MINI PIES MUFFIN TIN RECIPES

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring the vegetables around, until they start to soften, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to combine. Cook the flour-coated veggies for 1 minute, then pour in the chicken broth (and wine, if using!) and stir to combine. Let it heat up and start to bubble and thicken, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the chicken, then add the turmeric and thyme, then season with salt and pepper. Add the half-and-half, then stir the mixture and let it bubble up and thicken, about 3 minutes. If it seems overly thick, splash in a little more broth. Turn off the heat and let the filling cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, roll out the pie crusts slightly and cut out 8 dough circles just a bit larger than the pie pans (if using a muffin tin, you'll need sixteen 3 3/4-inch circles). Press a dough circle into each pie pan (or 8 muffin cups), making sure the dough comes almost to the top of each pan. Fill the pies with the chicken mixture. Lay a second round of dough over the top of each pie. Press the dough so that the edges meet, then use a fork to seal the edges. Mix the egg with 2 teaspoons water and brush it all over the surface of the crust. (Discard any extra egg wash.) Cut small vents in the surface of the crusts.
• If you're baking the pies right away, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, place the pies on a baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Serve them straight out of the pie pans or turn them out of the pan and serve them upside down!
• Find this recipe and more in Ree's new book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime ($30, William Morrow Cookbooks).

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Lightly grease your muffin pan with spray or oil on a paper towel, set aside.
• Saute the Chopped Onions in a pan with the tablespoon of oil, until translucent.
• Crack the eggs in a bowl and beat as if making scrambled eggs. Salt and Pepper eggs to taste.
• Into the greased muffin cups add about 3 or 4 leaves of Spinach. (You probably won't use the whole bag.).
• Top the Spinach with about a teaspoon each of the sauted Onions.
• Top the onions with about 1 Tablespoon each of the Cheddar Cheese.
• Then ladle enough egg mixture into each muffin cup to fill the tin about 2/3 full.
• Bake your little quiches for 10-20 minutes, (depending on the size of your muffin tin cups.) They should be nicely browned on top, but do not overcook. Check for doneness with a toothpick.
• Let your quiche-muffins cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then using a dinner knife, gently run the blade around the perimeter of each muffin to loosen. Then plop them carefully on a plate to finish cooling and serve.