Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Don't you just love when a recipe has 'easy' in the title?! Me too! After some serious hounding from this Howe sissie, I am FINALLY getting this recipe posted. And you are just gonna love it!

Image found here

When I first found this recipe I tried it and loved it, but then I went ahead and made adjustments so that it was more to my fam's liking. And by fam I mean my Mr. He is, after all, my biggest foodie and if he says it's not great then I don't make it again. So I am giving it to you how I make it now. Got it? Good.

Here's what you need:

4 T. margarine
4 T. flour
2 c. milk
2 c. chicken broth
2 1/2 c. cooked chicken, cubed
(Just a note here: I am seriously lazy some days and I just want to get dinner in the oven! If this is the case, then I grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and chop it up. I really do love the flavor they have and it makes me happy when I get to take a shortcut!)
12 oz. frozen peas
1 1/2 c. carrots, diced
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced.
3 stalks celery, diced (totally optional if you're a celery hater!)
salt and pepper to taste
1 can refrigerator biscuits (I use the Grand's flaky ones)

Heat your oven to the directions on the biscuit package. Chop potatoes, celery, and carrots and put them in a saucepan. Cover with water and boil until they are almost tender. In the meantime make a roux. What's a roux?! Ok hang on. So you melt the marg and then whisk in the flour. It should come together in a ball. Cook for just a few seconds to get rid of the flour taste. Slowly whisk in the milk and broth and just keep in stirring until it starts to get thick. Congrats! You just made a roux! You should be so proud right now. So when it's getting thick and your veggies are about done, drain the veggies and add them to the sauce along with the chicken, peas, and some salt & pepper. Bring it to a good boil then pour it into a covered casserole dish or pan and put it in the oven. After a few minutes (10-15ish) it should start to bubble all over the surface. (It needs to be this way to keep the biscuits from being soggy.) Once it's doing this, pull it out and place the biscuits all over the surface. Be quick! Re-cover and continue baking according to the biscuit package directions. When it's done the biscuits should be golden brown. Just scoop it up and serve. Oh my goodness it's so good! Try it tonight and let me know what you think.

--Nicki

Layered Taco Dip

Here's another one of those recipes that has several different versions. This is a combination of my mom's and my cousin' Jenn's. I think it's simply scrumptious!

You will need:

8 oz. cream cheese

16 oz. sour cream

1 can refried beans

1 pkg. Taco Seasoning

Tomatoes (diced)

Olives (sliced)

Cheese (grated)

Avocados (diced)

Any other veggies you might like!

Tortilla chips

*In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning. Mix well with hand mixer. In the bottom of a 9x13 pan (or a nice big plate) spread the can of refried beans. Then cover the beans with the cream cheese/sour cream mixture. I like to layer the cheese on the bottom and then put the vegetables on top, you can do it anyway you want! This dip is always a hit! Get some tortilla chips and dig in! YUMMY!

Beef Stew

I have always turned up my nose at stew, but after the pickiest sister Candice stamped it with her approval, I thought I'd better try it! This recipe comes from our sister-in-law, Tif, and is quick and easy and, best of all, a crock-pot recipe. My fave!

(Not my picture. Image from here. I'll be honest...mine didn't look very appetizing (the color of the broth turned me off), so I opted for this image instead).

Ingredients

1 lb. stew meat

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can of corn--with the juice

3-4 potatoes, peeled, washed, and chunked

1 C. diced carrots

1 can (use one of the cream cans) filled with water.

Dehydrated or minced onion to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything in the crock-pot and cook on low all day. About 5 minutes before we ate, I threw in a cup or so of frozen peas (I didn't want them to get soggy from cooking all day). The stew was really hearty and filling and a perfect meal for a chilly day!