Monday, January 14, 2013

Comfort Classic: Chicken Pot Pie

A classic for a cold day...  This was a great Chicken Pot Pie to make!  I used store bought pie crust. I made the chicken during the day in my crockpot which is really close to store bought rotisserie chicken.  Chopped up and sautéed some carrots, onions and celery. Whipped together the creamy butter sauce and viola - you have a great hearty warm meal.  This was a winner!



Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
2 cups Chicken, shredded - either rotisserie or crockpot
2 pie crust dough (top and bottom) - I use already made from the refrigerated section
1 cup carrots
1 cup celery
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
2 tbl melted butter for pie dough

Directions
Morning: Place several chicken breast (I use frozen) in crockpot. Add 1/2 cup water and salt and pepper.  Cook for 6-8 hours. When done, shred with fork.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In saucepan over medium heat, sauté the carrots and celery until soft.  When done, stir in the chicken.

3. In another saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in the chicken broth then the milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat.

4.  Place one pie dough in a pie plate.  Place chicken carrot celery mixture in bottom of pie plate.   Pour hot liquid mixture over the chicken.

5. Top with other pie dough. Crimp the edges together of the top and bottom pie doughs to seal the pie.  Brush the melted butter over your pie. Make several small slits in the top to allow the steam to escape.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.


Saturday, January 12, 2013

Paula Deen Chocolate Chip Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

I love Mrs. Paula Deen! Her food is so good!  I have tried so many of her recipes and haven't had many that I didn't like.  We were craving something sweet so we tried this little gem.  It was super easy and everyone like it.  It was great to just grab a little bite!  A definite make again!



Ingredients

Cake Base Layer
1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling Layer
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Topping
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well.

Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped nuts on top of filling. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey.