Recipe: Grams Chicken Pot Pie Updated

Grams Chicken Pot Pie Updated

When I received the most recent copy of Krafts What's Cooking, the cover recipe instantly grabbed my attention. Chicken Pot Pie is something that I really enjoy and that is a source of warmth and comfort for me. Of course, in my day they were from the freezer section in little red boxes, ready to be popped in the oven and heated up. I loved the flaky, salty, buttery crust and used to save the rim of my little pie for last, eating all the inside first!

I am forever looking for new ways to cook chicken and that, combined with my fond memories of pot pie prompted me to give this recipe a try.

So, I made it for dinner last night. I really don't think it was necessary to cook the chicken in Italian dressing (one of my pet peeves with the Kraft recipes is that they seem to require unnecessary products) and next time I will choose a different blend of frozen veggies and actually use cream of chicken soup (I used cream of celery, it's all I had on hand). I also found this recipe lacking in flavor. It definitely needs some seasonings. I am going to have to research other pot pie recipes and see what I can add to make this one more tasty.

This was also my first experience with puff pastry and I must say it was so easy to use! I hope that I can find a way to make this recipe taste more like what i'm used to because it was very quick, easy and healthy!

Baked Tomato and Cheese Pasta

Every month I receive a copy of Today’s Parent in the mail. I have been receiving this magazine since before I knew I was even pregnant. It is chock full of good idea, articles, advice and my favorite, recipes! I trust that the recipes they print are nutritionally sound and approved by kids as well! The new January issue has quite a few recipes that I plan on trying, that I have actually gone so far as to get the ingredients for. When trying to decide what to make for dinner tonight, I remembered that I had bought Ricotta Cheese to try this recipe and that I had leftover pasta and sauce in the fridge from dinner a few nights ago. After all the cookie making fun, I decided that it might be nice to have an easy to make, quick dinner. I believe there is still some garlic bread left and I will throw together a salad for the adults in the house.

Now I need to figure out what to do with the rest of the Ricotta cheese. It is not something that I normally buy so I will need to find another use for it. Any ideas?

Baked Tomato and Cheese Pasta

1 lb (500 g) penne, rotini, shells or other medium-sized pasta shape
3 cups (750 mL) spaghetti sauce, store-bought or homemade
1 cup (250 mL) ricotta cheese
½ cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan
¼ cup (50 mL) fresh basil, chopped
1 ½ cups (375 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease one 9 x 13 in (23 x 33 cm) rectangular baking dish or two 8 in (20 cm) square baking dishes.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but not mushy. Drain well, then rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together half of the spaghetti sauce (1½ cups/375 mL), the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and basil. Add the drained pasta and mix well. Spread some of the remaining spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish (or dishes). Cover with the pasta mixture, then spoon the remaining spaghetti sauce overtop. Sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella cheese and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned on top.

Makes about 6 servings.

Originally published in Today's Parent, January 2008

PC Five-Spice Teriyaki Marinade

While looking at pork Tenderloin at the store last week, I noticed this product on the shelf. I liked that it was President’s Choice brand (therefore good quality but lower prices than other brand names) and it was a new flavor that I had not tried before. For the last few months I have been toying with Teriyaki sauce and stir frys and I like to think that I make a darn good Beef Teriyaki (friends have even asked for the recipe!) so when I saw this Five-Spice Teriyaki marinade I thought that might be good with the Pork Tenderloin and picked one up.

PC Five-Spice Teriyaki Marinade

Natalie and I were trying to decide what to have for dinner last night and she loves Tenderloin so I took one out of the freezer and decided to try it with the new marinade. I left it in the fridge for almost 2 hours in the sauce, then transferred the meat to a foil lined shallow dish and put some of the marinade on the tenderloin. I cooked it for about 25 mins (I check the internal temperature of my meat – I like to make sure It’s well cooked!) and we had that with coleslaw, mashed potatoes and carrots. It turned out very delicious! The marinade adds a really nice flavor to the meat and I can’t wait to try it with chicken or beef. A must try if you like that sort of thing!

Gnocchi - Yum!

I really hate when I write a big, long entry full of amusing anecdotes and *poof* it disappears. This doesn't happen often but when it does, it is really really frustrating. I have no idea what I did or how to get my old post back so here is the abridged version.

Holidailies people, please take pity on me! This post was written and sent to Blogger from my email client and I totally forgot it was there. Bee is also working his long week at work, (5 x 12.5 hr shifts in 7 days - Rough) so I just had not gotten around to getting it posted. May I please have a get out of jail free card this one time?

