Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

I love a good chicken pot pie - and I love my home made pies more than anything I can get from the supermarket! Home made pies save money - and they let you customize your pie to what you have on hand. In a pinch, you can make a filling and delicious dinner for yourself and a VERY hungry man using 1 chicken breast, 1 premade pie crust, some veggies, and a packet of gravy mix (smile). 

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

1 batch pie crust (I use only one crust)
1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
1-2 cups cooked, diced mixed vegetables (use what you have on hand!)
1 cup gravy (see below)

Preheat oven to 350F. Evenly scatter pieces of chicken across the pie pan or medium baking dish. Spoon vegetables evenly over the chicken. Carefully pour gravy over it all. Place crust over the top, and fold over at edges of pie pan to seal. Pierce with a fork to vent steam. Bake 20 minutes, until crust is browned and gravy is bubbly.

Gravy

2 Tbs butter or fat
2 Tbs flour
1 Tbs cream or milk
1 C chicken stock or broth

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour, and stir continually as the flour cooks - about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream or milk, and then stir in the chicken stock a little at a time so it blends well and doesn't get all lumpy. 

In a pinch, just use a good brand of packet gravy (I like Knorr's Roast Chicken flavor, smile!).

Chicken Pot Pie with Mashed Potato Topping Recipe

1 batch pie crust (I use a bottom crust only for this pie)
3-4 medium potatoes, cooked and mashed with 1 Tbs each butter and milk/cream
1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
1-2 cups cooked, diced mixed vegetables (use what you have on hand!)
1 cup gravy (see below)

Preheat oven to 350F. Put pie crust in pie pan or medium baking dish, Evenly scatter pieces of chicken across the crust. Spoon vegetables evenly over the chicken. Spoon gravy over it all. Carefully drop mashed potatoes by the spoonful along the top - or get fancy and pipe it! Bake 20 minutes, until potatoes are lightly browned and gravy is bubbly. Sometimes I sprinkle a bit of grated Muenster cheese on top of the potatoes - for extra yumminess!

Salmon Cakes Recipe

I made amazingly delicious salmon cakes over the weekend...the toasty brown  exterior giving way to a light and fluffy interior...drizzled with a hot mustard sauce...mmm. And they are healthy! And you can swap in other fish! Mmm...pollock cakes! 

Delicious and healthy make for a major thumbs-up in our house (smile). The potato and egg bind the cakes together - but I find they are easier to form into patties if a wee bit of flour is added.


Easy Salmon Cakes

1 14-oz can of salmon, drained
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small onion, minced
1 Tbs butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbs flour + extra for dusting
1 cup breadcrumbs (for coating)

Boil and mash the potatoes, and put aside to cool. Saute the onion in the butter until limp and lightly golden. Stir the onions into the potatoes.

In a large bowl, flake the drained salmon. Stir in the potatoes and onion and mix well. Add 1 egg (about 2 Tbs of the total beaten egg) and mix well. Form the mixture into 8 balls and place on a lightly floured plate. Place in fridge and chill about 15 minutes - until they are a bit firmer. 

Set up a "breading station" with a dish of flour, a dish with the beaten egg, a dish of breadcrumbs, and a floured plate to place the finished patties on. Take the chilled salmon from the fridge. Gently flatten a ball, dust in the flour, dip into the egg (gently shake off excess egg), and dip into the breadcrumbs. Continue with each portion of salmon.

Heat a fry pan with about 1/4" of oil (I used canola oil) over medium heat. When the oil is hot, gently slip patties into the oil so that they are not touching  - my fry pan allows 3 at a time, yours may allow more or less. Cook about 2-3 minutes on hte first side - look at the sides to see if the coating is turning toasty brown. Carefully turn the patties (I use 2 wooden spatulas to do this, so they don't fall apart and they don't splash and splatter hot fat). Cook on the other side until toasty brown. Remove from heat and allow to drain for a moment.

Drizzled with hot mustard sauce and serve with sauteed greens! When I serve this to the menfolk, I also make them a side of mashed potatoes. The Boy likes to just slap one onto a burger bun with lettuce and sauce and eat on the go.

Hot Mustard Sauce

1/2 C heavy cream
1 Tbs hot mustard
1 Tbs lemon juice

Stir over medium heat in a small saucepan until well blended and evenly heated. 

Lasagna Recipe: From the Blooming Kitchen Garden

I made 2 trays of lasagna last night - so I wouldn't have to cook for a few days. They came out of the oven around midnight...and this is what I found this morning! That's right, one tray is already almost done!

I like to mix it up a bit when I make lasagna - its a very forgiving dish...and this is how I made 2 trays this time.

Lasagna

• 1 large box lasagna noodles
• 1 32oz container ricotta cheese (or make your own!)
• 1lb mozzarella, shredded or very thinly sliced
• 4-5 cups sauce (I made my own with crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and fresh basil from the garden)
• 2 cups chopped spinach (I used defrosted and drained frozen spinach this time - worked very well)
• 4 hot Italian sausages, cooked and thinly sliced
• 2 large portabella mushrooms, sliced
• Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste (I use a LOT on the top)

Cook the noodles per package directions (usually, bring large pot of salted water to rolling boil, put pasts in water, cook ab 10 minutes til done, drain). Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottoms of 2 13x9 baking pans. 

