Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

2 ½ tablespoons, butter

¼ cup, onion, diced

¼ cup, carrots, diced

¼ cup, celery, diced

1/4 cup all purpose flour, plus additional for rolling out pie crust

¼ teaspoon salt

pinch fresh ground pepper, to taste

2 cups, chicken broth

2 cups,  cooked chicken, diced

¼ cup, frozen peas

¼ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 sheet, pie crust

1 small, egg yolk

1 teaspoon water

Directions:

In a medium saucepan or stockpot, melt butter over medium to low heat. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook until the onions softens, about 3 – 4 minutes.

Add flour, and pepper. Cook, constantly stirring until the mixture has a little light brown,  about 5 minutes.

Add chicken broth and continue whisking frequently. Bring to a boil and continue stirring until it thickens.

Lower heat and bring to a  simmer, simmering for about another 5 minutes, stirring every minute. Stir in the chicken, peas and thyme; season with salt and pepper to taste. Check to make sure salt is ok, and do not over salt. Refrigerate the chicken broth mixture 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 365 degrees.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pie crust.  Using the ramekins you will be using to bake your pot pies as a guide. Place them lightly on the pie crust and cut around, allowing 1-inch plus larger than dish. With the tip of a knife, cut vents into the pastry.

Divide the pot pie filling between 2 - 12-ounce baking dishes and fill.

Place the pastry cutouts  on top of each baking dish. (You can decorate your pot pies as you like. I used leaf cookie cutters) Optional Beat the egg yolk and water in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, brush a little egg wash on pastry.  Refrigerate the prepared baking dishes for 15 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place the cooled baking dishes on the cookie sheet, evenly placed.

Bake until pastry is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 25-35 minutes.

Carefully place the hot baking dishes on top of individual serving plates and serve. Enjoy!

Servings: 2 Pot Pies

Tip:  Be careful! The dish will be hot!

Summer Spring Rolls

Gazpacho



Some people prefer the chunky Gazpacho, but this recipe is for the smooth, which I prefer. You can leave it chunky by not processing it to a smooth consistency.

Tip: Read directions carefully before preparing.

Ingredients:

3 medium sized ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
1 large cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium size red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 whole scallion, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 small clove garlic, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon of cilantro, stems remove and chopped

1 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 teaspoon Salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, scallion, cilantro, garlic, and salt in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add the vinegar, olive oil and tomato juice and continue processing until thoroughly combined with the vegetable puree. Transfer the soup to a bowl and season with more salt, if needed only, your preference, and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Check the seasonings before serving. Serve in chilled bowls.

Servings: Makes 6 servings

Tip: Gazpacho is a cold Spanish tomato-based raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalusia. Gazpacho is widely consumed throughout Spain, neighboring Portugal (where it is known as gaspacho) and parts of Latin America. Gazpacho is mostly consumed during the summer months, due to its cold temperature and acidic bite. wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazpacho 

Awesome Caramelized Roasted Vegetables

Caramelized Roasted Vegetables

Roasting vegetables is an age-old technique that releases natural sugars. By combining several vegetables and cooking them slowly until they are caramelized and sweet. You could serve these vegetables alone or with almost any roasted meat, game or poultry.  The aroma of the roasted vegetables is so wonderful as they are roasting.

Ingredients:
2 medium Chinese eggplants
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon of Italian Dried Herbs
pinch of fresh coarse ground pepper
2 gloves garlic, minced
4 small Buttery Gold skinned potatoes
3 1/2  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
14 Brussels Sprouts
6, small bulb onions with stems, washed

Directions:
Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Foil a rimmed baking sheet, preferably a 17 X 13-inch half-sheet pan. Lightly spray with 100% Olive Oil spray.

Wash, peel and cut eggplant into 1 1/2" cubes. Sweat the eggplant to remove any bitter taste by sprinkling 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, over all of the pieces. Set the salted eggplant into a colander and let it rest for about 30 minutes. The eggplant should begin to sweat. You will notice little droplets of moisture being extracted by the salt from the surface of the eggplant. Rinse and remove the eggplant from the colander, and place on a paper towel. With a second paper towel, blot off all the excess moisture which has formed.

Mix well olive oil, remaining kosher salt, the Italian dried herbs, and minced garlic together in a small bowl.

Scrub and wash the potatoes and cut into 1" pieces.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves, then cut in half.

Put the potatoes, eggplant, onions and Brussels sprouts, mixed salt, coarse pepper, Italian herb and garlic, olive oil mix in a large bowl. Toss until the all are well coated. Spread on the baking sheet. Don't pile your vegetables on top of one another — lay them out in one layer. Roast for 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 6 Large Servings