refrigerator magnets

refrigerator magnets

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Dessert Judging... SO FULL

Last night I judged the First Home Sweet Home Amateur Bake-Off Contest with a few other local bloggers. I can't tell you who entered, who won or how it went. All I can share with you is this photo...
The other judges included:
If you'd like to attend the final event on Oct 22nd, or get more information, please visit: http://www.chafund.org/pages/dessert.html

Monday, September 19, 2011

The Best Chicken Pot Pie

Yep. You read that correctly. This recipe is the BEST chicken pot pie recipe you will ever see. And if you find one that is better, please let me know and we'll have a pot - pie - off!

I don't think I need to say more than that. Except it's now getting a bit colder out and I wanted pot pie so I made it. You make all the elements from scratch if you want or you can sub in pre-made items. I've done both depending on the amount of time I have available. Below is my standard recipe. I also buy as much as I can that is low sodium or unsalted, I find adding my own salt to my taste preferences makes a HUGE difference.
Chicken Pot Pie
INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 sticks of butter - unsalted
  • 1 cup of whole wheat flour (this gives it a nice texture and I like it better than white AP)
  • Salt - to taste
  • 1 quart chicken stock - low sodium
  • 1 cube chicken stock - the kosher kind usually tastes better
  • 1 cup hot water (to dissolve the chicken stock cube)
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp oregano 
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups (approx.) shredded, grilled chicken - with a little salt and pepper seasoned but nothing else
  • 5 small potatoes, chopped and cooked (sometimes I use 2 sweet potatoes)
  • 1 1/2 cup of sweet peas, cooked
  • 1 1/2 cup of sliced carrots, cooked
  • 2 sheets of pastry dough, defrosted
  • Butter to grease pan
STEPS:
1. Preheat oven to 400degrees F
2. Heat/cook your peas, carrots, chicken and potatoes. A quick trick to quickly steam the veggies is to pop them each individually into a bowl and add a little water to the bottom of the bowl. Then cover the veggies with a wet paper towel. Pop them into the microwave for about 2 minutes for the peas and carrots, and about 5 - 6 minutes for the potatoes.
3. In a stock pot, pour in the chicken stock and the chicken stock cube disolved in a cup of hot water. Set this to a high simmer. This should be hot when you start the next step.
4. In a sauce pan - melt the butter down on the slower side so the fats don't separate too much. Whisk in the flour slowly to make a roux. Once the mixture is set, whisk it into the stock mixture.
5. Once the roux and stock are completely mixed, add in the veggies and chicken. Mix thoroughly and add in the spices - salt and pepper to your own taste. Let this lovely concoction heat together for a few minutes while you prep your pot pie vessel.
6. I butter the bottom and sides, then take the first piece of pastry dough and cover the bottom and sides. 7. Then I pour in the filling - as much as will fit. There is always a little leftover for those who are waiting patiently :-) then I cover the entire thing with the last sheet of dough. Poke a few small fork holes in the top just to let the air out. You can do a light egg-wash across the top if you'd like.
8. Then I pop this sucker into the oven until the pastry dough turns a golden brown - around 10- 20 minutes depending on your oven.
9. Let it cook for about 15 minutes before you serve.
The filling also freezes well also.