Monday, January 28, 2013

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie



This time of year, there's nothing like a warm hearty meal to fill your belly when it's chilly outside and you want to curl up on the sofa with a blanket and your special someone.  I love chicken pot pie but I really try to avoid the recipes using canned soups, sorry Paula Deen. I do use canned soups in some recipes but I wanted to learn how to make this the 'right' way. Here's my adaptation of several recipes and a few years of tweaking. I sometimes will make my own crust or use Pillsbury's refrigerated crust that you can roll out. It just depends on how much time I have and how much motivation. I will post the crust recipe at a later date. One tip though...if you use a refrigerated pie crust, sprinkle some flour and roll it out with a rolling pin. It keeps the crust from being too thick and is more like a homemade crust. It makes it a little more flaky..not as flaky as a crust from scratch, but definitely an improvement. One caveat here...I made this on a whim and didn't have all the fresh veggies on hand...so I had to resort to using some canned. (Definitely not as delicious, but still good).

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. chicken breast OR 1 lb. already cooked chicken breast
1 cup sliced carrots
1 c frozen peas
2 T. butter plus 2 T. bacon drippings OR 4 T. butter
1 small onion, diced (1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced (1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 c milk
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon or 1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon 

**Note** May substitute 2 cups of your favorite veggies for the carrots and peas: fresh, frozen, or canned (i.e. carrots, peas, potatoes, green beans, mushrooms, etc.) I don't like to use canned unless I'm in a pinch. They're definitely not as good.



1. First, if you don't already have cooked chicken, salt and pepper the cut up chicken breasts and saute in vegetable oil. Cook on both sides until cooked through. Remove to cool slightly and cut up into bite-sized pieces. If you have leftover chicken, then skip this step. 

2. Meanwhile, prepare the veggies if they need to be cooked. You can boil them or steam them. Whichever method you prefer. I sometimes get the steam in bag peas. Today, I just used canned because it's all I had at the time.


2. Over medium- medium/high heat saute onion and celery in 2 T. butter and 2 T. bacon drippings until translucent. I save my bacon drippings in a mason jar and use it in several recipes like my Chicken n Dumplins. Just refrigerate. Add the garlic now so it doesn't burn.


3. Add flour to onions and celery and cook for a few minutes stirring so the flour doesn't burn.


4. Slowly add chicken stock and milk and stir with a whisk. Add the better than bouillon and seasonings. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken. 

5. Roll out the pie crust and place bottom crust in pie plate. 

6. In a large bowl  combine chicken and any other veggies you may be adding. You can add frozen veggies here, or canned, or fresh depending on what you are cooking. I would recommend potatoes to be slightly cooked before.

7. Pour chicken and vegetables in the pie crust in a mound. It will settle as the pie cooks. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken.


8. Carefully place top pie crust on the pot pie. Cut a few slits in the top to let steam escape during cooking. Crimp the edges fancy like this :)...that's some pretty crimping...lol or press with a fork to seal the edges. 

9. Bake in a preheated oven 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes.


That looks so pretty...and delicious!





post signature


Friday, January 18, 2013

Welcome! It's My Sits Day!


Women Online

Wow! I can't believe it's here! Today is my SITS Day! What a wonderful thing to wake up to!  For those of you who don't know what SITS is it's a group of 40,000 women bloggers who support and encourage each other. SITS is great because you get to meet so many new bloggers and learn great tips for blogging, photography, social media and so much more. So let me tell ya, this is an exciting day!

If you're new here then check out my Meet the Princess page. Also, wondering why I named my blog the Redheaded Princess check out Why the Princess? 

Also, for some laughs don't forget to read my I {Heart} Snakes in my Minivan... when a snake set up camp for several weeks in there...

If you love recipes...check out my In the Kitchen page. I have over 50 recipes there waiting for ya!

Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you follow along with my adventure and can't wait to meet everyone! Have a great weekend!

post signature

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Lasagna



Who doesn't love Lasagna? *Clears throat...gets all fidgety....Um...hmm...well...I didn't. I know, I know.... Crazy, right?? Yeah, for the longest times I hated ricotta cheese. The taste, the texture...who knows...It was in the beginning of my married life when I was just a youngin' and didn't know any better. I didn't like a lot of things then either...celery, fresh carrots, mushrooms, hummus, and the list goes on....I was a picky picky eater. Maybe it was because I grew up in a podunk town in the south where we had two itty bitty grocery stores which compared to a quick market up here in the city. It was before youtube and the Food Network when everyone got recipes from actual cookbooks. So our weekly meals consisted of a simple repertoire...usually repeated over and over and over....and over. Anyone been there? Or STILL there? Strangely enough though, I loved Thai food (probably because my Momma loves it..and we had a Thai restaurant there). Anyway, moving to the "Big City" certainly expanded my horizons as far as my taste palette goes. Also, I forced myself to try things I didn't like. Often. I still do to this day. I can't stand green olives, but every now and then I will try one to see if I like them yet. I'd encourage anyone to try that. If you're a grown person then every now and then try things you dislike and eventually you may end up loving them! It works on my kiddos too 
I remember when I first got married and we met a newly married couple who invited us over for dinner. And guess what she made? No, not lasagna. Stuffed Shells. And what are stuffed shells stuffed with? Yep, ricotta cheese. Well, since I was raised to be polite....I choked those babies down with a smile on my face and thanked my gracious hostess for inviting us for dinner (she happens to be one of my bffs still). LOL. 12 years later I LOVE ricotta cheese in my pasta. Who knew? Oh, and another thing...my Prince Charming's favorite meal is lasagna so the only time I would suffer through it was for his birthday. Poor thing...Okay, to end my long-winded back story that y'all may or may not be interested in...I finally learned to make lasagna..and now Prince Charming is one happy fella. So, without further rambling....here's my recipe:

