Homemade Turkey/Chicken Pot Pie

Below you will read about a nice homemade Turkey/Chicken Pot Pie. Also, below is a very quick recipe for a good, easy and not so homemade Turkey/Chicken Pot Pie.

My mother in law gave me a book called Best Recipes from Time-Life Books. There was a recipe called Vermont Chicken Pie. Instead of pie crusts, you just place homemade biscuits on top. There were instructions on poaching a whole chicken, but I didn't follow that portion of the recipe. Instead, I had left overs from a turkey I roasted not too long ago. We froze some of the drippings and the left-over turkey for a few weeks. Eventually, I defrosted everything and used both the turkey and the drippings for the Turkey Pot Pie. Biscuit Recipe also included below!. I have to admit, hubby and I are trying to cut down on grains, so I probably should of left the biscuits out. I would make this in a heart beat with out the biscuits or crust.

Assuming you have fat from the bird, the recipe actually states to drop the reserved chicken fat into a heavy 10 to 12 inch skillet, add 2 tablespoons water, and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently. When the bits render all there fat, remove the residue with a slotted spoon and discard it. This was another STEP I didn't do, since I never saved the reserved chicken fat. I just added olive oil to the pan and a little of the fat that rises to the top from the drippings we saved. The rest of the instructions are taking exactly from the recipe in the book.

To this 2 tablespoons of butter is added and melted over moderate heat. When foam subsides, stir in 6 tablespoons of flour and mix to a smooth paste with a whisk.

Pour in 2 1/2 cups of turkey or chicken stock, stir constantly - until it comes to a boil. You can use chicken broth from the can of course if you don't have stock. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Salt and Pepper it.

Mix in 1 inch turkey or chicken pieces. I also added frozen peas and corn. Pour all into a baking dish.

The original Vermont Chicken Pie recipe is ONLY the meat. I think it's better to add things though. You could add anything, potatoes, carrots etc. However, since the pie is only cooked in the oven for 1/2 hour, you might want to pre cook your carrots and potatoes. One idea is to saute carrots, potatoes, celery, onions etc. on the stove and add that to the mixture.

BISCUITS:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt. sift all three ingredients into a large chilled bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into bits and 2 tablespoons of lard, cut into bits. I used crisco instead of lard. With your finger tips, rub the flour mixture and fat together until they look like flakes of coarse meal.

Pour in 1/2 cup cold milk and beat with a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth and can be gathered into a fairly dry, compact ball. If the dough is moist and sticky - add flour one tablespoon at a time.

roll dough, cut dough into 2 inch rounds. You can use the bottom of a glass to make the rounds if you want.

Brush tops with butter. Place them all on top of the chicken pot pie mixture. Bake for 25 minutes 400 degrees.

It was very yummy. I used individual crocks.

If your looking for a VERY easy and yummy pot pie recipe - this is great. It's not exactly homemade though. Take 2 cups of cooked chicken, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup of frozen veggies and 1/2 cup of milk. Mix all together and pour into pre-made pie crusts. Cook until done. Not exactly homemade - but I have to admit, it's always a winner in my house.

Lamb Meatball, Orach and Cashew soup

I haven't updated my blog in awhile. I have either been making recipes that are already located on my blog or just throwing stuff together. Sometimes with the kids, it's easier for me to throw together a quick salad, throw some steaks or burgers on the grill etc. And since I went off my 'eating healthy' lifestyle for awhile, eating out became a bit more frequent.

Today I decided to combine 2 recipes. Penzeys spice magazine had a lamb meatball recipe. I made these and put them into a soup recipe I tried for the first time. The soup is called Orach and cashew soup. I couldn't find Orach so I used spinache instead. My husband and I enjoyed this meal. The soup recipe comes from Galya. You have probably noticed a lot of recipes on my blog come from her. She just has this wonderful way of preparing and cooking healthy, sophisticated foods and at the same time minimal list of ingredients, easy preparation and minimal cooking time.

Click here to see recipe for soup:

The Lamb Meatballs were pretty easy. Here are the steps.

1. 1 lb ground lamb
2. 1 tsp of spearmint or 1-2 TB fresh spearmint. I could only find mint so I used that instead.
3. 1 tsp of lamb seasoning
4. some pepper
5. 1 TB fresh minced parsley.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to let flavors meld together.

