Individual Chicken (Or Turkey) Pot Pies

Every year I get a turkey from work for Thanksgiving. It is actually a really good turkey. The problem is that we usually get it the day before Thanksgiving, and we have already made plans to eat another turkey. So what do I do with my turkey? Well it stays in my freezer until it's almost time to get another one. Then I remember a wonderful holiday called Canadian Thanksgiving. They celebrate Thanksgiving about a month before we do. It is a great excuse to get with my Canadian friends and eat a delicious turkey with all sorts of other great foods. Now what do I do with all my millions of pounds of left over turkey? I make these chicken pot pies, but with turkey! I made them 2 different ways. One involves more crust, and one involves less. You can choose how you want yours.

Individual Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pies

1 ½ pounds chicken (about three medium-size chicken breasts) cooked and shredded
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup potatoes cut into small cubes
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
2-3 stalks celery, chopped (about ½ cup)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
½ cup flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup frozen peas
Pie Crust - about enough for 2 pies

Place chicken broth and potatoes in a large pot. Cook on medium high until potatoes are tender. Time varies depending on how large your potato pieces are. Pour the broth and potatoes through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup and reserve broth. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add shredded chicken to bowl and set aside. Return the pot to the stove top (no need to wash if you used it to cook the chicken).

Heat the olive oil in the now-empty pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, shred the chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the chicken; set aside.

Over medium heat melt the butter in the empty pot. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the bottom. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat and stir the chicken, vegetables and peas into the sauce.

There are 2 options on how to make your individual pie:

Option # 1 - Less crust option:

Roll out pie crust to desired thickness. Place ramekins on dough and cut out circles to fit ramekins. Scoop filling into each individual ramekin. Place dough circle on top of each filled ramekin. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

Option # 2 - More crust option:

Roll out pie crust to desired thickness. Cut out a large circle, big enough to be able to fit into a jumbo muffin tin(I used a bowl and traced it with my knife). Place one circle into each jumbo muffin spot. Press down gently on each dough circle to get it to take the form of the muffin tin. Scoop approximately 1/3 cup of filling mixture into each spot. Cut out a smaller circle and place it on top of each individual pie. Press slightly with fingers to get edges to seal. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. To make them easier to remove from muffin tins you could line them with tin foil prior to placing dough in tins. This option you could also freeze and use later. You could bake them prior to freezing, or you could freeze them with dough still raw. Whichever you prefer.

 This recipe made enough for me to do 4 ramekins and 6 jumbo muffin tins with a little bit of filling left over.

Zucchini Bread

Just when I think our zucchini plant is slowing down it goes and produces a million more zucchini! Luckily I have a few zucchini recipes up my sleeve that I haven't shared with all of you yet!

First I must tell you that my husband and I are currently on a chia seed kick! I blame my mom for this! I had never even heard of the stuff until we were over at their house. They eat it in their oatmeal almost every morning. My husband has since spent the last few weeks reading about chia seed and all its wonderful properties. Come to find out chia is quite good for you and keeps you full longer. You might have noticed that I added chia to these waffles. I also added it to this bread. Please note that the chia seed is completely optional, but it does add a little extra nutrients if you happen to have it on hand.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs, beaten                                                                                               
1 cup oil
2 cups brown sugar
3 tsp. vanilla
2 cups zucchini, grated fine or pureed 
1/4 cup chia seed
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 cup turbinado or raw sugar
 
Grease 2 loaf pans with either butter, shortening, or coconut oil. Sprinkle 1/4 cup turbinado or raw sugar in each pan. Shake sugar around the bottom and sides of pan to coat all sides (as if you were flouring the pan but with sugar).  Sprinkle chia seed in the bottom of a medium size bowl. Place a fine mesh strainer over bowl. Pour grated or pureed zucchini with all its juice in strainer and allow to drain into the chia seed. This will soften up the chia seed. Set aside and allow chia to soak up zucchini juices for at least 10 minutes. In a stand mixer beat eggs. Add oil brown sugar and vanilla. Add 2 cups drained zucchini. Using a fine mesh strainer pour soaked chia seed into strainer to drain any excess liquid. Add chia seed to mixture. Next add whole wheat flour, white flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and soda. Mix until well combined.  Place batter in 2 loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. (I doubled the batch and made 3 loaf pans and 1 bunt pan).

