Chicken Pot Pie

This year, for the first time, we bought 1/4 of a pig.  With it, I bought the leaf lard so I could render it, because I've always heard that lard makes the best pie crust, but I've never tried it.  After I rendered it, the whole house smelled, well, piggy, as did the lard, and I knew I wasn't going to be using it for fruit pies! 

Yesterday I pulled some of that wonderful snowy white lard out of the freezer and decided to try it out.  I made up the crust and, sure enough, it smelled piggy, enough so that I had to bake a test piece to make sure it wasn't just going to be disgusting.  In fact, it was delicious!  Just a hint of pleasant porkiness and wow - the texture!  Amazing!  So I decided to make this recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from Allrecipes
Makes 1 9-inch pie

Crust for a 9-inch pie (my recipe is very similar to this one)
1/2 large onion, diced
1 c. sliced celery
2 large carrots, sliced
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/4 c. butter
4 cloves minced garlic
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/3 c. flour
2/3 c. water
2 cups shredded chicken
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare crust, placing the bottom crust in a pie pan (I made this in a deep-dish 9.5 inch pan and it would go just fine in a regular 9 inch pan).

In a large skillet, saute onions,celery, carrots and mushrooms in butter until carrots are just beginning to soften.  Add garlic and saute two minutes more.  Add chicken broth, celery seed, and thyme.  Simmer for five minutes.  Add chicken.  Mix the flour into the water until smooth.  Pour into vegetable mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils.  Turn off heat and let cool for 15 minutes.  Transfer to pie crust.

Add top crust, crimping however you prefer.  Cut 4 - 6 slits in the top crust for ventilation.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned and you can see the filling bubbling under the slits. 

If the edges of your crust start browning too quickly, make some 4-inch wide strips out of aluminum foil and wrap them around the edges of your pie pan.  This will help keep it from burning. 

In the Kitchen

On Sunday the baking bug bit.  Yes, it was an absolutely gorgeous day outside, but before I went out and enjoyed it, I NEEDED to turn on the oven.  I've been reading a ton of cooking blogs lately and wanted to give some new recipes a shot, plus revisiting some old favorites.

First, I made this Sweet Potato Cake from the Wholesome Ireland blog (I love this blog!).  This was a complete hit with the five-year-old and I love it too.  Not too sweet, with just enough lemony goodness and the potatoes give it a great texture.

Next up was these Fresh Cranberry Muffins, using up some cranberries that were getting a little wrinkled in the freezer.  I've made this before and all three of us really like them.

I had a couple of bananas that needed to go into something, and we're getting a little tired of banana bread.  The other day I ran across this recipe for Healthy Coconut Cookies.  I didn't have agave so I used corn syrup, and I added some mini chocolate chips instead of dipping them in chocolate.  We didn't really like them the first day, but after they sat for a day they were much, much better.

And finally, I made my favorite granola - An Oregon Cottage's Best Granola.  I make it with half honey, half maple syrup and add chopped pecans.  Delicious!  I put half of it in a jar and sealed up half with my Food Saver so we can enjoy it another week. 

All in all, a successful baking day.  We're set up with goodies for a week and beyond. 

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Pizza Pockets

Today I got to be home alone from 7:30 to 3:30.  That happens, oh, I don't know, once a year?  On MLK Day, which my husband doesn't have as a holiday and I do.  Normally I'd keep my daughter home from daycare to save the money and spend some time together, but I haven't had a day to myself in a long time so I decided I'd just stick with her regular Monday schedule.

I had a great day!  Watched whatever I wanted on TV, caught up on the laundry folding, and had time to make something special for dinner (Mondays are swimming lessons so we're usually eating hot dogs or frozen lasagna or something else that literally takes less than 15 minutes to put together.  I was thinking about making pasta from scratch, but my kitchen's a bit of a disaster at the moment.  Then I thought about making a chili and cornbread casserole, but wasn't really in the mood for chili.  I went out to the freezer to see what inspired me, and I noticed the bag of frozen roll dough that I bought a long, long time ago.  I wonder what I was going to do with that, anyway???

I grabbed the bread dough and a package of chicken Italian sausage and knew exactly what I was going to make.  And it was GOOD!!!!  The best part?  It made enough for dinner tonight and to freeze for another meal.  Yay!

The filling for these is as variable as pizza itself. I just used what I had on hand, and normally I would use fresh mushrooms and garlic.  Remember you don't want the filling to be too juicy or they will leak everywhere.

