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Ooooh! Chicken Pot Pie!! Maybe tomorrow night...great idea!!!

Tonight I made potato soup with chunks of chicken, cream, and cheese.

I goofed royally at the store a couple of weeks ago. I bought a package of Cabot's habarnero jack (I think it was jack) cheese. I like hot. I don't like hot so hot you can't taste after eating it. One thin slice of cheese on a Triscuit is more than I can handle of that stuff. So I thought, grate a LITTLE in the soup. I'm telling ya...just a little! I added some cheddar cheese too. That little dab of habarnero was almost half a dab too much. But it made some good soup!

Now to find out what to do with the rest of it. I may grate it and freeze it in tablespoon size clumps. That's about all I can handle!

I have company for lunch and had roasted pear salad, chicken baked in butter and cream, white and wild rice and a lemon meringue tart -- supper was yesterday's roast with fresh mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans. Another piece of tart for dessert.

The tart.

Martha

That's puuurty!

Saturday eve we had dinner guests for Grilled NY Strips and Twice Baked Potatoes, Green Beans with bacon, onion in beef sauce and another fresh Pear Romaine salad with homemade pear vinaigrette and this time added feta, bit of onions and green pepper.
I live in the booondocks so had to put together my own spumoni using Cherry chip, Mint chip, & chocolate ice creams from the niche dairy that came pretty close to satisfying my love for the real thing.
Tonight it's my favorite pot roasted beef with veggies and gravy.

Lurah -- have you tried roasting the pears before adding them to the salad -- it's great and the "juices" that they're roasted in make a great vinaigrette! It's an Ina recipe and I'm sure you could google and find it -- roasted pear salad.

It's a new favorite of ours!

Martha

Company for dinner tonight -- I need a picture for my newspaper column and a whole lasagna is way too much for the two of us -- so what do you do? Ask 2 couples to join you!

Dinner -- stuffed mushrooms and corn chips and a homemade blue cheese dip to start; lasagna, salad, garlic bread and a baked fruit compote with rum raisin ice cream for dessert. Wine of course, drinks before and coffee after.

Martha

quote:

Originally posted by Linderhof:
Lurah -- have you tried roasting the pears before adding them to the salad -- it's great and the "juices" that they're roasted in make a great vinaigrette! It's an Ina recipe and I'm sure you could google and find it -- roasted pear salad.

It's a new favorite of ours!

Martha

Yeah, or I could go to my kitchen library and pull the recipe from which one of Ina's books?
I have them all. That sounds even better.
Have you ever had Cuisine Perel's D'Anjou Pear Vinegar, it's lovely. I have fig & Meyer lemon and Cherry vinegars from Lulu - These are my three best vinegars!
I don't know what I'll do if my favorite little gourmet deli and shop full of condiments, mixes and specialty items ever closes. Thank goodness it's a couple hours away or I'd bave one of everything by now.

A favorite use for the cherry vinegar is on steamed green beans with Craisins and candied almonds - who wouldn't eat green beans fixed this way.

Sorry, Lurah, I had forgotten that you were an Ina fan as well and had mentioned on another thread that you had all of her cookbooks. It's in Back to Basics.

The flavored vinegars sound lovely and at one time I have bought pear vinegar . . . and although I do have a good balsamic and a unfiltered organic cider vinegar in the larder I mostly use my own homemade red wine vinegar for most things.

I may have to see about getting some cherry vinegar for your recipe for green beans sounds yummy!

Martha

Martha, is the newspaper online with your column?

Mexican stuffed peppers and grilled chicken

Well, one is -- google fstribune and then when it comes up click on opinion and it lists the columnists and there I am -- but there is only one of the columns. They are transitioning so . . .

And the other paper doesn't have me listed as a columnist -- I've mentioned that but they haven't done anything about it!

Perhpas some day!

Martha

Dinner tonight was beef pot pie with a biscuit crust. The last of the Sunday roast -- enough for DH to have lunch on tomorrow. Cool night -- comfort food!

Martha

Went out for Chinese! I had Curry Shrimp.

KYIS - Thanks for asking about Linderhof's column. It was a breath of fresh aire.

Linderhof - Thanks for the Ina reference.

Do you take reservations for an invitation to come to lunch or dinner? If I'm ever on my way to Dallas or heading to Tulsa we could plan our meal stop at your fine establishment!

I enjoyed your column and the blog is lovely.

"NOTE: I made 4 individual tarts instead of one big one. I am rather fond of individual desserts!"

After I've prepared a meal to entertain I know folks are stuffed, at dessert time "make my piece very small" is often requested. With a near warehouse of all types of individual molds, pans, plaques, and mini tins I can do just about anything in an individual serving.

