doubled for a crowd as well as at that topographic point is no standing over an omelet pan while your fellowship is waiting for you!!

Picky-picky married adult man loves these piddling omelets amongst merely diced ham as well as cheese inward them, but I similar them amongst chopped mushrooms,broccoli as well as bacon. Either way, two mini-omelets brand a real filling breakfast. 

EASY BAKED MINI-OMELETS        (makes 12)

1 pound of breakfast meat cooked as well as drained (ham, bacon or sausage)
1 loving cup favorite veggies, sauteed (optional)
8 large eggs
1/4 loving cup milk (or cream if you're feeling self-indulgent)
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon tabular array salt (depending on how salty your meat is)
1/2 teaspoon dark pepper
1/2 loving cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used swiss)

Preheat oven to 375 as well as spray cupcake pan amongst vegetable spray.

Whisk the eggs, milk or cream, oil, baking pulverization as well as tabular array salt as well as pepper together until smooth.

Divide meat as well as vegetables evenly betwixt the 12 greased cupcake wells; overstep amongst a piddling cheese.  Pour plenty egg mixture inward each good to come upwardly to the top.

Bake inward preheated 375 oven for 15-20 minutes (my oven took 22 minutes). During this time, they volition REALLY dome upwardly similar a existent cupcake, but they volition flatten dorsum downwardly equally they cool.

Remove from oven and garnish amongst a pinch of cheese (I topped them amongst cheddar). Let the mini-omelets residual inward the pan for v minutes earlier yous receive got them out (they volition easily elevator out after v minutes).

NOTE:  Use your imagination regarding what veggies yous desire to include inward this recipe, merely think they receive got to move pre-cooked.

NOTE: These piddling muffins rest warm for quite a while, as well as they reheat VERY good inward the microwave. They would move a fantastic improver to whatsoever brunch tabular array because they are tasty at room temperature equally good !!

NOTE:  When I brand these for merely the 2 of us, I cutting the recipe inward half, which gives us 2 mini-omelets each as well as a brace to snack on later.

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Mini Huckleberry Crumb Tarts

I establish this recipe, a spell back, on The Life together with Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch together with decided to laissez passer it a try. I bring used the pastry vanquish many times inwards other recipes similar Pecan Tassies, exactly I never stance of using it alongside a fruit filling until Shelby's post....what a slap-up idea!!

CRUST

iii ounces cream cheese (Shelby uses fatty free)
1/2 loving cup butter at room temperature
1 loving cup all role flour

Mix until smooth, roll inwards plastic together with chill for an hour.  This dough is lovely together with really tardily to function with. While the dough is chilling, brand the huckleberry filling.

BLUEBERRY FILLING

four cups of blueberries (if frozen - thaw together with drain well)
Juice of ane lemon
3/4 loving cup saccharide (Shelby uses Splenda)
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed alongside 1/8 loving cup mutual frigidity water

Mix the blueberries, lemon juice together with saccharide inwards a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a deadening boil together with and thus whisk inwards the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch together with H2O mixed together). Keep stiring thus that lumps practice non form. Continue to laid upwardly together with stir for 1-2 minutes or until really thick.  Remove from oestrus together with permit cool.

CRUMB TOPPING

1 loving cup all role flour
iii tablespoons brownish saccharide (Shelby uses Splenda brownish sugar)
iii tablespoons butter at room temperature

Work these ingredients together, alongside your fingers, until you lot instruct a soft crumbly texture.

NOTE: This makes a TON of crumb topping. I cutting the ingredients inwards one-half together with I STILL had besides much topping, thus I lay the remainder inwards the freezer for my side yesteryear side baking project.

ASSEMBLY

Roll the chilled dough into 1" balls (this recipe makes most 20-24 tarts). Place each ball of dough into ungreased mini-cupcake pan.

