Chicken pot pie intimidates me. I've only ever had the frozen ones but was told it was possible to make it from scratch. While a bit time consuming (45 min. prep and 45 min. bake time) it makes a lot of food, freezes well and is sooo delicious. This is the best rated recipe I could find online. With my modifications it is perfect.
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chopped carrots
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 lb chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2/3 - 1 cup milk (I am listing about a 1/4 cup of both broth and milk than the recipe calls for because several reviews said it was a bit dry. if you prefer dry, feel free to reduce the liquid)
1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper
1/4 tsp. celery seed (although I used garlic powder)
I also added a few shakes of poultry seasoning
1 package store bought pie dough (because who wants to make pie dough from scratch - not I)
Egg whites slightly beaten (Optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a big pot combine all veggies EXCEPT the onions and fill with water just to cover (throw in a couple boullion cubes for good measure if you have them) and boil for 15 minutes, then drain water and set aside. The original recipe says to put the cubed chicken in and cook that with the veggies but I found this made for dry chicken so I suggest while the veggies boil to saute the chicken in a bit of olive oil then cut it into cubes and set aside.
When the oven is preheated, put the pie crust in the greased bottom of either a pie dish or a 9x13 dish (if you do that you'll have to slightly shape the pie dough into a square - i did it, it's possible) and brush with egg white then bake it for 5 minutes - another step I added so the bottom crust wouldn't get soggy so feel free to skip this)
In a saucepan melt the butter over medium high heat and saute the onions in it until they are translucent. Add the flour and stir until well combined then slowly add the broth and milk and stir until smooth then add salt, pepper, garlic poweder/celery seed and poultry seasoning if you wish)
Pour the veggies and chicken in the dish and then pour the sauce over that. Put the other pie crust on top and poke holes to vent. Brush with egg white to turn the crust a lovely brown and bake for 40-45 minutes until the crust is said shade of lovely brown.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
I almost ate the whole pan. Not really, but I wanted to.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Becky's Fried Rice
My friend Becky always comes to work with the most delicious looking fried rice and I always want to copy it. Any time I have attempted fried rice it turns out to be a fried fail. So...I humbly asked for the recipe and she was nice enough to give it to me and then give me permission to share it! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Olive oil and/or butter
2 or so cups meat of your choice. (I used chicken, but becky usually uses ham or bacon - yes bacon fried rice...can you imagine anything better?)
1 small yellow onion, diced
4-5 stalks green onions, diced
Handful of frozen baby peas (I used peas AND carrots even though I know it upset Becky because according to her, carrots have no place in fried rice :))
1-2 eggs
4-6 cups cooked white rice
Soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil or butter in a wok or very large skillet over medium-high heat and put meat in it. If you are using bacon or ham I would imagine you wouldn't have to oil the pan but for chicken you do. While meat is cooking, chop the onions but keep them separate. Once meat is cooked, remove and throw in the yellow onion. Saute (in butter or oil) until transparent then add green onion. While the onions are cooking, chop the meat into little pieces. Once the onions are cooked and soft, put in the baby peas (and carrots - don't tell Becky) and stir around until they are thawed. Throw in some salt and pepper to season.
Now for the eggs. If you want to dirty another dish, scramble the eggs in it and add them into the veggie mixture. I just pushed the veggies to the side and scrambled the eggs on the other side of the wok. Once the eggs are scrambled, add the meat and rice and stir it all together. Add soy sauce to make it all a nice brown and voila! Thanks, Becky, for letting me share you secret recipe!!!
Ingredients:
Olive oil and/or butter
2 or so cups meat of your choice. (I used chicken, but becky usually uses ham or bacon - yes bacon fried rice...can you imagine anything better?)
1 small yellow onion, diced
4-5 stalks green onions, diced
Handful of frozen baby peas (I used peas AND carrots even though I know it upset Becky because according to her, carrots have no place in fried rice :))
1-2 eggs
4-6 cups cooked white rice
Soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil or butter in a wok or very large skillet over medium-high heat and put meat in it. If you are using bacon or ham I would imagine you wouldn't have to oil the pan but for chicken you do. While meat is cooking, chop the onions but keep them separate. Once meat is cooked, remove and throw in the yellow onion. Saute (in butter or oil) until transparent then add green onion. While the onions are cooking, chop the meat into little pieces. Once the onions are cooked and soft, put in the baby peas (and carrots - don't tell Becky) and stir around until they are thawed. Throw in some salt and pepper to season.
Now for the eggs. If you want to dirty another dish, scramble the eggs in it and add them into the veggie mixture. I just pushed the veggies to the side and scrambled the eggs on the other side of the wok. Once the eggs are scrambled, add the meat and rice and stir it all together. Add soy sauce to make it all a nice brown and voila! Thanks, Becky, for letting me share you secret recipe!!!
