Easy, lovable, chicken pot pie

This was a recipe that I have been wanting to try for a while, just because the pictures looked so yummy. Today I am in a position, that I sort of know what I am doing with my camera, that I took the plunge! It was well worth the wait. I was A-mazed at how easy this was. It tasted as good at it looked. (Am I allowed to say that about my own cooking? I see cooks on food network all the time try their own stuff, "MMMM" all over it, and I always think, I could never do that about my own food. But this I have to "MMMM" over, just for a minute.) Since I am new to the food blogging thing, let me know how you want my posts to go. I can put the picture, and the recipe, or I can talk your ear off, and make your mouth water for a few minutes, and maybe entertain you while I am at it. Not making any promises, but I have drama follow me around, and it is always bound to wind up on here. Knock on wood, not much drama in the kitchen yet. Except for the time when Joel was holding Nora, and scolding me for something, and went to make that dramatic exit, and tripped over the opened dishwasher, and had to THROW Nora so that she wouldn't fall into the sharp objects that could have ruined her little body. Every time I close the dishwasher door, it makes this HORRIBLE cracking sound, and always reminds me... well, I can't remember what he was griping about, so I guess it reminds me to keep the dishwasher door closed at all times. ANYWAYS... onto yummieness! These are a great, and easy fall recipe. *Disclaimer: I used an average coffee mug, and I would suggest a small crock, or smaller mug next time.


Individual Chicken Pot Pies
1/3 cup chicken broth
8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots)
2 (10-ounce) cans chicken breast, drained
1/2 can cream of chicken soup
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 sheets phyllo dough
Pepper
Special Equipment: 4 oven-safe cups, pastry brush

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken broth. Add frozen vegetables and chicken breasts and simmer for 15 minutes on medium heat. Add soup and herb seasoning blend and cook for another 5 minutes. Set aside.

Arrange 4 cups on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Divide mixture evenly into 4s, and put mixture into the four cups.

Gently brush melted butter over each sheet of phyllo dough and cut to fit over top of cup. Repeat process. Bake chicken pot pies for 25 minutes or until phyllo turns golden brown and sheets puff up. Serve warm.

Cookie Carnival! Part 1

I must be crazy! Crazy like a carnival. I decided that my world doesn't have enough to do, and that I am really bored! *Insert Sarcasm Here* I should really spend nap times doing productive things. Blog hopping, IS NOT PRODUCTIVE! When I blog hop, I find fun things that people do, and I want to do it too! So, last month I officially gave up the last 2 free hours of my month, and joined a Cookie club. Sort of like my Daring Bakers Club. I get an email once per month with a fun cookie recipe, and a due date. Then I get to work in the kitchen, and teach Nora the difference between sugar and salt, circles, stirring... etc. Fun for both mommy and baby! So here is it! If you are interested in learning more about these crazy cookie people, hop on over to... THE COOKIE CARNIVAL. However, if you enjoy your free time, stay right where you are, and quit blog hopping! And check out these cute little cookies!

The recipe comes from The LIVING expert, Martha Stewart. Mari made the suggestion, and the task was presented. The recipe is for Pink Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies. I have not eaten a grapefruit in several years, and didn't really know what I thought about the new club I joined. I took on the challenge. I knew it was something that my overly, critical, picky, husband would not even touch. His words come to me before he even had to say them, "Awe man... if you are going to spend time making cookies, why can't you just make classic chocolate chip, or my favorite peanut butter, why do you always have to fancy things up? And if you want to be challenged in the kitchen, make me some fudge. I can give you ideas for a challenge! Why would you spend time making something that we aren't even going to eat?!?" He was right about one thing, I had no intentions of eating these cookies. I know several families that are much more deserving of these then myself or my cranky man!

We made the cookies, plated them, packaged them, photographed them, and didn't eat them. Later that evening I noticed a few missing... "Hmmm?" I asked cranky pants,
ME: Did you try one of these cookies?
Cranky Pants: Yeah, what were those, they were so good!
ME: Really? Are you being serious, or do you have an ulterior motive?
CP: No, really! They were good. Like something you find in a fancy bakery! Or something they would serve with English Tea, don't you think?
ME: Well, I guess I wouldn't know. I didn't have one.
CP: Really, you have to try one. They are great. Here have one...
ME: Hm? They are... alright!
So, I know that if Cranky loves them, they are pretty decent. (Please read disclaimer following the recipe!)

