Individual Chicken Pot Pies

          To me, there are just some foods that can only be eaten in certain seasons. Hot dogs- summer, cranberry sauce- fall, ????- spring…..haha, I don’t think anything is specific to this time of year! But for winter- it has to be anything hearty and warming….as in pot pie. Specifically, this pot pie.

            This meal is definitely synonymous with good ol’ Mr. Winter. It sticks to your ribs like taffy, is served piping hot to help defrost yourself and is filling enough to energize you to shovel that walkway. Not to mention, it is quite delicious- which is a prerequisite for any meal in any season though!

            But besides all those qualities, it is truly just a great meal that is quick and satisfying. I cut the original recipe in ½ for me and Matty, but if you have to feed more mouths than me, just double what I did. That would make 4 pies, and if you have more mouths than that, well, God bless you and continue to increase the amounts! So basically, whether you’re feeding just 1 other or an army- this meal will keep em’ all warm and smiling! Enjoy…

 

BBBBBRRRRRR........bring on the pot pie!

 

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Serves- 2

Adapted from: Real Simple

OBJ: TCW be able to make something besides sandwiches and quesadillas with her leftover rotisserie chicken

Ingredients:

 ½ of 8-ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables

1 refrigerated piecrust (such as Pillsbury)

½ of 10 ¾-ounce can cream of chicken soup

¼ cup milk

1 cups cooked and shredded chicken ( I use both white and dark meat)

¼ tsp garlic salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 egg, beaten

2 TBS sesame seeds

Procedures:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Defrost the vegetables in a microwave for about 3 minutes

2, Cut piecrust into quarters, to yield 4 equal pieces. Coat the inside of 4 small aluminum-foil pans (4 1/2 inches in diameter, 1 1/4 inches deep) or 4 ramekins with vegetable cooking spray

3. Line the bottom and sides of each pan or ramekin with a quarter of crust, molding it with your fingers to fit

4. In a large bowl, stir together the soup and milk and then add the chicken, garlic salt and pepper

5. Spoon about 2/3 cup of the mixture into each pan or ramekin. Top each with a piecrust quarter. Pinch the edges together well and cut vents in the top

6. Brush each top with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional)

7. Wrap the edges of pot pies with foil to prevent them from burning right away

8. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown, removing foil with 10-15 minutes remaining

 

 

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

           I know, I know- cookies. You are still sick from all the versions you ate last month and you are back at the gym trying to work the aforementioned off. I get it.

            But I’m a person who believes in moderation. I couldn’t possibly go this entire month without a sweet. Heck, I couldn’t go a week without one. I practice the lifestyle of indulge a little and eat well the rest of the time. Ya know, the 90-10 thing. It works for me, most of the time.

            As for you, I don’t know how you life your lives but I can only hope you give in to some temptation here and there. I don’t mean hitting up Wendy’s on the weekends merely or downing a pint of Chunky Monkey only once a month. I mean getting up, getting moving, and eating a darn cookie if you want it.

            And these cookies here are the ones you’ll want to succumb to. C’mon, they practically look like they were snowed upon. How dreamy……Well, if the snow visual didn’t do it for you how about the fact that they are a hybrid of chocolaty-ness, chewiness and fudgy-ness. Sold? Okay, they are a portable and portioned-controlled version of Red Velvet cake. Portioned-controlled people, as in they fit perfectly into a balanced diet. So go ahead, have one, share the rest and let’s make it so that they aren’t the only things fitting well into something lately! Enjoy…

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Makes: about 30

Adapted from: All Recipes

OBJ: TCW be able to make a Holiday-looking cookie for the annual Cookie Swap at work

Ingredients:

6 TBS unsalted butter

I C powdered sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

I box Betty Crocker® Red Velvet Cake Mix

2 large eggs

Procedures:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Melt butter in microwave and set aside to cool

3. Place powdered sugar and cornstarch in a shallow dish and mix with a fork to blend

4. Place cake mix, cooled butter and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Mix by hand until well blended and dough forms

5. Form into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar mix. Place on cool, ungreased baking sheets about 2 inches apart

6. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in center of oven for 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool on sheet for 1 minute

7. Transfer to wire cooling rack and cool completely. Store in airtight container with wax paper or parchment separating layers

Web-link photo credits:  theplaidguy.wordpress.com    chipsifraternity.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

 

Perfect French Fries with Cheddar Cheese Sauce

             There is truly a reason why so many people prefer to get French fries via drive through window, restaurant kitchen or food truck vendor- they require too much damn time to make at home!

            Seriously people, the time it takes to peel, soak, dry, first-fry, drain, second-fry, then eat is incredible. For the same amount of time, I could have practically fetched the potatoes from the field and delivered them to their designated selling points. Or even better yet, I could have tried all the fast-food varieties and done a post about that! But there is a catch…..

            The ones you will make at home will be wwaayyyy better than whatever you receive from someone else. Honestly, the crunch, the salt, the steam from within will have you speechless. Which you should be because once you put these in front of you, you will not want to open your mouth up except to eat!

            Then to make this concoction even better, why don’t you go ahead and whip up some cheese sauce. If you think homemade fries are drool-worthy, you haven’t made your own dipping sauce yet.

            So are they a pain in the a$$? Why yes sir (or mam), they are. But are they worth your time, energy, and patience? You betcha they are! I wouldn’t ask you to waste your time if the end result wasn’t something scrumptious, I promise! So go ahead, get fryin’ my friends! Enjoy…

Perfect French Fries with Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Serves 2-3

Fries recipe source (adapted for amount): The Pioneer Woman

Cheese Sauce recipe adapted from: Serious Eats

OBJ: TCW be able to create better-than-fast-food fries in her own kitchen and serve it alongside an irresistible bowl of cheesy dipping sauce  

Ingredients:

5- 6 Russet Potatoes

Vegetable Oil for frying

Sea Salt

For Cheese Sauce:

4 ounces grated cheddar cheese

½ TBS corn starch

½ can (12 ounce can) of evaporated milk

Procedures:

For Fries:

1. Peel and rinse the potatoes, then cut them into sticks by cutting the potato in four or five vertical pieces, then cutting each piece into sticks. Place in a large bowl and cover with cold water, then allow them to soak for two or three hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak for several hours or overnight.)

2. When you’re ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay them on paper towels. Blot them with paper towels to dry them

3. Heat a few inches of oil in a heavy pot to 300 degrees or use a deep fryer where you can set the temperature

4. In 3 or 4 batches, cook the potatoes for about 4 to 5 minutes per batch, or until the potatoes are soft. They should not be brown at all!  see below....

5. Remove each batch and drain them on new/dry paper towels

6. Once all the potatoes have been fried at 300, turn up the heat until the oil reaches 400 degrees

7. When the oil’s hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until the fries are golden and crisp

8. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels

9. Sprinkle fries right away with sea salt and enjoy alongside the cheese sauce

For Cheese Sauce:

1. Add cheese and cornstarch to large bowl and toss well to combine

2. Transfer to medium saucepan and add ½ Cup evaporated milk

3.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with whisk until melted, bubbly, and thickened (about 5 minutes)

4. Note: Mixture will look thin and grainy at first but will thicken and come together after heating. Thin it to desired consistency with additional evaporated milk