Chicken Pot Pie

Monday, January 30, 2012

Remember when I teased you (my Facebook fans), with that picture of my chicken pot pie last week?  Well here it is in all of its creamy glory!  This recipe is really easy and the end result can be used in many ways.  To be honest, it is a recipe that I have adapted from my mom's Chicken A la King recipe.  I'm pretty sure it is from her tattered Betty Crocker cookbook she received as a wedding gift. 

Wherever it came from, I use this basic recipe (plus or minus a few things depending on what I have on hand) for pot pie, chicken a la king, over noodles, toast and the list goes on!  Make a big batch and use the left overs for something different.  Oh how I love left overs on a weeknight.  

Musical Selection:  Hazy by: Rosi Golan. A chill Monday tune.
Start by chopping an onion and tossing it into a large skillet with a drizzle of olive oil.
After a few minutes throw in a clove or two of minced garlic.  Clearly I had my burner on too high as you can see.  Put it on medium, trust me.
Once the onions and garlic are tender, toss in a few tablespoons of butter.  I try this with margarine however, something causes it to not work.  Basically, it evaporates and that isn't good for this recipe because we want to use it to thicken the sauce.  More on that later.
Toss in a little fresh thyme.  I had fresh so I used it, you could totally use dried if that is what you have.  Hand modeling credit: Mr. Schwartz
Toss in some rosemary as well.  Additional hand modeling by: Mr. Schwartz
After you add the herbs and the butter is bubbling (see middle right of the picture), sprinkle in some flour.
Stir it around and let this cook for about 2 minutes to get the floury taste out.
Add a few tablespoons of chicken base.  Typically I used Waitkins brand.  Oh that stuff is gooood.  But, I am fresh out so I used some supermarket brand stuff.  It was okay. You can find this stuff in the soup isle.  I highly recommend it over the cubes.  That way you can control how much you need and it doesn't sit in your pan waiting to dissolve.
Next, pour in the half and half.  I used fat free and you couldn't tell the difference.
Let it bubble up and thicken a bit.  Keep stirring this whole time.
Toss in some cooked chicken.  I poached mine and cut it into cubes.  You could grill/fry it up as well. Whatever method you prefer. 
Next, add the veggies.  I like to use those SteamFresh veggies that come frozen.  I defrosted them for just a minute on high then tossed them in.  We hate mushy veggies around here so putting them in the sauce and into the oven cooked them perfectly.
Stir it up and add some parsley.  It just makes it look prettier.
Oh and you thought I was going to make some home made crust.  I'm suuure.  Well, this stuff does the trick.  It is right by the crescent rolls in the refrigerator section of the grocery store.  They are also used in my Mini Pigs in a Blanket (a great Super Bowl food if I do say so myself).  If you can't find them, I'm sure the regular crescent rolls would work just fine.
Roll out the dough, as in take it from the package and place it on a cutting surface.  You don't want to play with it too much or it will loose it's flakiness.  I used the largest biscuit cutter I could and cut two "crusts" out.
Pour the mixture into two bowls or mini pots that have been sprayed with cooking spray.  Oh gosh I'm obsessed with these things.  We received them as a free gift for registering for something at Macy's.  I'm seriously looking for other recipes to use these for--if you have any idea please leave it in a comment below the recipe!
Place the crust on and into the oven they go.  I baked mine for about 20 minutes or until they were just golden.
Like this.
Liquid magma hot but these were tasty.
Happy Monday! 

Chicken Pot Pie 
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
4 tablespoons of flour 
2 tablespoons of chicken bullion base
3 cups of fat free half and half 
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 bag frozen veggies, defrosted by putting in the microwave for one minute on high
1 roll of puff pastry/crescent rolls

Start by tossing the onions into a large skillet on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil.  After a few minutes, add the garlic.  Saute until the onions are tender.  

Next, add the butter and herbs.  Bring to a bubble and add the flour.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes to take our the floury taste.  Add the chicken bullion base.  

Pour in the half and half and stir to get all the lumps out.  Keep stirring for about two minutes or until it thickens just a bit.  Add the chicken and veggies.  Take off of the heat and set aside. 

Take the dough out of the roll and place onto a cutting surface.  Be sure not to work with it too much or it will loose it's flakiness.  Cut out circles of dough that will just fit into your bowl or baking dish.  you want there to be space between the dough and the side of the dish or it will bubble over.  If you don't want to use individual bowls you could put it all into a baking dish and place the dough on top.  

