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Oh My Pot Pie

November 30, 2010

We love pot pie.  Especially chicken pot pie.

When I talked to my younger brother on Thanksgiving he told me that he would be more interested in the holiday if people didn’t serve turkey.  I agree.  I love the holiday and everything that goes with it except for turkey.  I’m actually not a fan of ham either.    Meeshie doesn’t like  turkey either.  

How can we both like chicken but not turkey?  I really can’t answer that.

But I do like pot pie and I made one with the leftover turkey.  I’ll be making turkey and dumplings with the leftovers too.  Oh and hot brown.  Love a good hot brown.

Pot pie is so good.  So simple.  Such a great comfort food.

Pot Pie

  • 2 Pie Crusts
  • 1 lb cooked Chicken or Turkey meat, cubed or shredded ( a mix of white and dark meat)
  • 1/4 C Butter
  • 1 medium Onion, diced
  • 2 Carrots, diced
  • 2-3 Celery stalks, diced
  • 1 C Frozen Peas
  • 1/4 C Flour
  • 2 C Chicken Broth
  • 1 C Half and Half
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the onion, carrots, and celery, saute until tender.  Stir in flour and cook for one minute.  Slowly add the broth.  Add salt and pepper, chicken or turkey, and peas.  Bring to a slow boil to thicken.  Pour in the half and half.  Taste the mixture to adjust seasoning. 

Center one of the pie crusts on a lightly greased 9″ pie plate.  Add the pot pie mixture evenly over crust.  Cover with the second pie crust, pinching the ends to seal and cut vents in the top of the crust.

Place on a preheated cookie sheet.  (This will insure that the bottom crust browns.)

Bake in a 425 degrees oven for 20 minutes.  Cover the edge of the pie with aluminum foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

I actually added some broccoli to this dish because it was leftover from Thanksgiving.  I’ve added mushrooms to pot pie before too.

Posted in Main Course, recipe | Tagged | 2 Comments »

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So Much To Do

November 28, 2010

We set up our Christmas decorations yesterday.

The one thing I miss this year is the tree.  We always go and get it the day after Thanksgiving.  Not this year.  This year for Meeshie’s birthday she got a kitten.  Buzia.

Buzia gets into a lot of trouble.  As a result, we decided to hold off on a real tree this year.  I didn’t want to come home from work and discover my tree on its side, water everywhere and broken ornaments all around.  I have a beautiful star for the top of the tree that was my dad’s when he was a boy.  I don’t know what I would do if Buzia broke it.  When I was a girl, we always trimmed the tree on my dad’s birthday which is a week before Christmas.  When my dad passed away, my mom gave me the star.

Today I’m spending the whole day in the kitchen getting my Christmas cookies started.  I normally don’t start this early but I’m going to Wisconsin on Saturday.  My friend Angel moved and I’m going to visit.  I’m really excited.  I haven’t seen her since March. 

I’m hoping to get it all done, along with visiting Santa, finishing Christmas shopping, wrapping and visiting with friends.

I’ll be sharing the cookie list later.  I’m having issues with linking things to my posts.

Here’s hoping everyone’s holiday season is saner than mine.

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Lettuce Chicken Wraps

November 26, 2010

I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. 

I was supposed to be doing so many things today and instead I went to see Tangled with Meeshie.  I need to put away the Thanksgiving decorations and put up the Christmas ones.  But that’s not going to happen today.  Today I’m taking it easy. 

We have a ton of leftovers in the fridge that I may get to.  I’m still pretty full from yesterday.

I did make this wonderful dish for dinner the night before Thanksgiving.

Have you ever eaten at P F Changs?  Meeshie doesn’t like it.  I think it’s the atmosphere.  We love the lettuce wraps there and I’ve been trying to find a recipe so that I could make that dish at home.

I think I found it.  Meeshie told me this was one of the best dishes I’ve made and my husband has requested this in our weekly rotation.

It’s pretty easy to make.  It just looks daunting because there are so many ingredients and quite a few steps.  Once you’ve started the process, though it moves along very quickly.

It’s totally worth it in the end.  Trust me.

