Chunky Chicken Pot Pie & A Pie Crust Recipe

When it is a blizzard outside and hasn't been above 20 degrees in a month, don't you just feel like eating warm and cozy comfort food?  I really love chicken pot pie.  I have made it a number of times and this was one of my favorite versions.  Of course, I may have just been in the perfect mood for it.  You can add any veggies that you have on hand.  I only had potatoes, carrots and onions, but peas or celery would have been great, too.  The other great thing about this is it is an all-in-one dish.  I added a little fruit on the side and my meal was done.

Chunky Chicken Pot Pie
adapted from: allrecipes.com

1 chicken breast
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, sliced
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
2/3 c. milk
1 recipe for a double pie crust (mine follows)

In a medium saucepan, boil the carrots and potatoes until tender (about 15 minutes).  You can also cook your chicken breast with your vegetables if you want.  I always forget and end up cooking the breast separate and then shredding it.  When the vegetables are tender, drain the water and set them aside.  While the veggies are cooking, prepare your crust and lay one half of it in the bottom of your pie tin.  In the saucepan over medium heat, cook the onions in the butter until they are tender.  Stir in the flour, salt and pepper.  Slowly stir in the chicken broth and the milk.  Simmer it over medium heat until it thickens.  Gently stir together the shredded chicken and vegetables and dump that into your pie crust.  Pour the sauce over the top of the veggies.  Then gently lay your other half of rolled out pie crust over the top of the pie and crimp the edges.  Make a few slits in the top with a knife to let the steam out.  Bake it at 425 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until your crust is golden yumminess.  I bake mine on a cookie sheet so that if it oozes out a little while it is baking, I won't have to clean my oven.

Double Pie Crust
adapted from my Better Homes and Garden cookbook

2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. shortening
1/3 c. butter
6-7 Tbsp. ice water

Mix your flour and salt and the cut in the shortening and butter until it resembles pea sized pieces.  Sprinkle one tablespoon of ice water in the flour at a time and using a fork, press the flour and the water together (pushing moistened dough to the side of the bowl).  Repeat until all the flour is moistened and you can form it into two balls.  Roll one out and place it in the bottom of your pie tin.  Roll the second out into a circle.  It will go on top of the pie after the filling is in it.  

Creme Brulee French Toast

Christmas Eve this year turned out very snowy for the few of us down in Southern Utah, Matt and I and my parents.  The weather ended up being too bad to travel up north to visit my sisters and their families for Christmas Eve, so we made the best of it (which ended up being an awesome time with my parents).  We made a special breakfast Christmas morning, including this amazingly rich and delicious Crème Brulee French Toast… and double sausage, which Matt always got on Christmas morning.  A Merry Christmas to both of us.  I think I might make this a Christmas morning tradition, but you should not wait until next Christmas to try it!

Crème Brulee French Toast

From Sixsistersstuff.com

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 loaf Texas Toast bread or other thick sliced bread (I just bought French bread and cut into thick slices)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of cinnamon

In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally.  Pour mixture onto large, greased jelly roll pan (18x13x1").  Spread around to cover surface. Place 12 slices of bread in a single layer to cover pan.  Mix together eggs, cream, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Spoon mixture over each piece of bread.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.  Remove from pan and serve.  If not serving immediately, turn each slice of bread over (this will prevent bread from sticking to the bottom of the pan).  You should definitely do as we did, and eat this with our Buttermilk Syrup that is insanely good.  

It's hard to believe, but that bread just soaks all of the mixture right up by morning.  The butter/sugar mixture creates the creme brulee effect on the bottom of the french toast, caramelizing it into sweet, rich goodness. 

Ham & Vegetable Casserole

I've been asked to post some of the recipes that I used to cook.  However, I'm not sure which ones my family liked.  This was a request from your dad, so when I cooked it, I took a picture and decided that I would post it.  This recipe came from one of the ward cookbooks and was submitted by Mary Heaton.

