Chicken Pot Pie

This is my favorite pot pie and it's a bit labor intensive. I use an 8x11 (2 qt. pan) and put the crust only on the top. It's a nice neighbor meal, I think. I try not to think about how much butter and white flour goes into it when Livvy requests it.

Preheat oven to 425.

First, peel and cut a few potatoes in bite size pieces. Chop 1/3 cup onion too. Cook these in boiling water for 10 min or so. Potatoes take longer to cook than everything else, and we want tender onions at all costs, too! Drain and set aside. 

If cooking chicken, start that now too in another pan (I don't like boiled/shredded chicken much):

2 1/2 cups chopped chicken (saute/fry some up in a bit of olive oil or use a can of chicken in a hurry)

Filling (using the potato/onion saucepan, start with melting butter on stovetop and whisk in flour, etc. When it's good and thick, add the chicken and veggies, including potatoes/onions.

1/3 c. butter

1/3 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 3/4 c. chicken broth (I usually just do a can)

1/2 cup milk

2 cups frozen mixed veggies

Pour mixture in pan.

Crust topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup plus 1 TB shortening (the original recipe really had it this way)

2-3 TB cold water

Use pastry cutter to mix, roll out and then use pizza cutter to make strips for lattice or just chunks on top or cookie cutter cute shapes. 

Bake 30 min or until it's bubbly and crust is as golden brown as desired.

Coconut Chicken Curry

We have this recipe often when the kids are gone. It involves no funny fishy ingredients and yet is more exotic than the kid-friendly fare we have every other night. I like to buy a small case of lite coconut milk whenever I see it on sale.

Saute:
2 TB olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Add and cook up:
1 pound chicken, chopped

Add these and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 min or until cauliflower is tender:
1 small head cauliflower, chopped
2 TB curry powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 (14 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (I use lite)
1/3 cup chicken stock/broth (or more, whatever)
salt and pepper to taste

Awesome optionals:
baked potato, cubed (or do half cauliflower pieces and half potato pieces)
cashews
golden raisins
brown sugar, lime juice, cayenne (some reviewers add but I usually don't)



*To duplicate the yellow curry from the Thai restaurants, I do potatoes and carrots and big chunks of onions instead of the cauliflower. Then add some cream at the end. I want to try lemongrass (maybe ginger too?) in it. Hans is against fish sauce, and we have a lot of regular curry powder to use up, so excuse our un-authentic-ness (that's a word, right?).

Fajita Marinade

We used this yesterday. I would omit the salt and use half the cayenne next time (too spicy for some of the kids). The flavor was great, though. I used lemon instead of lime juice. We cut the raw chicken/beef in strips, marinated them for a couple hours, and then cooked them with the marinade on the stove.

Chicken, Veggie, and Noodle Stir Fry (Lo Mein)

This is an easy stir-fry dish that my family can handle--not too weird and you can even just use plain spaghetti noodles. My kids like broccoli and peppers (and most will eat zucchini), so this is a good fit. I think only one kid didn't like it. I'll make it this way next time:

Whisk together these ingredients for the marinade/sauce. Use 1/2 cup of it with the raw chicken to marinate in the fridge. Save the rest of the marinade for the sauce. Use low-sodium chicken broth and soy sauce if available.
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 TB brown sugar
1 1/2 TB cornstarch
3 TB each rice vinegar and soy sauce (4 was too salty because I didn't have low-sodium chicken broth or soy sauce)
1 TB sesame or olive oil

Cook according to package directions, then drain and rinse in cold water:
10 ounces spaghetti, broken in half 

Stir Fry:
1-1 1/2 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (marinated as stated above) until cooked through

Add these to the chicken with the rest of the marinade/sauce:
1-2 cups (or more) broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
2 red, orange or yellow bell peppers, diced
5 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
pepper to taste

When broccoli is desired tenderness, add drained noodles, then add:
1 tsp sesame seeds
cashews

Once thoroughly heated through, serve and enjoy!

Chicken Taquitos

These are awesome. So simple. I used half mozarella and half cheddar cheese--I probably added more than it called for too. I sprayed them with cooking oil before putting them in the oven, and I broiled them the last couple minutes for a nice crispness.

Fajita Seasoning

1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Pie

Trying this tonight for my quesadilla-loving family.

Update: half the family liked it. If I make it again, I'd do half the amount of chicken, and canned diced chiles are a must! Maybe I'd try a can of white beans and cumin???

Copycat C*fe Rio Rice/Salad Bowl

I don't know a better name for this. I'm adapting from a bunch of different recipes. I'm lazy, so I like my version (dressing #1) that only involves buying cilantro and lettuce; everything else I always have on hand.

