Chicken Pot Pie is one of our absolutely favorite "go to" dinner choices. Everyone in our family loves it and we have it at least once a month. Can't get much better than all of your food groups in one basic dish!
Here you go...and ENJOY! Because we DO!
Ingredients -
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of chicken broth (I save this in ice cube trays each time I put a chicken in my pressure cooker. That way, I have homemade chicken broth, whenever I need it)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped potatoes
1/2 cup peas
2 cups of chicken (already cooked)
1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 t of salt
1/2 cup of butter
First, start some water boiling, to cook your vegetables. Then, you can make the sauce. Saute the butter, onions, garlic, flour and salt/pepper until the onions are soft, then add in the chicken broth and stir until it thickens a bit. You can then set it aside. By this time, the water is boiling, put in the carrots, potatoes, peas and any other veggies you want to add to your pot pie. I usually already have the chicken cooked and in the freezer; otherwise, you'll have to cook that as well. Once the vegetables are soft, I drain them, put them in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, add the chicken and the cheese, and pour the gravy over that.
Now, the crust. Mix the 1 1/2 cups of flour and salt and then cut in the butter. Add just a bit of cold water and make it into a dough. You'll want to roll it out until it's the size of your baking dish and covers your meat and veggies. I usually poke a few holes in the top for it to vent and then pop it in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes.
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Monday, September 10, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Fish Tacos
This is a staple, and family favorite, recipe in this house. We pretty much have some version of this every week.
Fish Tacos!
Seriously, it's pretty easy to fill up these homemade tortillas with just about anything you have on hand.
This week's version...beans, mchicha (the local spinach that we cook up with carrots, onions, tomatoes, and garlic), tilapia (I cooked it in some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, butter, garlic, and lemon juice), chunks of avocado, diced tomatoes, and topped off with some shredded cheddar cheese. Always follow it with a chaser of cool water, and your tummy will be full, and satisfied.
Any meat will do, I've used leftover ground beef, chicken, and shrimp...or just leave the meat out. We often put rice in these, too. Feel free to "toy" with it and make it your own. Be careful though, these WILL become addictive :).
Enjoy!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Bagels for Breakfast
A friend of mine here, in Tanzania, posted pictures of some bagels that she had made. It got me thinking...I LOVE bagels and I really miss them, and quite honestly, had forgotten about them as a breakfast option. So, I checked out the recipe, figured I could make it, and Sissi and I dove into the fray!
Here is the recipe that we used... http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bagels-i/detail.aspx
The bagels, all finished and cooling!
I did start the mixing and kneading in my Bosch, about a minute or two into the process, the sounds it was making were literally hurting our ears and so we turned it off. We did the rest of the kneading by hand.
I've got a few ideas and things I might change for next time; but, the kids all asked for seconds and Gwangi said "This is the best breakfast of my life!" Hmmmm, I think that is saying something was good :)
This was breakfast today...eggs and cheese on a toasted, with butter, bagel. Some yogurt on the side with bananas and strawberries. Yummy!
Baked Oatmeal :)
My sister recently sent me this recipe. We tried it last week for breakfast and it was super good. We halved the recipe, and ate almost all of it. I also just put it in my 9x13 baking dish, rather than the individual "cupcakes." There was just too much batter for my 1 lonely muffin tin. Hope you enjoy it!
Getting everything together. Notice the use of the skirt hanger on the window bars, to hold up the recipe. It was perfect. Kept it off the counter, so it was kept dry and still at eye level. I've also used it to hold books open. Very practical solution to the "recipe in the way" quandary.
Homemade applesauce, with some cinnamon.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
2 cups applesauce
1 banana, mashed
1/2 cup of honey
5 cups of old fashioned oats
1 T ground cinnamon
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 3/4 cups milk
Optional toppings: raisins, walnuts, chocolate chips, syrup, butter, cinnamon and sugar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana, and honey together in a bowl. Add in the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Finally, mix in the milk and combine well. Spray your muffin tins, use liners, or put some oil in your 9x13 baking dish. Pour the mixture evenly into your dish. If you're using any toppings, you can add them onto the top of the oatmeal now. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool and enjoy!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Tomato and Mango Salsa, over Fish
I've had several questions about how I cook my fish...and how I make my salsa.
Read on....
We buy fish from the local vendors here in Tanzania...from the side of the road actually. They will cut off the head, pull out all the insides, the bones, and fillet it for you, right there, on the spot! You can't get much fresher than that.
