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.

a family favorite - million dollar spaghetti

Last fall, I came across this blog as well as this recipe.... Million Dollar Spaghetti has quickly become a family favorite.  I do things a little differently than she does and I also do mine in the crockpot to save some time during the crunch part of my day.  You can also do it in the oven.  This recipe is so good!  You have got to try it!  The creamy cheese mixture in the middle make this recipe extra yummy.

This best part of this meal is that I can make it early in the afternoon and it is ready when we get home from our activities.  If I have it on by 2pm, we can eat it anytime after 5pm. Talk about a time save.  We can walk right in from our activities and dinner is ready.


Million Dollar Spaghetti - Crockpot Style

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 can/jar spaghetti sauce (whatever your favorite is)
Cream Cheese Mixture:
       5 oz Italian Herb Cooking Cream OR Philadelphia Cream Cheese
       1/4 cup sour cream
       8 oz cottage cheese
4 tbl butter
spaghetti noodles, cooked and rained

Directions:
1.  Brown your meat and cook your spaghetti.
2.  Add your spaghetti sauce to your meat and let it simmer for just a few minutes
3.  Mix up your cream cheese mixture (**money saving tip for future recipe below). 
4.  Now it is time to layer, so get out your crockpot
         -- put a couple of teaspoons of butter along the bottom of the crockpot
         -- layer half the spaghetti noodles on the bottom of the crockpot
         -- put a couple of teaspoons of butter on top of the spaghetti
         -- spread the cream cheese mixture over the noodles
         -- layer the rest of the spaghetti noodles over the cream cheese mixture
         -- put the rest of the butter on the spaghetti noodles
         -- top the spaghetti with all of the meat sauce
5. Turn the crockpot on low for 2-4 hours, whatever time you need
6.  Serve with some yummy crusty bread!

Money Saving Tip:
When combining your cream cheese mixture, dump the entire container of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sour cream and 16oz container of cottage cheese in a bowl. Stir it all together.  When done, use half for your current recipe. Then put the leftover back in the cottage cheese container.  Mark it with "million dollar spaghetti" on top, put the container in a freezer bag, and store it in the freezer. Next time you make this recipe, set the cream cheese mixture out in the morning and it will be thawed by the time you need it!

Oven Cooking:
If you want to cook this in the oven, here are the other steps.
1.  preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Do all the layering above, but do it in a 13x9 pan instead of the crockpot.
3. Cook in the over for 40 minutes.

 spaghetti sauce & my frozen then thawed cheese mixture

Butter, Noodles, Cheese layers so that you can see

Top layer of noodles 

Complete with the meat sauce layer

I have some who like more of the cheese mixture, meat mixture 

and some who want a little of both!

my binder

I mentioned my binder in yesterday's post.  I used to have a drawer that housed all of my recipes. But I needed an easier way to get at them.  I bought a 2" binder and some sleeve protectors.

 Of course, it is pink.  I love me some girly pink!

When I find a recipe I want to try, I print it then add it to the pocket on the left.  The sleeve protectors are reserved for recipes that I have tried and like.  Every month when I do my monthly menu, I pull this baby out.  All in one spot I have what I want to try and what I know we like.  I can easily flip through the recipes and right down what we are going to have on the calendar. Then I can easily add it to my grocery list.  When I am ready to cook the meal, I bring the binder back out.  The sleeve protector's keep the recipes nice and clean.

My storage spot is by the microwave, only takes up 2 inches.

So next time you head to the store, pick up a binder and some sheet protectors. It will make you feel so much more organized!

my monthly menu

Last August, I started a monthly menu. I was trying to be more organized and make limited trips to the grocery store.  I sat down with an empty calendar and my recipes and started planning.  The last year of doing this has been awesome for our family. I rarely have to wonder what's for dinner which is absolutely awesome. I make one big shopping run towards the end of the month/beginning of the month.  I can make adjustments as needed AND we are saving money because I can buy in bulk.

So here is how I do it....

1. Print out (or write in your planner) a calendar.  (www.calendarsthatwork.com)

2. Look at your current calendar and put any times that you all will be out of town or have an out of the house dinner commitment.  Mark all of these on your calendar.

3.  Pull out your recipes. I keep mine in a binder by the microwave.

4.  Start plugging in the meals you want to make.

      (I know that on certain days we have extra curricular activities that run late, those are my    

         typical crockpot days.)

5. Once you have your calendar filled it's time to make your grocery list.

6. I look at the recipe and write down everything I will need.  I do this for each one. I make tick marks when I need one pound of meat or chicken. Then I add it all up at the end.

7.  Once you have your grocery list, go to your pantry and fridge and see what you have.  You probably have most of your spices.  I mark off what I have on hand.  

8.  Take your grocery list that you now have. I look at it and see what can be bought at the bulk store and what I can just get at my grocery store.  Like if I need 6 packages of spaghetti noodles, I know that they are cheaper for a box of 6 at Sam's then buying 6 individual packages at the regular grocery store.

