Chicken Pot Pie

We all love our comfort food and we're quickly approaching the season where I love to treat the family with our favorites. Here is a recipe for 8 individual Chicken Potpies that's so easy to prepare you'll find this a go-to recipe for those busy nights to come and oh so much better than the frozen grocery store variety kids seem to gravitate to. Using left-over rotisserie chicken and store bought pastry dough, it's a cinch to prepare and loved by all. Even better, prepare a double recipe and freeze for later knowing that in 30 minutes, they can be bubbly and hot to table.


Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 carrot, halved and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, halved and sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 can reduced sodium chicken broth
1 medium yellow potato, diced
1/2 whole roasted chicken (perfect for rotisserie chicken leftovers), shredded and about 3 cups
1 whole ear of corn or 1 cup kernels
1/2 cup peas
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 9-inch round store-bought pie dough

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and celery. Saute until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add diced potato and gradually add milk and broth, stirring until smooth. Allow to simmer until mixture thickens - about 8-10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add chicken, corn and peas. Season with salt and pepper. Divide filling evenly into 8 individual ramekins or other ovenproof bowls. Set aside.

Roll out dough to a 15-inch round. If using ramekins, using a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut into 8 rounds, or size appropriate to your containers. Place a round on each ramekin or bowl.  Place potpies on rimmed baking sheet and bake until bubbling and crusts are golden brown; 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.

If you want to freeze for later; prepare as described above except allow individual pies, with their tops, to come to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap followed by foil. Store in freezer up to 3 months.

To reheat frozen pies; preheat oven to 425 degrees. Uncover ramekins; bake on rimmed baking sheet until bubbling and golden brown; 30-35 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.

Recipe | Stewed Tomato, Zucchini and Pattypan Squash

You know you're in the dog days of summer when the pattypan squash make their appearance at your local farmer's market. I've been buying them for weeks now and every chance I get, I love to make this end-of-the-season stewed squash dish featuring all that I that I love about late August.


Stewed Tomato, Zucchini and Pattypan Squash

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium pattypan squash, cut into wedges
2 medium zucchini, sliced into fourths
2 medium heirloom tomatoes, diced (or a handful of bright red cherry tomatoes, halved)
1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
1/8-1/4 teaspoon dried red chili peppers
1/4 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 large leaves, fresh)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 sprigs, fresh)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in skillet and add squash, tomatoes, onion and dried herbs (if using fresh herbs, wait until the dish is nearly finished before adding). Saute for about a minute. Add 1/4 cup water and cover skillet. Reduce heat and cook slowly until squash is soft, about 10 minutes.

Recipe | Heirloom Tomato and Eggplant Lasagne

Heirloom Tomato and Eggplant Lasagne

Ingredients:

12 no boil lasagna noodle sheets
6 cups homemade tomato sauce or (2 jars of store bought spaghetti sauce in a pinch!)
2-3 large Heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced (combine golden yellow and brilliant red varieties)
1 bunch spinach leaves (veins removed)
1 large eggplant, sliced paper-thin

Ricotta Cheese Spread:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-ounce container part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, leaves stripped from stems
1/2 teaspoon dried chili peppers
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Make Ricotta Cheese Spread

Combine ricotta cheese, egg, Italian parsley, oregano, garlic, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella Cheese. Set aside.

3. Spray a 13 x 9 inch glass pan with nonstick spray if you're serving a crowd, or two smaller glass pans. I will often make this recipe using two smaller pans; one for dinner, and one for later. It freezes really well.

4. Assemble lasagne.

Ladle 1/2 of tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan. Then place 3 no-boil lasagne pasta sheets on top. This is your foundational layer.

Layer as follows: (You should have 3 complete layers; beginning with 3 sheets of lasagne)

Tomato Sauce
Eggplant slices
Tomato slices
Ricotta cheese mixture
Spinach, layered with lightly overlapping leaves
Light sprinkling of mozzarella cheese

Continue layering lasagna 3 times. Top with remaining tomato sauce, three slices of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Cover baking pan with foil and bake at 375° for about an hour. Remove foil, add additional sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and continue baking another 15 or more minutes until the cheese has melted, is slightly browned and the lasagne is bubbling.

Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Here is another of our favorite lasagne recipes: Garden Vegetable Lasagne