Lettuce Chicken Wraps

  • 8 Shiitake Mushrooms. minced (if you use the dried ones, cover them with boiling water and let stand for 30 minutes.  Drain, trim and mince.)
  • 1 T Hoisin sauce
  • 1 T Soy sauce
  • 1 T  plus 2 t Dry Sherry, divided
  • 2 T Oyster sauce
  • 2 T plus 2 t Water, divided
  • 1 t Oil (I used Olive because that’s what I had.  You can use Sesame)
  • 1 t Sugar
  • 3 t Cornstarch, divided
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 lb Ground Chicken
  • 1/3 C Vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 t fresh Ginger, minced
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 2 Green Onion, diced
  • 1-8 oz can Water Chestnuts, drained and minced
  • 1 Head Bibb Lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed and drained
  • Dipping Sauce
  • 1/2 C Water
  • 1/4 C Sugar
  • 2 T Soy sauce
  • 2 T Cider Vinegar
  • 2 T Ketchup
  • 1 T Lemon juice
  • 1 t Yellow Mustard
  • 1/8 t Oil (again I used Olive Oil)

Prepare the mushrooms.  I used fresh shiitake but if you can’t find fresh, use the dried and prep them.  Combine the Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, 1 T Sherry, oyster sauce, 2 T water, oil, sugar and 2 t cornstarch in a bowl.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 t cornstarch, 2 t Sherry, 2 t water, salt and pepper, and 1 t vegetable oil.  Place chicken in the bowl making sure to coat it thoroughly.  Let stand for 15 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prep the vegetables and the dipping sauce.

Heat the wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir-fry the chicken in 3 T vegetable oil for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat 2 T of vegetable oil in the same pan and add the ginger, garlic, and onions.  Stir-fry for 1 minute.  Add the mushrooms and water chestnuts.  Stir-fry for 2 minutes.  Return the chicken to the pan and pour the reserved sauce made with the Hoisin sauce.  Simmer until thickened and heated through.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared lettuce leaves, rolling them up like a burrito.  Spoon the dipping sauce over the wraps.

You can also add chili paste to the sauce if you like things spicy.  My husband loves it with the chili paste.

This recipe easily serves 6 very hungry people.

Posted in Main Course, recipe | Tagged | 3 Comments »

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Happy Thanksgiving

November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gobble Gobble.

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Something Different

November 23, 2010

I don’t know how to pronounce this dish. 

I don’t know how to pronounce this but I love them.

I’m not sure how I came across this either.  I do know that I was intrigued when I saw it.

I’m Polish and I love cabbage.  Generally that is.  Unless it’s golumpki.  I’ve never been a fan of cabbage rolls.

These are nothing like golumpki.

We dip them in mustard and horseradish but you can eat them plain.

Bierocks

  • Filling
  • 1/4 C Onion, diced
  • 1/2 lb Ground Beef
  • 2 C Cabbage, finely shredded
  • 1 T Ground Pepper
  • 1 T Celery Seed
  • 1/4 t Salt
  • 1 T Worcestershire
  • Sliced Cheese
  • Dough
  • 1/4 C Sugar
  • 1 package rapid rise yeast
  • 1/2 C Warm Water (110 degrees)
  • 1/2 C Water
  • 1/2 t Salt
  • 1 T Celery Seed
  • 2 Eggs, beaten
  • 4 C Flour
  • 1 Egg white, for egg wash (optional)

To prepare filling, cook the onion and beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Add cabbage; cook until cabbage wilts, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, pepper, worcestershire and celery seed. Turn off heat and set aside.

To prepare dough, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in milk, salt, and eggs. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour and the celery seed to yeast mixture, and stir to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 10 1/2 x 7-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut each rectangle into 6 (3 1/2-inch) squares. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining dough to keep it from drying out), place deli cheese on dough and spoon about 1/4 cup filling into center of each portion, and bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring remaining 2 corners to center, pinching points to seal. Pinch 4 edges together to seal. Place the bierocks, seam sides down, on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Uncover bierocks. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until bierocks are browned on the bottom and sound hollow when tapped. Remove bierocks from pan, and cool on wire racks.

**Optional: for a bakery-type finish, beat 1 egg white and paint egg wash over dough prior to baking. The bread turns a lovely golden brown.

These are easy to freeze. Once they are done baking, cool completely and then wrap individually in foil. Place wrapped bierocks in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator. Place foil-wrapped bierocks in a preheated 350° oven for 15 minutes.

This recipe makes a dozen bierocks.

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My Husband’s Favorite Childhood Dish

November 21, 2010

Last weekend we had my father in law over to celebrate his birthday.

My husband made this dish.  My husband doesn’t cook very often, but he loves this dish and when he has a taste for it he makes it.

