Old-fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

Makes 2 deep-dish pot pies

 

 

Disclaimer - The only thing I didn't do "old-fashioned" was make the crusts. I mean, seriously. Who has time to go through the whole procedure?

You'll need:

4 roll-out pie crusts
1 chicken breast, 1 chicken leg & thigh *reserve broth*
2 russet potatoes, peeled & diced
1 c. prepared chicken broth
1 small can of green beans, drained (not french-cut)
1 c. sliced carrots
1 large Vidalia onion (yellow or white will do)
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 c. milk
3/4 c. flour
1 stick of butter (don't use margarine)
1 tsp. garlic-herb seasoning (if you don't have it on hand, minced garlic & a little dried parsley works)
1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/2 block cream cheese
egg wash (egg white from 1 egg, 1 tsp. water, whisked together)


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray deep-dish pie pan with nonstick spray. Place 1 pie crust on the bottom & press into place. Edges will overhang. Set aside. Repeat for both pot pies. (I prepared one to cook and one to freeze. The steps are the same, with the exception of the egg wash on the freezer-bound one.)
2. In a large pot, bring chicken & garlic-herb seasoning to a boil. Cook for 15 min, until juices run clear. Turn heat off. Reserve the broth.
3. While chicken is cooking, in a small pot, cover potatoes & carrots with prepared chicken broth and bring to a boil, about 8 min, or until tender. Turn off heat.
4. In a large pot on high heat, melt stick of butter. Add onions & cook for 3 minutes, or until tender and fragrant. Sprinkle flour on top and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes to make a roux. Turn heat to medium.
5. Carefully dip a glass measuring cup into chicken pot to collect 1 1/2 c. broth. Slowly pour broth into roux. Once incorporated, slowly add milk and stir well.
6. Remove chicken from pot unto cutting board. With two forks, carefully remove skin & shred chicken (it's HOT).
7. Add remaining spices into roux, stirring well. Mixture will begin thickening. Add chicken, potatoes & carrots with their cooking liquid, green beans & peas. Bring to simmer. Test for spices and adjust salt, if needed. Grind pepper to your liking into mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Mixture will be fairly thick. If you like a thinner filling consistency, add 1/2 c. reserved broth. Turn off heat.
8. Cut or pull cream cheese into small chunks & add to filling mixture. 
9. Pour half of filling mixture into the first prepared pie crust. Repeat with second pot pie.
10. Cover both pot pies with the 2 remaining pie crusts and press edges together to seal (or use a fork to crimp). Trim & discard overhanging crust. (NOTE - if you want to have a really pretty presentation, use a small knife to cut "leaves" from crust scraps. Brush the area you want to place the leaves with egg wash and place leaves on top of the crust, pressing lightly to adhere. I didn't do all that - I had a hungry 2 year old hanging off my legs, but hey - if you've got the time, go all out.)
11. Brush the egg wash gently over the entire surface of the pot pies that you're going to cook immediately. (If freezing, skip this step until you get ready to bake it.) Cut five slits in the pie in a sun pattern near the center to allow venting.
12. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 min, checking after 20. We have a hot oven, so mine took about 28 min.


To freeze: Wrap the pot pie securely in plastic wrap, then cover in aluminum foil. Write the date & contents on the foil, along with egg wash instructions & baking temps / time for those last minute dinners.


Serve with a large green salad and plenty of sweet iced tea, and one deep-dish pie will feed a family a family of 5! ENJOY!

"Better than bought" homemade barbecue sauce

Out of desperation for a last-minute meal, I made my own barbecue sauce last week. Kenneth actually said it's better than any bottled that he's ever tasted. Making meals stretch these days are a necessity, so I tried the sauce on a turkey breast that I roasted a couple nights ago. It was really good, and I'm normally a pretty big fan of my own cooking anyway.

Easiest way to do it is right in the squeeze ketchup bottle when only about a 1/4 of ketchup bottle is left. Use a funnel & add 1/4 c. packed brown sugar, 4 cap-fulls of liquid smoke, 4 tsp. soy sauce, 3 tbsp. Worchestershire, 3-4 shakes hot sauce, 1 tsp. minced garlic. Close the top tightly and let your kid shake it for a minute. Baste with it, use it as a dip or in the crockpot. The flavors taste their best once the flavors meld overnight, but is still absolutely yummy straight out of the squeeze bottle.

Kept in a container with a tight-fitting lid, the sauce will keep indefinitely.

Apple-Orange Marinade for Pork Chops, Ribs or Tenderloin

A super easy & flavorful last-minute marinade that's thrown together with ingredients that you already have on hand. The citrus breaks down tougher pork cuts like center cut ribs and makes them incredibly tender. Impressed even Kenneth - the disparaging palate.

Apple-Orange Marinade

1/3 c. frozen apple juice concentrate
2 tbsp. orange marmalade
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
shake (or two) of garlic powder
ground white pepper, to taste

Make this marinade in a large Ziploc bag, toss in your cuts of meat, seal and let chill in fridge overnight. The results will make you a dinnertime hero.

Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie

Old-fashioned Sweet Potato Pie

 The secret is not opening the oven during the baking process (this creates a dry, cracked pie), and not letting it bake completely. Pie will finish baking as it cools.

1 semi-baked pie shell
2 med-lg. sweet potatoes
3/4 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. apple pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon

Boil sweet potatoes until very tender, about 45 min. Allow to cool. Peels should slip off easily. Mash potatoes coarsely in medium-sized bowl, until large clumps of potatoes are smooth. Small lumps are OK.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake pie shell for 6 minutes once oven has reached 350. Remove from oven & let cool.

In bowl with potatoes, add rest of ingredients in order given. Mash together with fork until well-combined. Pour into pie shell.

Bake pie at 350 for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 250 without opening door and bake another 20 minutes. Pie will be slightly wiggly in center. Remove from oven & allow to cool.

Serve warm with whipped cream.

Gooey Banana Bread Cake (Low Sugar)

Low-Sugar Gooey Banana Bread Cake

This cake is delicious & quite filling. Makes a wonderful breakfast on the go, served warm with a little butter or cream cheese. When cooked, the bananas in the cake will not set completely, giving you a firm but slightly gooey center.

For even more healthy yumminess, substitute the flour for whole wheat flour, increase applesauce to 1/4 cup, and cut brown sugar out completely.

Cooking spray
1 c. finely chopped / crushed walnuts
2 med. bananas, mashed
1/2 c. canola oil
3 lg. eggs
1 c. applesauce (homestyle/chunky kind works well)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. flour (or substitute 1/4 c. of flour for 1/4 c. flaxseed)
1/2 old fashioned oats
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon OR 1 tsp. apple pie spice & 1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. raisins (golden raisins, dried berries of any kind or dried apricots can substitute for deeper flavor)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray bundt ban with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Place mashed bananas, applesauce, oil, eggs, sugar, & vanilla in mixing bowl. Mix well.

3. On top of wet ingredients, place flour, flaxseed (if using), oats, baking soda, baking powder, spices & nuts in bowl. Fold over until just incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.


4. Bake cake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Check cake after 20 minutes; if the top is browning quickly, cover with aluminum foil.

5. Let the cake cool slightly in the pan before turning it onto a wire rack to cool completely. Will keep in cake carrier for 3 days or up to 10 days in refrigerator.  Enjoy!

Apple Butter Pork Roast w/ Apples & Sweet Onions

Apple-Butter Pork Roast w/ Apples & Sweet Onions

A sweet & savory recipe that works well in the heart of winter, or any time of the year!

1 small pork roast (approx. 2 lbs)
1 c. apple butter
1 large sweet & semi-tart apple - Honeycrisp or Granny Smith works well
1  Vidalia onion (onion should be of the yellow or sweet variety)
1 tsp. dried rosemary
3 tbs. honey
1 tsp. minced garlic
Spritz of lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
Drizzle of good quality olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray glass Pyrex with non-stick spray. Rinse pork roast & pat dry. Place in middle of Pyrex dish. Season generously with salt & pepper.

2. Quarter onion & apple. Place onion quarters on one side of roast, apples on the other. Spritz onions, apples & roast with lemon juice. Generously season with minced garlic.

3. On top of roast, cut a long 'x', then place 1/2 c. apple butter over the top so that it drips into the 'x'. Drizzle olive oil over the top of roast, apples & onions. Sprinkle with dried rosemary. Drizzle honey over rosemary.

4. Time roast. Place in hot oven for one hour. Check timer after one hour. When timer goes off, spoon the other half of the apple butter over the top of veggies, roast & fruit. Let bake for additional 15-20 minutes.

5. Remove from oven. Cover with foil & let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with mashed sweet potatoes. Enjoy!

Cedar-Planked Salmon, Glazed with Bourbon & Brown Sugar Salmon

One of my favorite meals. We eat salmon at least twice a month, & sometimes once a week. I try it differently each time, but always come back to this one. So simple & so DELICIOUS! Try this recipe made into foil pockets, then tossed on the grill. The veggies will take on the smoky sweetness of the salmon, while the salmon benefits from the moisture in the veggies, as they are steamed. Potatoes, carrots, corn, peppers, etc, all work well.

Need:
Cedar plank, soaked overnight fully in water
Center-cut salmon filet, about 10 oz.

Glaze:
2/3 c. bourbon
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. Concord Grape jam or jelly
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. minced garlic (one small clove)
1 tsp. EVOO
1/2+ c. water

In a small saucepan on med-high heat, combine all ingredients, stirring well after each one. Bring to slight boil; boil at med-high for 15 minutes. Sauce will reduce by about a third. Remove from heat & allow to cool. If the glaze is put on the fish while it's hot, it will begin to cook the fish, which results in uneven heat spots & poor taste. Continue to stir throughout, to help cool it off & to incorporate flavors.


Once glaze is completely cool:

Place salmon filet on wet cedar board, skin side down. Brush on glaze. Grill for 6-8 minutes. Baste often. Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

Enjoy!