I bring it home and put some butter, garlic salt, and lemon juice on the fish to start. I put a bit of olive oil in the bottom of the frying pan. Then, I heat up the pan and put the fish in to cook. While it's cooking, I make the salsa. I cut up a mango, some tomatoes, press a few cloves of garlic, chop up some onions, and mix it all together. Then I put some balsamic vinegar on it, a bit of olive oil, and let it all sit and mesh flavors for a few moments. I will then, depending on the size of the fish, and if it's almost done cooking, either put the salsa on the fish in the pan, OR, put the fish in a baking dish, put the salsa on top and pop it in the oven for a few minutes. I have often also grated a bit of fresh parmesan cheese on the top to melt.
It is ohhh, so good!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Yogurt, Ricotta, and Paneer
Hopefully, you've already read my blog post on how to pastuerize your raw milk. Now, you're ready to make something out of it!
Yogurt
If you want to make yogurt, it really is super easy. I have a cooler and I put warm water in the bottom of it. Then, I pour the milk into a separate, plastic container, that will fit in the bottom of the cooler and not displace all of the water. Into the milk, I add a bit of mtinde, maybe a tablespoon or two, depending on how much milk you have in your container. If you aren't in Tanzania, you would put in a bit of a plain, active yogurt or a culture. You then put the lid on your container, then the lid on the cooler, and you walk away. Seriously, I leave it overnight.
In the morning, you have fresh yogurt! There are so many options now....
Add some vanilla, or honey, or some other sugar option
Add some fresh fruit and mix it up
Use it in a smoothie or any recipe that calls for yogurt
Eat it with granola
Ricotta
After I pastuerize the milk and skim off the cream, I drop in about 3 or 4 splashes of vinegar. This will curdle the milk. Let it sit for about 3 hours or so. Then, I use some cheesecloth and line a wire colander. I put the colander over a bowl to catch the whey. I pour the contents of the pot, into the colandar. The chunks of ricotta will stay in the cheesecloth and the whey will drain through to the bottom, in the bowl.
I then go for a 2nd batch. Put all the whey back in your pot and put a lid on it and leave it over night. In the morning, I then set up the cheesecloth and colander again, pour the contents of the pot back through and get a whole other round of ricotta. The whey at this point can be used for other things. I usually just pour it over my dog's food :), it's high in protein!
The ricotta can be salted, or left plain. You can store it in the fridge; but, if you aren't going to use it in the next few days, freeze it. It thaws very well and can be used in most any Italian dish you might like!
Paneer
This is very, very similar to the ricotta...except, that when you add the vinegar, you bring the milk back up to a boil. Not a rolling boil mind you, just to the point where you think it's going to boil. Then turn it off and let it cool for several hours. When it's room temperature again, set up your colander with cheesecloth, and the bowl beneath it to catch the whey. Pour out the contents of your pot into the colander. The cheese will be glossier and stick together more. I usually add some salt, garlic, basil, oregano, etc....then form it into a little cheese round and refrigerate. This is great for dinner parties, for a snack on a cracker, or to use in a recipe!
Hope you enjoyed these milk recipes....any other questions, ideas? Let me know!
Yogurt
If you want to make yogurt, it really is super easy. I have a cooler and I put warm water in the bottom of it. Then, I pour the milk into a separate, plastic container, that will fit in the bottom of the cooler and not displace all of the water. Into the milk, I add a bit of mtinde, maybe a tablespoon or two, depending on how much milk you have in your container. If you aren't in Tanzania, you would put in a bit of a plain, active yogurt or a culture. You then put the lid on your container, then the lid on the cooler, and you walk away. Seriously, I leave it overnight.
In the morning, you have fresh yogurt! There are so many options now....
Add some vanilla, or honey, or some other sugar option
Add some fresh fruit and mix it up
Use it in a smoothie or any recipe that calls for yogurt
Eat it with granola
Ricotta
After I pastuerize the milk and skim off the cream, I drop in about 3 or 4 splashes of vinegar. This will curdle the milk. Let it sit for about 3 hours or so. Then, I use some cheesecloth and line a wire colander. I put the colander over a bowl to catch the whey. I pour the contents of the pot, into the colandar. The chunks of ricotta will stay in the cheesecloth and the whey will drain through to the bottom, in the bowl.