It’s chicken in a paprika gravy.  His mother made it for him and I think she had it when she was a girl.  It’s a Czech dish.

I’ve grown to love it too.  It’s a pretty easy dish that can be made with your favorite part of the chicken.  My husband says that his mom made it with chicken legs, but he makes it with boneless skinless chicken breasts.  He does that because he knows I’m not a fan of dark meat.

Chicken Paprikash

  • 6-8 Chicken Legs or 4 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, halved
  • 1 Medium Onion, diced
  • 1/4 C Butter
  • 2 T Paprika
  • 1 t Salt
  • 1/2 t Pepper
  • 1 1/2 C Water or Chicken Broth
  • 1 C Sour Cream

In a large frying pan, saute onion in butter until tender.  Add the paprika, salt and pepper.  Add the chicken, browning for about 10 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pan and add the water (or broth-the original recipe calls for water but I added the broth) slowly to deglaze.  Add the chicken back to the pan and cook covered for an hour.  Remove the chicken again and add the sour cream.  If you would prefer to have a thicker gravy you can add 1 T Flour to a small amount of water and slowly stir it into the gravy.  Serve the chicken and gravy with your favorite side. 

We serve it with potato dumplings but this can be paired with mashed potatoes too.

Posted in Main Course, recipe | Tagged , | 2 Comments »

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Rice Krispie Treats With A Twist

November 19, 2010

Do you remember Boo Berry Cereal?

They still make it, if you do.  I bought some for Meeshie because she asked me to.  someone got her hooked on Lucky Charms and this cereal is similar.  The problem is she didn’t like it.  Probably because it doesn’t really taste like blueberries.

I, of course, didn’t want to waste the cereal and figured there had to be a way to make something with it.

There is.  Rice krispie treats.

I love rice krispie treats.  I’ve made them with peanut butter.  I’ve made them with white chocolate.  I’ve made them shaped like a wreath with a licorice bow at Christmas.

This time I added almond extract.

So good.

Boo Berry Treats

  • 1/4 C Butter
  • 1-10 oz bag of large Marshmallows or 3 C mini Marshmallows
  • 1 t Almond extract
  • 6 C Cereal

Heat butter in pan until melted on low heat.  Add marshmallows and melt.  Remove from heat and add almond extract.  Stir well and add cereal.  Place in 9×13 greased pan.  Spread with hands.  Let set and cut into squares.

Posted in Desserts, recipe | Tagged , | 2 Comments »

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Pumpkin Butter Pie

November 17, 2010

I’m cheating today.

The pictures in this post are not mine.  I know that you can figure that out all by yourself, but I feel that I have to at least admit it.  I do have that pie plate, though.  Next week when I make the pie, I’ll be sure to share a picture.

I’m cheating because I wanted to share this awesome recipe with you in advance.  That way if you want to impress your guests this Thanksgiving, you have enough time to get the ingredients.  I pick up the pumpkin butter at Trader Joe’s.  You can make it yourself, if you’re so inclined.

Pumpkin butter is so tasty.  Really.  If you like pumpkin, you’re going to love pumpkin butter.  My husband loves this pie and he’s not a fan of pumpkin pie.

This is the best tasting pie I’ve ever made or eaten.  It’s the butter.  There aren’t too many ingredients for the pie, so it’s the butter.  The cream takes it to another level.  Make it and it will make you so happy.  Trust me.  Serve it to guest and tell them it’s an old family recipe.

Pumpkin Butter Pie

  • 4 Eggs
  • 1-10 oz jar of Pumpkin Butter
  • 1 C Pureed Pumpkin
  • 2 C Evaporated Milk
  • 1 Piecrust
  • FOR THE BUTTERSCOTCH CREAM:
  • 1 C Brown Sugar, Packed
  • ¼ C Light Corn Syrup
  • 4 T Butter, cut into pieces
  • ¼ t Kosher Salt
  • 1-½ C Heavy Cream, Divided Use
  • 1 T Bourbon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Place a cookie sheet in the oven while it preheats and place the pie on the cookie sheet while it cooks.  This will insure that the bottom of the pie crust browns.

