Category: Favorite Things

Chicken “Winning Pot” Pie

CarrieLeave a comment

Thursday night I decided to have some friends over for dinner.  As always, Mimi asked me if there was a theme.  So as not to disappoint her, I decided to call it a game night.  We had clams “casino” dip and chicken “winning pot” pie to name a few.  Here are some things to help you plan your own game night.

Top 5 Games

1. Encore (for the Glee wanna-be)

2. Bezzerwizzer

3. Cranium

4. Pyramid

5. Karaoke on Demand (another one for the Glee wanna-be)

Chicken “Winning Pot” Pie adapted from the Casserole Queens

2 tbsp butter

1 rotisserie chicken, boned and shredded

1/4 cup red bell pepper

2 shallots

3 tbsp flour

1 tsp thyme

2 tsp sage

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup white wine

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups carrots, diced and blanched

2 russet potatoes, diced and blanched

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1.  Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the bell pepper and shallot and cook until tender.  Stir in the flour and spices and cook for a couple minutes.  Add the milk and heavy cream and cook until thickened.  Add the wine and salt and pepper to taste.

2.  Pour sauce into mixing bowl.  Add chicken, peas, carrots, and potatoes and fold together.

3.  Scoop filling into individual crocks (Temptations on QVC makes a great individual crock and even comes with a lid if you serve soup and need to keep it warm for a bit. Check it out on QVC). Top the crock with puff pastry and brush with egg wash.  Salt and pepper the top.  Place the crocks on a cookie sheet.  Cook at 425 for about 25 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling over.  You can prepare the pot pies and keep them in the refrigerator until they are ready to bake which makes it great for dinner parties.

Project for Beer Caps

Carrie1 Comment

I usually throw a lot of parties during the winter months and as a result I collect a lot of bottle caps.  To make a few extra bucks, I use the beer bottle caps to make magnets to sell in the bakery.   Last year I made about 75 caps thinking that I would just try to sell them and hope for the best.  Little did I know that they would be a hot seller.  At just $.99, they were a great souvenir for kids. Don’t worry parents, by the time the caps are finished you can’t see any alcohol advertisement to expose to the little ones.

It’s so simple.  Just use a circle cutter (mine is Martha Stewart brand of course) to cut out a one inch circle of any desirable scrapbook paper that suits your fancy.  Then you can decorate the paper cut-out with any sticker you want.  I like to use a sticker that will give dimension to the cap.  After you have the cap all set to the way you want it, place them on a non-stick surface like parchment paper (I even used a cut ziploc bag.  Then, pour the clear resin into each bottle cap (I use Clear Castin’ Easy Cast that you can find at any Michael’s store) and let it set overnight.  Then all you need to do is to hot glue a round magnet to the back of each cap.  You’re creation is complete!

Paula Deen, the Queen of Butter and Cream Cheese

Carrie1 Comment

With all the recent hubbub around Paula, I would like to be able to say how I feel about the situation.  Paula has never told anyone to eat her food every single day of the week.  Every one knows that moderation is key.  She creates recipes that are available as a resource but never told anyone that it is a great idea to make her recipes on a daily basis.  Any intelligent person would know that her recipes should be used for special occasions.

Yes, Paula Deen does have diabetes.  She also admitted on Dr. Oz that she has given in to the bad habit of smoking cigarettes over the years.  Does this make her a terrible woman…no.  It makes her a perfect example of a human being.  No one is perfect.  While she may be overweight and has quite a few vices, she is a strong woman who has overcome many obstacles in her life.  Maybe we should applaud her for those instead of spending time criticizing her.  She never hid the fact that she had diabetes…it’s just not something that comes up in conversation.  Our medical history is our personal information.  If she wants to eat what she eats and take medication that is her decision. I’m not saying it makes sense that she represent a drug company for diabetic medication since she might not be the greatest patient, but after all it was a business decision.  Would you really turn down money for doing something as easy as being a spokeswoman?

In the long run, Paula might have taken a small hit but she will only come out stronger.  Here’s one of my favorite recipes to honor her fantastic contribution to the culinary world.

Paula’s Butter Cake

Cake -1 box yellow cake mix, 1 egg, 1 stick butter (melted)

Filling – 8oz cream cheese, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 stick butter (melted), 16 oz. powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray.

2. Cake…Mix all cake ingredients together. Scrape batter into pan and smooth out.

3. Filling…Beat room temperature cream cheese until smooth with electric mixer.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add melted butter and beat.  Add powdered sugar slowly (1/2 cup at a time).  Beat well so it becomes fluffy.  Spread filling on top of cake mixture.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  The center should be gooey.