Rice (we like brown rice and cook it in the rice cooker)
Add to the rice before cooking:
canned, diced green chiles
minced onion
fresh cilantro leaves
garlic powder

Chicken:
bake in slow cooker with salsa, then chop

Take your pick of two different dressings
Dressing #1--blend the following:
2 cups mayo
garlic powder
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves
2 TB water
1-2 TB balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 jalepeno--no seeds (instead, I just use some of Mr. Brady's hot pepper seasoning)

Dressing #2 (Shannon's):
1 c buttermilk
1 c mayo
garlic clove or 2
half bunch cilantro (stems discarded)
3 tomatillos (2 if really big)
green Tabasco if desired
3 TB Ranch dressing powder

After making the chicken, rice and dressing, shred some lettuce, open a can of black beans (rinse and warm up), and enjoy everything layered in a bowl with shredded cheese. Very satisfying!

Or, you can omit the lettuce and scoop it up with tortilla chips (and add corn if you want).

Crepes--if only I were the patient type

Mr. Brady is a crepe maker; I am not. He throws ingredients in the blender from memory and has the patience to flip over each paper-thin one. The kids love them! They sprinkle powdered sugar and drizzle lemon juice on them. Um, I'd rather have a thick pancake with homemade syrup. BUT, there are two crepe fillings that I absolutely adore, so if Mr. Brady will make the crepes, I'll happily make a sweet or savory one: berry cream filling and curry chicken filling.


Berry Cream Crepe Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 TB lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Berries of choice

Beat the first ingredients with a mixer until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Fill and roll your crepes up and put the berries on top.



Curry Chicken Crepe Filling:


1/4 cup butter (I used olive oil last time)
1 1/4 cups diced celery
1 cup diced onion
2 TB flour
3/4 tsp curry powder
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup sliced black olives
2 1/2 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 cup milk

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Melt butter; saute celery and onion in a big skillet. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat until bubbly and smooth. I like the cheese added very last--kind of melting just on the top of the filling--the original recipe says to sprinkle the cheese on top of the rolled up crepe. Fill up your crepes and put them in a 9x13 baking dish at 400 degrees for about 12 min. I love these--especially the slight crunch of the celery in there!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I'm a big girl now! I made my first homemade noodles. I used this yummy recipe. After rolling out the noodles with my rolling pin, I cut them with a pizza cutter. The chicken I used in the soup was already seasoned previously and was sitting in my freezer, so I'll probably never get that particular flavor again, but it was awesome and it will be fun to see what it tastes like next time. I used whole wheat flour for some of the flour content in the noodles, and I also threw in my diced onions from the freezer and omitted the peas.

Mom's Grilled Chicken Marinade

Nothing says a summer bbq feast better than this chicken with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, salad and watermelon (oh, and maybe strawberry shortcake for dessert).

I often only need half this amount:
12 oz. water
3 TB lemon juice
3 TB brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic
1 cup oil
1 cup soy sauce

Butter Chicken

I don't like the name of this awesome stuff. It just seems to evoke the wrong things for me. Chicken rubbed with butter? In actuality, it's a creamy, tomatoey, savory chicken over rice. I put it in the crockpot while I went to church--chicken breasts on high for about 3 1/2 hours.

Chicken Taco Pie

Update for myself: Mr. Brady prefers chicken enchiladas where you broil them at the last minute to give them a crispy shell--he's not a fan of the soggy nature of this dish (but I like both kinds).

I used to make chicken enchiladas, but this dish has kind of taken its place (originally from Jane).

1 cup chopped onion
1 TB oil
3 cups (or less) cubed cooked chicken
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 TB taco seasoning
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Some mild salsa to taste or 1 can diced green chiles
1 1/2 cups sour cream

8 tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese


Saute onion in oil. Add chicken and everything else down through the sour cream; heat until warm and smooth.

Spray a 2-3 quart casserole dish and cover the bottom with 4 torn up tortillas. Spread half the chicken mixture on top. Tear up the last 4 tortillas over that, and cover with remaining filling. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly. Makes 6-8 servings.

This version was made with homemade wheat flour tortillas:

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli over Rice

1 14-oz can cream of chicken soup
1 14-oz can cheddar cheese soup
1 14-oz can chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Cajun seasoning

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

2 boneless chicken breasts

1 cup sour cream
1 bunch chopped broccoli, steamed

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Place soups, chicken broth, salt, Cajun and garlic powder into a crockpot. Whisk until smooth. Place chicken in, pressing to the bottom. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.

2. When chicken is cooked, shred into bite-size pieces. Stir in sour cream and broccoli.

3. Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cheese.

4-6 servings

Creamy White Chili (less spicy version)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 med. onion, chopped fairly small
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 TB vegetable oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained OR small white beans cooked and soaked until soft
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth OR 14 1/2 oz chicken bouillon
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream (I’ve tried it with low fat sour cream and milk instead of whipping cream and it’s still great)

COOK IT EITHER ON STOVE OR IN CROCKPOT

POT ON STOVE: In large saucepan, saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chiles, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately. Yield: 7 servings.

CROCKPOT: Cook chicken, onion and garlic. Throw all but creams in a crockpot. Cook at least 2 hours on high or longer on low. Add creams. Enjoy.

My friend makes a soup like this without the creams (maybe more broth and thicker?) Then she uses these things as garnishes:

fresh cilantro (yum!)
fresh diced tomatoes
crushed tortilla chips
dollop of sour cream