Creamy Chicken Pot Pie

 It's snowing here in Denver so I am in the mood for a home cooked classic. This nostalgic dinner is not only delicious but easy! I promise:)I use a roaster chicken from Costco to make this even easier. You can also make the dough in the morning and keep it in the fridge until baking time.

Creamy Chicken Pot Pie
makes one 9" pie

Make one batch of my pie crust recipe found here

1 pound cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
13 oz. frozen mixed vegetables I use the one with green beans, carrots, peas and corn
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth

2/3 cups milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Take chicken off bone if using a roaster or chop/shred chicken and place in large bowl.  In a saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside. Pour frozen veggies over chicken and stir. Roll your bottom crust and place in pie pan. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

BEST Caramel Corn {without using popcorn}

This recipe is different from my other caramel popcorn recipe. Some of the ingredients are the same but the result is VERY different.  Don't try to questions it:) Trust me, just go and get the ingredients and make it tonight! I promise it won't disappoint. I made this for my son's preschool teachers as their  end of the year gift. They loved it! Thanks Aunt Diane, you are the best cook I know!


Caramel Corn

2 bags of white puffed corn (I used the $2/bag Chesters brand)
3 sticks of butter (3/4 pound) YIKES I know but trust me
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Cover a rimmed cookie sheet with wax paper. Set aside. Pour puffed corn into a large bowl. Set aside.  Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add sugar and syrup. Stirring constantly, boil for 5 min. Take off heat and add vanilla and baking soda. Pour caramel over puffed corn and mix until corn is fully covered. Pour covered puffed corn onto the wax papered pan. Spread evenly. Bake 40 minutes but be sure to stir the puffed corn around the pan every 10 minutes or it will burn. Allow to cool and enjoy. Store in air tight container.

sweet gift idea

I made this for my father's birthday back in February. It's all his grand children's hand-prints in the shape of "I love you" in sign language. Right after I gave it to him we found out there will be another grandchild born this year. We are so excited!

Beef Stroganoff

This recipe is surprisingly fast. All my kids ate it up too so I will definitely make this more often.

BEEF STROGANOFF

1 pound top sirloin steak
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
3 T butter, divided
8 oz. mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. Beef bouillon granules or one bouillon cube
2 T flour
1 T Worcestershire sauce
rounded 1/2 cup sour cream

Slice steak into strips about 2 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Generously salt and pepper both sides. Use more in needed. Set aside.

Melt 2 T. butter in large skillet over med heat and add mushrooms, onion. Saute 4-5 min or until mushrooms are tender. Add garlic Saute for about 30 seconds. Remove mushrooms, onions and garlic from pan and set aside.

Increase heat to med-high and add one more T of butter to pan. Add beef and saute while stirring for about 3-5 minutes or until pink is no longer visible.

Whisk water, bouillon, flour and Worcestershire sauce together until smooth. Add this mixture to the beef and then add mushroom mixture in as well. Bring to simmer and cook about 2 minutes so sauce will thicken. Remove pan from heat and stir in sour cream. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Liebster Blog

Hello!

I have not been a very good blogger lately. I could list many reasons why but really there is no excuse which is why I was so surprised to be awarded one of five Liebster blogs (meaning dearest blog) from noted home.  It's an awesome design blog with so many beautiful ideas I only wish I could recreate. Amber is a very talented woman not only in design so you should check out her blog! Since I was awarded this love I wish to pass it on. I will pick 5 blogs to award.

If you are selected, you need to:

Choose FIVE up and coming blogs to award the Liebster to (they must have less than 200 followers)

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Post the award on your blog.
3. List the bloggers you are giving this award to with links to their sites.
4. Best of all, have fun and share the love!

And the Liebster Awards go to:

1. Lisa over at Chocolate Cake with Cream. She needs to open a bakery. No Joke! She also has crafts on her blog too so I love to check out what she has created. 

2. Tamber's blog Colorful Cravings  has it all! Cakes, crafts, decor and many more.

3. Andrea and Megan's blog 2nd and Strand takes two different design concepts. One from the East coast and one from the West coast. Love it!

4. Annette is one of those super moms. Her blog Tips from a Typical Mom has great tips on everything and anything you come across being a mother.

5. Last but not least is 3 little chicks blog. I love her sewing projects. They really inspire me to get my sewing machine out more often.

Neiman-Marcus $250 Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

 This is my version of the Neiman-Marcus cookie. Apparently someone paid $250 for the recipe.  Sorry there isn't a picture. I could not find my camera charger before we ate the whole plate of cookies. This makes about 36 great sized cookies. Follow the baking steps from my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe.


1 cup butter
1 cup sugar 
1 cup packed brown sugar
2.5 cups blended oatmeal
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces chocolate chips
1 (8 ounce) Hershey Symphony bar (grated)*

Directions:

1.  Cream the butter and both sugars.
2. Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder.
3. Add eggs and vanilla.
4. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda.
5. Add chocolate chips, grated Hershey Bar*.
6. Roll into 1 inch balls and place 2-inches apart on a cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 375° or until golden.
   *tip: blend the chocolate bar in a blender until desired similar to grated pieces.
   

   recipe adapted  http://www.food.com/recipe/neiman-marcus-250-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe-13307

   
   

Kid Tested Chicken Cresent Roll Casserole

Chicken Cresent Roll Casserole **this makes enough to fill one 9x13" dish and one 8x8"dish.**

2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can of cheese soup, undiluted
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk

FILLING
4 ounces cream cheese (very soft)
4 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cans of diced cooked chicken
1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a casserole dishs (any size to hold crescent rolls). In a saucepan, mix milk, 3/4 cup grated cheese (can use more cheese if desired) and undiluted cheese soup. Heat just until the cheese melts (do not boil).

For the filling --- (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder. Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined. Add in 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry). Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Unroll the crescent rolls. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end. Drizzle soup mixture on the bottom of the dish.Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole. Sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired. Bake for about 30 minutes.