Preheat oven to 375
Heat some oil in a pan.
Form small balls from your mixture and brown on all sides. (total time 5-8 minutes).
Place on Cookie sheet and cook in oven for 10-15 minutes.

You can even make a dipping sauce for the lamb meatballs if you don't put them into a soup like I did. Just chop up 1/4 of a cucumber and mix that with 4oz of plain yogurt or sourcream. Add some fresh parley into the mix when ready to serve.

collection of healthy foods

I have decided to do a little post briefly discussing and posting links to some very healthy things I've been incorporating into my life. I will than hopefully add more as time goes by. So the list begins. I probably have more, but these are the ones that I can think of for now. A BIG HUGE thank you for the people who have shared these wonderful recipes and have made my life more healthier. I have tried them all and they all get a BIG thumbs up. : )

1. My new favorite salad. Link here: SALAD
Look at Chris’ Cayenne Candied Pecan California Salad under Eat A Salad Everyday.
I actually have used walnuts and sunflower seeds instead of pecans many times.

To continue with the salad sega for a second, I actually made one up today. 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, tuna (which was mixed with a few tablespoons of sour cream, lemon juice and some spices), 1/2 cup cold black beans and a whole bunch of spring lettuce leaves. It was sooo good. : )

2. Here is a list of 10 healthy marinades you can make. Tonight, I'm trying the Tandoori Chicken marindade. It's in the oven now. I plan on trying more of these marinades. Here is the link: MARINADES
You have to scroll down a little to get to the list of marinades.

3. Also from the same site, but different link: Some homemade salad dressings. I have made the Balsamic Vinaigrette a few times. It is is so good and it took like 2 minutes to make. Here is the link: SALAD DRESSINGS

4. A recipe my mom found recently. It comes from Sam the Cooking Guy, her new favorite show.

Warm Cabbage Salad.
Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1/3 to 1/2 cup of any kind of honey dijon dressing

1/2 head of napa cabbage (not the core end) finely shredded - about 6 cups.

1-2 ounces pack 'ready bacon', sliced thin across the strips

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

STEPS:

1. Place cabbage in large bowl with cheese on top
2. Saute mushrooms in about a tablespoon of olive oil until quite soft - add bacon. Book both about 3 more minutes, until bacon starts getting crispy.
3. Add dressing to pan
4. Pour mushroom, bacon dressing on the the cabbage and mix well.
5. Season with salt, pepper and serve.



4. I have many!!! lovely recipes from my friend Galya over at http://eatloveandtrain.blogspot.com/

Some of my favorites are:

1. Ricotta Breakfasts: Ricotta Breakfasts

2. Mock bread and Italian Mock bread: Mock Bread. Italian Mock Bread.


3. Banana Bread: Banana Bread

4. Protein Bars. This one is a GREAT one. I can't for some reason find it on the site right now, so here it is, written by Galya. Thanks Galya!!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup oat bran
1 grated apple
1/2 cup berries ( I used aronia/chokeberry here)
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (roughly 50 grams)
1/2 cup nuts
1/4 cup dried fruit (cranberries in this recipe)
3 eggs
2 tsp pumpkin spice

Mix all the ingredients and let them sit for half an hour. Pour in a silicone pan and bake for about 20 minutes at 370F. Cut while still warm, pizza cutters work best in my opinion.

To store, wrap in a wet towel and keep in the fridge.

5. Guacamole Dip

6. Nutty Swiss Chard

Thanks so much Galya!!!!!!

and my last one, that I made up but got the general idea from a forum I was reading:

HEALTHY DESERT:

tablespoon of cocoa powder or however much you want
smooched up banana
tablespoon of coconut oil (actually looks more like a paste or soft butter than oil)
tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup of blueberries.
1-2 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup.
1/4 cup chopped nuts (toasted would be best, like hazelnuts)
Mix all together and eat. A little mushy looking, but it's a good sweet treat. I think I left out the nuts, the last time I made it, because it was fairly late at night and I didn't feel like chopping them in my mini chopper and toasting them in the oven.

OK ONE MORE. : ). My new favorite Shake.

