Chicken Pot Pie

For whatever reason, I got it in my head that I wanted to make a chicken pot pie from scratch.

I have only done this one other time that I could remember.  But I had seen what looked like a good recipe for a butter-free pie crust.  (Please be warned that Ben Starr uses language that is a bit salty in his videos on occasion.  His recipes, from what I have tried, are excellent.)

I used the recipe for the savory crust, with a few minor adjustments, to make it dairy free.

6.7 oz (1 1/3 cups) all purpose flour

1 tsp (6 grams) Kosher salt

1 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp black pepper

2.5 oz (1/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil

Subbed for buttermilk: 3 generous Tablespoons almond milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

For the pie itself, I used a chicken pot pie recipe I found on Allrecipes, subbing in my homemade crusts for the pre-made crust called for in the recipe.

Ingredients (and substitutions):

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast - cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots and 1 cup frozen peas (subbed for two cups frozen carrot and peas mix. This turned out to be too heavy on the peas for me)
• 1/2 cup sliced celery (plus more, see below)
• Added 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/3 cup Imperial margarine (subbed in for butter)
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed (subbed for extra celery, only because I didn't have any celery seed)
• 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk (subbed almond milk)

I didn't take step by step photos, as I had not yet resuscitated my food blog when I cooked this. So, if you would like step by step pictures, head over to Allrecipes.

Essentially, you put the filling items (chicken, carrots, peas, celery, and potatoes) in a pot and boil it for 15 minutes.  Then you drain the boiling water off.  

While that is boiling, you will melt the margarine and sauté the onion until it is soft, which takes about 6 minutes.  Then you stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and (if you have it) celery seed.  I'm curious, is celery seed something that you regularly have on hand in your kitchen?

Then you stir in the chicken broth and almond milk. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer until it has thickened up like gravy. This takes another 5 to 10 minutes.

Now you dump the cooked and drained pie filling into the bottom prepared crust, and pour the gravy over it.

Put the second crust on top, seal the edges, and make some slits for the steam to escape.  I cut out little flower shapes instead, because it amused me to do so.

Cosmo, a frequent observer in my kitchen, seems to approve.

I put the extra bits on top, because why not?  And then it was ready to go in the oven.

At this point, while the pie was baking for about 30 to 35 minutes, I surveyed my kitchen.  Yikes!  If having a messy kitchen is an indication that someone is cooking from scratch, then I definitely must be doing it right.

By the time I had cleared the mess away, my pie had gotten just a touch of golden brown on top.  I probably could have left it in for a few more minutes, but I was getting hungry, and it still needed to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

The result was delicious!  If only this type of pot pie dinner suited the tastes of the rest of Team Schmidt.  Ah well.  I will have to find others to enjoy it with me again sometime.

While writing this blog entry, I came across a recipe for chicken pot pie from The Pioneer Woman that looks delicious, as well.  Her recipe calls for a single crust, which I like the idea of (since I usually leave some crust on my plate when I go back for seconds).  Maybe next time I will give that recipe a try.  Yum!

Weeknight Roast Chicken

This was a revelation to me.  I had never roasted a chicken before.  I started this post back in September when I actually cooked this particular bird, but I have done it since then too.  It is so easy!  I got my recipe off of The Pioneer Woman Cooks blog.  (Sometimes I think I would like to be Ree Drummond when I grow up - she cooks the most amazing things, takes beautiful photographs, and has a witty way with words.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you haven't checked out her blog, you should.)

Let's start with some butter (or in my case, margarine, due to a milk allergy).  But butter just sounds better, doesn't it?  Scoop the butter into a bowl, and zest a lemon over it.

I used half margarine and half coconut oil.

Then we put some fresh rosemary over the top.  Chop it up and throw it in.

Next comes kosher salt and pepper.  Someday I am going to get a pepper grinder and have "fresh ground pepper" like all these recipes call for.  But I haven't gotten around to it yet.

There it is.  A colorful combo of fat and seasonings.

Stir it all up.

See, this is kinda like painting by numbers.  You just look at the photo and do what you see.   This is my kind of cooking!  You've got a bird, I've got a bird, so does Ree.  It is like a group cooking therapy session.  Or something.

Scoop the goop onto the bird.

Smear the butter mixture all over the bird, and squeeze one of the lemons over it.

Then stuff the other lemons and a sprig of rosemary into the chicken's cavity.  

Make sure and use it all up!

Then put it in the oven at 425 degrees for a regular oven (400 for convection) and roast the bird for about an hour and 15 minutes or an hour and a half.  This is what surprised me the most!  I was able to make this meal on a work night, because the cook time isn't crazy-long.

Here is what it looked like when it was done.

Delicious!

Cover it up with foil for about ten minutes to let all those juices set inside there before you carve it.

It doesn't look like much wrapped up tight, but it smells like heaven!

As an aside, I use only the freshest ingredients when making my sides.  I would never reach into my pantry and find, for example, a spud that has been in there so long it has grown another potato.

Then I looked up how to carve the thing.  I turned to Video Jug for this info.  Seemed to work just fine.

And there is dinner!

Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Bento

Have I mentioned how I love this time of year?  Fresh veggies from my friend's and family member's gardens are pouring in to my kitchen.  The little tomatoes below are compliments of my sister-in-law.  Thanks!

This bento contains:

• white steamed rice
• grilled chicken
• mini cookie cup
• BBQ dipping sauce
• black & white sesame seeds (garnish) 

The little "cookie cup" was made while I was playing around with my friend Ann's Demarle at Home muffin tray.  It is unlike anything I have ever baked with.  I'm in love with it.  So I had to throw some cookie dough in there to see what happened.  These cute little cookie cups happened.  And they didn't stick!  Yay!  If you want to order something out of the catalog, let me know.  I'm having a party soon.  ;)

Happy bento! 

