Chicken Pot Pie for a Chilly Fall Day

I love chicken pot pie, and I am sooo ready for fall to hit. My entire apartment is full of fall smells. Pumpkin candles and apple cider. I just wish the weather would cooperate. I live in Seattle for a reason. I am so tired of all this "beautiful fall weather". Give me the fog and rain. I want wind storms and cold. Boots, scarves, gloves, and hats. I want the whole thing! 

So, in leiu of the fall that I am pining for, I will post a recipe for fall in individual servings.

What you'll need:

1 lb. Chicken Breast

1 Package frozen vegetables of your choice

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 12 oz can of Chicken Broth

Pancake Mix (and ingredients to mix)

Heat deep pan, and fry cubed chicken breast.

When cooked all the way through, add vegetables, broth, and soup and cook until warm.

Pour mixture into individual baking dishes.

Mix pancake mix according to directions on the box.

Drizzle pancake mixture over filling mixture.

Bake at 350, until crust is golden brown.

There you have it! I sprinkled herbs, and a little egg bath before it was ready to be taken out.

The crust is a wonderful mix of bread and pie crust. So so SO yummy.

Happy Fall to Everyone!

Star Wars Party for Grown-Ups!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated!

Well, here we are, almost a year later, and I am about to blog a post I am more excited about than ever!

My boyfriend turned 25 on 9/6. I have been planning a surprise party for him since June.

It was really amazing. He was totally shocked, and I had the most wonderful time planning... including the menu:

The drink recipes were:

Tatooine Sunrise: Double tequila sunrise

Blue Milk: Cream and Blue Raspberry Vodka

Darth Mault Liquor

Qui-Gon Gin and Tonics

So, to blog a recipe, I made "It's a Wrap!" Admiral Ackbar's Egg Rolls with "Thai" Fighter sauce.

What you'll need:

1lb Ground Pork
1Package Shredded Cabbage (I use a Cole slaw mix)
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Ground Ginger
Sesame Oil
Wanton Wrappers

Heat oil in Wok, or deep pan. When hot, add Pork and brown and add Ginger.

When Pork is cooked thoroughly, add Cabbage package and cook down.

While cabbage is cooking down, add Soy Sauce and Rice Vinegar to taste, and continue to cook until cabbage is tender.

 When cabbage mixture is ready, remove from heat and let cool. Lay out Wanton Wraps and place a spoonful of mixture in the middle of the wrap, as it's oriented in a diamond shape.

Fold in corners til they touch. 

Fold bottom so the Wanton Wrap creates an envelope shape.

Wet the lip of the "envelope", and roll til the egg roll is complete.

Deep fry in a shallow bath of hot oil, and serve when cooled. To stick with the Star Wars theme, I served with a Thai Chili sauce, which was my "Thai" Fighter sauce.

Not-so-Genuine Gingerbread

Merry Christmas Eve!

Most of my cooking will take place tomorrow, but I thought I'd throw in another dessert for after dinner tomorrow.

I just used a boxed mix for the gingerbread, but to make it blog-worthy I made my own icing.

What you'll need:

1 cup Powdered Sugar

2/3 Cup Unsalted Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

Add all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Mix on high until you reach your desired consistency :)

I took my mixture, and spread it on the cake!

I can't wait to eat this!! More posts to come after tomorrow. 

Happy Holidays!

PUMPKIN SEEDS!!!!

I may be addicted. Good post day!

Happy Halloween :)

So, with Jack-O-Lanterns... comes PUMPKIN SEEDS!

After you clean out the pumpkin guts, rinse them in a colander and spread them out on a cookie sheet.

Sprinkle with salt and put in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy. I'm eating them right now. Yep, they're almost gone.

Spectacular Split Pea and Ham

Happy Fall!
It's a completely wonderful stormy day today!
Blowing and raining, and a PERFECT day to curl up with tea, a blanket, and a bowl of soup.
If only I had a great recipe for soup!
OH WAIT!

Split Pea and Ham in the Slow Cooker

What you'll need:
1 Package Green Split Peas
2 Ham Hocks
3 chopped Carrots
3 chopped sticks of Celery
1 chopped Onion
Salt
Pepper
Herbs of your choice (for seasoning... I feel this is really up to the cook. I like Thyme).
5 Cups of Water

Rinse the peas and place in slow cooker. Place ham hocks on top of peas, and add seasoning, carrots, celery, and onions. Cover with water. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.

When done, peel meat off ham hocks and cut up the larger pieces. 

Soup may dry out, so it's ok to add water to thin it out, just remember to season accordingly.

This soup is really yummy! I love soup days :)

Bangin' Baked Meatballs

Today is my day off, and while I most definitely have things to do with my spare time, I would much rather be in my cozy bed, blogging to my hearts content. As I was going through my food pictures, I found pics from a meal I never blogged! It was so good too, ad very quick!

So, without further ado, here it is!

Baked Meatballs and Mozzarella

What you'll need:
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Egg
Bread Crumbs (about 1/4 cup)
1 Jar Marinara
Shredded Mixed Italian Cheese
Garlic
Italian Seasoning
1 Can Olives
Olive Oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, egg, seasoning, and breadcrumbs.

 Using your clean hands, mix together well.

Roll into 2 in (roughly) balls. Heat up a large frying pan, and coat in a thin layer of olive oil.

When pan is hot, place meat balls in pan, and sear well on all sides.

Make sure meatballs are mostly cooked through (dark brown on the outside, and a solid ball).

In a casserole dish, place meatballs and cover with marinara and sliced olives.

Cover entire dish with cheese mix, and place in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. 

And there you have it!

Serve alone, or with pasta of your choice. These are AMAZING... I think I need to eat lunch :)

Magnificent Mac and Cheese

This is another Weight Watcher's recipe. I really loved this one. So you should most def try it :)

What you'll need:
12 oz uncooked macaroni, (I used Penne)
1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
8 oz low-fat cheddar or colby cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
2 Tbsp grated low fat cheese

Cook pasta without added fat or salt; drain and transfer to a large bowl. While pasta is still hot, stir in sour cream; set aside.

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear just around the edges.

Reduce heat to low, add cheese and simmer until cheese melts, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, about 2 minutes; remove from heat and stir in mustard, salt, and pepper. Add cheese mixture to pasta; mix well. Transfer to a 3-quart casserole dish.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over pasta.

Bake at 350 until top is golden, about 30 minutes.