Zucchini Casserole

I first need to mention that every time I remember that we are already into September I want to cry. Just a little bit. Summer has just flown by! It really has been a great summer. It always seems that just as I am getting used to it being summer it is gone. Oh well. I will say that I am really excited to see all the pretty fall colors that are sure to be popping up soon.

As you may know our zucchini plant has done quite well this year. It really did take over our garden. We have been able to make lots of yummy foods and still give some away. It has been great. Here is another Zucchini recipe that really is one of my favorites! This casserole is full of flavor and really could almost be eaten as the main dish but I usually serve it as  a side. We had this at a family get together and I just knew that I had to have the recipe. We have had it several times since and I have loved it every time.

Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:

7 cups zucchini thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups seasoned stuffing mix
1/4 cup butter melted

Directions:
In a large pot cook zucchini and onion in boiling salted water for 5-10 minutes. Drain well. In a large bowl combine soup and sour cream. stir in shredded carrots. fold in zucchini mixture. Toss stuffing mix with melted butter. Spread 1/2 stuffing mixture in a 12X7 baking dish (9X13 works too if you don't have a 12X7). Spoon zucchini mixture on top of stuffing. Sprinkle the rest of the stiffing mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Zucchini Fries

What do you do when you have millions of zucchinis (or so it seems)? The best thing you can do is try millions of different zucchini recipes!

We had some friends over for dinner the other night. We knew we were having steaks, but that was it. I was trying to figure out what we could eat as a side dish and I remembered that we had about 6 zucchini sitting in a bowl just waiting to be used. I remembered seeing a recipe somewhere for zucchini fries. I thought this would be a perfect side dish for steaks because it combine your vegetable and your starch into one delicious side dish. The first zucchini fries I made were good, really good, but all the recipes seem to be pretty much the same. I decided to try and come up with my own. This recipe would be great for deep frying the zucchini fries, but since I try (sometimes) to be more healthy I decided to bake them in the oven. Frying would make them look a little more like a french fry, but they tasted great oven baked. You are welcome to cook them however you would prefer.

Zucchini Fries

1 medium zucchinis
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbs water
2 Tbs oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp adobo seasoning (optional)
Olive oil or cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with tin foil, parchment paper or silpat. Drizzle some olive oil on baking sheet or spray with cooking spray. Set aside. Wash and dry zucchini. Cut off both ends off zucchini. Cut in half and cut into french fry sized slices.  Combine egg, oil and water. Whisk to combine. Add in salt, pepper, parsley, garlic, and flour. Mix until combined. Batter should be the consistency of pancake mix. Dip each slice of zucchini into batter coating evenly. You do not need a lot of batter, just enough to lightly coat zucchini. If you get too much it will all just drip off once you put it on the pan, but it won't ruin anything. Place the coated zucchini fries on the pan leaving space in between each one. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. I personally enjoyed mine dipped in ranch.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

I love zucchini. I think it is a fabulous vegetable. What other vegetables can you eat steamed, breaded, fried, shredded, in casseroles, in bread, in cookies, and in cakes? We currently have zucchini coming out our ears so I have had the opportunity to make lots of different recipes that call for them. This is another one of my mom's wonderful recipes. I honestly don't remember eating it as we were growing up, but as I get older it has definitely made its way into my memory. This wonderful cake is moist and delicious. The topping is honestly my favorite part! I'm sure I will post more zucchini recipes before the summer is over but I figured that this was a great one to start with.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sour milk
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 cups finely shredded zucchini
Line a 9X12 inch cake pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Blend butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla & milk. Sift dry ingredients and beat into mixture. Stir in 2 cups zucchini. Pour into 9x12 inch cake pan and sprinkle 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chip on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I know I know, it is summer, so why am I posting soups? I have a few very good reason for posting another soup. First, even though it is summer here, and has been very hot we have had a few days recently that have been rainy with awesome thunderstorms. I feel that a good thunderstorm deserves a good bowl of soup don't you? Second I think that soups shouldn't be restricted to any particular season. I don't limit limit my brownie or ice cream intake to any one given season so why should I limit my soup intake? Last and most important reason is that this soup is PHENOMENAL! It is so basic and fairly simple to make and yet there is a party of deliciousness in my mouth every time I eat it! I have made this soup a few times for my husband and every time he tells me that this could quite possibly be his favorite soup ever. We have eaten this soup by itself or in bread bowls, either way it is fantastic!

