Chicken Pot Pie

Jared loves pot pies and I love cooking things he loves. He devoured this one, sputtering out Bob-like sounds and phrases from "What About Bob?" I was happy to make something that was cheaper than the Marie Callender's pot pies he eats when I'm gone. I'll make these again, and I'll be better at it, because this time it took me all day long. It was a little terrible so, let me first briefly explain my journey into pot pie hell and my subsequent atonement.

I tried to half the recipe, read the wrong section and added about five tablespoons too much butter to the vegetables (but really? is it really possible to have too much butter?), and just guesstimated the sauce and kept fiddling with it, and by the time I got to the pastry, the cubed butter had already softened a little too much, and the first pastry pass was terrible, so I realized that I was wasting my life in my kitchen while my son grew up, and took an hour out to play with him before regrouping to the kitchen, throwing out the original pastry dough (the zenith of my disaster), redoing it and then all of a sudden everything - pastry, pie, and kitchen cleanup - went together perfectly and easily, the pot pies were in the oven, and I was back where I truly wanted to be - passing a ball back and forth to my favorite little man in the whole world! And Jared came home, ate, and cleaned my sorry kitchen.

I guess that's my lesson from yesterday's experience. Enjoy the small things in life - all that really matters to me at this time is being Mom. Not cooking or cleaning or all of those things. I like a tidy home and good food. But my son cares right now that I play with him and I care that I watch him learn and grow and become a little man right before my eyes. It's going too fast, and I feel like a huge wind came and blew something effervescently sweet my direction and I can't breathe in enough to cover it and experience it all before it passes so quickly.

But back to pot pies. Here are my tips for a smoother process than I had:

- If you can, chop your veggies in the morning. I like getting that out of the way
- Follow the order of instructions
- Don't take the butter out until you're ready to make the pastry
- Have a food processor handy

Those tips sound obvious, right? Well, you're a better cook than I am. But as my daddy used to say, "Good judgement comes from experience, which comes from bad judgement." One day I'll be awesome.

Adapted from my sister-in-law, Kirsti's, food blog, these pot pies are true comfort food. Kirsti is one of the best cooks I know and my initial inspiration 10 years ago to become a good cook when the time called for it.

This recipe serves a family of three, making two large bowls of pot pie, along with two small bowls of pot pie.

For the filling:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2  medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 large russet potato, peeled and diced
1.5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup chopped carrots (or more)
1/2 cup chopped celery (or more)
1 cup frozen peas

For the sauce:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Dash of hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the crust:
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
4 oz. cream cheese, chilled
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 large egg

To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and potato to the pan, and saute for about 5 minutes. Mix in the garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms, celery, and carrots and cook for about 15 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender. While the vegetables are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken, pull the meat off the bones and shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Once the vegetables are finished cooking, turn off the heat and mix in the chicken and the frozen peas and carrots. Stir in the red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until mixed. Whisk in the chicken broth quickly after. Cook over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Mix in the cream (if using), the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more chicken broth to have a soupier filling if needed. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and veggie mixture and stir to combine well. Spoon the mixture into 2-4 individual oven-safe dishes (such as ramekins).

Preheat the oven to 375° F. To make the crust, cut the butter into 16 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt and pepper. Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut out dough rounds to be about 1½ inches larger than the diameter of your pot pie dishes. Beat the egg with a brush, and brush the rim of the bowl - this will act as an adhesive for the pastry. Lay the dough rounds on top of the individual dishes. Pinch pastry down along side of bowl. Make a little hole in the middle of the pastry to let steam out while baking.

Place the pot pie dishes on a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Halibut with Coconut Red-Curry Sauce

Instead of salmon (my go-to for fish), halibut was on sale, so fish night was halibut. This meal was quick to throw together and Jared and I both devoured it. It was tame enough to feed little P too. The leftovers were - you guessed it - SO good.

I also loved this meal because it worked in an additional vegetable that I seldom use - bok choy. I like to say the word. It makes me feel sort of gourmet, like "Of course I cook with bok choy. Every one knows it's the new cabbage." But that wouldn't be true at all, would it? I wouldn't know because I'm truly a cook rookie. I didn't learn how to cook growing up, I spent my twenties eating in the delectable restaurants all over the world, and then I hit my thirties, got married, had a family, and found myself on the fast course to being a handy, economic, healthy chef for my family. It's been two years and I love finding good meals for my little family.

