Chicken Pot Pie

Though this chicken pot pie was good, it wasn't as great as some other recipes I have tried. I must admit that I didn't have time to make the pie crust, so I cheated and used a store-bought crust. With regard to the filling, though, the consensus at our house was that it was too rich and thick (ha! - and this is comfort food we're talking about, I guess we're just really picky...). I was really surprised by the direction to use an entire cup of flour - if I decided to try this recipe again, I would definitely cut down on that. I did like her use of white wine, though, and will probably incorporate that in the chicken pot pie recipe that I like a bit better.

chili and cornbread

sorry for the lack of pictures - we were in somewhat of a hurry.  why i always decide to cook on the night's we have small group starting at 6:30 remains a mystery.

the chili was great.  it wasn't hot enough for my taste buds (and I don't like super spicy things), so I would suggest using "original" not "mild" tomatoes with green chilis.  I added those and kidney beans to it - definitely a good idea in my opinion.  served it with some grated cheddar and a dollop of sourcream. 

the cornbread was just okay, to me.  cooking light has a recipe that uses cream corn, green chilis, and cheddar and i prefer that one to this one.

French Pastry Puffs

At our first get together Carissa asked if we liked to cook or bake? At the time I didn't really get the question. Now that I've been on the journey I know that I love baking and I cook so we have something to eat. My latest baking adventure started at 10pm when I realized I needed to take munchies to Bible study in the morning. I went through both cookbooks to realize I only had a little of this and none of that in my pantry. I did have all of the ingredients for the French Pastry Puffs, or at least that's what I thought. I ended up not having the nutmeg. I'm still in awe that it wasn't in my spice wheel. Since I didn't have it I added cinnamon. I'm not sure but I'm guessing that makes them less French?! Anyway, they weren't that great. They weren't that bad. They were good just not GREAT. If I'm making homemade, I want a little more WOW to them. I'm wondering if the missing nutmeg was the WOW. Anyone know? Regardless, I saved 3 and took the other 15 regular size muffins to Bible study and they were all gone and a few of the older ladies asked for the recipe. Guess that's a good sign?

Twice Baked Potatoes

After finding that my cousin is allergic to potatoes I went home and made all things potato.  I needed to eat some and thank the good Lord I have no potato allergy.  I simply love potatoes as does the hubs.

I must confess I had a friend in HS whose mom made the best twice baked potatoes I have ever had.  So, going into this recipe I had my doubts.  No one could beat Matt's moms recipe.  Her's had a creamy goodness that made my heart melt.

(sorry about the shadow, it was taken in haste!)

I ended up having to doctor PW's up.  I hate admitting that but they just didn't do it for me.  I ended up whipping out my mixer and adding some cream cheese into the mixture to add a bit more flavor and still I wasn't impressed.  I don't know what was missing, but these did not do much for me. 

They weren't bad, just not great.  I don't know that I would make these again. 

Comfort Meatballs

I used 1 lb hamburger meat and 1/2 pound hot breakfast sausage (just because that is what I had).  You couldn't taste the extra seasonings at all. 

I loved that she used oatmeal- it really helped them hold together, better than breadcrumbs in my opinion.

I also LOVE her tip to make them ahead of time and let them form in the fridge- it worked perfectly!  It was so much easier to roll them in flour and lightly brown them.  The other meatballs I have made fell apart in the pan- I will do this again!

I also liked that the meatballs weren't swimming in sauce- just lightly covered with it.  I ended up with about 34 good size meatballs.

On a side note..Carissa, these taste EXACTLY like the meatballs you brought us after Brayden was born.  I have been looking for a similar recipe and this is it!

Blackberry Cobbler...but mine was Peach and Raspberry

This was very easy to make - probably the easiest I have ever done :)  I used frozen peaches and raspberries and made it ahead of time. 

I had to cook mine about 15 min longer and up the temp at the end and it was still not fully cooked in the middle.  I am not sure if the extra liquid from frozen fruit made the difference- BUT, it was DELICIOUS!  Actually a bit too sweet- next time I will cut down on the sugar added on the top. 

I totally forgot to take pictures again! 

Pizza Crust

We too made the pizza crust several days ago... so here are Lil & Ev's cousins Gabe & Elias with their pizza creations...

Definitely a fun dough for kids to work with. I used whole wheat for 1 of the 4 cups of flour and we all loved the crust. My husband even commented on his own that it was a nice crust. I don't think I've ever used yeast where I didn't have to knead it, so that was a nice surprise! The boys made their pizzas from half the dough, then I put the rest covered in the fridge and saved it for the next night.

The boys were not big fans of my Goat cheese/Arugula/Pear pizza, but I thought it was great.

I think it was the "salad on a pizza" factor they didn't go for.