Ahem.

While grocery shopping last week with my friend Amy, I came across a package of Gnocchi. I remembered that the few times i'd had it, I'd really enjoyed it so I decided that at $2.99 it was something I could afford to try. I was even happier to read that it cooks in 2-3 mins (once you've got the full pot to a rolling boil, 15 mins or so). The girls had theirs with pasta sauce and I whipped up a quick Alfredo sauce (recipe below) to make my favorite sauce, rosee. Both girls cleaned their plates. That's not unusual for Anna, but Lea thought they were pasta, it was the only way she'd eat them (my child dislikes everything potatoes, except french fries and Gnochhi apparently!). It was nice to have a meat free meal (and yes I served bread and a veggie) but I think I will try it with chicken or Italian sausages next time. It was totally easy and truly delicious. Worth the try!





Chronicles of a Curious Cook: Easy Alfredo Sauce



Easy Alfredo Sauce


2 Tbs butter

1/3 cup cream cheese

2/3 cup milk

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of pepper (white is best!)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan plus more at the table



Melt the butter. Stir in the cream cheese while stirring with a wire whisk. Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly. Bring just to a very low simmer and cook a few minutes. Stir in the nutmeg and pepper. Add the Parmesan, stirring until melted. Cover and let sit until your pasta is done. This sauce is a bit runny but good

Crock Pot Chili

So I missed a day of holidailies. I would be lying if I said I wasn't dissapointed but my reason makes up for it! I was busy all day preparing for a Christmas party at the Parliament Buildings! A once in a lifetime opportunity! More to come.

While perusing the shelves at my local grocery store, I came across this:

On the back are all the necessary ingredients (which I already had on hand!) and the instructions. I love chili but have yet to find the perfect recipe. So I figured why not give it a try. Bee is working days this week (long, long days!) so I prepped the chili last night and plugged it in at 9am this morning to cook for 8 hours. I have just gotten home from a playgroup and I must say, my house smells delicious! I love the idea that I won’t have to think about dinner later, won’t have decide what to make. It’s already done and cooked for me too! I am hoping the girls will eat Chili but there are leftovers in the fridge in case they don’t. I plan to grate some cheese and butter some rolls to have with it. I think it will be a yummy dinner on a cold wintery day!

Sticky Chicken Recipe

I am really shocked at the number of new recipes that I find myself trying. I've actually never kept a log and very few recipes have earned a spot in my recipe box. I always thought that I wanted to be one of those people who had 10 recipes or so that they knew and loved and alternated every week. I grew up eating the same meals over and over again and just assumed that that was normal. But, now I find myself deviating from that. I have decided to embrace my inner chef and to stop feeling guilty about trying new recipes. I enjoy it, find it fun and once in a while I do find that gem that gets written onto a little 3.5 x 5 card. I think part of it is that I have a picky toddler and I am forever trying to find healthy, home cooked meals that she will like and eat with gusto (ok, well the gusto part is me dreaming in technicolor!) If this is what prompts me to cook, and try new things then so be it! Just don't be surprised if I serve you something new for dinner!

Chicken is one of those must-haves. I almost always have boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the freezer. I am always trying new and different chicken recipes since we eat it so often. I have been getting really tired of all the tomato based recipes that I have been trying so I decided to give this Sticky Chicken Recipe a try.

Sticky Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger root

1/8 tsp. pepper

3-4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients except the chicken in a shallow baking dish and stir until sugar dissolves. Add the chicken and turn to coat well. Cover the dish and chill in refrigerator for 24 hours.

When ready to eat, transfer the chicken and marinade to a large heavy nonstick skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring each piece occasionally. Check the chicken for doneness (180 degrees F on an instant read thermometer) and remove to a shallow pan as they test done. Cover the cooked chicken and place in warm oven to keep warm.

Increase heat to medium and cook the marinade remaining in skillet until syrupy, stirring constantly, about 8-10 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet, coat it with the sauce, and serve immediately - with lots of hot cooked rice! Serves 8

The marinade was very quick and easy to prepare (I did however used ground ginger) and created a delicious sauce. The chicken was tender and moist (most likely from being cooked in liquids?) with a nice subtle flavor. The sauce reminds me of the dark, sweet sauce you get with garlic spareribs. I think I am going to see what goes into the spare rib sauce and try to incorporate that into this recipe. The whole family enjoyed it and I will definitely make it again!