I wish more restaurants would move to offer those little "shooter" desserts. They'd be amazed how many more would be sold. That's just the right amount, you didn't exactly overindulge and as I get older I enjoy sweets less and less.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Lurah,

Tonight I made chicken fried steaks with gravy, mashed potatos, peas and chocolate pie for dessert. Very yummy!

Lurah -- if you are ever coming my way, I'd love to have you stop and actually I'm about 3 hours away from Tulsa so if you're coming on 69 highway south, you'll come through my little town.

And I hope when you do, you will let me know for I'd love to meet you. My email is on the sidebar of my blog. So give me a shout!

Martha

Martha, Thanks for the directions to your column. I was so hoping photos would be included and you didn't disappoint. TY!

Pssttt...Lurah, did you click on the photos? They enlarge.

Well, I sure wish you guys lived closer to me. We could have cooking parties or something.
:-)

Made pork chops in cream of mushroom soup last night. Will try to make lasagna either tonight or tomorrow night. Bought these lasagna noodles from Barilla--no boil kind. The package is much smaller than regular lasagna noodles so I'm a bit puzzled but will give it a go.

quote:

Originally posted by Charcoalsmom:

Bought these lasagna noodles from Barilla--no boil kind. The package is much smaller than regular lasagna noodles so I'm a bit puzzled but will give it a go.

I use only those Charcoalsmom. I usually make my lasagna in a 9x13 pan then place the uncooked pasta three to a layer. On the package it says not to let them touch each other because they expand when cooked. I think they're comparable to the lasagna noodles you have to boil first, and they are definitely a lot easier!

I only use Barilla noodles and really like their lasagne variety. I do lay my dry noodles in a flat dish and pour boiling water over them to soak while I'm getting other items prepared.
Just lift them out of the warm water and they have a head start on cooking.
They are so much easier to use, especially since I make so many lasagne using differnt size and shaped pans. And they never tear and generally come intact from the box.

I had two frozen Lobsters in the freezer, I'm defrosting them now (kinda late), just debating if I should steam them or boil them. Probably steam because it's just the two tails and four claws and I think if I boil them they'll get waterlogged. For tomorrow night I ordered 10 lbs. of live crawfish which I will boil in a very spicy and flavorful concoction of lemon, cayenne, lots of salt, Zatarains crab boil mix and add small potatoes, baby artichokes, corn on the cob, and halved heads of garlic.

Well, I put all the ingredients together for the lasagna and it's in the oven baking. Kind of excited about it though I was really worried when I read the post about putting the noodles in water first because I did not do that.

Pot pie again this evening. I went for a massage (I'm melting.....) after work. I put one container of pot pie filling in the freezer and left the other in the refrigerator along with the rest of the pie dough. Easy peasy!

quote:

Originally posted by KeepYouInStitches:
Pot pie again this evening. I went for a massage (I'm melting.....) after work. I put one container of pot pie filling in the freezer and left the other in the refrigerator along with the rest of the pie dough. Easy peasy!

Can you post your recipe KYIS, I have a lot of left over turkey from turkey soup I made and wanted to make a pot pie...

Linderhof, thank you for the lasagna recipe.

So the lasana I made tonight turned out fairly good. I used the recipe on the back of the Barilla no boil lasagna package but I didn't have any eggs. I doubled up the ricotta cheese and sauce (one jar Prego, one jar Giatta--oh, is that how her name is spelled? It looks wrong)and baked it for about an hour at 375. Burned the bottom but it was still fairly good overall.

Forgot to say, I bought a chocolate cream pie the other night so have been having that for dessert these past few dinners.

Lurah, Thanks for the hint on lasagna noodles.

No cooking tonight - Souper Bowl. We're going to Habitat For Humanity's fundraiser.

A fun event - about 40 restaurants from the area will have soup to sample along with bread from local bakeries. Local artisans craft "bowls" of all shapes and varieties that you get with your ticket. I will try to take a photo of some of our past bowls.

Sure! It's from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes with some changes...but here's the original recipe...I'll put changes I made at the bottom.

Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie

Your favorite pastry recipe. While vegetables are steaming: line the bottom of your individual pie pans, regular pie pan or casserole with pastry.

*1 cup sliced carrots (about 3)
*1 cups sliced celery
*2 cups frozen peas
*1 cup chopped white onion

**4 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast halves cut into bite-size pieces

Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper

Steam the carrots and celery for 5 minutes. Add frozen peas and onion and continue to steam for 10-12 minutes or until the carrots are cooked.

Melt butter, whisk in flour. Add chicken broth and milk; bring to a boil. Cook an additional minute or so until thick. Add salt and pepper, steamed vegetables, and chicken.

Ladle filling into prepared crusts. Put top crust on, crimp, slit 2-3 times to allow steam to escape.

Put pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.