1. frozen banana
2. 1-2 tablespoons of almond butter
3. cup of unsweetened almond milk
4. few bunches of baby spinache
5. sometimes sliced strawberries or frozen blueberries
6. Blend!!! Yummy

Red Curry Sauce

Once again, I'll have to update with pictures at a later time. I do want to continue sharing my favorite recipes, even if don't have pictures of them. : )

This is great. I usually make a stir fry and pour it over the stir fry. Served with rice is always good too. I've made this a bunch of time too. I also have to find the original source that I found this recipe. I found it awhile ago. I was very excited when I first made it, because it really reminds of a sauce I've had at a Thai Restaurant in Salem that I used to go to.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minched, peeled ginger root
1 teaspoon coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/4 cups of coconut milk
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons packed brown sugar

Instructions:
1. heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Saute the garlic and ginger for several minutes, than remove from heat and add the coriander seeds, cumin, paprika, curry paste and cook over low heat for 2 minutes to release oils, stirring constantly.
3. Do not let it burn.
4. Add the coconut milk, tomato paste, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
5. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to ALMOST a boil, stirring constantly. Be careful and don't let it boil or it will separate. Remove from heat and keep warm, or reheat it very gently when ready to use.

Baked Halibut (or TALAPIA) with tomatoes, capers and olive vinaigrette

This recipe is so awesome. I've made it for company and my husband and I love this supper. The next time I make it, I'll try to take pictures and than update this blog with pictures. I've been making this for years now. It was adaped from Gourmet Magazine.

Baked Haliburt (OR TALAPIA) with tomato, capers, olive vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons of dijon mustard
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
quartered 2/3 cup kalmata olives
2 tablespoons drained capers, rinsed
salt and pepper
1-2 lobs of fish cut into bite size pieces.

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Whisk together lemon juice, and mustard.
3. add oil in a slow stream whisking until emulsified.
4. stir in tomatoes, olives, capers, salt and pepper.
5. Put fish into a glass baking dish and pour everything in with the fish.
6. Cook until finished. Anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes.

Kellys healthy pancake recipe

I think I mentioned in an early board, that I would post my friend Kellys pancake recipe. We all love this. My friend Kelly also has young children, and her family loves it too.

Dry Mix to store:

4 cups of Quick Oats
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup wheat germ or groundflaxseed
2 tablespoons of cinnamon
3 tablespoons baking power
1/2 teaspoon cream tarta (found in spice isle).

When ready to make Pancakes:

1. 2 cups mix that you made above.
2. 2 eggs
3. 1/2 cup olive oil
4. 1 cup water
5. mix alltogether and make pancakes.

You can half the recipe too.

Favorite Holiday Season Deserts.

The last couple of years, my mother in laws chocolate peanutbutter fudge and a wonderful peppermint bark recipe I found have been our favorites. They have been big hits. I have even made the fudge for the cookie walk at the annual toys and greens sale. Although these will continue to be big hits and I will make them again, this year I made what's called a chocolate salami. It came from a magazine from Hannaford called Fresh - home for the holidays issue. It's a truflle like mixture studded with almonds and cookie crumbs, making it look like salami. The recipe can be halved and it can be frozen. Very simple and a new holiday favorite. Here is the recipe. Also, an added bonus : ). The bark and fudge recipes are also below.

Recipe for Chocolate "Salami"

1 12 pkg semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, sliced
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups vanilla wafer cookies crushed into crumbs
1/3 cup of sliced almonds. I grinded mine up in my mini chopper.

Instructions:
1. melt chocolate using a double boiler or a metal bowl or saucepan that will rest on top of a bottom saucepan. Fill the bottom pan halfway with water. Place chocolate and butter in the top pan. Heat the water over medium low heat. Gently stir the chocolate and butter after about 1 minute. Keep stiring. When it's about 80 percent melted, take off stove and let it continue to melt.
2. stir in vanilla, cookie crumbs and almonds
3. put the pan in the freezer until mixture is slightly firm. 5-10 minutes or so.
4. spray a large sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable cooking spray or use parchment paper (which I did). Spread the chocolate mixture evenly along one long side. Roll to form a log shape about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter and 10 to 12 inches long. Place in freezer until fully firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
5. Remove log from freezer 2 hours before you plan to serve. Cut into slices. You can garnish with strawberries, whipped cream ect. on the side if you want.


Peppermint Bark: Here is another wonderful recipe that I have found and used from Boston Chefs blog over at http://bostonchef.blogspot.com.
The recipe can be found here:

Chocolate PeanutButter Fudge:
1 lb white chocolate
1 lb milk chocolate
16 oz jar of cream peanutbutter

Melt chocolate
stir in peanut butter
pour into 9X13 pan lined with parchment paper and refrigerate.