Pizza Pockets
makes 24

24 frozen bread roll balls
1 pound Italian sausage
1/4 medium onion, diced small
1 2.25-ounce can sliced olives, drained and roughly chopped
1 4-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained and roughly chopped
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
6 slices provolone cheese, quartered

Place frozen roll dough on two greased or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Cut two sheets of plastic wrap long enough to cover the pans.  Spray plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the dough balls.  Let thaw two hours or until pliable, but not fully risen.

In a large skillet, brown Italian sausage and onion (if you're using chicken or other lowfat sausage, you may need to add a bit of oil).  Break up the sausage into small pieces (a potato masher works well for this!).  Add remaining ingredients except cheese.  Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.

When dough is thawed, press each out into a 4-inch circle (I prefer to do this one at a time).  Place a piece of cheese and approx. two tablespoons of the meat filling into the center of each circle.  Bring up all the edges, pressing to seal, forming a ball.  Place on the baking sheet, seam side down.  When finished, cover again with plastic wrap.  Let rise 30 minutes, or put in the fridge for several hours.

If you choose to put them in the fridge, remove them about 45 minutes before baking so they come back to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Remove plastic wrap and bake, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Bacon, onion and cheddar muffins

I knew we would be having soup for dinner tonight (not from scratch - my daughter LOVES broccoli soup but not if I make it, LOL).  Usually I pick up one of those artisan breads from the grocery store, but I didn't have any on hand, so I thought I'd find a savory muffin recipe to serve with it instead.  I found this recipe, but you know I can't leave well enough alone and have to tweak!  And so I made these.  My daughter took one bite and said, in the most serious tone an almost-five-year-old can have, declared "MOM.  These are DELICIOUS."  Win.

Bacon, Onion and Cheddar Muffins
Makes 1 dozen
Adapted from Allrecipes

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour (could also use whole wheat pastry flour)
1/4 c. minced onion
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1/3 c. canola oil
6 - 8 strips cooked and crumbled bacon (I think I used about 1/3 of a pound)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, onion, cheese, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour and add egg, milk and oil.  Stir just until combined (it's ok if the batter's lumpy).  Fold in bacon.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Whole Grain Lowfat Banana Bread

This is my daughter's third favorite breakfast item, behind Nutella Sprinkle Sandwiches and Yogurt Sundaes (yeah, we like our breakfasts fun around here). Whole wheat pastry flour is pretty easy to find around here.  Then again, I live in the land of Bob's Red Mill.  If you can't find it, you can substitute half whole wheat and half all purpose, or just use all white flour (but of course then it wouldn't be whole grain!).

Whole Grain Lowfat Banana Bread
Adapted from Epicurious
Makes 1 loaf

2 large eggs
3/4 c. sugar (I like to use the organic evaporated cane juice)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 c. fat free plain greek yogurt
1 T. vegetable oil
1 T. vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour a regular-size loaf pan.

Beat the eggs and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.  Stir in bananas, yogurt, oil, and vanilla until combined.  Stir in remaining ingredients just until moistened (batter will be lumpy).

Pour into prepared loaf pan.  Bake 50 minutes to one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Turn out onto a rack and let cook completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

Apple-Filled Crescents

The other day, I ran across this recipe for Apple Walnut Butterhorns.  "Looks great!" I thought.  But, I don't care for walnuts, so I decided to modify it a bit.  I thought about using pecans but wasn't sure how that would go over with my girl, so I left the nuts out.  Left the glaze off since I'm watching my diet right now.  Tweaked it a little more, and here's what I ended up with.  Delicious!

Apple-Filled Crescents

1 small green apple, peeled and diced
3 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice
12 raw crescent roll triangles (I used the recipe from the link above, but used butter instead of shortening, but you could also use 1 can of dough)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine apple, brown sugar, and spice.  Lay the individual triangles out on a parchment-lined baking sheet (you don't have to use parchment, but I found that the filling oozed a little, and I hate scrubbing pans).  Top the wide end of each with a small spoonful of the apple mixture.

Roll each crescent from the wide end, stretching and tucking the dough to make sure the mixture is covered.

Bake at 375 for 12 - 14 minutes or until the rolls are brown. 

My daughter and I think these are great just the way they are, but if you want a glaze you can follow the recipe in the link up top.

Enjoy!

Pizza...semi-healthy style

Uh..Blogger went and totally reformatted things on me.  So if this post looks a little weird, it's because my whole posting screen looks a little weird!

