[recipe] Chicken Pot Pie

So, here's the deal. Nick and I were eating store bought personal meat pies and somehow it was brought up that we could make them ourselves and it would be so much better. Challenge accepted. We made plans to create our own chicken pot pie for our Valentines date. It's become tradition to make a homemade dinner and watch something on Netflix for Valentine's Day. This is the recipe we came up with this year for a delicious 9 inch pie:

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

Pie Crust
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 cups flour
- water

Filling
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup frozen green beans
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup frozen cauliflower
- 1/2 cup frozen broccoli
- 1/2 cup cooked carrots
- 1 10 oz can chicken, drained
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 3/4 tsp parsley
- 3/4 tsp sage
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp coarse ground pepper


First thing is first. The crust.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix flour and shortening with a fork until little pea-sized pieces result. (Just make sure there aren't any big clumps of shortening.)

3. Add two tablespoons of water and mix. Continue adding one tbsp at a time until dough clumps together. I add about 3.5-4 tbsp TOTAL.

4. Form your dough into a ball. Cut a little over half of the dough away and place on a silicone baking mat (the orange thing pictured above). This is what I use, but you can use any other surface that allows you to pick it up. Flexibility is key!

5. Roll out dough until large enough to cover 9 inch pie pan - about 11 inches. (I have a clear pan so I just hover it over my crust to see if it will fit.)

6. Once large enough, carefully flip the making mat into the pie pan, lining up your dough with the edge of the pan. Carefully remove baking mat and press crust lightly into pan, pulling off excess/overflowing crust.

7. Scoop in filling (see recipe below). Be careful not to overfill. Your pie should look something like this:

8. Roll out remaining dough and repeat step six to cover pie. Use your thumb to press and seal the bottom and top crust edges.

9. Use a butter knife to create a pretty pattern for ventilation and pop the pie in the oven for 30-40 minutes (Mine is perfect at 30 minutes).

10. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before eating! Enjoy!

Pie Filling:

1. Heat up chicken broth (lo-med heat). Add cream of chicken and stir occasionally until smooth. Turn heat to lo.

2. While waiting for that to mix, put your frozen veggies in a microwave safe bowl and add a couple tbsp of water. Cover and microwave for 2-3 minutes to soften/thaw a little. (Your carrots won't soften this way. Make sure to steam/boil them before hand.) Drain.

3. When broth and cream of chicken are smooth, and add chicken and vegetables. Stir.

4. Remove from heat. Stir in seasonings.

5. Ready to bake!

-----


Ok, guys! I hope this is understandable! If you have any questions, please ask in a comment below and I'll respond. Also, if you try out this recipe, let me know! Send me a picture or let me know how it turned out! Enjoy!

Getting Organized

Do you ever have those days where you just want to pull your hair out because you can't seem to find time to finish your to-do list? Or perhaps you're so stressed that you can't even focus on one task because you have 50 more to do that day? This has been my life for the last few weeks. I have felt crazy and at times I shut down completely, playing games and ignoring my looming list of tasks. That doesn't seem to help anyone.

The biggest blessing and lesson I have received this last week is the beauty of being organized. I listed on my 23 by 23 list that I want to organize and simplify each room in our house. This is important to me. If anyone who reads this knew me in high school (read: saw my bedroom in high school) this would be unbelievable. My room was always a disaster zone. Clothes, books, music, and things were everywhere. Now that I have grown up a bit, I have noticed that out-of-place things give me a lot of stress and anxiety. In order for me to function properly (and in a healthy way), I need a clean area.

This goal I have set for myself is one that I can not wait to complete. I am so happy when I think of having a place for everything in my house and knowing that we only have the things we need or think are beautiful.

Nick and I spent last Saturday organizing our guest room/my craft room. I confessed to him that I felt displaced and didn't have a place for just me. I understood that our whole house is full of rooms for me, but each room was mine and Nick's. He had the garage and his very own desk. I needed my own place. He listened and together we created a Kelsi space.

The guest/craft room is completely transformed and I can't get enough of it. We put my craft supplies neatly in the closet, brought up the bookshelf we kept downstairs, and got me a desk. Everything of mine that has to do with work, school, couponing, and crafts has a home. Nick said that if he is ever stressed then he just needs to go in my room and look at all the organized things and he will be ok. What a funny guy he is!

The process of organizing one room has helped me to organize my mind. Knowing that I have somewhere I can dump things and keep them, gives me a peace of mind. I don't have to worry about forgetting information or losing important papers. Everything has a home. Everything has a place, and it couldn't feel better.

My Valentine

In my list of things to do before my birthday, I said I wanted to post at least once a week. I feel a little overwhelmed at the thought seeing how it's been about a year since I've written. I don't know how other bloggers post once a day! Haha. Maybe I should keep a little book of ideas. Maybe that's how the other bloggers do it...

In honor of Valentine's Day coming up, I want to share a few things I love about being married. There are tons of reasons and this list is just some of them. My favorite reasons are always changing, but here are ten of my current reasons I love being married to Nick.

1. Getting kisses everyday.
2. Steady dates with an awesome man.
3. Learning things I would never learn without being married.
4. Dreaming big.
5. Always having someone on my team.
6. Weekend mornings knowing I get to spend all day with the one I love.
7. Having someone who knows me better than anyone in the world.
8. Knowing my family is forever.
9. Sharing ice cream.
10. Sharing love.

What is your favorite thing about love?

23 by 23

I am going to be 23 in a few months. Twenty. Three. How the heck did that happen?! Time sure does fly!

In honor of my upcoming June birthday, I decided to give myself a list of things to do before my big day! I am up for a challenge! So, here is my list of 23 things I want to do before I turn 23 (in no particular order of importance).

1. Organize and simplify our house. (Count: 2/9 Rooms)
2. Read 10 books. (Count: 3/10)
3. Get promoted to a Division Leader at work.
4. Become Securities Licensed.
5. Complete three paintings. (Count: 1/3)
6. Go for a hike in Yosemite. 
7. Take a trip to Japan Town in SF. Completed!
8. Finish building our bed frame.
9. Read the New Testament.
10. Finish sewing our quilt top.
11. Have a sushi date. 
12. Play with a puppy (priorities, guys).
13. Blog at least once a week.
14. Run two miles without stopping. 
15. Help with the Partner meetings at work.
16. Find myself new doctors. 
17. Have a park date.
18. Go for a country night drive.
19. Plan something special for Nick.
20. Enjoy our 3rd wedding anniversary.
21. Celebrate our first-date-iversary.
22. Go through my shoes and purses. Completed! 
23. To be determined. 

And there you have it! Here's to the next months of getting stuff done and having fun! Bring it on!

What do you want to do before your next birthday? Do you keep a list like this? I would love to know!