Chicken Pot Pie

I do love fall weather.  The cold, crisp nights just call out for comfort food.  This is one of my all time fav's.  I clipped this recipe from the Sunday paper many years ago and then lost it!  (I am making this tonight largely from memory and a lot of google searching.) 

 

I usually make this using leftover rotisserie chicken and annually after our Thanksgiving meal.

 

Recipe:

2 T butter
1/2 diced yellow onion
1 C diced celery
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 C milk
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t dried thyme
1/8 t black pepper
1/2 t sage or poultry seasoning
12 oz bag of frozen vegetables (carrots, corn, green beans, etc.)
4 C chicken (cooked & diced if not using rotisserie)
1 tube Pillsbury Grands Biscuits quartered

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Sauté onion and celery until lightly browned and soft.

In a large bowl, mix together frozen vegetables, soups, milk, and seasonings.  Stir in chicken.  Microwave until heated through.  Not cooked (you want them crisp)!  Add sautéed veggies and stir.  Spoon into a prepared 13" x 9" baking pan.  Arrange biscuits over hot filling.  Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, until bubbly and biscuits are golden.

Oh...enjoy the smell in your house.  Smells like Thanksgiving.

Eggnog Pancakes

I've never really traveled over the holidays.  I've never left my house in such Christmas disarray only to come home to the same mess we left.  We even missed our trash pick up day.  I've been looking at crumpled-up shredded-to-bits Christmas wrapping paper for two weeks!

The cookies were left on the counter.  The leftovers were left in the fridge.  We tried our best to eat 'em up, but so much went to waste.  The one thing I hate to waste is eggnog, or as we call it:  'nog.  It only comes around during the holidays and I love it.  I love it over ice with Amaretto (or Rum) and sprinkled with nutmeg.  I also love it in my coffee.

I had torn this recipe out of a magazine awhile back.  I can't remember which one, but I was determined to make these pancakes and use up all the remaining 'nog.  So this past Sunday, we tried 'em. 

oh
my
gosh!

they are to die for!  Assuming, of course, you are a 'nog lover like me.

Here's the recipe:

2 C Flour
1 T Baking Powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground nutmeg
2 lightly beaten eggs
2 C eggnog
1/4 C oil

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add the remaining liquid ingredients.  Mix well.  Drop by ladle on a hot griddle.  Cook 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown.  That's it!  Super simple.

I did not have quite 2 cups of 'nog left.  I added skim milk to measure the 2 cups of eggnog. 

Oh, and by the way...my 'nog was the light version...so I'm sure I saved tons of calories & fat (yeah, right).

Colorado Peaches

Summer just isn't summer until we sink our teeth into these.



As big as a baseball!

There is nothing in this world better than a Colorado peach.

Every year, Bill's Rotary club has a fundraiser whereby they bring a truckload of peaches over from the Western Slope and sell them (for big $$).  I always think they are kind of expensive, but...oh...my...gosh are they worth it!  We love eating them one by one, but they ripen fairly quickly, and then I'm scratching my head wondering..."what am I gonna do with all these peaches?"

Over the years, I've made just about every kind of cobbler.  This year, I came up the following (I actually combined two different recipes).

I call it:

 

Peach Oatmeal Crisp with Walnut Topping

1 pouch Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix
3/4 C butter
1 C chopped walnuts
4 1/2 C sliced peaches (I remove the peel too)
1/3 C sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/2 t cinnamon
Whipped Topping, if desired

Heat oven to 350.  Spray the bottom of a 13" x 9" glass dish with cooking spray.  In a large mixing bowl, cut the butter into the cookie mix using a pastry blender (or the old-fashioned-mom-way-of-pulling-two-knives-in-opposite-directions) until well mixed and particles are about the size of peas.  Remove 1 C mixture and set aside.  Press the remaining crumbs into the bottom of the glass dish. 

In another bowl, mix the peaches, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon.  (Inhale...this smells divine.) Spoon onto the crumb layer.

Add walnuts to the reserved crumb mixture.  Stir and sprinkle evenly over the peaches.  Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until topping is golden brown and edges are bubbly.  Cool.  Serve warm with whipped topping (of course, vanilla ice cream would be yummy as well).

We're down to just a handful of these golden-taste-of-summer fruits.  I have frozen them and they will become breakfast smoothies...for the rest of the week.

I'm linking up here:

 

 

Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta

Oh, how I love the summer harvest!  Going to the Farmer's Market ranks as a favorite Saturday morning activity for me.  I want everything!  We go home with loads of fresh veggies and fruit (way more than two people can eat...that's for sure!).

