Chicken Pot Pie

One of the girls' favorite books when they were little was Moostache. I loved reading it to them, too. Really, really fun. The main character is a moose with an unruly mustache that he tries to tame. Every plan seems "so simple. So easy. So perfectly perfect." It's become a family mantra. This recipe epitomizes Moose's refrain. It is easy, it is super simple, and the end result is perfect. :)

You will need:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, baked
2 cans of No Salt Added veg-all
2 cans cream of potato soup
milk
2 pie crusts
9-inch deep dish pie pan
Cavender's (optional)





I buy those bags of frozen chicken. It's much cheaper, which is a plus for our strict budget family that goes through so much chicken each week. So I took out two breasts, sprinkled them with Cavender's and baked for 25 minutes on 400.



When the chicken is cool, tear it up into bite size pieces. You can chop it up or cube it if you like that better, but I always tear up my chicken.



Add the two cans of potato soup...



then your veg-all. I don't use canned veggies very often, except for green beans. (Frozen green beans are a nightmare. Why are they sooo bad?) Veg-all is perfect for this easy dish, but feel free to use fresh carrots, celery, potatoes, peas, and a bit of corn. Just saute them until they soften slightly, but still have bite.



Sprinkle with Cavender's. I found a copycat recipe online if you would like to make your own. If you don't have it and don't want to make it, don't worry! Just use salt and pepper to your taste, and give a couple of shakes of onion powder, garlic powder, and parsley.




Mix together and add some milk. Start with a half cup and go from there. You want it to be very creamy, but not wet.



Put a little flour in the bottom of your pie plate so the crust won't stick. I like to use the refrigerated pie crusts, but to make this recipe even easier you could absolutely use those deep dish frozen pie crusts. They come in a package of two and you could use the second one to top the first. Less dishes that way, too. But that's the only time I will ever recommend frozen pie crusts. :)



Place one of your crusts into the pie dish.



Pour your filling into the pie pan...



and top with second crust. I don't bother with making an edge crust for my chicken pot pie. I just tuck the top crust over the bottom and down the side of the pie pan.



Cut a few holes into the top crust to let out the steam. Feel free to get creative. I just sliced a few lines, but I have been known to spell out someone's name.



Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until filling is bubbly hot and crust is golden brown.



Let it sit for ten minutes and then feast!



My girls devour this dish. Even Tink, who refuses to eat most chicken dishes because we have pet chickens. This pie is perfect the next day, too. I just warm up a piece in the microwave for one minute on high.





Enjoy!

Split Pea and Ham Soup

So, you bought a big ham for Easter and have exhausted your recipes but still have a bunch of ham stuck to the bone. What to do? Throw it in the Crock Pot!



You'll need to rinse a bag of split peas, but because they will cook overnight in the pot, there is no need to soak them.



Just dump them right onto the ham...



Add 2 quarts of water, put on the top of the Crock Pot, set on Low, and go to bed. (Don't, however, do like I did and start the soup at 1am because you were waiting for some overnight cinnamon rolls to rise and they were being difficult. That leads to mistakes because you are tired, such as turning the Crock Pot to Warm instead of Low. Not a good thing.) In the morning you can either keep the soup in the Crock Pot or transfer it to a pot on the stove. If you put it on the stove: after adding all ingredients, bring to a boil, turn down heat to low, cover, stir often, and cook all day or at least 3 hours. If you keep it in the Crock Pot: after adding all ingredients, turn pot to high for one hour, then turn down to low, and cook for at least two more hours or all day.

I put it on the stove, but it really doesn't matter. You'll need an onion, carrots, celery, and a small potato. I put my carrots in my tiny food processor and chop them until they cry uncle.





Do the same thing with the onion and celery. OR you can just chop and add. I mutilate the poor veggies in order to fool my oldest daughter, a veggie-phobe, into thinking they aren't there. Chop the potato into tiny pieces and add. It will break down in the soup and help to thicken it. Now toss in a couple of bay leaves. I was going to take a picture of them, but I'm embarrassed by how old and desiccated my leaves look. :) Now here's my secret ingredient...don't tell anyone.



Cavender's. It's a greek seasoning, but I use it in everything, especially on turkey at Thanksgiving. In fact, since I grew up using it, I don't like to eat turkey without it! But, if you don't have access to Cavender's, it is basically a blend of salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, onion powder, and parsley. I would suggest using salt and pepper to taste, a couple of shakes of garlic powder, onion powder, and celery salt, and maybe a few parsley flakes. Then taste and see what you think. Here's the finished soup:



Split Pea and Ham Soup

ham
1 16oz bag of split peas
2 qts water
1 medium onion
1 medium potato
1 cup celery
2 cups carrots
2 bay leaves
Cavender's (to taste)


I usually make buttermilk biscuits to go with this soup. But cornbread is great, too.

Enjoy!!

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