Monday, October 18, 2010
In the spirit of October
I love all things pumpkin, except for pumpkin pie. Weird, I know. One of my very favorite treats this time of year is pumpkin chocolate chip bread. I eat it for dessert the day I make it, and breakfast the next morning!
This makes A TON, but it freezes well. Just bake it all, let the loaves cool, and what I do is put each loaf in a ziplock bag, seal it up, and then wrap it in tin foil and freeze. Or give them to neighbors and the neighbors will love you forever!!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
5 eggs
3 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. pumpkin
2 c. oil
4 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1 1/4 c. milk chocolate chips (or extra if you love chocolate like me :) )
Preheat oven to 350. Cream eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin and oil, mixing slightly. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture, mix to combine. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into greased loaf pans and bake large loaves about 55-60 minutes, small loaf pans about 35-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean, and let cool in pans. Stuff your face.
This makes A TON, but it freezes well. Just bake it all, let the loaves cool, and what I do is put each loaf in a ziplock bag, seal it up, and then wrap it in tin foil and freeze. Or give them to neighbors and the neighbors will love you forever!!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
5 eggs
3 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. pumpkin
2 c. oil
4 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1 1/4 c. milk chocolate chips (or extra if you love chocolate like me :) )
Preheat oven to 350. Cream eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin and oil, mixing slightly. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture, mix to combine. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into greased loaf pans and bake large loaves about 55-60 minutes, small loaf pans about 35-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean, and let cool in pans. Stuff your face.
easy peasy crock pot roast
I love a good crock pot recipe. I love when you use your crock pot and you come home and your house smells like yummy dinner and you have been gone all day. Crock pots are like electronic mom's. They cook you dinner and have it ready for you when you get home from school. Anywho, enough of my love for my slow cooker. I don't eat much red meat, just by default, no real reason, but I do like to have a roast for sunday dinners occasionally. And this one is about as easy as it gets. The recipe sounds a little redneck-y, but it really turns out yummmmmmmy.
BBQ Roast
1 onion, cut into large-ish chunks.
1 bottle BBQ sauce
roast (I always buy the smallest one I can find, since there is only two of us, but it doesn't make much difference. Just get whatever size you need and it will all work out just fine.)
Plop it all in the crock pot and stir it around a bit. I cooked it on low for about 6 hours. Voila!
BBQ Roast
1 onion, cut into large-ish chunks.
1 bottle BBQ sauce
roast (I always buy the smallest one I can find, since there is only two of us, but it doesn't make much difference. Just get whatever size you need and it will all work out just fine.)
Plop it all in the crock pot and stir it around a bit. I cooked it on low for about 6 hours. Voila!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
These got all-around 5-star ratings at work and with the fam. I, myself, feel they are too good....I couldn't stop eating them. Trust me, these are mucho better once they've had a chance to chill in the fridge for a few hours. So plan accordingly. Enjoy!
For the cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup pumpkin
1 1/4 sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
4 oz. lowfat cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
To make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
In a larg bowl, cream together butter and sugar at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, making sure they are well combined. Add pumpkin and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredient mixture a little at a time until well combined.
At this point, the recipe says to drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet. I started doing this and it was not easy at at...My advice: spoon the mixture into a pastry or ziploc bag and squeeze out little blobs - it's easier and it makes them prettier. Warning, this is messy any way you go. Bake for 10 minutes or until you can poke them and they spring back. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet and move to cooling racks. You should aim to make about 72 little cookies.
To make filling:
Beat together cream cheese, vanilla and butter until fluffy and well combined. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. This is where your countertop mixer comes in handy, because this stuff needs to be beat a good 5 minutes to get a good fluffy consistency.
To assemble:
Again, to make them pretty, I suggest loading the frosting into a pastry or ziploc bag and piping it onto the cookies then make little sandwiches. Much easier than spreading. Once your sandwiches are made, put in a covered container and chill. Trust me, these reach peak deliciousness once they are chilled. Ohhh my, so good.
For the cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup pumpkin
1 1/4 sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
4 oz. lowfat cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
To make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
In a larg bowl, cream together butter and sugar at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, making sure they are well combined. Add pumpkin and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredient mixture a little at a time until well combined.
At this point, the recipe says to drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet. I started doing this and it was not easy at at...My advice: spoon the mixture into a pastry or ziploc bag and squeeze out little blobs - it's easier and it makes them prettier. Warning, this is messy any way you go. Bake for 10 minutes or until you can poke them and they spring back. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet and move to cooling racks. You should aim to make about 72 little cookies.
To make filling:
Beat together cream cheese, vanilla and butter until fluffy and well combined. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. This is where your countertop mixer comes in handy, because this stuff needs to be beat a good 5 minutes to get a good fluffy consistency.
To assemble:
Again, to make them pretty, I suggest loading the frosting into a pastry or ziploc bag and piping it onto the cookies then make little sandwiches. Much easier than spreading. Once your sandwiches are made, put in a covered container and chill. Trust me, these reach peak deliciousness once they are chilled. Ohhh my, so good.
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