Chicken Pot Pie

This is one of those recipes that make me say, "I thought this was harder to make! Why don't I make this more often?" Growing up I HATED pot pies!Mostly, I hated that they had peas in them so the whole thing was tainted! In actuality, they are quite delicious and when you make your own, you can leave the yucky things out.

THE INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 3/4 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup milk

2 cups cooked chicken

1 cooked potato, diced

1 cup frozen veggies, optional

2 prepared pie crusts (store bought or make your own)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook about 5 minutes until translucent. Add in the flour, salt and pepper. Whisk and cook over low until smooth.

Slowly add in the milk and then the chicken broth. Heat to a boil, whisking constantly and cook for one minute.

Take the saucepan off the heat and mix the sauce with the chicken and veggies. Pour over your prepared pie crust in a pie plate or casserole dish. You may notice in my pictures that there are no veggies in my pot pie. This is because my children are weirdos that don't like veggies very much. I usually make a mixed veggie dish with this and add it to my personal plate.

Add the top pie crust and poke a few holes in the top layer of crust for steam to escape. I like to use the crust pieces I trim off to make a design on the top of the pie or just bake them like a little extra treat as I did this time.

Bake at 425 for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. I like to let this cool for just about 10-15 minutes before ringing the dinner bell!

I really like this dish for the happy way it makes me feel. Comfort food is my favorite food!

Caprese Pasta Salad

 Here's another great recipe I got from the Two Peas & Their Pod blog! This is a great side dish, or add some meat to make it a main dish for lunch or dinner. I like to make a big bowl of it and put it in the fridge to eat for a couple days. I have to adjust it a bit to make it work here in Chaosville but I can add all the fun stuff to my personal bowl with each serving!

THE INGREDIENTS:

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

8 oz bocconcini

2 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

4 TBSP chopped basil, divided *

1/2 tsp dried oregano

dash of crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

8 oz pasta **

balsamic glaze

* I use 4 tsp dried basil so there isn't anything that looks like *gasp* SALAD in it

** I have used a few different types of pasta. This time I used Ditalini and think it is perfect!

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, vinegar, half the basil, the oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add in the tomatoes and mozzarella balls and allow them to marinate while the pasta cooks.

When the pasta is al dente, drain it and rinse with cold water to cool it down. Add it to the tomato mixture and stir it all together.

To my personal bowl I added some cucumber, Kalamata olive, artichoke hearts and Parmesan cheese along with the garnish of the balsamic glaze and a bit more of the basil.

Жаркое (Zharkoye)

While scrolling through Facebook the other day I saw this recipe on a friend's page and it looked so good, I just had to try it! The recipe comes from Tatyana's Everyday Food blog where it is listed as "Ukrainian Stewed Beef & Potatoes" with the name Жаркое in the body of the recipe page. I looked up a pronunciation and Zharkoye was an Anglicized version of the word. A few sources of what Жаркое translates to listed "roast" or just "hot" as possibilities. Whatever you decide to call this it is delicious!

THE INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds cubed beef, I used a chuck roast that I cut up myself
olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce
4 or 5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp fresh chopped dill


In a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, allow a drizzle of olive oil to get hot. Add in the beef and season with kosher salt while browning on all sides.

Add in the garlic and onion, sauteing until translucent.

Mix the salt, pepper, paprika (SMOKED) and cumin in a small bowl.

Add to the pot!

Allow the spices to cook in the dish for a few minutes and then add the tomato sauce, beef broth and water.

When the liquids begin to simmer, put on the lid, reduce heat to low and set a timer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check the beef for tenderness during this window to determine when it is ready for the next step! That step is to remove the beef to another dish with a slotted spoon.

Add the potatoes into the pot to cook in the stew liquid. They need to be completely covered so add more broth/water if necessary. Cover and cook the potatoes until tender, about 25 minutes. While you are waiting, mix the cornstarch and heavy cream to make a "slurry" (which is the word the original recipe had and it made me giggle). I used my little Ikea milk frother for this and it worked great!

Once the potatoes are fork tender, add the slurry and return the beef to the pot.

Stir and continue to cook until the stew thickens to your desired consistency. Season with fresh dill and serve like a stew or soup. I was not sure how the family would feel about the dill so I had it on the side to add to individual servings. The recipe also recommended serving along with small, Kosher pickles and topping with a dollop of sour cream!

This was so good! I served it with some crusty bread and since I had some naan on hand I tried it with that and was blown away! So good!! Comfort food at it's finest. This was my first time using smoked paprika and it smells AMAZING!

