Mushroom Puffs

Mushroom Puffs

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms

2/3 cup boiling water

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chopped chives

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

2 tablespoons mushroom liquid

2 tablespoons port

1 tablespoon soy sauce

pinch lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

splash of milk


Directions:

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large saut? pan over high heat. Once the butter has melted and the bubbles in the mixture have started to subside, add the chopped mushrooms. Stir continuously, allowing the mushrooms to absorb the butter and oil mixture. After a few minutes, the mushrooms will brown.  Once that happens, reduce the heat to low and stir in the garlic.  Let that cook for 30 seconds to a minute, then add in the chives, parsley, and thyme.  Stir in the mushroom liquid, port, and soy sauce.  Add a pinch of lemon zest and some lemon juice for a bit of freshness, and adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Take off heat and let the mixture cool.

Heat oven to 400 (or whatever temperture is recommended on your puff pastry dough).  Cut the puff pastry into four squares by slicing horizontally and vertically with a pizza cutter.  Then cut each square into two triangles by slicing on a diagonal.  You will have a total of 8 triangles.  Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the filling on each triangle, bring the opposing edges over and seal the puff into a triangle shape.  You may want to use just a bit of water to help seal.  Whisk the egg and milk and brush the mixture on each triangle.  Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown and puffy.

Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Pockets

 Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Pockets

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese

4 Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken,

1 1/2 cups frozen chopped broccoli

1 cup frozen corn

1 box refrigerated Pillsbury Pie Crust


Directions:

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine cream cheese and butter. Microwave in 15 second intervals until slightly melted and able to stir until smooth.

Add onion powder and garlic salt to cream cheese/butter mixture and stir well.

Add chicken, frozen chopped broccoli and frozen corn to cream cheese mixture. Stir until well combined.

Unroll both sheets of refrigerated pie crust dough. Cut each of the round pie crusts into quarters.

On one quarter of pie crust dough, put 1/2 of cream cheese/chicken mixture (about ?-1 cup.) Place a second quarter of pie crust dough over the top (make sure it lines up with bottom quarter) and pinch seams to seal off. You can flute the pie crust edges for a prettier look.

Repeat until you have 4 pie pockets. Cut about three small slits on the tops of each pie pocket for breathing. Place on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.