***All of the steps above might take 30-45 minutes. 

9. Then I add the menu to my calendar that is in my phone/laptop.  This is great because I can always look to see what's for dinner.

10. If I don't use a meal that month, I just put it at the first of the next month.

Then on one day, I go to the bulk store (Sam's in my case) then head over to Walmart or Target. I get everything that I need. Then each week if I need fresh foods or bread I go early in the week.  I write on the calendar what I will need that's fresh for that week (see the Sundays below).  Hope this helps some of you!  It definitely was a time saver for me as well as taking away the stress of wondering every day "what's for dinner?"

Chicken Teriyaki - in the crockpot!

We love us some Asian food here at our house.  I make it probably once a week. I was looking for crockpot/slow cooker recipes and found this one. I added it to my next rotation.  I made it this last week with some minor changes and it was fabulous!  My husband said he REALLY liked it and that is a rare compliment around here.   There is one change I will make next time (mixing the sauce) and another secret is the rice!

Ingredients:
4-5 chicken breast or  8-10 chicken tenders
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
6 tbl cider vinger
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
1 container fresh mushrooms.
4 1/2 tsp cornstarch
4 1/2 tsp cold water
4 cups cooked rice


Directions:
1.  Place FROZEN chicken in the crockpot.  Put it in frozen skips a step and you can have it cook just a little bit longer.  I always use frozen chicken and beef in the crockpot.  
2.  In a separate bowl mix sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and pepper.  Pour over the chicken and stir up to make sure all of the chicken is covered.
3. Cook on low 4-5 hours if using thawed chicken OR 5-6 hours is using frozen chicken.
4.  I added a container of fresh mushrooms in with about 2 hours left to cook (optional!)  
5. About 30 minutes before you would like to eat, go ahead and make your rice.  We use Botan rice (see picture below). It is a Japanese rice and is soooo much better when serving Asian food.  It is sticky and a shorter grain.  It can be found at most grocery stores.
6.  About 10 minutes before you want to eat, get out about 1.5-2 cups of your crockpot chicken liquid and put it in a saucepan. Start heating on a low heat.
7. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Stir until smooth.
8.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan.  Stir with a whisk.  
9.  In  just a few minutes, you will have a thick teriyaki sauce.
10.  Dump your teriyaki sauce in the crockpot and give it a stir.
11. Serve your teriyaki chicken over rice.  I had a side of edamame too to round out the meal.

You could definitely add other veggies into this meal.  We talked about carrots and water chestnuts next time. They don't need to cook too long so you can do it with around an hour or two left.  

My frozen tenders mixed with the seasonings 

 Thick teriyaki sauce

Awesome rice to serve with your Asian dishes

the best roast

For years, I mean years, I have been trying to find the perfect roast recipe. My mom always made the best roast but mine never turned out like hers. I have gone through pounds and pounds of meat with no success. But I am no quitter.  I keep trying recipes and finally stumbled upon this one.  It's from Martha, of course.  I have made it numerous times and every time it tastes absolutely perfect.  I will even say it is better than mom's *gasp.*  I have started buying larger roasts so that we can have roast one night then roast sandwiches the next day.  It is that good.... and it's all done in the crock pot.  Below is my roast recipe then what to do with the leftovers....

What you will need:
1 crockpot
1 tbl corn starch
2 tbl cold water
3 tbl worcestershire sauce
Salt & Pepper
1 arm roast (around 3 pounds), I have used all different cuts of roast
2 cups carrots (I use the mini snack carrots)
1 onion (sliced... I use frozen chopped up onions)

Directions:
1.  In crock pot, stir together water and corn starch until smooth. 
2.  Add carrots and onions.
3.  Put roast on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce.
5. Cook on low for 10 hours (or on high for 6 hours)

Once you are ready to dish up your roast, you can use a fork and get pieces out of the crockpot.  Make sure and drizzle a little bit of the juice to drizzle on top.  Serve with mashed potatoes.  Such a great hearty meal.  Perfect for fall!


Roast Sandwiches

The next day for lunch or for dinner you can have roast sandwiches....  

1.  Take about 3/4 cup of the roast juice and put it in a saucepan.  Heat it up on low. 
2.  Add a couple of spoonfuls of flour. Whisk together while it is heating up.  Once it reaches the consistency I want for my gravy, I take it off the heat.  You can use more or less flour depending on how thick you like your gravy.  If you get too thick, add more roast juice.
3.  Heat up your roast in the microwave.
4. Once roast is heated, shred with a fork and then mix it with the gravy.  

Now, you can serve the roast mix on regular bread or a bun or whatever bread product you like. I serve it on the frozen yeast rolls I get from Sam's. These are the best rolls and I use them for everything! They only take 10 minutes in the oven and they are to die for!  

Pair your roast sandwich with chips or fries or leftover mashed potatoes.  Oh so good...