CHICKEN POT PIE

There is an Irish pub by our house that has delicious pot pie. It is creamy and comforting. I've made the old Bisquick with cream of chicken soup pot pie. It's okay when you are in a hurry, but doesn't hold a candle to MacCool's pot pie. I combined three recipes to make this one. It is fabulous. My pie crust was courtesy of Pillsbury-I did take that short cut. Everything else is good home cookin'. (Shout out to Traci-I know you can O.D. on pot pie, but this one is yummy!)

CHICKEN POT PIE

1 c. potato, diced
1/3 c. onion, chopped
1 c. celery, diced
1 c. carrot,
1 c. chicken, cooked and diced
1/3 c. melted butter
1/2 c. flour
1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
1 c. half and half (whipping cream will work)
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. ground thyme
1/4 t. celer salt
1 bay leaf
2 pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt butter, add flour stirring constantly.
3. Slowly add broth and whisk until smooth, bring to a boil.
4. Add bay leaf, celery, onion, and carrots. Cook until tender.
5. Add potatoes, chicken, and seasonings. Cook about 5 minutes. Stir constantly.
   
6. Stir in half and half. Remove bay leaf.
7. Press one pie crust into a 2 quart dish. Pour filling into crust.
8. Top with 2nd crust and pinch shut. Cut slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
9. Bake for 40-50 minutes until pastry is golden brown. If it gets too dark, cover with foil.
   

OCTOBER WARD RECIPE SWAP

We only had a few recipes this month. One of them was the pretzel jello dessert that I blogged about. Here are the other two recipes.

BAKED POTATO SOUP-DW

2/3 c. butter
2/3 c. flour
6 c. milk
3/4 t. salt
3/4 t. pepper
4 baked or boiled potatoes, cubed
6 green onions, sliced
1 3/4 c. shredded cheddar
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 c. water
8 oz. sour cream
8 - 12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Melt butter on low, then add flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add milk and cook on medium until thick. Add salt, pepper, cooked cubed potatoes, onions, cheese, bouillon cubes, and water. Cook until heated through. Add sour cream and more milk if necessary. Serve and top with bacon and more cheese.

CINNAMON SUGAR COOKIES-HP

1 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
2 eggs
4 1/3 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. finely chopped pecans.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars, and oil. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cream of tartar. Stir in the pecans if desired. Roll in 1-inch balls. Place on greased baking sheets; flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.

PRETZEL JELLO DESSERT

This is one of my favorite desserts. I love the sweet cream cheese and tangy raspberry flavors mixed with the salty pretzel crust. After asking several people for this recipe and never receiving it I went on a web search. I made it for dessert on Monday and then guess what happened...on Tuesday someone brought the recipe to the ward recipe swap. The recipe was almost exactly the same so I guess I didn't do too bad. My family loved it and my daughter wanted to eat it for breakfast. It contains fruit, grain, and dairy products-does that count as a balanced breakfast meal?

PRETZEL JELLO DESSERT

CRUST
2 1/2 c. crushed pretzels
3 T. sugar
1 stick of butter, melted

Mix together and press into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool completely.

CREAM CHEESE LAYER
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 12 oz. container Cool Whip
1 c. sugar

Beat cream cheese and sugar together. Add Cool Whip. Spread over baked and cooled pretzel mixture.

JELLO LAYER
2 3 oz. pkgs. strawberry or raspberry Jello
2 c. boiling water
2 10 oz. pkgs. frozen strawberries or raspberries

Dissolve Jello in boiling water and add frozen fruit. Let jell slightly. Spread Jello mixture on top of cream cheese layer.

Enjoy!

MEATLOAF, BLACK PEPPER GRAVY

To perfectly honest, I used to dread dinner time when my mom would say we were having meatloaf. Luckily, she didn't like it that much either so we didn't have it very often. It always seemed like a glob of greasy hamburger with ketchup on it. One day my husband asked why we never ate meatloaf. He was craving it. I told him I hated it. I always like to cook food that my family likes so I went on a quest to find a good meatloaf recipe. This one is totally yummy. I love the subtle flavor of green peppers. I usually serve this with baked potatoes or mashed potatoes. Ya know-good old meat and potatoes satisfies your tummy. We love the black pepper gravy at Chili's on their loaded mashed potatoes. I found this gravy recipe on the internet a while ago. I couldn't even tell you which website. I don't remember where the meatloaf recipe came from either-probably from a late night web search. Anyway, I hope you like it.