Ingredients

6 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente (not too soft but with a little crunch)
1 lb ground beef
salt and pepper, to taste
1 package fresh mushrooms (I prefer baby bellas) (optional)
1 zucchini (optional)
1 large onion, diced (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 Tablespoons dried parsley
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese






1. Alright, so first thing you do is brown the hamburger meat along with the onions. Add salt and pepper. 
2. Once the meat is half-way browned, add the zucchini and mushrooms, oregano, basil and minced garlic. When the vegetables are tender and the meat is mostly browned, drain the excess fat. 

Here's Princess9 helping me...isn't she cute? :)


3. Now add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir and bring to a boil. 



Once it reaches a boil reduce heat to a simmer for about 30 minutes. Put a lid on the pan but make sure it's not on completely in order to allow the sauce to vent the steam. Stir occasionally. 

4. While this is simmering, get the lasagna noodles ready. Put a pot of lightly salted water on the stove with a lid on (the salt and lid speed up the boiling process)



5. While you're waiting for the noodles, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan, and beaten egg.



6. When the noodles are finished, drain and rinse. Layer 3 noodles in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Next, layer half of the ricotta mixture.



7. Spoon half of the sauce mixture over the ricotta layer. 



Repeat the layers: noodles, ricotta, and sauce.



Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese


And 1 1/2 cups mozzarella. 
8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.



Enjoy some really yummy lasagna!




Monday, January 14, 2013

New Recipe GALLERY!




Hey Y'all! I just made my In The Kitchen page into a Recipe Gallery rather than a list of recipe links...What do you think??? Thanks to Tricia from Sweeter Than Sweets I learned the right code so you can see the pictures instead :) I Love it! 

Here's what it looks like...

Cooking Tips:


How to Roast Garlic
How to Roast Garlic

Beverages:

Southern Sweet Tea
Southern Sweet Tea
Iced Mocha or Mocha Frap
Mocha Frap or Iced Mocha

Breakfast:

Peanut Butter Pancakes
Peanut Butter Pancakes


Appetizers and Snacks:

Chipotle Pepper Hummus
Chipotle Pepper Hummus
Hot Mexican Spinach Dip
Hot Mexican Spinach Dip
Homemade Potato Chips
Homemade Potato Chips
Veggie Pizza
Veggie Pizza
Guacamole
Guacamole
World's Best Nachos
World's Best Nachos
Old-Fashioned Popcorn
Old-Fashioned Popcorn
Southern Fried Chicken Fingers
Southern Fried Chicken Fingers



Soups & Salads:

Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken (Noodle) Soup
Minestrone
Minestrone
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Tomato Basil Soup
Tomato Basil Soup
Oriental Broccoli Salad
Oriental Broccoli Salad
She-Crab Soup
She-Crab Soup


Main Dish:

Bailey Family Goulash
Bailey Family Goulash
Homemade Calzone
Homemade Calzones
Carolina Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork
Carolina Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork
Chicken and Broccoli Braid
Chicken and Broccoli Braid

Chicken n Dumplins
Chicken n Dumplins
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Fajitas
Chicken Fajitas
Chicken Quesadillas
Chicken Quesadillas
Hamburger Steak
Hamburger Steak
Honey Mustard Chicken
Honey Mustard Chicken
World's Best Nachos
World's Best Nachos
Reuben Sandwich
Reuben Sandwich
Southern Fried Chicken Fingers
Southern Fried Chicken Fingers
Southern Fried Shrimp
Southern Fried Shrimp
Shrimp and Grits
Shrimp and Grits
Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork BBQ (Memphis Style)
Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork BBQ (Memphis Style)
Weci's Tacos
Weci's Tacos
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and Meatballs


Jack Daniels Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce
Jack Daniels Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce
Guacamole
Guacamole
Carolina Barbecue Sauce
Carolina Barbecue Sauce
Honey Mustard Sauce
Honey Mustard Sauce

Desserts:
Baked Apple Cake
Baked Apple Cake
Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake
Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls
French Silk Pie
French Silk Pie
Old-Fashioned Fudge
Old-Fashioned Fudge
How to Make a Princess Cake
How to Make a Princess Cake
Banana Bread
Banana Bread


Bread:

Multi-Grain Bread
Multi-Grain Bread
Homemade Croutons
Homemade Croutons
Hushpuppies
Hushpuppies
Perfect Cornbread
Perfect Cornbread
Banana Bread
Banana Bread



Side Dishes:

Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole
Cole Slaw
Cole Slaw
Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and Cheese

post signature
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...