Broccoli Cheese Soup



Note: To make my life easier, while the soup is coming together, I put the chopped broccoli in a large glass bowl, cover with saran wrap and microwave for about 3-4 minutes. It cooks perfectly and just in time to add it to the soup.


*Serves 4

1 can chicken broth (about 1 3/4 cups of broth)
1 small onion, diced (or 1 tsp onion powder)
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, preferably sharp or extra sharp
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
2 1/2 to 3 cups chopped, lightly steamed or blanched broccoli

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken. Next add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and steamed broccoli. Serve immediately.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

I don't know if any of you have heard of co-ops. I am fairly new to them. I know there are several different types of co-ops, but the type I'm talking about is the kind you get fruits and veggies from. There is one in our area that we get a laundry basket full of fruits and veggies for $15. You don't know what you are going to get each week, but I think that is half the fun. This week I got some broccoli (along with a lot of other good stuff) and the first thing I thought of to make with it was this recipe.

This is another one of my mom's recipes. She would make this for us all the time growing up. It is still one of my favorite recipes. The flavors just mesh so well together. I also love it because it has my meat and my veggies all in one dish. Ok to be completely honest my favorite part is the buttered croutons on top, but who wouldn't love croutons with a little extra butter?

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup miracle whip
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 package frozen broccoli (enough to cover bottom of pan)
4 chicken breasts or about a lb cooked and cubed (see *note)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
buttered croutons

Cook broccoli as directed on package. Lay broccoli in bottom of 8X8 casserole dish. Lay cubed chicken on top of broccoli. Mix soup, miracle whip, lemon juice, curry powder, and cheese in a medium size bowl. Spread mixture over top of chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Half way through baking process add buttered croutons.

*Note: I often cook a bunch of chicken in a crock pot with a little bit of chicken broth. Once it is cooked I shred it and place about a pound of chicken into a freezer bag and place them in the freezer. I can then pull out a lb at a time and use them whenever I need chicken.

Green Smoothies

I'm sure most of you have heard about green smoothies. As far as I can tell they are kind of the craze right now, and why wouldn't they be? What better way to eat a bunch of fruits and veggies than to blend them all together and drink them? Not to mention that there is no better way to start you morning off right. My husband and I heard about these a few months back and decided to try them. I will admit my husband was quite skeptical at first. He told me he didn't want to actually know what was in it. He was shocked that it wasn't actually green. I have definitely experimented a lot with different fruits and some turn out much better than others. I usually use whatever fruits and veggies I have on hand. Here is the smoothie I made today.

Green Smoothie

1/2 cup milk
3-4 hand fulls of spinach ( will often fill the whole blender with spinach)
2 cups fresh strawberries
1 banana
1/2 cup blueberries
2 tbs honey
1/4 cup strawberry lemonade

Combine the milk and spinach in a blender and blend until smooth. Add strawberries, banana, blueberries, honey and lemonade blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Like I said this is the one that I made this morning and it was really good. Here are 2 other fruits combinations I have used in the past in my smoothies and really enjoyed.

Spinach, pineapple, orange juice, banana (this one is actually a lovely color of green)

Spinach, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, yogurt, honey

I have even added whole carrots to the process and enjoyed that. These smoothies are not an exact science so please feel free to play around with the fruits and veggies. Spinach is typically my staple in these, but I have also used other types of green leafy vegetables.

Tangy Cauliflower Casserole

My mom always says that I must have gotten my love for cooking from my grandmothers. My mom is actually a really good cook she just doesn't enjoy it like I do. Well whether or not that is true I will admit that I have some fabulous cooks as grandmas. This is a recipe that I got from my mom who got it from her mom. The first time I had it I knew that it had made it onto my favorite veggie dishes list. I have made it a few times since then and continue to love it. I hope you enjoy.

Tangy Cauliflower Casserole

1 medium head of cauliflower
1/2 cup mayo or miracle whip
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp green onion (optional)

Wash and cut cauliflower and place in a glass casserole dish with a lid. Microwave for 7-9 minutes. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over cauliflower. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 2 minutes before serving.