I then go for a 2nd batch. Put all the whey back in your pot and put a lid on it and leave it over night. In the morning, I then set up the cheesecloth and colander again, pour the contents of the pot back through and get a whole other round of ricotta. The whey at this point can be used for other things. I usually just pour it over my dog's food :), it's high in protein!
The ricotta can be salted, or left plain. You can store it in the fridge; but, if you aren't going to use it in the next few days, freeze it. It thaws very well and can be used in most any Italian dish you might like!
Paneer
This is very, very similar to the ricotta...except, that when you add the vinegar, you bring the milk back up to a boil. Not a rolling boil mind you, just to the point where you think it's going to boil. Then turn it off and let it cool for several hours. When it's room temperature again, set up your colander with cheesecloth, and the bowl beneath it to catch the whey. Pour out the contents of your pot into the colander. The cheese will be glossier and stick together more. I usually add some salt, garlic, basil, oregano, etc....then form it into a little cheese round and refrigerate. This is great for dinner parties, for a snack on a cracker, or to use in a recipe!
Hope you enjoyed these milk recipes....any other questions, ideas? Let me know!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Milk - A How to Guide...
Here, in Tanzania, we are blessed to have a great source of farm fresh milk....and, most importantly, it's at a super reasonable price. We pay less than a $1 per liter! The Amish milk that I purchased in the US was much more expensive.
We get our milk on Mondays, from one of the gentleman at the school, that also has a farm in his free time.
We get 4 liters each week, delivered to us in 2 liter Coca-Cola bottles.
The first thing that I do is pour the milk into two large pots, ones that I would usually use for a soup or a roast. I put them to heat on the oven. I do have a thermometer; but, I'll be honest, I usually just eyeball it each week, as to when it's done. I am a low-vat pastuerizer. What that means is, I try to only heat the milk to about 120-150 F instead of up to over 200 F, or higher, as is the case with ultra-pastuerization. The difference is, that the lower temperatures will kill the bacteria; but, will not kill all of the natural pro-biotics found in the milk. I can tell when the milk is about this hot by seeing the top of it start to get a glossy film, or layer on it. This is the cream rising to the top of the milk.
Once I have it at this temperature, I turn the heat off and leave it to set for about an hour or more, covered on the stove. It will come back to room temperature naturally that way. I then skim off the top layer of cream to make butter, Laura Ingalls style. I put it in an old jar and shake, shake, shake it, until it's butter. You have to then "wash" your butter. Pour in some clean water and rinse the butter, drain off the water. You'll do this several time until the water comes away mostly clear. You can then salt it, or use it as it is.
If I don't have to time to make butter right away, I will put it in the fridge for later. You can always shake up your cream at a later time.
Now, what to do with all that milk! We usually drink about half of it, or use it in recipes, or on cereal. The rest, I make into other things....yogurt, ricotta, paneer.... But, that will be a post for next week. Enjoy your fresh milk!
We get our milk on Mondays, from one of the gentleman at the school, that also has a farm in his free time.
We get 4 liters each week, delivered to us in 2 liter Coca-Cola bottles.
These bottle aren't totally full. That's because I had already pastuerized them, skimmed the cream, and used a bit in a recipe when I took the picture.
The first thing that I do is pour the milk into two large pots, ones that I would usually use for a soup or a roast. I put them to heat on the oven. I do have a thermometer; but, I'll be honest, I usually just eyeball it each week, as to when it's done. I am a low-vat pastuerizer. What that means is, I try to only heat the milk to about 120-150 F instead of up to over 200 F, or higher, as is the case with ultra-pastuerization. The difference is, that the lower temperatures will kill the bacteria; but, will not kill all of the natural pro-biotics found in the milk. I can tell when the milk is about this hot by seeing the top of it start to get a glossy film, or layer on it. This is the cream rising to the top of the milk.
Once I have it at this temperature, I turn the heat off and leave it to set for about an hour or more, covered on the stove. It will come back to room temperature naturally that way. I then skim off the top layer of cream to make butter, Laura Ingalls style. I put it in an old jar and shake, shake, shake it, until it's butter. You have to then "wash" your butter. Pour in some clean water and rinse the butter, drain off the water. You'll do this several time until the water comes away mostly clear. You can then salt it, or use it as it is.
If I don't have to time to make butter right away, I will put it in the fridge for later. You can always shake up your cream at a later time.