MEAT LOAF

2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. milk
2 c. soft bread crumbs (this is where you sneak in whole grain bread-ha-ha!)
3/4 c. chopped onion (you can also use 1 T. dried onion flakes)
1/3 c. finely chopped green pepper (chop the whole thing and freeze the rest for next time)
1 1/2 t. salt
2 lbs. ground beef
1/4 c. ketchup

Combing all ingredients but ketchup. Press into a loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Drain grease. Spread with ketchup. Bake another 15 minutes. Let stand 10 m inutes before slicing. You can freeze up to 3 months. YIELD: 8 servings

BLACK PEPPER GRAVY

2 T. butter
2 T. flour
2 c. milk (I like whole milk)
1 t. salt
3/4 t. black pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour and saute until light brown. Add milk whisking constantly. Add salt and pepper.

CREPES WITH CREAM AND STRAWBERRY SAUCE

I love cream filled crepes. After sampling them at different restaurants, I tried out several recipes and came up with the following three that are my favorites. For a delicious variation, try making French toast with cinnamon-raisin bread. Use the cream in between two pieces of toast and then top it with the strawberry sauce. Now you have stuffed French toast and you didn't even have to go to IHOP! These take a bit of time and several different pans and bowls but they are well worth the effort.

CREPES

1 1/2 c. flour
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. milk
2 T. butter, melted
1/2 t. vanilla
2 eggs

Mix flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spray a crepe pan or small skillet-the one you would fry eggs in. Heat the pan to medium. Use about 1/4 c. of batter for each crepe. Pour batter into pan smoothing it with the back of a spoon to cover holes. It will look like a very thin pancake. When the batter begins to look dry around the edges, use a fork to flip it over. Stack finished crepes between waxed paper. You can freeze them for up to two months. I like to make a double batch and then roll scrambled eggs, cheese, and bacon in them for a yummy breakfast.

CREAM FILLING

1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Mix cream, set aside. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Fold into whipped cream.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1/2 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch (This is to thicken the sauce. In a pinch I've used flour but it turns the sauce cloudy instead of pretty and clear like a gel.)
3/4 c. water
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. strawberry extract
1/4 t. red food coloring
4 c. sliced strawberries (Buy these in bulk during the summer when they are on sale and then freeze in 1 cup portions to use all winter for smoothies and desserts.)

To assemble crepes, put cream in the center. Roll up and then top with strawberry sauce. Yum!

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

My kids beg for these potatoes. They are addicting. It takes a bit of work to create this dish but it is well worth the effort.

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

4 large baking potatoes
6 slices of bacon, cooked and cut into pieces
1/2 c. shredded cheddar
2 green onions, sliced
sour cream
cream cheese
butter

Wash the potatoes, poke with a fork, and wrap them in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hours. When the potatoes are done baking, slice them in half and scoop the potato out of the skin. Be careful to keep the skin intact. In a separate bowl, mash the potatoes with sour cream, butter, and a couple of ounces of cream cheese. I don't measure these ingredients. Just dump until it looks and tastes good. Scoop the potatoes into the halved skins. Sprinkle with black pepper. Top with bacon, then cheese, then onions. Bake just long enough to melt the cheese. You will end up with 7 halved potatoes Enjoy!

MARINATED CHICKEN SKEWERS

We decided we needed to grill one more time before winter sets in. We got this recipe from my husband's sister JW. She is an awesome cook! Every single time she visits she makes amazing meals. This marinade is simple and delicious. Today we used it to make chicken skewers. Our other favorite way to use it is on London Broil. It gives great flavor to both the beef and the chicken. Try it, you'll like it!

MARINADE

1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. vegetable oil
3/4 t. oregano
3/4 t. black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. of meat - chicken or London Broil

Mix seasonings, add chicken pieces. Refrigerate in a quart-sized Ziploc bag for at least one hour. Spear chicken pieces on skewers. I like metal skewers for my family because I don't have to soak them. I use bamboo skewers when I have company because then everyone gets their own skewers. Grill for about 5 minutes, turn over and grill for about 5 more minutes.

If using London Broil, pound meat to 1/4" thick. With thick pieces of meat, you may have to slice it in half to be able to do this. Grill for about 5-6 minutes on each side for medium cooked meat. We like ours pink and juicy. Add a couple of minutes per side for more well done meat.