My daughter asked me for pizza today.  "Sure!"  I said.  After all, we often pick up a take-and-bake on Sundays.  Then I remembered the crap I've been letting her eat the past few days.  On Thursday, I asked my coworker "does it make me a bad mom if I serve my kid hot dogs for dinner two nights in a row???"  "Nah, it just makes you realistic," was her reply.  This is how life has been lately.  Normally I'm all about getting my family a decent meal for dinner, but I've just been flat out exhausted the last few weeks, and they're lucky to get anything made at home at all (in my defense, we ALWAYS have our vegetables.  We're big salad people around here).

So I decided to make pizza at home.  That way I know I can dump a ton of veggies on it.  I also decided to seek out a new crust recipe.  I've been using the one from The Complete Tightwad Gazette for years, but lately I haven't been so enamored with it.  It's simple, and quick, and doesn't take a full yeast rising, which makes it appealing most days.  But today, I had time, so I decided to make a full-on yeast crust.  I pinned this recipe a while back, and decided to see if I could substitute some whole wheat flour and make it a success.  I was quite pleased - it was a good mix of chewy and crunchy, and my hubby didn't pick up on the fact that it was half whole wheat.  I'd call that a success!

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Adapted from Sugar Cooking

1 3/4 cup warm water, divided
2 1/4 tsp. (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3 T. olive oil, divided
2 c. white whole wheat flour
2 c. bread flour
2 t. kosher salt
1/4 cup cornmeal

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over 1/2 cup warm water.  Let stand five minutes, or until it "blooms".  Add remaining water and 2 T. of the olive oil.

Meanwhile, put the flour and salt in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  While running on low speed, slowly add the liquids.  Once it is mixed, switch out the paddle for the dough hook.  Knead on low speed for five minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Pour the remaining oil into a deep bowl.  Pull your dough out of the mixer, form it into a ball, and swirl it around in the oil until it is completely covered.  Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about two hours.

Once your dough has fully risen, preheat your oven to 475 degrees, making sure your rack is in the bottom third of the oven.  If you're using a pizza stone or cast iron pizza pan, make sure it's in when you turn the oven on.

Divide the dough into two pieces.  If you need two pizzas, work with them one at a time, keeping the other covered, or just freeze the second piece if you only want one pizza.  Form dough into balls and let rest 10 - 15 minutes.

After resting, spread the cornmeal on your pizza peel (if you're using a regular metal pizza pan, you can forgo this step and roll out your crust right onto the pan. Whatever you're used to doing).  Take one piece of the dough and press it out into a circle right on the peel, checking occasionally to make sure it doesn't become stuck to the peel (there's nothing more frustrating than trying to get a pizza from the peel to the pizza stone when it's stuck tight!).  Add your toppings, and bake until the crust is brown and the cheese is bubbly - about 10 - 14 minutes.  Remove from the oven, let rest a few minutes, slice and serve!

Now, usually when I make pizza at home, I make barbecue chicken pizza.  Today, I wanted something different.  So, our toppings were:

tomato sauce
Italian seasoning
sliced garlic
sweet Italian chicken sausage, cooked and crumbled
red bell peppers
mushrooms
onions
Italian-blend cheese

Best pizza I've had in a long, long time.  I'll definitely be making it again!

Apple Bread

Our apple tree was especially prolific this year, and after sharing a couple of boxes full with my mom, I've had plenty left for canning, freezing, and baking.  Once I got tired of making apple crisp (hubby's favorite), I went searching for a good apple bread recipe.  I found one here, but wanted to make it a little bit healthier, so I tweaked it a bit. 

Whole Grain Apple Bread
makes two loaves

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or cake spice
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups apples, chopped
1 cup chopped pecans (optional, but they are really good!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, applesauce, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Stir in flour, spices, soda, and salt, mixing until just combined.  Fold in apples and pecans. 

Pour into prepared pans.  Bake for 70 minutes at 325, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.  Let cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack.  Let cool completely before slicing or it will fall apart a bit.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin muffins

I was looking in my freezer the other day, and realized that I'd better use up some of last year's pumpkin crop to make room for this year's!  Every year I plant sugar pumpkins, then stew and puree the flesh and freeze it in two-cup portions for baking.  Nothing says fall like the smell of something pumpkin baking in the oven!  So, tonight I whipped up a batch of these and they're in the oven as I type this.

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (all purpose flour works, too)
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. ground cloves
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. ground allspice
1 t. salt
2 cups pumpkin puree (or 1 small can)
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 24 muffin tins, or line them with paper liners.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and spices.  Make a well in the center and add the pumpkin, oil, and eggs.  Stir until smooth.  Scoop into prepared muffin tins.

Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely on a wire rack and wrap airtight for storage.

Excellent spread with cream cheese!

Whole Wheat Apple Spice Muffins

Ok, I haven't actually tasted these yet - they're in the oven now. They sure smell good baking, though!

I started with this recipe for a base and went from there...

2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cloves
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. milk
1/2 c. plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 c. chopped cooking apples (such as Granny Smith)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pans. In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients (pastry flour through cloves). In a smaller bowl, mix oil, milk, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Fold in apples.

Put batter in muffin tins, and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 24.

Pumpkin Spice Bites

I'm making these in preparation for this week's "healthy foods" potluck at work. As desserts go, they're not bad - they're sweet, but fairly low fat and have a lot of fiber and vitamins thanks to the addition of the pumpkin.

1 box spice cake mix
1 egg
1 15-ounce can pumpkin

Mix all ingredients. Spoon into greased mini-muffin tins. These don't spread very much when they bake, so you might have to press them out a little with your finger to get them to fill the tins. Bake at 350 until a toothpick comes out clean (about 15 minutes).

My mini-muffin tin is little shapes, so I think they hold less than standard mini-muffin tins, and I'm getting about five and a half dozen out of one batch.

Almost healthy zucchini bread

I made this with pattypan squash (it's what happens to be growing in our garden) instead of zucchini. if you do this, scoop out the seeds before you shred it - they're bigger, more like pumpkin seeds, and definitely don't add anything good to the bread! You could also use yellow summer squash.

3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup Splenda for baking (or you can use white sugar)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
3 cups grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour two 8x4 loaf pans.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, oil, applesauce, brown sugar, Splenda, and vanilla. Stir in baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Stir in flours and oatmeal. Finally stir in zucchini, stirring just to combine.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Ginger Scones

These don't have the same texture as a traditional scone (more gingerbready), but they are really good!

2 cups flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 heaping teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup milk
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger (or more to taste)
coarse sugar (such as turbinado or demerara)

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (except coarse sugar and crystallized ginger). Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add molasses, milk, and egg yolk. Stir into flour mixture until moistened (don't overstir this). Sprinkle crystallized ginger over the top. Knead, adding flour as necessary, 10 times (this will mix in the ginger). Roll out into an eight inch circle. Cut in eight wedges and place at least one inch apart on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Bran and Raisin Muffins

This isn't my recipe, and I don't know where I got it (ran across it in my Word files today). I just made them for the first time, and boy are they good!

1-1/2 c. unprocessed wheat bran
1-1/4 c. milk
1-1/2 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cloves
1/2 c. melted butter or margarine
1/4 c. light molasses
1 egg
1/2 c. raisins

Combine bran and milk and let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients and set aside. Stir molasses into melted butter/marg, then beat in the egg. Add butter mixture to soaked bran, then add all into dry ingredients. Stir in raisins last. Spoon into 18 muffin cups and bake at 400 deg for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Biscuits

 My four-year-old is the chief biscuit maker in our house.

Homemade biscuits aren't as hard as they sound. The key is to not overwork the dough - if you do, it gets tough and they're not as flaky.

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening or butter (we ALWAYS make these with butter now - delicious)
2/3 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients. Add shortening, cut in using pastry blender until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Add milk, stir until dough forms a ball. Knead in the bowl 10 - 12 times.

To form the biscuits: Pat it out on an ungreased cookie sheet until it's half an inch thick or so. You can either cut it into squares with a knife, or use a round cutter to cut them. You can also use a drinking glass if you don't have a cutter that will accommodate the thickness of the biscuits. If you cut them in squares, you don't have to move them, just leave them clumped together, but if you cut them in rounds, separate them on the sheet.

Bake at 450 for 12 minutes, or until lightly brown.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

This is REALLY good - moist, dense, and pumpkiny! Good way to sneak a veggie into your kids, too...

1 cup all purpose flour (see note)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 heaping tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening (I get the trans-fat free shortening, or you could substitute butter)
1 cup old-fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5x3 loaf pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and spices. Add all remaining ingredients except oats. With an electric mixer, beat on low speed until blended, and then on high speed for two minutes. Stir in the oats.

Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven but leave in pan, on a cooling rack, for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

This tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had a chance to meld.

Note: to make it even healthier, you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour, cup for cup, for white flour in quick bread and muffin recipes. Doesn't work so well for yeast bread recipes, though.