That's a little story just for the HALIBUT. Get it? Oh, so witty.

• 2  teaspoons  canola oil, divided
• 4  (6-ounce) halibut fillets
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  chopped green onions
• 1  tablespoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1  cup  light coconut milk
• 1  tablespoon  sugar
• 1  tablespoon  fish sauce
• 3/4  teaspoon  red curry paste
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh basil
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lime juice

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan; keep warm.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion, green onions, and ginger; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and the next 4 ingredients (through coriander). Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and juice.

Seasoned rice with bok choy: Combine 1 1/2 cups water and 3/4 cup basmati rice in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes. Stir in 2 cups chopped baby bok choy; cover and cook 8 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil; stir into rice mixture.

Beef and Black Bean Chipotle Chili

When Jared is out of town, I go on cooking strike. Little P and I eat simply - pbj, salads, and oreo cookies. I also do my fair share of treating myself to a restaurant. But something is happening to me. On Saturday when I decided to go to Wendy's for chili, I thought - heck, why leave when I can whip it up right here and I know exactly what went into my chili and I'll have leftovers to boot? So I did, and it was easy, and another recipe from Fine Cooking has made it into my cookbook. We've eaten it all week and the flavors just keep getting better!

3 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained ( I subbed a can of pinto beans)
1 14-1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 medium chipotle plus 2 Tbs. adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce)
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. 85% lean ground beef
Kosher salt
1 large red onion, finely diced
1-1/2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ripe avocado, cut in a medium dice

Put one-third of the beans into the bowl of a food processor, along with the tomatoes and their juices, chipotle, and adobo sauce. Process until smooth and set aside.

Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or similar heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat until it’s shimmering hot, about 2 min. Add the beef, season with 1/2 tsp. salt, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until it loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Transfer the beef to a large plate using a slotted spoon. Add half of the onion and 1/4 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown and soften, about 3 min. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for 20 seconds. Add the remaining black beans, the puréed bean mixture, and the beef to the pot and simmer for 10 min., stirring frequently. Add half of the lime juice, half of the cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. If the chili is thicker than you like, it may be thinned with water.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the remaining lime juice and onion with the avocado. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve the chili topped with the avocado mixture and remaining cilantro.

Additional ideas: Coarsely crumble about 3 handfuls of tortilla chips in a zip-top bag, and use them as an additional chili topping. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese to tone down the zip.

Breakfast Burritos

Since we eat mostly fresh here at home, I haven't quite figured out how to use coupons at the store. The coupons normally seem to be for prepackaged items, but I really am hoping to become more economical as time goes on. BUT, when I do find a recipe that I enjoy and that I can use coupons to buy the ingredients, I'll do it and share it. This one is made with sausage and Ore-Ida hashbrowns. You can coupon clip for this meal right? Even better!

I grabbed these from a friend's blog. They sounded really good, and they went together in a snap this morning and really were delicious! I even froze the other half so Jared has a quick meal to take to work with him. I know a breakfast burrito is easy, and the Ore-Ida hashbrowns with peppers and onions already mixed just gave me extra idea for what to do with those left-over potatoes in the future.

Does it go without saying that my son loved the hashbrowns while I fixed Jared and my burritos?

(from http://www.elliseats.blogspot.com/)

For 4 burritos:

1/2 a bag of Ore Ida "Peppers and Onion Hash Browns" fried up in a pan
1/2 lb of ground sausage browned
6 eggs scrambled with salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese (mexican blend, cheddar, whatever suits your tastes)
4 uncooked tortillas, cooked

Assemble the fixings inside a tortilla, splash with a little hot sauce. Freeze what you don't use.

Shanghai Beef and Broccoli

Shang low, Shanghai you won't find a better beef and broccoli dish at a restaurant. This is not because I'm a fab cook, I just found a good recipe on finecooking.com, one of my go-to sites. Every time I make this, it turns out delicious. Leftovers are maybe even better. Each serving is only 360 calories. 360 calories of pure asian spicy goodness.

Although it's a somewhat spicy dish, we mixed some of the juice up with the brown rice, and my 11-month old scarfed it right down. Of course, he would eat the refrigerator if he could, but that's besides the point.