Place into a preheated 350 degree oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.  If you use one big big dish you might need to increase the cooking time.  

Take it out and enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz 


Super Bowl Recipes

Saturday, January 28, 2012

If you know me outside of the blog, you know I am a planner.  I have things planned already for next Christmas.  Yes, I'm that girl.  That being said, I have been thinking about Super Bowl food for some time now.  We are going to our friends house to watch the big game.  Let me back up, the ladies will chat, snack and watch the commercials and the boys will watch the game and eat.  I have been racking my brain trying to come up with something good to bring.  I haven't 100% decided but you know it will be up on the blog.  

In the meantime, I thought I would do you a favor and post some Super Bowl worthy recipes because, I figure you want to plan as well.  Just trying to help out.

Happy weekend!  

Musical Selection: Love and Memories by: O.A.R.  This came up on my iPod the other day and it made me happy.













What are you planning on making? I'm still taking ideas….

High Five for Friday!

Friday, January 27, 2012

I have been following this blog for a little while now.  I started following her sister's blog first and have learned so many tips and tricks for make up and hair styles.  I'm sure you have seen her all over Pinterest.  Anyway, Lauren from From My Grey Desk posts her favorite things from the week.  I think it is a fantastic idea and I'm so excited to participate!

Here it is my HIGH FIVE FOR FRIDAY! (YAY!)

Musical Selection: Everybody's Working for the Weekend: Lover Boy.  I'm glad this busy week is over. Let's just leave it at that.  Where's my wine?


1. My blooming flower my mom and dad gave me for Christmas.

2. These super cool sheers I'm ordering for our living room. 

3. My Valentine's window. 

4. Frozen Hot Chocolate, even though it's January. I'm obsessed.

5. These casserole carriers I'm plan to sharpen my sewing skills on in the near future.  
Have a great weekend everyone! 


Philly Cheesesteak "Sloppy Joe's"

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Ah yeah, another weird sounding recipe right?  I know, how can you turn a Philly Cheesesteak into a sloppy joe?  Well, Rachel Ray did just that.  Weird huh, she is always changing things up.  Luckily, this recipe is different than most of hers because it doesn't have a billion ingredients.  It was super easy and came together really fast! 

Super bowl party sandwich anyone?  

Musical Selection: Telluride by Josh Gracin.  Not sure why but this song keeps coming up on my Pandora station.  I guess it was just begging to come on the blog. 
Start by browning some ground beef with a medium sized onion.
Once the meat is almost cooked through, add a diced up green pepper. Let this cook for about 2-3 minutes.
While the meat and veggies are cooking, work on the cheese sauce.  Yes, cheese sauce.  Start by melting butter in a sauce pan.
Okay, back to the meat.  Once the meat is cooked through, I let it sit just a bit to get all browned and delicious.  See those crispy brown pieces.  Yep, thats what you want.
Add some beef broth...
And steak sauce.  Gross, look at that goopy bottle.  Sorry.
Add about a tablespoon of flour to the melted butter.
Whisk it and let it cook through for about 2 minutes to get the pasty taste out of it.
Add the milk. Whisk together so there is no lumps and let it come to a slight bubble.
Ha, back to the meat--I decided to add a little bit of Worcestershire sauce for additional flavor.
I also modified the recipe just a bit.  I didn't want the meat mixture to be too runny so I made a slurry of water and corn starch to thicken it.
Poured it into the pan.  Don't mind my corn starch covered thumb.
Back to the cheese sauce.  Duh, it needs cheese! I used a mozzarella and provolone blend.
Dump about a cup into the sauce pan.
Give it a good whisk until it comes together.  Ooooh baby, cheese sauce.
The finished product.
That's what I'm talking about.
Cheesy meaty goodness. 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 cup beef stock
A few shakes of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 cup cold water4 hamburger buns 
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 cup provolone, shredded
For the Meat:
In large skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef with the onion. After the meat is almost cooked through, add green pepper and cook another 2-3 minutes.   Stir in the beef stock, steak sauce and Worcestershire sauce.   Bring to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes.  Stir together the cornstarch and cold water so there is no lumps.  While stirring, pour in the slurry (corn starch and water) until you have reached your desired thickness.   

For the Cheese Sauce While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken for about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir the cheese. 

To serve, place a scoop of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

Enjoy!

Recipe slightly adapted from: here
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