I had some left over roasted chicken in the fridge and was paging through a few of my favorite cookbooks for a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie. I found a wonderful recipe that I made one evening for dinner. This week’s recipe is a delicious chicken pie made from scratch with carrots, celery, chicken and peas in a creamy filling with a flaky crust that I made in my food processor. The end result was a hearty and flavorful pie that got very high ratings when I served it.
■ Chicken Pot Pie
● 2 cups flour
● 2/3 cup vegetable shortening
● 2 teaspoons salt
● 4-6 teaspoons cold water
● 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
● 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
● 1 medium onion, slivered
● 2 stalks celery, sliced
● 4 ounces sliced mushrooms
● 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
● 3 tablespoons butter
● 3 tablespoons flour
● 1 cup hot water
● 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
● Peas, optional (I added about 1 1/2 cups frozen peas)
Make a pie crust by processing flour, vegetable shortening and salt. Pour into mixing bowl and stir water into the flour with your fingers, adding enough so that the dough forms a ball. Roll out half of the dough and fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Cook the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in a little salted water until tender and the potato is easily pierced with a sharp knife. Drain and mix with mushrooms and chicken. Add peas. Make a gravy by melting butter and stirring in flour, hot water and chicken bouillon granules. Stir over high heat until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Add to chicken mixture and stir gently. Pour into pie shell. Roll out second pie crust and place over top. Crimp edges. Pierce crust with a sharp knife to provide vents. Bake at 424 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes more. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
■ Pumpkin Bars
Serving size: 20
● 4 eggs
● 1 cup oil
● 2 cups sugar
● 15 ounces canned pumpkin
● 2 cups flour
● 2 teaspoons baking powder
● 1 teaspoon salt
● 2 teaspoons cinnamon
● 1/2 teaspoon ginger
● 1/2 teaspoon clove
● 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Mix eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin. Sift rest of ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Pour into a greased and floured 12x12x1-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Frost.
■ Cream Cheese Frosting
● 6 ounces cream cheese
● 3/4 stick butter, softened
● 1 tablespoon cream
● 1 teaspoon vanilla
● 4 cups powdered sugar
Mix ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy. Frost cooled bars.
■ GARY’S TIP: Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator. It will keep for a long time.
■ FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Surround yourself with people, colors, sounds and work that nourish you.