Put down a layer of 3-4 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping. Gently spread about 1/4 of the ricotta onto each pan - this takes a bit of fiddling, and it doesn't have to be perfect - it will spread in the oven! Spread a small amount of the mozzarella over the ricotta. Then spread a thin layer of the spinach. Dot with 1/4 of the sausage slices. Spoon some sauce over it all, and add the next layer of noodles. 

Repeat re the cheeses, sausages and sauce, using all the remaining ricotta, spinach and sausage, and then arrange the portabella slices on this layer before the final layer of noodles. 

Add the final layer of noodles. (So, at this point, you have sauce, noodles, fillings, noodles, fillings again, noodles). Smooth sauce all over the top (to prevent drying) and then spread the remaining mozzarella on top. Sprinkle very generously with parmesan cheese. Cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Hint: Take off the foil towards then end if you prefer a slightly dried result. Also, let the lasagne sit for about 10 minutes before serving - this way the cheeses set up a bit, and the interior cools down a bit.

Easy Chicken Curry Recipe: From the Blooming Kitchen Garden

Our local market had boneless chicken thighs on sale...so I purchased several "family packs" with the intention of freezing some and making a kettle of chicken curry for freezer lunches with the rest. The curry makes a very satisfying lunch to carry to the office - especially with the raw, cold weather we've been having lately!! I used boneless, skinless thighs because they were a good purchase price, and because dark meat is more flavorful - but any boneless chicken will do,

Easy Chicken Curry

• Boneless skinless chicken
• Curry powder (any decent brand will do - or make your own!)
• 2 Tbs each butter and olive oil
• 2-4 Tbs flour
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 apples, chopped (I used granny smith, any tart apple that holds its shape will do)
• 2 cups milk (coconut milk can be substituted for a non-dairy dish)

Place the chicken in a roasting pan, sprinkle with curry powder, and roast at 350 degrees until thoroughly cooked thru.

In a large soup kettle, melt the butter with the olive oil. Toss in the onions and peppers and saute until soft. Add the apples and stir well. Sprinkle the flour over all of this, and stir very well. Then add the milk (in effect, making a white sauce with the vegetables). Add curry powder to taste (I use a very flavorful brand, and I add about 2 Tbs). Stir well again, and then carefully spoon the hot, cooked chicken pieces into the kettle. Stir to coat the chicken, and simmer covered about 15 minutes.

Optional: toss in a handful of raisins while it all simmers!

This is delicious over brown rice! For freezer lunches, I let it all cool down, and then put a portion of brown rice in the bottom of a container, and cover with a generous serving of curry, cover and freeze. The night before I plan to take a "freezer lunch" to work, I put one in the fridge to defrost gently. We have a microwave oven at work, so I reheat it uncovered.

Savory Turkey Pie - From the Blooming Kitchen Garden

After roasting the gigantic turkey, I stripped off a lot of the meat and bagged it for the freezer. Why? To make this comforting and delicious turkey pie!

Savory Turkey Pie

Pie pastry (I try to always make my own, but in a pinch the store stuff will work!)
1-2 cups diced turkey meat (a mix of light and dark meat is best - bt use what you have!)
1.5 cups thick gravy (I make extra "gravy" with stock - make a roux of 2Tbs each butter and white flour, simmer in a saucepan til the raw taste of the flour is goner, add a bit of milk + 1-2 cups stock. Season to taste. You want it pretty thick - like a crem soup)
2 cups diced potatoes, boiled til tender and drained
2 cups mixed vegetables, lightly cooked

Lay the bottom pastry in your pan - you can use a pie pan or I have often used loaf pans to great success. Put half the turkey meat in an even layer across the bottom. Put the potatoes and other veggies on top. Layer the remains of the turkey on to of the veggies. Spoon the gravy evenly over all. Lay on the stop pastry, crimping the sides well. Pierce the top to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, until pastry is golden. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes prior to serving.

Garden Pomodoro (Tomato) Sauce: From the Blooming Kitchen Garden

I love this chunky flavorful garden tomato sauce over pasta and over spaghetti squash. I use my own tomatoes or tomatoes from my bi-weekly veg co-op, and other fresh veggies from the garden. Out of season, I use my home-canned crushed tomatoes and veggies I have frozen just for this purpose. (And in a pinch, grocery store canned tomatoes and veggies will work, too!)

GARDEN POMODORO (TOMATO) SAUCE

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbs olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 2-3 bell peppers, small dice (I like to mix colors)
• 8-10 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or about 1.5 pints canned, diced or crushed tomatoes)

Method

Sauté all the veggies except the tomatoes in olive oil til they are soft and have released all their flavors into the oil. This takes a little time, so be patient - there's nothing like burnt garlic to spoil a sauce!

Add the tomatoes, and simmer at least 20 minutes for the flavors to blend. If your tomatoes are extra juicy, simmer longer so the juices evaporate a bit and the flavors concentrate. Canned tomatoes can be unpredictable, so simmer til the consistency is pleasing.

Tonight, we are having this over spaghetti squash, with a good shaving of Parmesan cheese and a crusty loaf on the side!