Baked Tacos

So, last week I went to a Damarle at Home party at my friend Triann's house.  We ate the most delicious tacos, and saw how easy the product is to use, and how there is virtually no clean up.  I took the catalog home, and kept seeing this picture.

I am at a very impressionable age.  So this is what we had for dinner.  I even borrowed a Damarle cupcake tray from my friend Ann to give it a try in my own kitchen.  Verdict - it is fantastic.  I will be having a party and buying as much of it as I can afford.  After I get some Christmas money or something - lol.

I made some with cheese for Bryan.  Some without for me.  The chicken that is in there has been marinated and grilled.  The corn tortillas were softened in the microwave.  Then I put a little olive oil on them, and put them into the little cups.

Next I took photos.  The dog waited patiently.  Nothing fell to the floor.  Poor Dioji.  

There is water in the extra cups because you aren't supposed to bake them empty.  But I thought I was only feeding two of us (more on that later) so I didn't make a full tray.

I love this time of year.  It is the time of year when my family and friends realize that they cannot eat all of the delicious tomatoes coming off the plants in their gardens.  And I help.  Because that is what friends (and daughter-in-laws) are for.

Just look at this beauty:

But we were doing something.  Ah, yes.  Baking tacos.

I put the tacos in the oven for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.  Or, I would have left them in the oven for 15 minutes.  More on that later.

Meanwhile, I assembled some toppings:

Lettuce shreds, the previously photographed tomato, fresh cilantro, olives, and lime wedges.

Before the oven had beeped, friends started showing up.  Bryan was on his way to Geek Trivia and fellow geeks had decided to carpool.  So I decided that our dinner would feed four.  Here is what those lucky geeks got to eat: 

I loved the taste of the lime juice and cilantro.  It reminded me of the more authentic mexican restaurants around here.

Oh yes.  We will be having these again.  And next time, I will bake up a whole tray.  Because you never know when the geeks will descend.

Enjoy!

Colorful Leftovers Bento

Today's bento looks like this:

A little less childish, but still kinda whimsical.

This bento contains:

• brown rice
• porcupine meat balls
• roast chicken
• lettuce
• red pepper
• black pepper sprinkles
• grape tomatoes
• carrots

Here it is all packed up and ready to go.

Happy bento!

First Friday Bento

Hooray for making it to Friday!  I work in a middle school, and the first week back can be a killer.  A student once asked me, "Did you cute your lunch today?"  Yes, today I did.

This bento contains:

• spaghetti topped with parsley, garlic and cajun spices
• chicken my husband grilled, seasoned with a flavorful baja citrus marinade
• broccoli florets
• red pepper decorated with black sesame seeds and a pepper seed
• my aunt's homemade applesauce (in the top tier - not pictured)

I cooked the spaghetti this morning, because I didn't have any left over rice in the fridge.  I am so out of practice at making bentos!  I don't even remember what I like to have on hand and ready.  But I'll get back in the swing of it.

Here is a close up of the little character from my bento today.  I'm calling her "little miss hot lips."

Happy bento!

Summertime is Coming!

I am so excited that grilling season is here again! My husband is amazing at the grill. Here is a quick snapshot of dinner:

I made red roasted potatoes in the oven while he was working the above magic.

Happy grilling!

Teriyaki Chicken Bento

My husband spending more time grilling makes for tasty left-over bentos. Below is the result of teriyaki chicken and pineapple skewers. They have been "un-skewed" and are resting on some white rice. The other tier holds left-over red roasted potatoes. Yum!

Happy Bento!

Garlic Basil Chicken

Here is a great recipe that my friend Jen shared with me (I think it originated in a Betty Crocker Slow Cooker recipe book).  Sorry there are no pictures of this dish.  I was completely overwrought at the time due to the bean incident.

Ingredients:

• 8 large chicken thighs and drumsticks (about 2 pounds)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium bulb garlic, separated into cloves and peeled (about 15 cloves)
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, basil and olive oil, undrained
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• Basil pesto, if desired

1.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Cook chicken in oil until brown on all sides; drain.

2.  Place chicken and garlic in slow cooker.  Pour tomatoes and broth over chicken.

3.  Cover and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours, or until chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

4.  Remove chicken from slow cooker; keep warm.  Skim fat from surface of juices in slow cooker.  Stir in beans; cover and cook on low about 15 minutes until heated through.  Serve chicken with beans and pesto.  

Makes about 4 servings.

This recipe is really tasty!  I make the meal [that is, brown the meat and assemble the ingredients... see comments below] the evening before, put the crock pot in the fridge, and then all I have to do on the day of is pull the crock pot out of the fridge and turn it on.  EASY!

Enjoy!

Monday Bento

Bento #37 lacks color, but was very tasty.


On the left is the insides of my left-over chicken wrap from Red Robin. It has chicken, lettus and tortilla strips in it. On the right I made little finger sandwiches out of tasty sourdough bread and turkey. In the right-hand corner we have dessert: three tiny squares of Rice Krispie treats and a few semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Chicken and Rice

Bento #22 was put together directly after dinner, utilizing the left-over chicken and rice. It also is the first bento to contain bell pepper grown in my garden:



I tried something different with the rice in this bento. I added lentils to the brown rice to make it a little more interesting. In the future, I will add them near the end of the cooking time, as they ended up a bit overcooked, but I liked the look and taste.



Besides the rice & lentil mixture there are bell pepper strips, tomatoes, sliced chicken breast, grapes, and a brownie made for me by my husband.