Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping

Well hello again!  I've taken another long break - that seems to be a theme around here - but I have been cooking a lot.  We went to California for several weeks for a wedding, Christmas, New Years, etc. so now we're back home and life has returned to normal.  My dear sister Amy got me the new Cook's Illustrated Cookbook - the giant one with over 2000 recipes.  Oh yeah!  So I have already tried four and they have all been terrific!

This one was no exception.  It is comfort food at it's finest!  Amy made something just like this over the break and then I found the recipe in the book and knew I needed to make it.  I have never been a big fan of chicken pot pie, but this is no ordinary pot pie.  It has this amazing crumble topping with cream and Parmesan cheese and the flavors in the filling are absolutely delicious!  It sounds a bit complicated, but everything can be made in the same pot, so it's really not too bad.


In the cookbook they make a special note saying not to leave out the soy sauce and tomato paste, even though they may seem small and inconsequential.  I've never tried it without, but I thought it was delicious so I'll take their word for it!


Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping


FILLING
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts and/or thighs, trimmed
3 c. low-sodium chicken broth
2 T. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
2 small celery ribs, minced
salt and pepper
10 oz. mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. tomato paste
4 T. unsalted butter
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole milk
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 T. minced fresh parsley (or 1 1/2 T. dried)
3/4 c. frozen peas

CRUMBLE TOPPING
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces and chilled
1 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated fine (1/2 cup)
3/4 c. + 2 T. heavy cream

For the topping:  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl.  Sprinkle butter pieces over top of flour.  Using fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal.  Stir in Parmesan.  Add cream and stir until just combined.  Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped small pieces onto rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until fragrant and starting to brown, 10-13 minutes.  Set aside.

For the filling:  While topping bakes, Bring chicken and broth to simmer in covered Dutch oven (or large pot or high-sided skillet) and cook until chicken is tender and cooked through, 8-10 minutes.  Transfer chicken to large bowl.  Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup and reserve.  Do not wash pot.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onion, carrots, celery, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5-7 minutes.  While vegetables are cooking, use 2 forks to shred chicken into bite-size pieces.  Transfer vegetables to bowl with chicken; set aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in again-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering.  Add mushrooms; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes.  Remove cover and stir in soy sauce and tomato paste.  Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until liquid has evaporated, mushrooms are well browned, and dark fond begins to form on surface of pan, about 5 minutes.  Transfer mushrooms to bowl with chicken and vegetables.  Set aside.

Melt butter in again-empty pot over medium heat.  Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and milk.  Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until sauce thickens, about 1 minute.  Off heat, stir in lemon juice and 2 T. parsley, then stir chicken mixture and peas into sauce.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour chicken mixture into 9x13 baking dish.  Scatter crumble topping evenly over filling.  Place pot pie on aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until filling is bubbling and topping is well browned, 12-15 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 T. parsley and serve.

Source: Cook's Illustrated Cookbook

Herb Focaccia Bread

This bread is AMAZING.  After making this the first time, I turned to my husband and said, "I think this bread has changed my life".  It's that good.  I am so in love!  It is so easy, so delicious, and I made it twice in one week.  It comes together in just over an hour - rising, baking, and all and it has a delicious flavor and texture.  I am finding myself trying to think of main dishes that will go with this bread so I can make it again...hehe.  But really, it can go with anything!  Give it a try and you will not be dissapointed!

Herb Focaccia Bread


2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
3/4 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 T. olive oil
1 c. warm water

1 T. olive oil + 1/2 tsp. salt, for brushing after baking

In bowl of mixer, mix the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Mix in the garlic and herbs. Pour in the water and olive oil and mix until the dough comes together with a dough hook attachment (this can also be done by hand if you don't have a mixer). Knead the dough until it has pulled away from the sides of the bowl (adding additional flour only if necessary – the dough will get less sticky as it kneads), about 4-6 minutes. The dough should be soft and pliable but not overly stiff. Likewise, it shouldn’t leave a lot of sticky dough residue on your fingers. The goal is a soft, supple dough. Both time I made it I needed no additional flour - it was perfect, but you may need more.

Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let the dough rise for 30 minutes, until it is puffy. Deflate dough and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a large, rimmed baking sheet and with your hands, spread the dough out roughly an 8″x10″ rectangle. Use your knuckles or fingertips to make indentations over the dough, about every 1/2 inch. Lightly brush dough’s surface with olive oil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

 Immediately after removing from the oven, stir together 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and brush over the surface of the hot bread (Do NOT skip this step!  SO good!). Tear or slice into pieces and serve.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know. Everyone has a chocolate chip cookie recipe they love, but in case you don't, I am posting this.  And since it is my go-to recipe, I figured it needed to be on this blog!  When I was in high school, I had a friend named Jeff who always brought snacks to our AP English class.  Usually they were almonds or dried mangoes, but occasionally they were these cookies.  He was a good friend and always shared. :)  His mom made these often and shared the recipe with our family.  We've been making them ever since!  The trick is to not over-mix the dough and to take them out before you may think they're done.  The result - an extremely soft fluffy cookie that is incredible fresh out of the oven but that stays soft for the next day too...if you haven't eaten them all by then....

Chocolate Chip Cookies


1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. white sugar
1 T. vanilla
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3 c. flour
chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl or mixer, mix butter, sugars, vanilla, baking soda, salt and eggs together until combined.  Add flour and chocolate chips until just combined! (Don't over mix).  Scoop onto cookie sheets and bake for 9-10 minutes until bottoms are just beginning to brown.  Take out before they look completely done.  Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

(Fresh out of the oven, puffy and barely browning on the edges, and then after they've cooled)

Source: Connie Savage, family friend

Cranberry Orange Sauce

I don't know how, but Thanksgiving is next week.  It really snuck up on me this year, and I completely forgot about some recipes I tried last year but never posted.  Well...here's one of them!  I made cranberry sauce from scratch last year and it was really tasty!  I was amazed at how easy it was.  It can be made a couple days in advance and it tastes great on a leftover turkey sandwich too.  Yum!

Cranberry Orange Sauce


1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
4 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
1 T. orange zest

Rinse cranberries with cold water.  In a medium saucepan, add sugar, water, and orange juice.  Stir until sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil and add cranberries and orange zest.  Return to a boil and reduce heat to medium low.  Cook until cranberries start to burst, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  Pour sauce into serving dish and chill in the refrigerator until serving time.

Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

Pumpkin Pancakes

Oh boy.  These were the fluffiest, most pie-like pancakes I have ever eaten.  Yum-o!  I saw these on Pinterest one night and wanted to try them, so the very next morning I did!  They were quite easy, very "autumn", and so delicious.  Topped with butter and maple syrup and they were pretty much divine.

Pumpkin Pancakes


1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. skim milk (I used 1%)
1 c. pumpkin puree
4 large eggs, separated
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine the milk, pumpkin puree, egg yolks, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing with a spatula until just combined.

In a separate bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff.  Gently fold into the batter, mixing until smooth.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium heat.  Lightly spray with cooking spray and, in 1/4-cup increments, cook each pancake until lightly browned on each side, about 1 minute per side.

Top with your favorite toppings/syrup and enjoy!

Source: The Curvy Carrot via Pinterest

2-minute Teriyaki Sauce

I feel guilty that I haven't shared this recipe yet.  It is so super easy and tasty it's ridiculous!  I got this from my mom and it's great for a quick week night meal and tasty enough that you could make it for guests too!  It only has 5 ingredients - all of which I always have on hand.  I usually pour it over some chicken breasts and pop them in the oven for an hour while I cook some rice and veggies.  My mom would usually do something more exciting like spareribs or something, but it's so versatile you could do whatever you want!  Throw in a wok with your stirfry veggies or let it simmer in the oven with some meat.  Give it a try!  It's a gem.

Teriyaki Sauce


1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground ginger

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.  Pour over desired dish.  Recommendations: pour over chicken breasts, pork spareribs, etc, and bake at 350 for about an hour.  Or add to your stovetop stirfry during the last few minutes of cooking.  Enjoy!

Source: My Mom

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's pumpkin season!  Yum, yum.  I'm a big fan of pumpkin.  I tried this recipe for the first time last week and it was a hit!  The cookies were very moist, but not overly cakey like a lot of pumpkin cookies.  The spices were spot on and the chocolate chips were perfectly delicious.  We couldn't stop eating them!  Okay, so maybe that's not such a good thing. Anyway, give these a try.  They are "Fall" in a cookie.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies


Makes about 4 dozen


1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup  brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 cups chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray cookies sheets with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper (my nonstick pans worked fine without anything).

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth.  Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.  Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 13-17 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges.  Remove from the oven, take off the sheets and let cool on a wire rack.

Store layers of cookies separated by parchment or wax paper to prevent cookies from sticking together.

Source: Food Network George Duran