Christmas morning, as I was about to open a small, beautifully wrapped gift from the mister, The Girl said, "Gee, I hope it's not one of those hideous necklaces with the open heart from that hideous lady!" And with that, the mister's face fell flatter than his arse! Yep, he got me an "Open Heart" necklace from "Every Kiss Begins With Kays" Jewelers...and really, he had no choice. For TWO MONTHS now he's been bombarded every night with those sappy Jane Seymour commercials..."I've created an open heart...so your heart can always be open..." he was PROGRAMMED...BRAINWASHED...into buying it and like a robot, he drove to Kays Jewelers, marched himself inside and announced he was there to purchase his wife a Christmas gift...the rest is a sales person's dream...he was putty in their hands...he was led like a pig to slaughter to the Jane Seymour Collection, listened to their pitch and within minutes his eyes had glazed-over and his American Express was scanned faster than you can say Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend! Now, back to me on Christmas morning...I carefully unwrapped my gift and when I saw the necklace, I realized right then and there the effect television has on one's mind...especially a man's mind who has NO IDEA what to get his wife for Christmas! The mister, with hopeful eyes asked, "Well, do you like it?" And of course I said yes. Yes I like it. In fact I LOVE it! I do - even though The Girl continued with her hysterical laughter, claiming it looked like a snake! The mister, feeling like a cliche said I could return it and pick something else, but I am going to KEEP the necklace - it's so him - besides, I'm no fool, everyone knows you don't return Christmas jewelry - not with Valentine's just 45 days away!
Chicken Pot Pie is a family favorite...so comforting on a cold, winter's day. I love one dish meals and this is a meal all by itself. This recipe makes enough for TWO 10-inch deep dish pies...one to eat, one to take to a sick friend or freeze for another day. There are a zillion recipes for Chicken Pot Pie, and almost all of them do NOT include potatoes...but mine does and mine also has two kinds of onions...it's definitely not bland - I think you're going to love it as much as we do!
Chicken Pot Pie - Pots and Pins
2 packages ready made pie crusts, (4 crusts total)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed into bite-size pieces
1 1/4 cup (2 1/2 sticks) butter, divided
1 cup Petite Frozen Peas
1 cup Petite Pearl Onions
2 cups sweet onion, diced
2 cups carrots, diced
1 cup red potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole milk
5 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
This recipe makes TWO chicken pot pies. Place a sheet of room temperature pie crust pastry into the bottoms of two deep-dish 9 or 10-inch pie pans. Press pastry against sides and bottom, allowing crust to fall over sides on top. Set aside.
In a large skillet, melt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter. Add chicken and cook over medium-high heat until chicken is lightly browned and almost cooked through, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
In a large Dutch oven or large stock pot, add the remaining 1 cup of butter and the 2 cups of diced onion (do not add the pearl onions yet.) Saute the onions over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes. While this is cooking, in a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chicken stock and milk until hot. Add in the flour to the onions, carrots and potato mixture, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, for one more minute. Slowly pour the hot chicken stock into the vegetable mixture, stirring constantly and cook for two more minutes, until sauce has thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. Stir in frozen peas and the pearl onions. Add the cubed chicken and mix well, adjust seasonings if desired.
Divide mixture between the two prepared pie pans. Cover tops of pies with remaining two pieces of pastry, crimping edges to seal. Cut four slits into the top of each pie. Lightly brush the tops of each pie with egg wash. Bake in 375 degree oven for 1 hour or until the tops are golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.