Now, what to do with all that milk! We usually drink about half of it, or use it in recipes, or on cereal. The rest, I make into other things....yogurt, ricotta, paneer.... But, that will be a post for next week. Enjoy your fresh milk!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Menu Monday and a Recipe
It's been a few weeks since I've shared some of our menu choices, so, thought I would take a moment and update everyone! .... And, while I'm at it, share one of the latest "good" recipes I've discovered.
Enjoy!
Monday - Spaghetti and Meatballs with salad
Tuesday - Fish Tacos
Wednesday - German Schnitzel with Noodles
Thursday - Chicken Noodle Soup
Friday - Mexican Night at Verna's
Saturday - Brown Sugar Chicken over Rice
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Ziti Pasta with salad
Tuesday - Sandwich Night
Wednesday - Lentil Quiche (stay tuned for the recipe in a moment)
Thursday - Corn and Bacon Chowder with Dumplings (we're at the end of our corn season...so, the corn recipes won't be quite as prevalent)
Friday - Pizza Night
Saturday - Italian Meatloaf
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday - Fish with a Coconut Sauce, Rice and Beans
Wednesday - 4th of July at the Ellis' - my contribution was deviled eggs and chips
Thursday - French Dip Sandwiches with Broccoli, Potato, and Cheddar Cheese Soup
Friday - Delectable Marinade Chicken over leftover Rice and Beans with Mchicha (local spinach)
Saturday - Fried Rice with bacon and veggies
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Pizza
Tuesday - Canneloni with Boerwors sauce and garlic bread with tomatoes, garlic, onions, balsamic vinegar
Wednesday - Aussie Chicken with steamed broccoli
Thursday - Soup Night
Friday - Mexican Night at Verna's
Saturday - Saturday Movie Night at the Stamps...Potluck style
Sunday - Frittata
Now...the recipe for the Lentil Quiche....
Remember, I never really stick with a recipe; but, I got the original idea from www.allrecipes.com. You can do a search there on Lentil Quiche to find the original.
Chopped Onion
Pressed Garlic
Olive Oil
Lentils
Water
Chopped Broccoli
Chopped Tomatoes (and any other veggies you have on hand)
4 Eggs
1 Cup of Milk
Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning
Cheddar Cheese
BACON :)
First, I put the onions, garlic, olive oil, and bacon in a pie dish and put them in the oven, at 375 F, to cook for about 15 minutes.
I then took a frying pan and put the lentils in some water and set them to steam for a bit. When the lentils seemed to be done, in about 15 minutes or so, I drained most of the water and put the broccoli on top to steam a bit as well.
I then added the lentils, broccoli, and tomatoes to the dish with the onion, garlic, and bacon (after taking a moment to tear up the bacon into bite size bits.) I also threw in some chopped up carrots and zucchini that I had on hand. You can use whatever veggies you have to supplement and chunk up the dish.
On top of this, I put the seasonings, about a cup of milk, the 4 eggs and the shredded cheddar cheese. I then put it back in the oven for about 45 minutes.
It was firm at this time, and I left it on the counter for a few minutes to cool before serving it to the children. It was a hit, all around!
Enjoy!
Monday - Spaghetti and Meatballs with salad
Tuesday - Fish Tacos
Wednesday - German Schnitzel with Noodles
Thursday - Chicken Noodle Soup
Friday - Mexican Night at Verna's
Saturday - Brown Sugar Chicken over Rice
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Ziti Pasta with salad
Tuesday - Sandwich Night
Wednesday - Lentil Quiche (stay tuned for the recipe in a moment)
Thursday - Corn and Bacon Chowder with Dumplings (we're at the end of our corn season...so, the corn recipes won't be quite as prevalent)
Friday - Pizza Night
Saturday - Italian Meatloaf
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday - Fish with a Coconut Sauce, Rice and Beans
Wednesday - 4th of July at the Ellis' - my contribution was deviled eggs and chips
Thursday - French Dip Sandwiches with Broccoli, Potato, and Cheddar Cheese Soup
Friday - Delectable Marinade Chicken over leftover Rice and Beans with Mchicha (local spinach)
Saturday - Fried Rice with bacon and veggies
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Pizza
Tuesday - Canneloni with Boerwors sauce and garlic bread with tomatoes, garlic, onions, balsamic vinegar
Wednesday - Aussie Chicken with steamed broccoli
Thursday - Soup Night
Friday - Mexican Night at Verna's
Saturday - Saturday Movie Night at the Stamps...Potluck style
Sunday - Frittata
Now...the recipe for the Lentil Quiche....