My changes:
* 1 cubed potato steamed with onion
AND 3-4 cups of frozen mixed vegetables. Yes, I know that there's green beans in there...doesn't bother me. I don't fool with slicing/dicing celery carrots, etc. And I don't like that many peas in my pot pies.

** Turkey or ham works just as well as chicken. Once I had a party and had lots of chicken or turkey sandwich meat left over. LOTS. I diced it and used it in my pies.

And...you may have to add more milk to make it saucier.

The little pans shown in my blog are too small. If you cook them long enough for the crust to brown, the liquid is all gone!
http://keepyouinstitches.blogs...Chicken%20Pot%20Pies

The recipe book suggests no smaller than 16-ounce casserole dishes that measure 4-5 inches across the top. I don't think my little pans hold more than 8 ounces.

I have 4 cast iron skillets about the correct size, but those make HUGE servings. When I use them, I serve in the skillet...looks pretty nifty if I do say so myself.

The first time I made these, it seemed to take ALL DAY LONG! I had watched/helped my sister-in-law who had hers prepped and assembled in about 30 minutes. Big learning curve for me. It takes about an hour to prep and assemble starting with raw potatoes.

KYIS - I have some leftover roast beef, I think I'll make your pot pie recipe with it and use beef broth. There's also some frozen shrimp that's not big enough for cocktail that I can use in this another day.

Agree with you about the potato substitution. Dang, that's way to many peas for me! When I was a kid, the most peas in any pot pie ever was 7. I know because I picked them all out!

KYIS -- your recipe looks good. Pot pies are one of my favorite foods -- beef, turkey or chicken! Your recipe is a bit different than mine and I'll try it next time!

Martha

I know about the English/sweet peas LOL. They are a love them or leave them vegetable for me depending on how they are prepared. I do not like canned peas...they flat stink when they are heated...smell like "pee" to me. I like LeSuer baby peas in a pea salad...don't make it out of full grown peas...they are tough. Frozen peas I can take or not...depending on brand and what's been done to them.

I LOVE fresh homegrown peas any way you can cook them. First time I grew them was for first DH. We almost didn't have any to cook...I ate them while shelling...SO GOOD!!! And nothing -absolutely nothing- tastes like them cooked with a bit of butter and sprinkle of mint.

Hope my pot pie recipe works good for you! Did I mention that you can bake it in a casserole and not single serve portions? That makes a faster assembly. But we like crust.

Last night we had TURKEY AND DRESSING!! LOL I opened the chest freezer for a pound of ground beef. I had it in my hand, spotted a bag of turkey parts left over from Christmas. Grabbed it and a pint container of leftover dressing. We had that along with some purple hull peas I froze this past summer. I was afraid it would be too soon after the turkey gluttony of the Christmas holiday - but we enjoyed it!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by KeepYouInStitches:
Sure! It's from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes with some changes...but here's the original recipe...I'll put changes I made at the bottom.


Thanks KYIS, I'm going to make this tonight!!

I felt well enough to cook today. I have stuffed green peppers in the crock pot, for supper and tomorrow's lunch. and on the stove, I've got Italian wedding soup, special request from DS. I won't have to cook tomorrow if I don't want. I have stuff going on Tuesday and Wed, so that will be simple stuff or left overs.

quote:

Originally posted by Kathy_in_wlsv:
I felt well enough to cook today. I have stuffed green peppers in the crock pot, for supper and tomorrow's lunch. and on the stove, I've got Italian wedding soup, special request from DS. I won't have to cook tomorrow if I don't want. I have stuff going on Tuesday and Wed, so that will be simple stuff or left overs.

Kathy, sorry you weren't feeling well, hope it's something that will heal and you'll be back on your feet.

We have Sunday Lunch -- pork chops cooked in the oven with thyme and glazed with balsamic vinegar, roasted parsnips sprinkled with sea salt with shallots and garlic, roasted carrots sprinkled with dill and roasted peeled chunked sweet potatoes sprinkled with brown sugar.

Dinner is popcorn or leftovers.

Martha

Alas, another good cook who has the Sunday night popcorn supper tradition! Always milk to drink with it. DH topped his off with wedged apple and caramel dip.
When kids were preteens then we'd finish off with fried egg sandwiches if they were still hungry.
They did come to loathe Sunday night popcorn so for awhile we had favorite pizza shop delivery! The bill was always $35.48!

I made English muffins tonight with a new recipe. Third recipe I've tried. Three's a charm! This one is from King Arthur flour and is THE recipe. I'm excited!

DH went for a motorcycle ride this afternoon. He got home just as I was finishing up with the English muffins. When I made the last of the pot pies, I just put the filling in a casserole and used only a top crust...which wasn't enough for either of us. I split use an English muffin each (fork method) and topped with the reheated pot pie. THAT WAS GOOD!!!