For the pie:

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs.  Add the pumpkin butter, pumpkin, evaporated milk and whisk until well combined.   You can add a dash of ginger and nutmeg to the mix but it’s not necessary.  Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake until the center of the pie is set, about 1-1 1/2 hours.  While baking, check the crust after 30 minutes.  If the edges begin to brown too quickly, cover them with foil.  Once the pie is done, transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Butterscotch cream:

In a heavy saucepan, heat the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon during the first 2 minutes but do not stir after that point. Remove the pan from the heat and very carefully add 1/2 cup of the cream. Stir in the bourbon.  Let the sauce cool to room temperature. In a bowl combine the remaining cream (1 Cup) and 1/3 Cup of the butterscotch sauce. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, 2-3 minutes.  Top on the pie.   Reserve the rest of the sauce to enjoy on any treat you like such as ice cream.

Enjoy!

You can also blind bake the crust for 20 minutes, using beans to weigh it down before filling it and following the recipe.

This is my pie!

Posted in Desserts, recipe | Tagged , , | 3 Comments »

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I Love Lemoncello Cookies

November 15, 2010

Remember how I made lemoncello this summer?

This is the cookie what drove me to it.  I made them for Meeshie’s communion party.  I’ve made them since.  They are like eating sunshine.  Or rainbows.  Or lemons.  Mostly just lemons.  But lemons amped up to eleven.

Lemoncello Cookies

  • 1/2 C Butter, softened
  • ½ C Granulated Sugar
  • 1 t Lemoncello (or Vanilla)
  • ¼ t Sea Salt (fine)
  • 1  Egg
  • 4 T Lemon Zest
  • 1-¼ C All-purpose Flour
  • 1-½ C Confectioner’s Sugar
  • 5 T Limoncello
  • 1 T Lemon Juice

Zest two lemons and set aside.

Beat the butter, granulated sugar, lemoncello, and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy.

Beat in egg and 1/2 T of the lemon zest. Reserve the rest of the zest for decoration. A little at a time, add the flour. Mix until blended and dough is sticky enough to be formed.

Place dough on plastic wrap. With your hands form the dough into a 12″ to 14″ log.

Wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Unwrap the cookie dough and slice into thick 1/2 inch slices. Put the slices onto your baking sheet, place in oven and bake for 13 – 15 minutes or until edges just start to be golden.

Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool. Make sure they are completely cool before frosting them.

For the icing: In a medium bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar, lemoncello, and lemon juice. Stir until smooth and creamy.

Place additional parchment paper under wire rack.

Once cookies are completely cooled, submerge cookie in icing top side down. Lift up and drain for a few seconds. Flip cookie over and set on wire rack

Top each cookie with lemon zest after submerging it into the icing and wait 30 or so minutes to allow the icing to set.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

This is the original.  Love that she is a fan of Lyle Lovett.

Posted in Desserts, recipe | Tagged , | 8 Comments »

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H is for…Hummus

November 13, 2010

For those of you that aren’t aware of it, I used to be a vegetarian.  Not a hard-core one.  I ate fish.  I just didn’t eat chicken, red meat or pork. 

I didn’t eat meat for a really long time.  It’s hard for me to pinpoint when it started.  I know that after highschool I eliminated red meat and pork.  Eventually I stopped eating chicken.  I was heavy and wanted to be healthier.   I didn’t eat meat for years.  All through college and the first few years of marriage.  I guess if you made me tell you how long it was I would guess that it was almost 15 years. 

Why did I start to eat meat again?  During my pregnancy I had gestational diabetes and I needed to add a lot more protein to my diet.  Being married to a diabetic that really freaked me out and I started to eat meat again.  I never went back.

But while I was meat free, I discovered hummus.

I love hummus.  It was one of the easiest and yummiest dish out there.

I stopped making it for a while because I thought it was a dish that wasn’t too manly.  I don’t know why I thought that, but I did.  It’s not true.

My  husband likes hummus.

I love it on sandwiches and as a dip.

I especially love it with pita chips.  Pita chips are better than crackers. 

Hummus

  • 1-15 oz can Chickpeas, drained
  • 1/4 C Lemon Juice
  • 2 T Olive Oil
  • 1/2 t Ground Cumin
  • 4 cloves Garlic, skin still on
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Place the garlic in a preheated saute pan and heat through.  Set aside and remove the skin.  Place the rinsed chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, cumin and salt and pepper in a food processor.  Slowly add the lemon juice, tasting as you go.  (You may not use all of the juice.)  Blend to your liking.  Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve with pita chips. 

Make pita chips by cutting a  whole pita into eighths and then splitting it them half.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes until the edges just start to brown.   Store in an air tight container.

Posted in Appetizers/Drinks, recipe | Tagged , , | 4 Comments »

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