The Kelly's White Chili

I always liked my White Chili recipe just fine, but when Darcy came over and made hers, I was hooked! So much Bacon-y goodness! So here's the official Kelly White Chili recipe. It works great for camping, especially if you pre-cook the bacon and chicken. Double the recipe is plenty for a crowd of horse- campers!

Ingredients:

1 lb Chicken (breast preferred) cubed
1/2 lb bacon - chopped - (easiest if you use scissors and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces)
1 medium Onion (chopped)
1 1/2 tsp Powdered Garlic
1 Tbsp Oil
2 cans White Beans (I use a variety, butter beans, white beans, white kidney beans and garbanzo beans. Darcy says drained and rinsed. I just dump them in straight from the can.)
1 can (~15oz) Chicken Broth
2 (4oz) cans chopped Green Chilis
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream 

Directions:

• Fry chopped bacon pieces in pan first until just crispy. Remove from pan to paper towels to drain. Clean pan so that White Chili does not end up looking dirty.
• Heat oil in pan.  Add onion and saute 1-2 minutes.  Add garlic and chicken and saute until onions are clear and chicken is slightly done.
• Add the canned ingredients and spices to the pan. Stir and simmer for 30 minutes
• 5-10 minutes before serving, add the sour cream and whipping cream. Serve with Cornbread or French bread.

Mini Shepherd's Pie

Combined and changed a few recipes to come up with this little savory for a friend's bridal shower.

Ingredients:
1 box puff pastry, brought to room temperature
1 pound ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 stalks celery (or 2 cups chopped)
2 carrots, diced
1 packet onion soup mix
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Bragg's Amino Acids or soy sauce
2-1/2 cups mashed potatoes (can be instant if desired, I used sour cream and chive flavored)

Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Brown ground beef in a large pan. When most pink is gone, add chopped onion and carrots. Cook about 5 minutes, and add celery, onion soup mix, red wine vinegar and amino acids (or soy sauce). Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/2 cup of the mashed potatoes. When thickened, remove from heat and let rest.

Roll out each puff pastry on a floured surface, aiming for a rectangle 12"x16" or larger. Cut into 12 equal squares from each pastry. Lay each square in a muffin pan cup and press in lightly. Divide meat filling between pastry cups (approx 3 Tbsp-1/4 cup each), and top with about 2 Tbsp mashed potato. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees

My first time making these, I only used the mashed potato in the mix. But topping with mashed potato is what makes this Shepherds pie, rather than just mini meat pies.