Pink Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients for cookies
Makes 15 sandwich cookies.
*Grated zest of 1 Ruby Red grapefruit, plus 1/4 cup freshly squeezed juice
*1 cup sugar
*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
*3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
*2 large egg yolks
*Pink Grapefruit Cream Filling
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, combine zest with 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and remaining sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add egg yolks, and beat until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in reserved zest-sugar mixture. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the juice, and beat to combine.
3. Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. 4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out disk to 1/8 inch thick using a lightly floured rolling pin. Using a lightly floured 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place about 1 inch apart on prepared sheet. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until edges are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes. Transfer parchment paper and cookies to rack to cool completely. 5. Using an offset spatula, spread 1 tablespoon filling onto flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping flat sides down. Once filled, cookies can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Ingredients for filling
Makes enough to fill 15 sandwich cookies.
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 2 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed Ruby Red grapefruit juice
Directions
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in honey. Add juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until filling holds together and is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and set aside until ready to use.

*Disclaimer* The Cranky Pants, is really an amazing man. Between myself, my mom, and my Nana, he is rather spoiled when it comes to food. He criticizes my cooking because it makes me want to be better, and he always wants something a little better. Please don't take it the wrong way. He is a super duper cheer leader, and I LOVE HIM TO PIECES!!!

Must pass...

What a blog! I have to pass on my FAVORITE blogger/chef/photographer! She is absolutely A-mazing! She is a pastry chef from France, and made her way to the USA! I found her on The Daring Bakers Blogroll. When I saw her blog, I had an epiphany! This is what I dream to be able to do! Granted, it may be 50 years till I get there, but in time! She has inspired me. I emailed her, (never have I done anything like that before), and not expecting a response, she emailed me back. She is SO real, and genuine. She gave me some great advice, that I am so excited to try out. Stop by her blog, and you will get what all my fuss is about! Thank you Tartlette! I wish there was more people in the blogging world that were as genuine, and humble as you!

Oh, yeah, check out her Eclairs! Isn't she great?

Just Peachy!

Super LAME titles! What is wrong with me? Anyways, while my grandma was in town this weekend, we canned peaches! Well, they canned, and I took pictures. What else is new? I did help peel them, and I learned alot. My mom was teaching me all the different tools that you need, and the MANY different way you can preserve peaches. Jam, Jelly, Freezer Jam, Frozen peaches, canned peaches, spiced canned peaches, peach pie, peach cobbler, peaches 'n' cream, the possibilities are endless. And knowing how to can, is a great skill! My mom... she is pretty smart! And so is her mom! Learn to can peaches! You and your kids, won't be disappointed!
It is such a joy to have grandma around. (She makes me say things like, "What a joy it is to have her around"!) We love her, and pray for her daily. She is one amazing gal. She is having her hip surgery at the end of the month, and when she does, she will be running circles around us! Isn't she so cute!

When you are in my moms kitchen, you better be serious! She has the system down, and she made sure that EVERYONE knows it! This is her chart to show everyone helping what is going on!

These are some of the most beautiful peaches! They tasted pretty dang good too! Even ask Nora. She loved them! They were so big, she could barely hang on to it!

Favorite Cooker Books!

After a maddening week of slaving away in the kitchen, I have to thank the ones who got me through it! These are a few of my favorite cook books. I have developed quite the collection, but I love these ones the most. "How to Cook Everything" has become my bible in the kitchen. When my little friend Maggie started to read, she read the title, and said, "Everything?" I said, "Yep, name some food, and we'll see if it is in here." "Grilled Cheese?" "YUP", "Macarroni and Cheese?", "YUP", "Spaghetti?", "YUP", "I know a really good one, Ratatouille!", "Hmmm, that is a good one, really that is a French food though, so I doubt it would be- YUP!" This book has everything from the most basic to the most fancy recipes. I love it! I have a confession, I don't know how to make rice. I know... I make fancy, funky foods all day long, but I never remember how to make rice! So, at least onces per week, I am on the rice page! I am so lame! So, if you are in the market for a MUST HAVE recipe book, these are a few to get started!