Sherry -- that sounds really good and you are so brave to attempt English muffins!

Martha

Saturday was "Chili con Pon" ~ you put chili in the bottom of a baking pan with corn bread batter on top ~ cook for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees and flip onto plates, bread side day. Serve plain or top with salsa, cheese, onions, sliced black olives and jalapenos for the adventuresome.

Sunday was Swiss Dips - roast beef with choice of cheddar or white cheeses on fairly delicate slices of rolls. Grill the breads first under the broiler with garlic/butter/margarine, top with the cheese until broiled to bubbling. Add the beef (heated in the au jus) and serve piping hot!

Monday will be more work than the two above - Hearty Beef Stew - start with marinated sirloin steak browned in a big kettle, add LOTS of broth and seasonings. a little red or white wine (your choice) and carrots, potatoes, onions and cabbage - simmer for 4-6 hours until the spoon stands up. Serve with bisquits - hot from the oven.

Edited to Add: Reading the above? Sounds like fairly "substantial" meals and have to say they are necessary this time of year ~ snow hasn't melted since mid-December, had an ice storm (first one in memory for many years on Friday) and it is so cold right now that our double pane windows are frosted over ~ so, yes, dinners like these are appreciated right now. Fresh fish, light vegetables and a salad just won't do!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Idaho Resident,

*going to move in with Idaho Resident*

CCM, You're welcome anytime ~ just be sure to bring your long underwear ~ you'll need it here right now!

KYIS - kudos for posting the pot pie recipe
Made it for supper tonight and they were excellent! I used 2 cups of potatoes and 1/2 cup of frozen peas and used leftover roast beef and beef bouillon.

Ok, IR, long underwear it is. And remember, I do the dishes. :-)

So tonight I made pasta and fresh fruit for the kids and heated up the lasagna for myself. It's funny how it tastes better after a day or two. Am getting a little tired of eating it, though. Froze some of it a couple of days ago.

Also made fried potatoes with onions, green and red peppers. I put in a fair amount of spices (am trying to use more spices--bought two different spice blends) and they tasted good. Have a little left over for tomorrow.

But the big ticket item for tonight was making apple crisps. Daughter brought home a recipe from school, I goofed up the batter part of it a little by adding the sugar and lemon juice directly to the fresh apples instead of the batter, the flour I bought was open when I went to use it so had a delay while dh went out to buy new flour, and when it was all said and done and baked, neither kid liked it.

Also want to ask--will someone be starting a February dinner thread? I'm really enjoying this. Would like a breakfast and lunch thread, too, or maybe it can be a daily food thread or something.

Charcoalsmom -- I think I've started the last two dinner threads and will be happy to start the February one as well.

How about an "Unusual Breakfast Dishes" or "Special Breakfasts" thread because so many of us have the same old oatmeal or scrambled eggs, etc., but if we make a special dish . . . then that desserts posting.

Martha

With chicken breasts from the freezer for my 75 degree January day on the prairie, I made King Ranch chicken. It was too warm for comfort food but the casserole and a big salad were really really good!

Martha

Lurah - I am so glad it worked for you! I've thought even using leftover beef stew would make a delicious pie!

I worked the concession stand at the junior high basketball game with our library Friends group and was starved when I got there so made me a half batch of nachos. Since we had a short night, I got home at 6:30 in time to fry husband an egg to top a toasted English muffin half. Then he decided he wanted the other half toasted with marmalade.

quote:

Originally posted by Charcoalsmom:
the flour I bought was open when I went to use it so had a delay while dh went out to buy new flour, and when it was all said and done and baked, neither kid liked it.

LOL - Last bag of flour I brought home from the store came the rest of the way open at the check out aisle. The clerk started to call for someone to bring another. I said no, that's okay, it's too busy and I don't mind.

Isn't it odd that some things come triple sealed and others not? Must be a good reason why no laws have been enacted to worry about that.

It's cold again on the prairie -- we did enjoy the 70 degree days Monday and Tuesday! And so comfort food once again.

Beef bourguignon.

I use Ina's recipe instead of Julia's.

Martha

Meatloaf and potatoes tonight! Son is coming for a visit, bringing boxes to store until he MOVES BACK TO HIS HOME!!! I am ecstatic! He wants to be on his own - he's 29 so he should be - but will probably stay in our camper until he can find a place to live.

He'll be spreading job applications around tomorrow and looking for a place to stay...but rentals he can possibly afford in our town are not in good neighborhoods and all of the apartments are government subsidized and there's quite a bit of drug use...I feel so sorry for the law-abiding citizens that have to live there. But there are other towns within 25 miles with jobs and housing. That is waaaay better than the 320 miles away from his mama.