Gourmet Pillsbury: Does This Seem Oxymoronic To You?

 So Joe was going to come over for dinner on a wednesday night, and I knew I wouldn't have enough time to get home from work and cook, thus I premade the meal above the night before.  If you ever have broccoli, asparagus, or mushrooms that have seen better days but not exactly bad enough to throw out, this soup recipe is perfect.  Not to mention freezable for future meals.  As for the Pilsbury reference, as much as I am a huge advocate to homemade pastry crusts, use of the grands biscuits is both tasty and a time saver!

 Cream of Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cups of celery (or two stalks chopped)
• 1 medium white or yellow onion (diced)
• 2 large carrots, peeled, and diced.
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large bunch of asparagus, ends cut off (usually need to cut 2-3 inches) and discarded.  Rest chopped roughly.
• 4 cups of chicken, beef, or vegetable broth (can use liquid or dried bouillabaisse)
• 1-2 cups of either half and half, or substitute 2% or whole milk. (half and half will taste much better)
• couple tsp butter OR brown up some bacon and use the drippings.

1. In large pasta pot, add your butter OR bacon drippings (if using bacon, just fry it directly in this pan, and set bacon to the side.  If REALLY fatty, discard some of the excess oil).  Turn on medium heat.
2. Add your celery, onion, carrots, and garlic.  Let saute for few minutes over medium heat.  
3. Add your asparagus, and broth. Bring soup up to a boil, and turn down to simmer while covered.  Let simmer for about 45 minutes (or until all the veggies are super tender).
4. Using a food processor or blender, ladle your soup in and puree or blend on high (should be pretty thick).  Add your pureed soup back into large pot, and add your milk/half and half.  If soup still seems too thick for your liking simply add more milk or cream to thin it out.  Make sure to stir well, over low heat.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and or shredded cheddar and your bacon.

**if using broccoli instead of asparagus perform steps exactly as above.  If using mushrooms, do not add carrots, and you do not need to puree soup, especially if you chop your veggies fine.

Barbecue Chicken and Bleu Cheese Tartlets

Ingredients

Oven at 425 degrees

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup of finely diced celery
• 1/2 cup of finely diced white onion
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1-2 cups of BBQ sauce, of your choice, additional 1/2 cup of BBQ
• 4 oz of bleu cheese
• 8 oz of crumbled bacon (can use the real bacon bits from the salad isle)
• Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp of ground black pepper
• 1 tsp of garlic salt
• 1 tblsp olive oil
• 4 tblsp butter or margarine melted
• 2-cans of Pillsbury large buttermilk biscuits

1. Either bake your chicken breasts or pan fry them.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Once cooked all the way through, shred.
2. In large pan, with deep sides, add 1 tblsp olive oil.  Over medium heat, saute your celery, onion, and garlic, until translucent and tender. 
3. Add your shredded chicken, cumin, pepper, and garlic salt, mix til everything is blended evenly.
4. Add your BBQ sauce, and again blend. (at this point you can cool everything and place into fridge (or freezer for long term storage).
5. If BBQ chicken mixture seems too dry for your liking add more BBQ sauce.
6. In a cupcake pan, butter using a pastry brush.
7. Take one buttermilk biscuit.  Using either a rolling pin, or simply your hands, stretch out till its about double its original diameter.
8. Add tsp bleu cheese, tsp of bacon, and a large tsp of your BBQ chicken mixture.
9. Making sure this all stays in the middle of your rolled out biscuit, bring up each of the sides up until your filling is completely encased.  If the sides are brought up over eachother they should stay. 
10. Place into cupcake pan, and lightly butter top, dust with parmesan cheese.  Repeat til you run out of biscuits. (you will probably have some chicken left over).
11. Bake at 425 degrees, for approximately 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.  
12. Serve immediately, and with more BBQ sauce on the side, if wanted.

***If you don't like bleu cheese simply substitute with your favorite kind of cheese. I have also made these with cheddar and were still superb