Deception in the KITCHEN

What do you get when 4 sneaky moms, and 7 picky eatin kids, enter the cleanest, most organized kitchen on the planet?

That was the story today at my new friend Julies house! We were all inspired by Jessica Seinfeld. Today was PUREE day! This book has all the great ways to trick your kids into eating their vegetables. My kid is young enough, that she doesn't need much convincing. The older kids on the other hand... well, here is the rest of the story....

Step 1: Pick out the recipes, and the vegetable you will be using.

Step 2: steam the vegetables (rice steamers work great, so do micro cookers, and ovens, and basket steamers... we used a little bit of everything!) We pureed; carrots, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, squash, and sweet potatoes.





Step 3: the actual puree (for this we used the trusty not dusty, food processor!)


Step 4: bag it up! and freeze it!



Step 5: make a yummy treat for the kiddies!


Step 6: DON'T TELL THEM WHAT'S IN IT! You'll be sorry!


These purees will be used throughout the week in meals Im cookin. Shhhh, don't tell Joel or baby! They will never know. TO BE CONTINUED....

Linguine with Chicken Ragu

It has been a drag making dinner the last few weeks. I don't know if it is the heat, or the lack of excitement in the kitchen? This meal was super easy, healthy, and delicious! Very light for a Ragu sauce. I thought this recipe would make 2 dinners worth, but I was wrong, it made about 4 dinners! So my house bound sister-in-law is having it tonight, and two more went in the freezer. I am not sure how it freezes. We will find out!



2 tablespoons olive oil
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
4 cups Marinara Sauce, recipe follows
1 pound linguine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the juices evaporate and the chicken is golden, about 10 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Add the rosemary and mix well. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the flavors blend, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Add the linguine to the ragu and toss to coat, adding some reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.


Marinara Sauce:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves

In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

Daring Baker (July)

I made it! Ugh... moan, groan, whine, this challenge had me rethinking my decision to join the Daring Bakers. It is definitely more of a challenge that I thought it would be. But, my mom continues to push me through, and I guess I am glad she does. It is fun to learn new skills, and test my limits. As a mommy, I don't get enough of that (said with MUCH sarcasm!). On a side note, tomorrow is my honey and I's 4th anniversary... and he made the Daring Husband plunge, and also made a huge investment for our family! I will post more on that tomorrow, but these are the last DB pictures taken with a "Point and Shoot". WOO HOO!!!

This month the recipe was called: Filbert Gateau with Praline Butter cream
From Great Cakes by Carol Walter. I had little french in High School to know that Gateau is cake! As I read the recipe, there were more french words. I printed out the recipe, and got to work... wait... the recipe is 8 PAGES!!!! I really needed to read this, and get an idea of what would be happening during this cake making ordeal. I read in the recipe, and a few times through out, "Do this quickly", "Do not let sit". YIKES! This is going to be tough. It was tough. I completed it with my mom on Sunday morning before church. Nothing like a little heated stress before sabbath worship.

The cake was a lemony cake, with a praline butter cream, and a bittersweet chocolate icing. I don't like bitter chocolate, so once again, I could not fully appreciate the flavor. I always have family be my testers, because a) they know the sweat and tears that go into the dish, and b) they will give me an honest opinion. Joel is BRUTALLY honest, so sometimes I hold back, and don't give him anything, because I don't want to know how bad it is! Alie said, "This is something that you would find in a super fancy bakery, and spend a lot of money on." Joel ate three pieces or so, so I know he liked it. I think it tasted better then it looked!

A stressful and time consuming job! I learned how to make a great butter cream, and will use that skill if anything!

Super Hero!