If you don't have dry sherry on hand, use one part vanilla to three parts sherry (i.e., the recipe calls for 3 Tbs dry sherry, so I substituted only 1 teaspoon. You can taste the vanilla a little bit, but it seems like a good substitution. Or you could google other subs as well.

If you like a little ginger, a little red meat, a little spice, and broccoli, this is your meal for tonight - plus it goes together super fast.

1 small flank steak (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lb.)
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. dry sherry
1 Tbs. cornstarch
Kosher salt
3/4 lb. broccoli crowns, cut into 2-inch florets (to yield about 4 heaping cups)
1/4 cup canola or peanut oil (I use coconut oil; healthy and I love the essence of coconut in the beef)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
2 Tbs. oyster sauce

Bring 2 quarts water with 2 tsp. kosher salt to a boil.

Slice the steak in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into thin slices. In a medium bowl, stir 1 Tbs. of the soy sauce with the sherry, cornstarch, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add the steak, toss to coat, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch the broccoli in the boiling water until it softens to a tender crunch, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and then rinse under cold water until the broccoli cools.

Set a large, heavy skillet or a large wok over high heat for 1 minute. Pour in 2 Tbs. of the oil and, when it starts to shimmer, add the beef. Cook the beef, stirring frequently, until it loses most but not all of its raw color, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil and the garlic, ginger, chile flakes, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and 3 Tbs. water and cook, stirring to incorporate any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the broccoli warms through, about 1 minute. Stir in the beef, the oyster sauce, and the remaining 2 Tbs. soy sauce; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Serve immediately.

I serve this up with brown rice on the side, but you could use noodles too or salad or anything that fits your fancy.

Besties Double Chocolate Pudding

This chocolate pudding is really, really good! Discovered in my friend's (Jenn) fridge at a college reunion, I've made it ever since. And I just made it again and I forgot how addictive it is. I can't even wait for it to chill and become pudding, I keep grabbing spoonfuls tonight.

If you're one of those people who buys a Ben & Jerry's pint and finds yourself at the bottom of it an hour and a half later (read: lack of self control over sinful desserts), then you might not want to make this. If you revel in a full pint of Ben & Jerry's, then make this! Not that it tastes anything like Ben & Jerry's - it's just that that would be my other dessert vice. Probably not a dessert to let your children or husband in on, because like Jenn's fridge pudding, she didn't get any of it, because her besties ate all of it. Oh well - at least we left her house clean...

Note that the recipe calls for Dutch-processed cocoa which is cocoa where the acid has been neutralized. You can probably buy it at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. I just use my regular Hershey's cocoa plus a couple of pinches of baking soda. The actual ratio for making dutch processed cocoa from natural cocoa is to add a pinch of baking soda (1/8 teaspoon) per 3 Tablespoons of natural cocoa. I just estimate.

(from: http://www.marthastewart.com)

Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 20 minutes, plus chilling 

2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, plus shavings

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks. 

Whisking constantly, heat over medium until the first large bubble sputters, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate; stir until smooth. 

Place plastic wrap on surface of pudding (to prevent a skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours (or up to 3 days). To serve, whisk until smooth; divide among serving cups, and garnish with shavings.

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

(from myrecipes.com)

3 1/2  cups  halved strawberries, divided
1/3  cup  sugar
1/3  cup  orange juice
2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
1  teaspoon  lemon juice
1 1/4  cups  all-purpose flour
3  tablespoons  sugar
1  teaspoon  baking powder
1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
1/8  teaspoon  salt
3  tablespoons  chilled stick margarine or butter, cut into small pieces
1/2  cup  low-fat buttermilk
Cooking spray
6  tablespoons  frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
Whole strawberries (optional)

Combine 1 cup strawberry halves, 1/3 cup sugar, orange juice, vanilla, and lemon juice in a bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Stir in 2 1/2 cups strawberry halves. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; cut in margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Pat dough into a 6 x 4-inch rectangle. Cut dough into 6 squares. Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Split shortcakes in half horizontally using a serrated knife; place each bottom half on a dessert plate. Spoon 1/4 cup strawberry mixture over each bottom half. Top with shortcake tops; spoon 1/4 cup strawberry mixture over each top. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon whipped topping; garnish with whole strawberries, if desired.