Chicken Pot Pie

My family loves chicken pot pie (except for Cole). I don't make it very often because it has so many calories. But the other day when I asked the all important question, "what do you want for dinner." My husband said chicken pot pie. My first thought was nope, too much work. But then I remembered Lorraine at Not Quite Nigella and her cute goblin pies and decide it might be fun to make a pumpkin chicken pot pie. And it was!

This is the chicken pot pie recipe I have been making for years. I got it off a recipe CD I was given for Christmas one year. It's really simple, but delicious!

Chicken Pot Pie

1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. chopped onion
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. milk
2 c. cooked chicken
1 cooked potato, diced
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. frozen carrots

Reheat oven to 425º. Heat butter over low heat until melted. Blend in flur, onion, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. (Add more milk for too thick). Stir in chicken and vegetables. Pour into pie shell or casserole dish and top with pie crust. Cook uncovered 30 to 35 minutes. Let set a few minute before cutting.

Perfect Pie Crust (double crust)

2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1/4 c. unsalted butter, chilled
2/3 c. shortening, chilled (You get the flakiness from the shortening and the great taste from the butter)
5 to 6 T. ice water

Combined flour and salt in a bowl. Cut butter into small cubes. Cut butter and shortening into flour mixture until it resembles very coarse meal. Gradually add water. Divide in half, form into two round disks, and wrap in plastic. Chill for 30 minutes.

Daring Baker Pizza

Rosa's Yummy Yums was the host for this month's Daring Bakers' challenge. She chose a recipe for “Pizza Napoletana” from Peter Reinhart's “The Bread Baker's Apprentice” which yields a beautifully tasty, thin, crispy, yet chewy pizza crust.


The rules stated that you needed to either film or photograph yourself while tossing the dough. I loved this challenged. My twin boys were excited to cook with me and we had fun tossing the dough. None of us were very good at it, but it was fun.


I decided to make a chicken sun-dried tomato pesto pizza for myself and the boys made themselves each a regular pepperoni. My pizza was delicious and I would definitely make this again. Unfortuately, my pizza stone cracked in the oven!


We also made three apple crumb pizzas using the apple filling recipe from the Danish Braid. I topped it with an apple pie crumb topping and drizzled a vanilla glaze on top. The apple filling is delicious and definitely a filling I'll use again and again. This was fabulous and my husband's favorite pizza.


They were much smaller than I thought they would be, a personal pizza size. Next time I make this recipe I will just divide the dough into 3 pieces.

Basic Pizza Dough ~ Makes 6 pizza crusts
(about 9-12 inches in diameter).Ingredients:

4 1/2 Cups all purpose flour, chilled
3/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 Cups water, ice cold
1 tbsp sugar

Day One:
Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer). Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough.

On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water. The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F.

Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to three days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil (a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months.The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO:
On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter.

Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible 500° F.

Flour your hands. Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time. During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and re flour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully, then try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches - for a 6 ounces piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

Lightly top the pizza with sweet or savory toppings of your choice. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly pan.

Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

Pasta Caprese

On our recent trip to Italy, I probably had caprese almost a dozen times. My favorite was in a little Tuscan town, Montalcino, at Grappolo Blu for lunch one day. It was perfect! I knew I needed to start eating caprese at home. It's so simple and easy to make, yet so delicious. It's a salad usually made with buffalo mozzarella, plum tomatoes and basil.

I was watching TV the other day and they were demonstrating a recipe for pasta caprese and I knew I had to try it. I expected to like it, but what I hadn't expected was how much my family loved it. The flavors are so fresh and the summer tomatoes were still fabulous. It's definitely one I'll make again and again.

Pasta Caprese
Serves 6

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (see note above)
1 small garlic clove -- minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1 small shallot -- minced fine (about 2 tablespoons)
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes -- cored, seeded, and cut into
1/2-inch dice
12 ounce fresh mozzarella cheese -- cut into 1/2-inch cubes (see note)
1 lbs penne pasta or other short tubular or curly pasta such as fusilli or campanelle
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I didn't have fresh and used dried)
1 teaspoon sugar (see note)

Whisk oil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, garlic, shallot, 1/2 teaspoon salt,and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Add tomatoes and gentlytoss to combine; set aside. Do not marinate tomatoes for longer than 45minutes.

While tomatoes are marinating, place mozzarella on plate and freeze until slightly firm, about 10 minutes.

Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in stockpot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta, stir to separate, and cook until al dente. Drain well.

Add pasta and mozzarellato tomato mixture and gently toss to combine. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in basil; adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice or sugar, if desired, and serve immediately.

Note: This dish will be very warm, not hot. The success of this recipe depends on high-quality ingredients, including ripe, in-season tomatoes and a fruity olive oil. Don't skip the step of freezing the mozzarella, as freezing prevents it from turning chewy when it comes in contact with the hot pasta. If handmade buffalo- or cows-milk mozzarella is available (its commonly found in gourmet and cheese shops packed in water), we highly recommend using it, but skip the step of freezing and add it to the tomatoes while marinating. Additional lemon juice or up to 1 teaspoon sugar can be added at the end to taste, depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes.

Very Berry Orange-Oat Muffins

In my quest to eat better I have tried many "healthy" muffin recipes. Most are too heavy and not moist enough, but this recipe from Shape magazine is wonderful. Full of flavor and fiber and moist and delicious. I didn't have any blueberries so I substituted 1 cup dried cherries for the blueberries and cranberries. Here's my version of the recipe:

Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp salt

orange rind
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 whole egg
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F. Lightly coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt together in a medium bowl. Grate rind from orange and add to a large bowl. Squeeze 1/2 cup of orange juice and add it to the rind. Whisk in sugar, oil, and egg until mixture is smooth. Blend in oatmeal mixture, followed by the flour mixture. Stir until ingredients are combined, then gently fold in berries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins and bake for 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Minestrone Soup

I found this recipe last winter on the web and my entire family loved it. With the snow last weekend I decided it was time to bring on the soups and when I look for this recipe on my blog, I realized I hadn't blogged about it.

I found the recipe on a great blog Dinner on a Dime. I modified the recipe to suit our tastes, but as Jenna points out this recipe so great because it is so versatile. If you don't have fresh onion or garlic, you can use dried. If you don't have some of the vegetables, use different ones or leave them out. It really is wonderful on a cold night.

Minestrone Soup

In pot, heat:
2 T Olive Oil

Add and saute:
1 Med. Onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced thinly
2 stalks celery

Add:
3 cans Diced Tomatoes
4 cans chicken broth (14 1/2 oz.)
2 t. dried parsley (or 1 T. fresh)

2 t. Italian seasoning
2 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. salt
pepper

Bring all to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes.

Add:

2 cans kidney beans, drained (15 oz.)
2 c. shredded cabbage

Simmer 10 min.

Stir in:

1 med. sized zucchini sliced
1 c. uncooked elbow macaroni

Cook 10 min.

Serve topped with Parmesan Cheese or shredded Pecorino Romano cheese.

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Bun Bread, Snow, and An Award

I've seen several posts lately for quick and easy cinnamon bun bread/muffins. - Lisa's blog Magic Sprinkles, Joy the Baker. Nicole at Baking Bites says the recipe is "adapted from a recipe found on a container of rapid rise yeast".

I first made the muffin version and didn't have very good luck, the muffins rose too high and the sweet topping spilled all over the muffin pan. But I loved the cinnamon roll flavor without all the effort, so I decided to make them in an 8x8 pan instead. I also used less yeast, add raisins, and decreased the topping. This time I think I got it right. Here's my version:

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Bun Bread
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg. rapid rise yeast
2/3 cup warm milk (100-110F; low fat is fine)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/3 c. raisins

Filling/Topping
2 tbsp butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground cardamom

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk or cream

Lightly grease an 8×8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Dissolve the yeast in a measuring cup filled with the warmed milk, then stir milk mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into the flour mixture. Mix well, until very smooth. Stir in raisins. Pour into prepared pan and let rest for 15 minutes.

While the dough rests, mix together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom in a food processor until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of rested dough and press the mixture down into the dough with your fingertips (or swirl in with a spatula.)

Place pan into a cold oven, then set the oven temperature to 350F.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until bread is lightly browned at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed. Some of the sugar mixture on top may still be bubbling.

Cool for at least 30 minutes before whisking the powdered sugar and milk together to form an icing and drizzling it onto the bread.

Serve warm. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave.


We woke up to snow this morning. We went from summer to winter. I'm not sure I'm ready for it, but it sure looked beautiful and was the perfectly morning for warm cinnamon bun bread!