Use a tart tamper (or anything inwards your kitchen that has a large rounded halt that you lot tin use) to tamp downwards the dough, making certain the dough comes upwardly on the sides of each tart. You tin also utilization your fingers to brand a low inwards the dough ball together with function the pastry crust upwardly the sides of the tart well.

Fill each tart alongside the cooled huckleberry filling together with a generous teaspoon of the crumb topping.

Bake inwards a pre-heated 375 oven for 15-20 minutes (my oven took 25 minutes) or until the crust gets a prissy golden color. Let the tarts COOL IN THE PAN for 10-15 minutes earlier lifting them out.

NOTE: I love versatile recipes similar this one. I intend ANY fruit filling would function good here; I'm trying apple tree next!!

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Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Picky-picky married adult man loves chicken pot pies, but they definitely  bring non been on my "quick fix" listing until now. This "recipe" is almost a cheater recipe, because yous tin skip the filling recipe below as well as simply role your favorite leftover chicken as well as gravy to build
these. 

They were thus tasty that picky-picky married adult man went dorsum for seconds!! With this quick as well as slow technique, I tin meet nosotros volition endure having mini chicken pot pies a lot to a greater extent than often.



2 potatoes  cubed fairly small
1 loving cup favorite veggies(I role a frozen pea-corn-green edible bean mix)
1/2 stalk celery chopped fine
1 tablespoon onion chopped fine
1 carrot sliced thin
1 COOKED chicken thorax pocket-size cubed
1 underground of fridge rolls (see banking concern complaint almost brand)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (see note)
2 teaspoons chicken bullion
pepper to taste

In a large sauce pan, saute the onion as well as celery inward a trivial butter until soft. Add the chicken broth, potatoes, veggies, bullion as well as pepper (DO NOT ADD THE CHICKEN MEAT AT THIS STAGE). Boil almost 5-8 minutes or until potatoes as well as carrots are fork tender.

Drain but SAVE THE BROTH!! In a medium size sauce pan, melt iii tablespoons of butter thus add together iii tablespoons flour as well as stir, (cook for almost a infinitesimal to develop out the raw flour taste).  Add the saved chicken broth (whisk similar crazy when yous add together the broth). Cook until the mixture thickens, thus set the cooked veggies dorsum in. Remove from oestrus as well as laid aside. Note: If the "gravy' seems a trivial thick, simply add together a pair tablespoons to a greater extent than chicken broth.

Spray a Texas size muffin pan lightly alongside vegetable spray (even if it is a non-stick pan). Roll out each fridge biscuit rattling sparse as well as house ane inward each muffin cup.

Then role your fingers to press the thinned out biscuit upwards the sides as well as to the overstep of each cup.

NOTE: If yous don't bring a Texas size muffin pan, meet banking concern complaint below.

NOTE: We telephone band underground fridge biscuits "whomp rolls" because of the audio they build when yous "whomp" them on the border of the counter to opened upwards them. I've tried several brands as well as they volition ALL work, but the rattling best ane (for these mini pot pies) is a Kroger build biscuit called JUMBO butter biscuits (our Fred Meyer sells them).

Place pieces of cooked chicken inward the bottom of each trivial pot pie as well as thus spoon the veggies as well as gravy over it (almost to the top).

Place the muffin pan on a cookie tray (in illustration you've filled them besides much) and bake inward preheated 375 oven for twenty minutes or until golden brownish as well as bubbly.

Remove from oven as well as permit sit for iii or four minutes BEFORE taking them out of the pan; this volition actually help.

Don't worry, they remain hot forever!! Use a butter knife to assistance yous inward lifting these out of the pan.

NOTE:  If yous don't role chicken bullion, you'll bring to add together a trivial tabular array salt to the sauce.

NOTE: On occasion, I purchase Pillsbury Grands fridge biscuits, but they don't function good for this recipe (too bready). The Kroger build of Jumbo Butter Biscuits ringlet out dainty as well as sparse as well as they bake into a sparse crusty-buttery shell.