Remember, I never really stick with a recipe; but, I got the original idea from www.allrecipes.com. You can do a search there on Lentil Quiche to find the original.
Chopped Onion
Pressed Garlic
Olive Oil
Lentils
Water
Chopped Broccoli
Chopped Tomatoes (and any other veggies you have on hand)
4 Eggs
1 Cup of Milk
Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning
Cheddar Cheese
BACON :)
First, I put the onions, garlic, olive oil, and bacon in a pie dish and put them in the oven, at 375 F, to cook for about 15 minutes.
I then took a frying pan and put the lentils in some water and set them to steam for a bit. When the lentils seemed to be done, in about 15 minutes or so, I drained most of the water and put the broccoli on top to steam a bit as well.
I then added the lentils, broccoli, and tomatoes to the dish with the onion, garlic, and bacon (after taking a moment to tear up the bacon into bite size bits.) I also threw in some chopped up carrots and zucchini that I had on hand. You can use whatever veggies you have to supplement and chunk up the dish.
On top of this, I put the seasonings, about a cup of milk, the 4 eggs and the shredded cheddar cheese. I then put it back in the oven for about 45 minutes.
It was firm at this time, and I left it on the counter for a few minutes to cool before serving it to the children. It was a hit, all around!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Borrowing Breakfast from a Friend
A friend of mine, Danielle, posts some pretty good recipes :)... Today, I borrowed one for breakfast for my family. Of course, I made my usual changes; but, it turned out great and the family really liked it. Took less than 5 minutes to have it in the oven, too. I made mango/banana/pineapple smoothies while we waited for it to cook. Oh, the smell in my kitchen this morning, yummy!
1 - This is called a Dutch Baby, and it was puffy, buttery, and very much like a pancake
Here is what I did with the recipe.
Put some butter in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish and turn the oven on to 425 F.
The butter will melt while you combine the rest of the ingredients.
Start with 6 eggs, use a whisk and beat them up for several minutes...my arm was about numb after 3 minutes of this beating.
Add to that 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cups of milk, a pinch of salt, a bit of sugar, a splash of vanilla, and some cinnamon.
Pour the batter into the melted butter and put it in the oven to cook for about 15 minutes.
It will rise up, right out of the pan.
Next time I will back off on the butter, there was a bit much...
We covered it with some Lyle's Gold Maple Syrup...oh, it was good, and there were no leftovers!
Enjoy!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
It's been a busy weekend
After traveling last weekend, we told the kids we would have a fun family weekend...at home ;)!
Well, on Saturday morning, we started off with some fun baking and a trip over to swim at a friends' house. It's still local, right? Then we had a great time playing games in the afternoon and had dinner at another friends' house that night. The kids didn't want to come home; but, we have to sleep sometime.
Krypto showing us how he can dive!
Daddy and Sissi
Gwangi getting ready to do a cannonball jump
Oh yeah! Love the jump!
Sunday morning came and I was teaching Children's Church with Sid. We had a great time singing and doing some skits about King David and Absalom. The kids had a bit of trouble with their focus this morning; but, I hope they still got the message about honoring others above themselves (Romans 12:10.)
Sid doing the music
We had a lot of dancing and jumping this morning
This afternoon, after church, we went and did our weekly grocery shopping. Krypto has been reading "A Treasure of Narnia" which is all kinds of stories and the history behind the Narnia series. It even has recipes, and in the car this morning, he asked me to make Mushroom Soup from "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." I had a leg of Eisbein (pork, cooked over a BBQ) leftover from 2 weeks ago (it had been in the freezer since we had been to Verna's Mexican Night) and so I started with that and added a bunch of veggies (carrots, garlic, onions, potatoes...) and of course mushrooms. We grated some parmesan cheese on top, served with some fresh french bread and it was oh, so delicious!
A great soup for dinner tonight
Sissi made her own "flying machine control panel" using some old cardboard from a care package, some turned over chairs, and blankets.
Game time, playing "Reds", which is about the Russian Civil War (1918-1921.) They set up on Saturday afternoon and played a few rounds today
After dinner, I decided to make a new version of laundry soap. My Borax and Arm and Hammer are starting to run out ;). SO, instead of a dry powder, that I've been making for a couple of years, I used the Duggar's recipe for a liquid gel laundry soap. Here's to it working well, because I like that it uses less supplies!
Now, I'm working on this blog as we enjoy some popcorn and family movie night! Tomorrow is a new week, I'll catch up with you all later. Blessings!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)