4 cups diced carrots
4 cups diced potatoes
1 onion, diced
4 cups boiling water
1 tsp salt

Cover and cook the above until almost tender (15-20 minutes).  Drain the vegetables and reserve the water to use as follows: 

Add evaported milk (1/2 c to 3/4 c - I just use a small 5 oz can of evaporated milk) to the water you saved from cooking the vegetables.  Make a white sauce using 4 tblsp butter and 4 tblsp of flour and the water/milk mixture.  (To make a white sauce, melt the butter over a medium heat, add the flour and mix, then slowly add your liquid and stir continually until it thickens.)  Add 1/4 lb of shredded cheese to the white sauce and stir.

Put your vegetables in a large bowl and add 2 to 4 cups of diced ham (depending on how much ham you have and how "meaty" you want your casserole).  Pour your cheesy white sauce over the top of the ham and vegetables and gently stir it up. 

Then pour into a rectangular baking dish (don't cover it) and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.   I used a 10.5 X 14.75 X 2.25 inch, which is a bigger baking dish, but my ingredients completely filled it and left just enough room that it didn't boil over.  This makes a big casserole, so if you have a small family and don't want leftovers, I would split the recipe in half.  We will be eating this for a few days.

Smoky Grilled Pork Chops

It may be only nine degrees here, but that hasn't deterred me from using my grill.  Okay, maybe what I should say is that it hasn't deterred me from sending my husband out to grill!  Especially when I needed a quick meal idea and had all the ingredients for this amazing pork chop recipe.  This is really so easy.  Mix the spices, rub them on the pork chops and let them sit for 10 minutes before grilling.  And that is it.  So slip on your winter gear and get grilling!

Smoky Grilled Pork Chops
from: allrecipes.com

1 Tbsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. liquid smoke flavoring
4 pork chops

In a small bowl, mix together all the spices, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke flavoring.  Rinse your pork chops and using your fingers, rub the mix on the front and back of each pork chop.  Massage it in a little.  Let it sit for 10 minutes.  Then heat up your grill and cook them over indirect heat until they are no longer pink inside.

Quick & Easy Carmel Popcorn

I don't think I have ever made carmel popcorn until recently.  And since discovering this method of cooking it, I have made it multiple times.  This recipe is nice because it tastes great, and instead of baking it for an hour and a half, it takes 4 minutes of cooking in the microwave (with some shaking in the middle of that time).  And then your clean-up is a snap!  Just throw away the paper bag!  Not only that, but it is delicious.  Perfectly carmel-y and crispy and so easy.  In fact, it was so easy that I made it for neighbor treats, teacher treats, and family treats!

Quick & Easy Carmel Popcorn
adapted from: allrecipes.com

1/2 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
5 quarts popped popcorn

In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter.  Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt and stir it constantly until it starts boiling.  Reduce the heat to medium low (make sure it stays boiling) and let it boil for 4 minutes without stirring it.  Remove it from the heat and add the baking soda and vanilla.  Stir it until it is a pretty golden color (like carmel!).  Pour it over your popcorn and stir it gently to coat.  I found that using two bowls for the popcorn worked the best.  Don't worry if it isn't perfectly evenly coated on your popcorn.  It will all get coated well in the microwave.  Pour the popcorn into a large paper bag.  If your bag isn't really big (not all store paper bags are the same size), use two bags.  Cook it in the microwave for 4 minutes, shaking the bag every 30 seconds.  When it is done, lay the bag on the counter and using scissors, cut it open and lay it flat.  Spread the popcorn a little if you need to.  Let the popcorn cool and then break it up.  At this point, you can drizzle it with chocolate and then sprinkle it with peppermint, or sprinkles, or other fun things.  I sprinkled Christmas sprinkles on it right when it came out of the microwave to give it a little color.  Then I put it in little paper bags and tied them up with ribbon and a bow to look like a little gift!  Slap a tag on it and there is the easiest neighbor treats I've ever done!  

Smooth & Creamy Coconut Cake

I made this for a Christmas party this weekend.  It is a delicious cake, even if you are not a huge coconut fan.  The coconut flavor is mild and creamy and by only lightly sweetening the topping, it is a great compliment to an already sweet enough cake.  Plus, it looks so snowy and festive with the coconut all over it!  It is a great Christmas-y cake.

