Suzy Homemaker

I have already extolled the virtues of homemade freezer lasagna — and if I haven't quick recap: use Everyday Food's Vegetable Lasagna recipe and if your significant other demands meat, cook up some ground beef to layer in there. And I replace fontina cheese with mozzarella and parmesan combined. And then you split the recipe into two smaller pans (if there's just two or three of you) and cover them in foil and throw them in the freezer. When you want to have them for dinner, pull them out of the freezer in the morning before you go to school or work and they'll be fully thawed by evening and you can cook them right up!

The other virtue I want to talk about is frozen pot-pie filling. I discovered this trick completely by accident when making chicken pot pie one night. I had accidentally made too much filling, so I put the remainder in the freezer, knowing we wouldn't eat it before it went bad. I pulled it out a week or two later, whipped up some quick pie dough, and voila! Hours of cooking relegated to ten minutes!

And it's a great crowd pleaser, because somehow, like spaghetti, chicken pot pie tastes better a little bit aged.

So the next time I made pot pie, I tripled my filling.

Because I'm marrying a boy scout and he's taught me always to be prepared...

...for hungry men.

Between me and Betty (Crocker, if you must know) we whip up a tasty pot pie. I adjusted the recipe to fit my desires and it is shown below, but the original has to be credited to Betty Crocker. I apologize in advance for the rough estimates, but this is one of those things that's hard to screw up. If your sauce is runny, add more flour and milk, if it is bland, add more salt and pepper. Remember also, that this is a double to triple recipe, so you will have extra! That's the point!

Chicken Pot Pie
for dough, use the recipe for basic pie dough
4 or 5 yellow or red potatoes (the smaller ones) cut into chunks 1" or less
3 or 4 carrots, chopped
2 heads of broccoli
any other "coarse" veggies you may want (peas, cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchini, string beans, etc.) in double handfuls
1/3 c butter (if I'm being good, I don't add this...it doesn't make or break the deliciousness)
1/3 c flour
1 onion chopped
salt
pepper
3 c chicken broth (I use most of one of the boxes)
2/3 to 3/4 c milk
3 to 4 c cooked chicken (if I'm lazy, I'll buy one of those pre-cooked chickens at Safeway or Costco and just use that)

In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly and onion is soft. Stir in broth, milk and vegetables. Vegetables should be covered by broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring attentively (Betty says constant, I never do...but do pay attention, as it will burn). Once boiling, turn down to simmer and simmer until veggies are almost tender (al dente). Throw in chicken and cook with chicken until veggies are tender (not too tender, because they'll go to mush, but they don't get much more cooked when you bake, so very close).

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Make double crust pie dough, roll out and use a pie pan just like you're making a pie (so 2 pieces, bottom and top). Divide chicken mixture into thirds (or in half, depending upon how much you ended up with) and pour one third into pie plate over the bottom pastry. Roll out remaining dough and place over filling. Crimp edges and make sure to create air vents in the top with a fork or knife. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Wait for remaining filling to cool and then freeze in freezer-safe containers. When you want a quick meal, defrost and whip up some dough or dumplings to feed hungry boys!

Ciao,
kc