Easy Peasy Chicken Pot Pie

Dips, Dressings, and Spreads

Hey friends! So sometimes you just have an idea that might work, but you are not sure. I have made random chicken pot pies over the years, usually using leftovers. Sometimes I have made them from scratch, which in my opinion, using leftovers to make a new dish is by scratch. In this case, I had a rotissere chicken, pie crust, some heavy cream, a pack of frozen mixed veggies, and my love of butter to make the best and easiest chicken pot pie.

First comes this. I heated my oven to 425. Cute pie pan coated with butter is always welcome. No aluminun pie pans allowed 😉 Throw those out! Gotta makeit a little fancy!

In a cast iron pan, make a slurry of 3 tablespoosn butter and 3 tablespoons flour. Stir until it looks like a paste. Then add 3 tablespoons heavy cream. I probably added more. It was the end of the container, so I made a cooking choice and it paid off. Whisk it all together. It is very theraputic and satisifying when it all comes together. Then add the following; a bag of mixed veggies, chopped rotissere chicken (or leftover chicken, etc), and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all well and warm it all up. Quality Control- taste it!

I lined the pie pan on the botttom with one pie crust. Then I filled it with the chicken pot pie filling and topped it with the other pie crust. They were a little banged up, so they didn’t look perfect. Who cares! I brushed the top with butter and poked a few hole in the top for steam to escape. Then I cooked it for about 25 minutes (or until brown). Amazing!

The only leftovers. Fed a family of 4 , plus Brutus 😉

Cast Iron Giant Pancake Cake

Dips, Dressings, and Spreads

I wanted to try to make a giant fluffy pancake, and I did! Super easy! 2 cups of premade pancake batter. I always use Krusteaz or Bisquick. 2 cups 2% milk. 3 eggs. 3 tablespoons sugar. 2 tablespoons vanilla. 2 tablespoons butter. Blend together. I actually used a blender, but a hand or stand mixer should do the trick. Not by hand. Pour in a cast iron skillet and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. I did the toothpick cake trick to double check. Mine was perfect at about 18 minutes. When it came out, I brushed to top with more butter!

Mediterranean Chicken Wraps

Sandwiches

Sup. Been a while my friends. I always thought life would be easier once the kids got older….LOL. Now it is way more crazy. I promise we still eat, but not always together, at the same time, or the same thing. When we get to sit down together with the same meal cooked my by hands and heart, it is even more special now.

Today we all woke up relatively early for a Saturday with a couple of teenagers and a teacher. The plan was for me to wake up early and sneak out of the house to go to Pilates. Then my husband had another idea. “Uhhhh. It is Saturday morning! I don’t want to get up yet!” That was me, not the teenagers 😉 But I am glad he made us get up. We ran some VERY important errands concerning our first ski trip (REI)! Plus, we went to Costco so we could spend a lot of money to save money, as one does. Never underestimate the $1.50 hot dog and drink or the $2 piece of pizza. Let’s not ever forget to buy a 2nd place churro because Costco is not Disney World.

I feel like this is blog worthy meal, because it was magical. I didn’t cook the Mediterranean chicken skewers. I did not make the hummus or Tzatziki sauce. I found an awesome Greek seasoning and added it to the 2 vegetables I know my girls will mostly eat. I found some awesome little pitas and large flatbread. The magic of the meal was the combination of what was already made and the way I added it all together.

Cooked mushrooms and peppers in a large skillet until tender, about 10 minutes. Added the chicken and cooked until warm. Heated bread on the gas stove. Everyone made their own pitas using the mixture of chicken, veggies, and sauces. I also made a side of rice.

Friday Night Alfredo

Pasta

Looks like a decadent meal I spent a long time on, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! All it took was a shredded rotisserie chicken from the store, a box of pasta, frozen broccoli, and 2 jars of Alfredo sauce. Why do they make the Alfredo sauce in such smaller jars than marinara?

While the pasta was cooking, I warmed up the shredded chicken and frozen broccoli florets in the Alfredo sauce. When the pasta was finished, I mixed them all together. Oh, and who can forget frozen garlic toast?