NOTE: I don't intend this recipe will function rattling good inward a criterion cupcake pan unless yous chop everything VERY pocket-size as well as role entirely one-half of a fridge biscuit (but I've never tried it).

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Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes

Chocolate glazed, mini peanut butter cheesecakes, what could endure better? My identify unit of measurement loves cheesecake and I've made a bagillion of them over the years, simply I've never quite mastered cutting them cleanly, particularly when serving a crowd. These mini cheesecakes are the perfect solution for Easter this year.

CRUST
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons sugar
¼ loving cup melted butter
pinch of cinnamon

Mix crust ingredients well, gear upwards aside

FILLING
(2) 8 ounce pkg. cream cheese room temperature
1 loving cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 loving cup creamy fashion peanut butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 eggs

Line cupcake pan alongside newspaper liners (this recipe makes xviii cheesecakes). Spoon a lilliputian of the crust crumbs into each newspaper liner as well as press down. Set aside as well as preheat your oven to 350°F

In a large bowl, trounce the room temperature cream cheese as well as granulated carbohydrate until real smooth, scraping downward the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the peanut butter as well as vanilla as well as trounce until smooth.

While beating, sprinkle inward the flour as well as and therefore add together the eggs, ane at a time, mixing until smooth.

Fill the newspaper liners nearly sum (I purpose an H2O ice cream scoop for this).  Bake inward 350°F oven for 20-23 minutes. My electrical oven took 23 minutes.

Cool to room temperature, as well as therefore transcend alongside chocolate glaze.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE
6 tablespoons melted butter
6 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
6 tablespoons boiling water
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the cocoa into the butter until smooth. Add the boiling H2O as well as mix well. Add the powdered carbohydrate as well as vanilla as well as whisk till smooth.  Pour over the cooled cheesecakes as well as set inward the fridge to attention the glaze "set".

Store cheesecakes, covered, inward the fridge until fourth dimension to serve.

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Mini Butterscotch Cheesecakes

Whether you lot are a pocket-size solid unit of measurement or "empty nesters" similar us, this scaled downward recipe for mini-butterscotch cheesecakes is a handy one.

I started scaling downward amount sized dessert recipes because nosotros got tired of eating the same dessert several nights inwards a row. This recipe (depending on how big you lot brand them) volition give you 5 or 6 cupcake sized cheesecakes.

Preheat oven to 325°F in addition to trouble a cupcake pan amongst newspaper liners.

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
Mix crust ingredients in addition to split upward evenly between 5-6 newspaper liners (press crumbs downward to brand apartment crust within newspaper liners).

CHEESECAKE BATTER:
1/2 cup butterscotch baking chips
4 ounces regular cream cheese (room temperature)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 eggs slightly beaten (room temperature)
1 teaspoons all role flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon rum extract (see note)

Melt butterscotch baking chips (I utilization my microwave) simply until they are melted in addition to smooth, don't overheat. Set aside to cool downward a little.

Beat the cream cheese until it is really shine (1 infinitesimal or so?). Beat inwards the melted (and cooled) butterscotch chips in addition to saccharide until good mixed. Add the egg, flour in addition to extracts in addition to vanquish until smooth, but don't over beat.

Pour the batter over the crust in addition to fill upward newspaper liners about 80% full, or almost to the top. When these cheesecakes are done baking, they volition hold off domed, but equally they cool, they volition lose that "dome".

Bake for 25-30 minutes (my electrical oven takes xxx minutes). Of course of report it volition depend on how much you lot fill upward up the newspaper liners in addition to how hot your oven runs. Just bake them until they are set.

Cool inwards the pan for one-half hr or so, in addition to thus set them (still inwards the pan) inwards the refrigerator to chill for a few hours. Remove newspaper liners earlier serving.

NOTE: If you lot don't conduct maintain rum extract, simply double the vanilla.

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