Chicken Pot Pie

My mother has always been concerned about what she eats.  The fear of putting on weight is as strong as the obsession about food.  I know, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense... unless you know my mother.  A fridge full of food ensures that she'll always be able to feed others.

Mom is also a very fussy eater.  She's not able to cook for herself anymore so keeping her stocked with meals can be a head scratcher.  Today, I chose a recipe from All Recipes and made her a chicken pot pie; with a side of kale salad, she's good.

 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup frozen green peas

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

	Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
	In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
	In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
	Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
	Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Creamy Blueberry Pie

When I saw this recipe on Bunny's Warm Oven, I immediately thought: annual potluck.  Maybe it's because it has some similar components to the Blueberry Crumble Cake I made for last year's potluck.  I love blueberries.  Who am I kidding? I love custard and crumble too.  Not to mention that it looks delicious. So, I couldn't resist.

We have been longtime followers of Bunny's blog.  She is a great baker and I'm partial to her step-by-step photos of the process.  I'm a visual person and I like to know what I'd be getting myself into. 

I started with making this crust recipe:

Butter Flaky Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced

1/4 cup ice water

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Creamy Blueberry Pie

Original recipe makes 1 9-inch deep dish pie

          3 cups fresh blueberries


          1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust

For the Custard: 

1 cup white sugar  (Note: I used 2/3 cup)
  


1/3 cup all-purpose flour
         


1/8 teaspoon salt
         


2 eggs, beaten
         


1/2 cup sour cream  (Note: I used 2/3 cup) 

(Note: I also added a tsp. of vanilla and 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon based on recommendations from reviewers)
                 

  

For the Streusel:       

1/2 cup white sugar  (Note: I used half brown sugar and half white sugar) 
         


1/2 cup all-purpose flour
         


1/4 cup butter

(Note: I halved the streusel quantities based on recommendations from reviewers)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the blueberries in the pastry shell and set aside.

2. Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and salt. Add eggs and sour cream, stirring until blended. Pour the sour cream custard over the blueberries.

3. In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Cut in the butter with pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle the topping over the sour cream mixture and berries in the pie shell.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Cool on wire rack.

(like Bunny, I put tin foil over the pie for the first 20 minutes to avoid over cooking the crust)

Verdict:  The pie was a hit!  It was all gone by the time we left the potluck.  I did have some challenges with it though.  For one, my streusel topping didn't look anywhere near as nice as Bunny's.  Also, I had to cook the pie a lot longer to get the centre to finish cooking.  I knew it would get harder once it cooled, but it was just too liquidy for my liking to take it out at the directed time.  Lastly, I kind of wished that there was a more prominent vanilla flavour with the custard.  I added vanilla to the recipe.  But, I didn't taste it much after it finished baking. Still, the pie tasted great.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

I'm holding Giz captive in Ottawa.  We are hard at work shopping for baby essentials and filling up my freezer.  I'll try to update you on both at some point in the near future.  Here's a post I wrote up a while ago, didn't save properly (I'm blaming the new blogger on that one) and just got time to finish it off:

_____________________________________________________________

What was that no-so subtle hint,  mom?  You want me to blog?

The thing is that I haven't felt like trying new recipes lately.  Between making stuff from our usual repertoire and eating cereal, I've been quite content. R, he's more adventurous.  Give him a few days in Montreal and he'll come home with random photos of poutine with everything (except for the kitchen sink) on top.

Let me share one of R's more recent concoctions.

He initiated this from start to finish...between asking my mom for recipe recommendations, making sure we had the ingredients, making the food, taking pictures (including the obligatory crotch shot...don't ask why - it's just a thing he does when taking pictures that he knows I'll put up on the blog), and eating it all up.

This recipe comes from Martha Stewart.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

            4 flour tortillas (10 inches)

            2 tablespoons canola oil

            1 large onion, diced

            1 jalapeno chile, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)

            2 garlic cloves, minced

            1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

            Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

            2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed

            12 ounces beer, or 1 1/2 cups water

            1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn

            4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

            8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2 1/2 cups)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan. Use the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

 Add beans and beer, and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. 

Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans 

and 1/2 cup of cheese. 

Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. 

Bake until cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove side of pan; sprinkle pie with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges.

According to R, this recipe is a winner and he would make it again.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Yikes!!! We had a howling wind storm and in the morning the yard was covered in lemons that simply didn't weather the wind. What were we to do with 53 lemons??? Think Giz, think, you're a food blogger for goodness sakes - you should know what to do with all the lemons. First things first, have to make a batch of Lemon Drop Martinis .

The flour, cornstarch, lemons and pastry crusts came out and it was time to start making lemon meringue pies. I decided to try a new recipe that I found at All Recipes called Grandmas Lemon Meringue Pie.

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked 4 egg whites 6 tablespoons white sugar

For the meringue:
4 egg whites
6 Tbsp sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

To Make Lemon Filling:



In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.



To Make Meringue:

In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown



Put your pie in the fridge to set for a few hours. Don't be alarmed if your pie seems loose when you put it in the fridge - the setting time is magic. Slice, serve and enjoy



Tomorrow's another day and the lemon marathon will continue. We decided to get a little creative and made some lemon candles for the dinner table.

Hollow out the lemon. Make a cut along the bottom so they stand straight. Fill the inside with some heavy duty tin foil and fit a lemon scented votive inside. Easy!!

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

Please tell me if I'm being petty. Maybe all of this food blogging has skewed my view of reality.

Here's the situation:

Friends invited us over for dinner this past weekend.  Well, initially they invited us over a month ago and then cancelled.  Then they rescheduled about 2 weeks ago.  We've had dinner parties with this couple before and it has always been enjoyable. In the past, we've had meals like BBQ steak, thai chicken pasta, skirt steak, BBQ chicken, etc. at each other's homes. So, not gourmet, but made from scratch meals that require some effort from the host.

When I received the invitation, I offered to bring something. In the end, we decided that I would bring dessert. I set out scouring recipes on the internet. I even asked for feedback on options I was considering on Twitter. I spent the majority of my Saturday getting the groceries and making this recipe that I found on Slow Like Honey.

(story to be continued after recipe...)

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
Adapted from: Food and Wine, November 2011
Servings: 10-12 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs (about 7 ounces)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 large egg yolks
2 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 medium bananas, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Chocolate shavings, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a food processor, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar, cinnamon, salt and melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into a 9- to 10-inch, deep-dish glass or ceramic pie plate. Bake for about 8 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned and set. Let cool completely.

In a large saucepan (preferably with a rounded bottom), combine the granulated sugar with the cornstarch, egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the milk and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 2 cups of milk and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until the custard is very thick, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract until the butter is melted. Pour half of the vanilla custard into a medium bowl.

Whisk the chopped chocolate into the custard in the saucepan until it is melted.

Spread the chocolate custard evenly in the pie crust and top with the sliced bananas.

Carefully spread the vanilla custard over the bananas.

Refrigerate the banana cream pie until it is well chilled, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream with the confectioners’ sugar until it is softly whipped. Mound the whipped cream on top of the pie. Garnish the banana cream pie with chocolate shavings and serve.



Make Ahead The banana cream pie can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated for up to 3 days. The crust can be frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Verdict: I was really pleased with how the pie turned out. For the second time, my concern about having a crust that falls apart has led me to press the pie crust together quite tightly. As a result, the crust was more difficult to break apart than I would like. The custard was very good. The recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate. I could only find semi-sweet. Apparently semi-sweet chocolate generally has more sugar in it than bitter-sweet. Personally, even with the semi-sweet chocolate, I found that there was a slight bitterness to the chocolate. But, I should mention that I do not like strong chocolate flavours. I'd take milk chocolate over dark chocolate any day.

Now, back to the story...


We sat down for dinner and were served fries, heated up from a frozen package and meatballs, also store bought and heated up from a frozen state.

I don't get it! Why invite people over for dinner if you don't want to make dinner? Now I'm worrying that something is wrong.  How would you feel if you were invited over for pre-made processed frozen food?