DIY All Purpose Cleaning Spray

A couple years ago now I started following a YouTube channel about cleaning and cleaning products. My husband, Jayme, got REALLY excited, thinking that it meant I was going to start cleaning more or better but mostly I just liked the idea of cleaning made easy. I hate cleaning. It sucks. I hate the nasty smelling cleaners and the vacuuming and unloading the dishwasher so you can load it and run it and then start all over again. In any case, when the lady that runs the channel, Melissa Maker, came out with a book, I put it on my wishlist and when I got it I read it cover to cover! Poor Jayme, he just keeps thinking I am going to step up my cleaning game. One thing I did start doing after reading the book is using her recipes for DIY cleaning products! This one is my absolute favorite and I keep one in each bathroom and one in the kitchen.

The recipe calls for 10 drops of essential oil (optional) and I have tried a few and settled on peppermint. I like the way it makes the cleaner smell.
All you do is mix together 1 1/2 cups of water, 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol (I use 91%), 1 teaspoon of gentle dish soap (I use Dawn) and the 10 drops of essential oil. Put into a spray bottle and get to cleaning!

Copycat ChikFilA Souce

If your family is like mine, when we go to ChikFilA we always ask for a lot of ChikFilA sauce! I heard recently that Target was going to sell it in bottles but our closest Target is kinda crappy and not a Super Target so we have not seen it yet. I was talking about it with a neighbor the other day and she said she found a really close one on Pinterest that only had two ingredients! I immediately googled and found it. All the CFA Sauce addicts in Chaosville approve, so we keep the ingredients on hand for our microwave chicken nuggets and chicken pattie sandwich days.

THE INGREDIENTS

Ready for the hard part? 3 tablespoons of Ken's Steakhouse Honey Mustard dressing plus 1 teaspoon of KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce. Mix them together. THAT'S IT!!! You can also make a big recipe by mixing 2 cups of Ken's with 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce. Pinterest posts said that it doesn't keep too well as a mix though so we tend to make the smaller amount for each person that needs their fix.

By all accounts, these brands must be the ones used for the best facsimile of CFA sauce. Now, let me be perfectly clear, I DO NOT THINK CFA USES THESE TWO THINGS TO MAKE THEIR SAUCE!! They clearly use magic and angel tears and other mysterious things. If you just want to recreate some magic at home for the dino nuggets you are still buying every week even though your youngest is almost 13, this will see you through.

Slow Cooker Cuban Style Pork Roast

How about another delicious crock pot meal that takes hardly any time to put together? Okay!! I came across this one on Facebook a while back and finally got around to making it. It was wonderful! I will definitely add this into the rotation here. The original recipe comes from this site called Belly Full.

THE INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper
7 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
3 pound pork shoulder roast

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, juices, spices and garlic.

Make slits in the surface of the roast all over. Pour the oil mixture over the roast and rub it in with your hands. Make sure you coat all the surfaces of the roast.

Place the roast into your crock pot and add the onion and bay leaf. Pour in the rest of the oil mix.

Cook the roast on low for 8 hours. Take the roast out of the crock pot (mine fell into big chunks away from the bone so easily!) and let it cool slightly. At this point you can shred it up for sandwiches/tacos/wraps or leave it in the bigger chunks and serve with rice (cilantro lime perhaps) and black beans! You really can't go wrong!

Chicken Alfredo Pasta

About 4 years ago now, I found an amazing pasta recipe that has been a huge hit here in Chaosville. It's called Garlic Parmesan Noodles and you can see it if you click that link. I would occasionally make it as a side dish but then I found this very similar recipe on Betty Crocker that turned it into a main! We love it! I always at least double it for our family.

THE INGREDIENTS

2 TBSP butter
2 tsp minced garlic
3 cups chicken broth or stock
8 oz uncooked pasta of your choice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup frozen veggies of choice (not pictured because I skip them)

A relatively new development here in Chaosville is we have a new sous chef! She is getting the hang of how to help in the kitchen and she really enjoys being in there with me. Meet Ellie:

On to the cooking! In a skillet or stockpot (if you double the recipe you will need more than a skillet size) melt the butter. Add in the garlic and cook and stir until fragrant. It only takes a minute or so.
Add in the broth, salt, pepper and pasta. This time I used gemelli pasta but I have used many different kinds from angel hair to cavatappi.

Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium. Cook uncovered until pasta is al dente. It will depend on your pasta choice, so look on the box. Most of the liquid will have been absorbed by the pasta.

Stir in the cream and Parmesan.

Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 more minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the chicken. You can also stir in a cup or so of frozen veggies, if your family would still eat it that way. As mine will not, I usually make a side of mixed veggies that can be added in to my bowl! Cook for a couple minutes more to warm through the chicken and any veggies you may have added.

Let it stand for a few minutes and the sauce will further absorb/thicken in that time. I like it to have some liquid in my personal serving but my husband likes it to be thicker. My favorite thing about this is that it does not take a long time to prepare but it is hearty and lovely and creamy and so, so good!