Marisa at What's for Dinner game me the E for Excellent award! She has an adorable polka dot blog and some terrific recipes. Be sure and check it out! Thanks Marisa!

I'm passing the award on to:

Lisa at Magic Sprinkles, who shares great recipes and isn't afraid to share her failures as well as her successes. Be sure and read her post on making cake balls.

For the Love of Cooking - her blog is filled with beautiful pictures and healthy recipes that inspire me to eat better.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Every so often when my husband has a sweet tooth, he decides to bake something. Usually it's banana bread, but often it's cookies. Cookies are always a big hit at our house, and one of our favorites are these peanut butter cookies.

The recipe was a cookie of the week on Martha Stewart's show in 1998 and we've been making them ever since.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup smooth peanut butter (we prefer to use Chunky)
(Sugar in the raw)

Directions
1. Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the peanut butter and continue beating on low speed. Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat until just blended. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. (We don't usually chill the dough)

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place balls on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Press down slightly with the palm of your hand. Using the tines of a fork, make a criss-cross pattern in the dough. Bake until rich golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes (or less if your dough's not chilled.) Transfer to a rack to cool.

Szechwan Chicken Stir Fry

My son went away to college in August and when he came home for the weekend he asked me to cook a stir fry for him. I guess he's missing tasty vegetables in his diet. He also asked me to post the recipe on my blog. Who knew he actually read my blog!

This is a recipe that I have used for years and just adapted to suit our tastes. It is very versatile and you can add or subtract any vegetable you'd like.

Szechwan Chicken Stir Fry

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/3 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. soy sauce (I like Kikkoman)
1 T. Szechwan spicy stir-fry sauce (House of Tsang)
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 T brown sugar
6 oz pea pods
1 can La Choy Fancy Chinese vegetables
1 c. broccoli
1/2 c. shredded carrots
1 T. cooking oil

Cut chicken into strips. Combine broth, soy sauce, Szechwan sauce, cornstarch and brown sugar, set aside.

Stir fry chicken in oil in nonstick wok over medium high heat for two minutes. Add onion and stir fry for two minutes. Add remaining vegetables and stir fry two minutes more.

Add sauce, stirring constantly until it thickens and vegetables are heated through. Serve over rice or noodles. Makes 6 servings.

Strawberry Napoleons with Sugared Wonton Wrappers

I saw this recipe for Peach Napoleons with Sugared Wonton Wrappers on Taste and Tell. Deborah always has great recipes, but I was really impressed with this one because it can be made so quickly with relatively few calories.

I substituted strawberries for the peaches and used Light Cool Whip to keep the calories down. I forgot the powdered sugar, which would have made for a better presentation, but it was a big hit with the family. I will definitely make this again, hopefully I'll get some great peaches before their gone.

Peach Napoleons with Sugared Wonton Wrappers
Serves 4

cooking spray
12 wonton wrappers
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup fresh prepared sweetened whipped cream
2 fresh peaches, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a large cooking sheet with cooking spray.

Lay the wonton wrappers on the prepared sheet in a single layer. Lightly spray the tops with cooking spray. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the wrappers.

Cook in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven.

To arrange, place four of the wonton wrappers on a serving plate or on individual dessert dishes. Top each wonton with 2 tablespoons of the whipped cream, followed by 1/4 of a peach. Top with a second wonton wrapper. Repeat layer with 2 tablespoons whipped cream and 1/4 of a peach. (For a total of half a peach for each dessert.) Top with the remaining wonton wrappers.

Sift powdered sugar over the tops and serve.

Wedding M&M Oat Bars

I haven't been blogging too much lately because my beautiful daughter got married! The wedding day could not have gone better. My daughter was so happy and our new son-in-law is great.

After their honeymoon they came over to our house to open presents and I wanted to make something fun for dessert with the leftover personalized M&Ms from the wedding.

I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website. I chose it because you don't cook the M&Ms and I didn't want the colors to run. It was delicious. I love anything with caramel in it, but the addition of chocolate chips and the oatmeal cookie base was wonderful! I omitted the nuts.

M&M Oat Bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 package (14 ounces) caramels
3 tablespoons water
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup plain M&M's
3 ounces white chocolate

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats.

Press into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt caramels and water; stir until smooth. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with the chips, nuts and M&M's. Gently press into the caramel mixture.

Melt white chocolate; drizzle over the top. Let stand for 5 minutes or until coating is set. Cut into bars.