Friday, February 10, 2012

Southern Mom 101....Perfecting The Pie

If you are Facebook friends with me, you may have noticed my post from
Thursday night, which read :

"I believe that every good southern mom should have the chicken pot pie perfected... I perfected mine tonight. Jackson, you are officially allowed to make your debut now!"

Yes...it's true! I am officially at 40 weeks and 1 day along! And yes...it's true....I DID perfect the best chicken pot pie recipe ever Thursday night! DOUBLE WHAMMIE! My husband was especially excited about the second part...even though he was a little skeptical while I was cooking and kept trying to take ingredients OUT of the mix.

While I don't think Jackson will make his debut today...at least I have something yummy to take my mind off of it! If he doesn't show up by Wednesday, I have been scheduled to be induced that morning. I am praying that he comes on his own before then though! Prayers are needed!

Just in case you are curious about this new magically delicious recipe...I have typed it up below for you to use! And yes, you are more than welcome to print it off, laminate it, and frame it up in your kitchen for safe keeping forever.

Also....just a little thought...I absolutely HATED chicken pot pie growing up! My mom would always pop the frozen ones in the oven for a quick meal and I was NEVER excited about it...glad I have changed my ways! But that has not been said for other childhood hates....such as meatloaf, brussel sprouts, or ham. SICK.

Hilary's Magically Delish Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients :
  • Carrots (3-4 medium ones)
  • Broccoli (a small head)
  • Yellow Onion (i used about 1/4 of an onion)
  • Red Potatoes (2 medium sized red potatoes)
  • Celery (3 stalks)
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Butter
  • Olive Oil
  • Garlic Powder
  • Milk
  • 2 cans of cream of potato soup
  • 2 pie crusts (I just used the Pillsbury already prepared crusts!)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of water

*just a side note...I wrote about how much of the vegetables I used but I really just kind of winged it on everything...so I don't have exact measurements! Just play and have fun with it, you don't have to stick to specifics!

Directions :
  • Thaw your chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook with a little olive oil in a skillet until just about done (if it's still a little pink, that's okay b/c it will cook more in the oven!)
  • Let it cool and then chop into bite size pieces (not too big)
  • Slice up all of your vegetables into bite sized pieces
  • Throw about a tablespoon of butter and a couple drizzles of olive oil into a pot with all of your sliced veggies and let it all cook together for a bit (don't let your veggies get TOO cooked and soggy bc they will cook a little longer in the oven too!)
  • While the veggies are cooking, place your bottom pie crust into a pie pan or round metal cake pan, poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork and go ahead and cook this at 350 for about 5-7 minutes, just to get it going - you don't want it to be doughy on the bottom!
  • Once the veggies and chicken are done, mix them all together in the pot with your 2 cans of cream of potato soup and about 1/2 cup of milk, to make it a somewhat thick/soupy consistency. It will thicken as it cooks, you don't want this to be too dry!
  • Sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
  • Pour over the bottom pie crust and top this off with the second crust. Poke holes in the top so that the air can move through it while in the oven.
  • Mix the egg and water together to make an egg wash and brush this over the top crust...it will make it a little more golden and crispy in the long run.
  • Bake on 350 degrees until the pie crust is golden.
  • EAT IT UP!!!!

Let me know if you make this and what you think! I would love to hear any tips or tricks you have for the perfect chicken pot pie or if you make any changes to this recipe!

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Hilary

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Question For My Internet Saavy Friends...

Have you all messed with any of the Facebook/online auctions at all? I think it's become a small obsession for me lately. Even if I don't win anything or even bid on anything...I LOVE watching them and seeing what is going to come up next! It seems like a big game!

What are your favorite Facebook auctions that you follow?

I tend to lean more toward the jewelry auctions...

I would love to hear from you on this!

XOXO,

Hilary