We went to the Flea Market last Saturday looking for some junk treasure that I could pick up and refinish.  (I am dying to become a successful DIYer.) While we didn't score any fantastic new furniture, we did bring home bags of fresh veggies.  Note to self: the Flea Market isn't the place for used "stuff" anymore...gotta go elsewhere.

Nothing better than a freshly grown tomato!
From the Flea Market no less!

So, armed with fresh beefstake tomatoes and the proliferation of fresh basil growing in my container garden, I really wanted to make a favorite summer dish.  Trouble is...I couldn't find my recipe!
Many years ago, a friend gave me the best recipe for a similar pasta dish.  Guess what?  We both lost the recipe!  In the last two weeks I have been seeing them everywhere...all just a slightly bit different.  I altered the recipe and here's what we enjoyed:

Ingredients:

12 oz linquine

3 large quartered beefstake tomatoes @ room temperature

1/2 C fresh chopped basil

2 T olive oil

2 clove garlic

Salt and Pepper

Feta Cheese

1.  Cook the linquine according to the package directions.  Drain the pasta and return to the pot.

2.  Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree two of the tomatoes, oil, garlic, salt & pepper (to taste).

3.  Finely dice the remaining tomato.

4.  Toss the pasta with the pureed tomatoes, the chopped tomato, and half the basil.

5.  Sprinkle with the feta cheese and the remaining basil just before serving.  

Notes:

The recipe said to puree all three tomatoes, but I wanted some tasty fresh chunks.

The recipe also called for freshly ground parmesean or romano cheeses.  I didn't have any.  Hence, the Feta.

It was absolutely divine!

Sweet little cookie

In honor of OREO's 100th birthday (geez, I've been a fan for half of their existence!), I thought I'd post my absolute favorite OREO recipe.  It's super easy.  Super decadent.

Dirt Pudding

Ingredients:
19 oz crushed OREOs
2 sm boxes French Vanilla Pudding
2 3/4 C milk
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 C powdered sugar
1/2 stick butter
8 oz Cool Whip

In a small bowl, mix pudding & milk.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and butter.  Add pudding mixture & cool whip.  Mix all together.

Layer 1/2 of the crushed OREOs in a 13" x 9" pan, cover with the pudding filling mixture.  Layer remaining OREOs on top.  Refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Oh, how I love pumpkin!

It's about time for a recipe, huh?  Been awhile.  Even though the calendar says December, we're technically still in the fall season.  I stocked up on canned pumpkin right before Thanksgiving (yea, Costco!).  I really should be thinking about sugar cookies, fudge, snickerdoodles, and peppermint cookies. There's still plenty of time, right?

See, I really do love to cook and love to bake.  (I love to eat, too; but I'll save that post for another time, eh?)  This, coupled with my love for pumpkin, equals:

Pumpkin Muffins Cupcakes!

Super easy.

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix (any brand will do)
1 can pumpkin puree
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground nutmeg

Mix all together and fill your cupcake pan.  That's it!  I used paper cupcake liners (so easy).  You could also just grease & flour your pan.

Yum-O Topping:
1 stick softened butter
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar

Cut the butter into the flour & sugar (or use a pastry blender).  You want this to be a very crumbly consistency.

Generously top each of the batter-filled cups with a mound of topping and pat lightly.

Bake as directed for cupcakes (look for directions on the back of your yellow cakemix box).  I'm at high altitude and baked mine about 25 mins.  Yield:  18 muffins cupcakes

Cool.
&
then...

oh,
my,
heck!

Enjoy the yummy pumpkin goodness.  Warning:  they are a bit messy!  They are sublime with your favorite coffee drink or even better with a cold glass of milk.  Afternoon snack.  Or, breakfast!  Most times...Bill eats two (at a time).

Don't forget to share.

iphone testimonial (pardon the text-ease): 

"U better save me a couple more of those muffins.  Those darn things r incredible!"

-Eric, my 25-year-old son

I'm in LOVE with the Fall harvest!

I used to only know how to make zucchini recipes.  I used to grow zucchini, and I've literally "zucchini-ized" every dish under the sun.

This fall, we've been out to this wonderful little farmer's market in Brighton twice.  I just LOVE the place!  I've bought butternut, spaghetti, and acorn squash this year (yes, and a few zucchini).  Last night, I cut open the acorn squash and tried this recipe.  We LOVED it.  (Watch out Martha)

Ingredients:
2 T spoon butter
1 Medium Acorn Squash
2 T brown sugar
Coarse grown salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Halve the acorn squash crosswise. Scoop out seeds; discard. Slice a small piece off bottom of each squash half just enough to level.

3. Set squash halves, scooped sides down, on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn squash; prick insides all over with a fork. Divide 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar among halves; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Continue to bake until flesh is easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!