Smooth & Creamy Coconut Cake
adapted from: allrecipes.com

1 white cake mix
1 15 oz. can cream of coconut (not coconut milk-you find this in the mixer section of the grocery store)
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. powdered sugar (maybe a little more-to taste)
1-2 c. shredded sweetened coconut

Bake the white cake according to the package directions in the pan of your choice.  I used a 9X13 pan, lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray.  While the cake is cooking (or cooling) pour the heavy whipping cream into a medium bowl and beat it on high speed with an electric mixer, for 3 minutes.  Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat it until stiff peaks form.  Put it in the fridge until you are ready for it.  When the cake is done, cool it completely, then slice it in half for a layered cake (or leave it as is, or if you have 2 round cake pans, ignore this instruction).  Place one layer, face down, on your serving platter.  Using a fork, gently poke holes all over the cake, but don't poke all the way to the bottom of the cake.  Pour 1/2 of the can of cream of coconut on the top of the cake, and using a knife, spread it and kind of work it into the holes.

Apply a thin layer of your prepared heavy cream.  Lay the other layer of cake on top of that one and poke holes all over it, also being careful not to go all the way through the layer.  Now do the same thing with the second half of the cream of coconut.  Spread the rest of the heavy cream on the top and sides of the cake.  Using your hands, gently press coconut all around the top and sides of the cake.  Store it in the fridge and serve it chilled.

4-Layer Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting

I had a birthday.  And I wanted to make my own cake.  I've never done that before, but it may be a new tradition that I've started.  I picked a cake that I thought sounded delicious, but that I knew none of my other family members would let me make for their birthdays.  And doesn't a 4-layer red velvet cake with cream cheese whipped cream frosting sound lovely?  It was lovely.  And, as a side note, not one of my children even tasted this cake on my birthday.

4-Layer Red Velvet Cake
adapted slightly from: Joyofbaking.com

2 1/2 c. sifted cake flour (I used a little more than 2 c. flour and a little less than 1/2 c. cornstarch as a substitute)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. red food coloring (I did not use this much)
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two round pans with wax paper or parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.  I actually used my 9X13 pan and when the cake was done I cut it into fourths.  In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt and cocoa.  In another bowl, beat the butter for 1 to 2 minutes.  Then add the sugar and mix it for another 3 or 4 minutes.  Add each egg, mixing it well after each one.  Add the vanilla and beat it all until it is light and fluffy.  In a measuring cup, mix the buttermilk and the red food coloring.  Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture in three additions (you better not make it four, or else! :).  In a small cup, stir together the vinegar and baking soda and let it fizz.  Then fold that into the batter.  Quickly pour the batter into your prepared pan(s) and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  When the cake is done, cook it completely, then gently tip it upside down and dump it out of the pan.  Carefully peel the wax paper off, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for an hour.  This will make it easier to frost.  While that is in the freezer, make your cream cheese whipped cream frosting.

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting
adapted slightly from: Joyofbaking.com

16 oz. softened cream cheese (pop it in the microwave for about 1 minute and it will soften)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. cold heavy whipping cream

With a mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth.  Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat that until it is smooth and creamy.  Gradually add the heavy cream and beat it on high speed until it thickens and is spreadable.  If needed, add more sugar or cream to get the right consistency.  I actually thought the frosting could have been slightly sweeter, so taste it and add a little more sugar if you think it needs it.

When the cake is sufficiently frozen, remove it from the plastic wrap and slice it in half, horizontally.  For the 9X13 pan I cut it in half lenthwise, then cut each half in half horizontally.  Place one layer upside down on your serving platter and frost the top with the frosting.  Continue to layer and frost each layer and then frost the tops and sides of the cake.  If it is a little lopsided (like mine was), don't worry too much.  It will have four pretty layers when you cut a piece. Just don't show anyone the whole cake. (You'll notice I have no whole cake pictures on here :).  Happy Birthday!