Chicken Pot Pie

I was really craving the comfort of a chicken pot pie, so I made this delicious dinner Monday night. I have been using puffed pastry sheets for the top of the pie and that takes it to a whole new level. Yum!
* This makes enough for 2 medium pot pies or one large (as shown above and 1 loaf pan size)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic gloves, minced
salt/pepper
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white cooking wine (optional)
4 cups hot chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cute into 1 inch cubes
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 pkg frozen puffed pastry sheets, thawed (you can find these by the pie shells in the freezer section)
1 egg white beaten

Heat butter over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Add onion and garlic, cook until tender.
Add salt, pepper, thyme and flour. Stir to coat and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and stir until blended. Slowly add broth, a little bit at a time, stirring to incorporate. It should smell AWESOME at this point! Bring to a slow boil and add potatoes and carrots, with bay leaf. Cook 20 minutes on a simmer. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Once veggies are tender, add peas and chicken, remove bay leaf. Divide pot pies into the various sized pans you want to bake them in (or leave in dutch oven). Cut pastry to fit on top of pies. Cut slits in the top of pastry and brush with egg white. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. Crazy good!

Most Delicious Frosting

2 sticks butter, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp milk (or rice milk)
lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1 tsp (more or less) fresh lemon juice

Cream the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add the powdered sugar one bit at a time until thick.
Add the vanilla, milk, leomn zest and juice.

Oven Fries

I make these oven fries more often than I care to admit. They're awesome!

French Onion Rice

I might have already posted this one- it is such a staple and a reliable side dish. And EASY!
1 cup white rice
1 can French onion soup
4 Tbsp butter, cut into squares
salt and pepper

In a 2.5 qt casserole or dutch oven (will need an oven-proof lid), mix all ingredients and 1 can of water (yes, use the soup can). Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

"Left over" Lettuce Wraps

We grilled some turkey burgers this weekend and I decided to use the leftover burgers to make lettuce wraps (an idea I stole from Dad and Jane). They were DELICIOUS!

1 medium onion
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
5 medium mushrooms
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
4-5 medium grilled turkey burger patties
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
optional: minced water chestnuts, shredded carrots
Lettuce leaves

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium. In a food processor, chop onion until really fine. Pour into hot dutch oven and cook until onion is tender, 3-5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Meanwhile, add mushrooms to the food processor and chop until fine. Add to the dutch oven and cook 5 minutes. Chop patties in the food processor until fine. Add vinegar and soy sauce to dutch oven and stir, then add the patties (and optional ingredients). Pour in the teriyaki sauce and cook 5 minutes. Serve in lettuce leaves.

Salmon Patties

These are seriously sublime! 1 can salmon, 15 oz. 1 egg 1 cup mashed potatoes 1 clove garlic, minced 3 scallions, whites chopped 1 tsp. salt 1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs 1-2 Tbsp olive oil In a large bowl, mix the egg, potatoes, garlic, scallions and salt until well blended. Add the salmon and incorporate. Meanwhile, pour breadcrumbs into a medium plate and also heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium. Shape 1/4 cup salmon mixture into patties and press each side into the breadcrumbs. Cook in hot oil until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Set on paper towel-lined plate. Serve with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and/or lemon wedges.

Greek Chicken Pitas

1 lb chicken breasts
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
3 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp lemon pepper

Line onions on the bottom of a slow cooker. Place chicken on top. Sprinkle remaining ingredients on top of chicken. Stir a bit. Cook on low for 6 hours and shred the chicken before serving. I was thinking just now that it might be tasty to drizzle the chicken with olive oil before cooking. I might try that next time!