Joel and I got a sitter on Friday night, aka. the best babysitter on the planet. (No, seriously! If I were to hand pick the best, cutest, funest, 14 year old, she still would not be as good as "Hay J". It was a first for us. With our parents living so close, we are blessed with free babysitting, almost anytime we need it. This weekend, we thought we would give the grandparents the week off! Anyways, how many 14 year olds do you know that will send me a text, saying, "Hope you are having fun, we are!" She is so great! I even had to call her mom the next day, and tell her how much I LOVE HER!)
Anyways... so we went and saw Batman! Everybody seems to have to same opinion on the movie. It was great, erie, creepy, scary, lame story, long, blah blah. I think the Joker made the movie, and would see it again, only because he was so great.
But speaking of SUPERHEROS, Tearz made Superhero cookies with her boys, and they looked so fun, and yummy, I thought I would do it with my kid(s), and my adorable nephew! It was so fun, and they were yummy.





The trick to these brightly colored treats? Food color PASTE! I told the lady at the candy making store, "I want what ever it is that makes their mouths turn BLUE!" Thanks Tearz for your post, and for your friend who came up with the idea! GREAT and FUN!

First Daring Baker Challenge (June)

Super fun for me!!!! I have been following a few blogs of cooks, chefs, and bakers, and I notice one common denominator...




There is a forum that is known throughout the world world amongst bakers, who bake the same recipe every month. They then post their results on their blog. This month was my first time, and well, I have been a little behind. Better late then never. After today, I will be working on July's Challenge!!!

For my first challenge, I was really challenged. When I first learned of the Daring Bakers, the recipes I saw seemed pretty self explanatory. Then I got the instructions for my first challenge, and I was more then perplexed! Of course! Maybe that is why it too so long for me to complete it. I was beginning to think, maybe I am not "all that" of a baker. Maybe I am in way over my head. My mom is a great cook. She has a catering business, and she always makes the food look fabulous! So together I knew we could, "Make it work". Thanks Tim Gunn!!!

This month they called for all Daring Bakers to make a Danish Braid. The filling was baked apples, or your choice. I chose Raspberry Cream Cheese. The technique is a lot of folding, rolling, folding, and rolling some more. That is how danishes get that flaky layerey effect.

I took pictures through out the whole process. I noticed some D.B. ers do just the final product, and some from start to finish. This month I will try it the hard way, and next month we'll see if I want to go the easy route. I also just started using Photoshop, why? Don't ask me! I regret using it so soon, I have NO IDEA what I am doing. I thought, "Play around with it... can't be that hard..." It is completely GREEK! Maybe after a few forums and tutorials, it will be better next month. I may have screwed up the pics even more. YIKES! Too many new things in my life! Must stop!!!

I really, 100%, want to hear the criticism of these pics. I NEED to hear it! PLEASE, don't make me beg. I am a sponge. Will listen to anything! Please post the comments, so I can reference back. Thanks and here it is....

So once you have to dough made, it has to be measured out. Since I can't eyeball things AT ALL, I used painters tape, and a tape measure. Roll out the dough,

After you have the dough measured out, you spread a layer of a butter spread over 2/3 of the dough.

Then you fold the dough over the butter, and make a poke! That means 1 fold! Then you chill it, roll it, fold it, poke it, and repeat 4 TIMES!!!

Once the dough has been rolled and folded a billion times, then you are ready to braid the bread. Each side has to have 5inch long cuts, 1 inch apart. Hence the tape measure!
Once the cuts have been made, you are ready to add the filling. This is where you get creative. Or in my case... add what you have already in the pantry. Raspberry jam, and cream cheese. I am so glad for food storage!

Then just start braiding! It was so fun, remember when you were like 7 and loved to braid your dolls hair... Memories!!! I love it!

Once the braid it complete, it must rest for 2 hours. Then it is ready to go in the oven. It bakes for 30 minutes, and honestly, you can't screw this up! It comes out beautiful. If you know me, and you know my mom, you know, she is the DOILY QUEEN! Feast your eyes on this...



This was the perfect Sunday morning treat. The reviews on the taste were... mixed. Joel doesn't like cream cheese, so he said, "Errr". My parents on the other hand thought it was great. I thought there was a weird taste, which I know now is the cardamom. I am not a fan of the spice, but I didn't know that before baking this. Other then that, I thought it tasted alright. I will definitely be baking more Danish Braid in the future. I am thinking chocolate though!

That is my debut of The Daring Bakers!!!!