Hello from my email client! oh, and Beef Stew

It occurred to me as I was thinking about the Holidailies that I thought I had seen a setting on Blogger to be able to send to draft on blogger site using an email address. That is genius!!! It will be so much easier to type away and send off a post like an email. And a lot of times things will just occur to me and I really really want to jot them down but just don’t have the chance, now I can do that! Quickly, easily and efficiently.

So, this is my first test of that setting!

We had an amazing day yesterday. It was cold and we had gotten a lot of snow but mid afternoon it was decided that we had been inside long enough and that we all needed fresh air. So, we bundled up and walked to the little mall across the street. We used our sled and it was so much easier than the stroller. Lea actually enjoyed sitting in it (she does NOT like the stroller, most of the time) and we got so many smiles from passersby that we must have been awfully cute! I would have pictures but we committed one of those sins and forgot to charge the batteries in the camera oops! Here's a pic from last year to make up for it!

We did some shopping and then came back home for naps. I took advantage of the downtime to begin dinner. I made a beef stew* from scratch and it was so delicious! It will be granted a spot in my recipe box for sure! I also opened one of my new bottles of wine (because the stew recipe called for it! ;) ) put Galaxy Christmas on and addressed all my Christmas cards. Now I’m just wondering when is too soon to send them. The first one I get will mean it’s safe to drop them in the mailbox. Then there was family playtime, a bath for me then bedtime stories, bottle and bed. It was a wonderful, suburban cold winter day. The only thing missing was the Christmas tree. SIGH.

* I had picked up some stewing beef on sale (usually Loeb Tracy!) and decided that it was a perfect day for stew and I had all the veggies on hand AND I still had 1/3 of a baguette left that needed to be eaten, oh and the wine ;) So, I searched online and found a recipe that I could work with and the result was delicious! So, for your culinary pleasure, my beef stew recipe:

Beef Stew

· 2 pounds stewing beef
· 1/4 cup butter
· 2 medium onions (chopped)
· 1/4 cup wine (optional - awww really?)
· 1/4 teaspoon thyme
· 1 clove garlic
· salt
· pepper
· 2 carrots (chopped)
· 1 cup peas
· 1 cup celery (chopped)
· 1/4 cup flour

Cube the stewing beef and brown in butter. Add onions and cook until onions are transparent. Add 3 cups water, wine, thyme, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Add carrots, peas, and celery. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Thicken gravy with flour and 1 cup of water. Add more seasonings if desired. Simmer for 5 more minutes.This beef stew recipe will serve 4 to 6.

I made a half batch since I only had 1 lb of stewing beef. I used margarine instead of butter , frozen peas and I added 2 peeled, cubed potatoes. Oh, I also used beef broth in place of the water and added a little more broth when there wasn't enough liquid (totally my fault, I made it early so that it could sit and simmer so the liquid evaporated).

Pork Tenderloin anyone?

I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of pork (roast, chops or loin) but when I noticed that the tenderloins were on sale this week, I decided to give it another try. At $1.40 for one normal size tenderloin it was worth a shot! I scoured the web (ok just Krafts website lol) and found this recipe for Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Barbecue Sauce:







http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/Recipes/RecipeTemplate?recipe_id=87014





All in all it was very quick, easy and tasty! It needed to cook a little longer than what the recipe says so make sure you use a meat thermometer. I served it with applesauce instead of the reserved bbq sauce and my whole family enjoyed the meal. It has earned a spot in my recipe box and I will definitely be trying more recipes for tenderloin. Hopefully it comes on sale again soon!

Anyone have any recipes to share?

Do you know the muffin man...

CARROT PINEAPPLE MUFFINS

1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. grated carrot
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 c. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. drained crushed pineapple


Beat eggs and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and beat well. Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Yield 12.

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I found this recipe online and have made these muffins twice so far. The first time I made only 6 muffins and I don't think they lasted 2 days! The kids love them and I think they are a great way to sneak in some fruits and veggies. I love making muffins because they are relatively easy, use only one bowl (most of the time!) and smell delicious when done. I like to think of them as a healthy treat but the reality is that some are as calorie laden as cupcakes!

I am planning to play with the recipe a bit to try to lower the fat and sugar content so feel free to make any suggestions. This time I cut the sugar to 3/4 cup and we'll see how they turn out. I also plan to try replacing some of the oil with applesauce. I am sure you could also add raisins, nuts or even coconut and use whole wheat flour. It's a great basic muffin recipe! If you have any advice on ways to alter the recipe, please feel free to share!

What's really odd if that every time I make a recipe, I never seem to get 12 muffins! I guess I overfill my cups.