Monday, June 30, 2014

Chicken Pot Pie

A friend made this for us after Vance was born and I tried it myself tonight.  Its a little time consuming but not as bad as I thought.  Its super yummy!

(*Changes I made: chicken breast without the bone and I used my own pie crust recipe)


Ingredients

3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
For the pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Weekly Menu- June 2014

Steak
Manicotti
Sloppy Joes and French Fries

Roast
Spaghetti, Salad, Broccoli, french bread
Oven Cooked Beef Taquitos
French Bread Pizza
Enchiladas, Salad

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Crispy Oven Baked Fries



5 or 6 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3 inch-thick french fry-style strips
1 tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoons salted (grass fed) butter
real salt to taste

1. Place cut potatoes into a large bowl of cold water.  Allow to soak for about 20 minutes.  This remove the starch making your fries more crispy.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place oil and butter in a bowl and put in oven to melt while it preheats.

3. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels.  Return to bowl and drizzle with melted oil and butter.  Stir to coat.  Spread potatoes out on rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt to taste.

4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until potatoes are golden brown.  Use a metal spatula to scoop up fries.  Enjoy with ketchup!