Curry Chicken Pot Pie

Oh the weather outside is frightful,

But the fire is so delightful,

And since we've no place to go,

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

The blizzard outside today was a perfect excuse to try a new comfort food recipe - chicken pot pie. I just finished my second helping and it was EXACTLY what the doctor ordered. Creamy, spicy, flaky, and delicious all around. My recipe is based on the one I found here, with some tweaks:

Curry Chicken Pot Pie

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Crust

1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 lbs chicken breast, cut into small chunks

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed (corn, chopped carrots, and peas, and whatever else you'd like!)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon red curry powder

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 3/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch ungreased pie pan.

2. In a boiling pan, add frozen veggies and chicken and allow to cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes. You can shred the chicken if you'd like, or keep cubed.

3. Meanwhile, a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and all other spices until well blended. Gradually whisk in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

4. Drain chicken and mixed vegetables and add into saucepan. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

5. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

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Healthy Chicken Pesto Pasta - Creamy and Rich!

I remember when I first started cooking I was sooo particular about following the directions to a "T". However, after experimenting and discovering some great and exciting combinations of food, it's fun to open my pantry and refrigerator and dream up a new concoction. Especially when it actually tastes GOOD!

Tonight I had a hankerin' for pesto chicken, but didn't want to go too crazy on the calories and fat intake. I used yoghurt to give it a cre

amy texture and used minimal amounts of oil without sacrificing taste at all.

Healthy Chicken Pesto Pasta

Serves: 2 (can be easily doubled)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz chicken breast - cut into strips or chunks, seasoned with salt, pepper, and Adobe seasoning (if available)
• 1/2 serving of whole wheat pasta (penne or linguine works well, I used egg noodles that I had handy)
• 2-3 tablespoons pesto (jar is fine)
• half an onion
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• olive oil
• red pepper flakes
• grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta as directed. Be sure to check the pasta before draining - whole wheat tends to take an extra minute to fully cook.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pesto and lemon juice with yoghurt and mix well. Set aside.

3. In a nonstick pan set to medium high, add 1 tsp. of olive oil, the mushrooms and onions. Saute until onions are caramelized and mushrooms soften - about 5 minutes. When this is close to being cooked, add the garlic and allow to simmer for 1 minute. Remove from pan and combine with the bowl of pesto.

4. Using the same pan, add in chicken to cook until no longer pink. More olive oil can also be added if needed.

5. Once cooked, take chicken off heat and add pasta and pesto mix. Combine well, top with salt & pepper to taste. Top with red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese and voila! Dinner is served :)

The Chocolate Bar aka My Idea of Heaven

Looking for a unique place to take family or friends visiting Boston? I would highly recommend the Chocolate Bar at Langham Hotel. The hotel is exquisite, service is top notch, and you leave feeling absolutely decadent. My friends and I have made this a girl's Saturday lunch for a number of years, they have a different theme each year, and the food is always creative...we even went here for Jen's bachelorette party (followed by a day at the spa - can life GET any better!?)

Hurry though - this slice of decadence only happens on Saturdays, from September 11-June 25 and reservations can fill up!

For more information: http://boston.langhamhotels.com/restaurants/chocolate_bar.htm

Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes!

These are hands down my favorite baked good (and trust me, I have a LOT of favorite baked goods). This recipe (based on one provided by the fabulous Mamma Joy) reminds me of a super moist cake slash cheesecake. The combination is spot on, and I love watching people bite into the cupcake and be so pleasantly surprised by the cheesecakey chocolate chip center. Make this if you want to be the best mom on the block or simply be ultra decadent. I last made these for my coworkers as a Holiday gift and it went over incredibly well!

Cream-Cheese Filled Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

3 Cups Flour

2 Cups Sugar

½ Cup Cocoa Powder

2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Salt

2 Cups Water

2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Tablespoon Vinegar

2 Tablespoon Vanilla

1-8 ounce Cream Cheese {softened}

1- Egg

1-1/3 Cups Sugar

1-Cup Chocolate Chips

Pinch of Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat at oven to 350 degrees. Line 36 muffin cups with liners.

2. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Stir in water, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla. Fill paper liners half full.

4. In a separate bowl make the filling: Beat together cream cheese, egg, 1 cup of the sugar, salt, and chocolate chips.

5. Spoon one heaping tablespoon filling on top of each cupcake.

6. Sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon sugar. Bake 30 minutes.

Use Glad Freezer Bags to freeze ahead: These cupcakes freeze very well for up to 2 months.

Best Spinach Artichoke Dip EVER!

If there is one appetizer I am most frequently asked to make/bring to a party, it's my Spinach Artichoke Dip. It's warm, ooey, gooey, and delicious! The dip tastes really fresh, doesn't cost much, serves PLENTY and takes 20 minutes (or less!) to make. I also use the low fat variation of everything to make this dip more health conscious. Enjoy!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
1 box of frozen spinach
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 lb. low-fat cream cheese at room temperature

5 cloves of minced garlic (adjust to your preference...I love the garlicky taste!)

1 13.5-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 8-oz.carton low-fat sour cream
8 oz. shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
1 large round sourdough loaf (1- to 2-lb. size)
Pita or Tortilla chips for dipping

1. Microwave the spinach per the box instructions. (usually 4 minutes on high). Be sure to place in a microwaveable bowl and cover.

2. Preheat the oven to 350F.

3. Melt the butter in a nonsuck skillet over medium-low heat. Squeeze excess moisture from the spinach by using a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth, and add to the skillet.

4. Stir in the cream cheese and garlic, and continue stirring until the cream cheese has melted.

5. Fold in the artichoke hearts, sour cream and three-fourths of the mozzarella. Allow all of the cheeses to melt.

6. Meanwhile, cut the top off the bread loaf, and, using a sharp knife, cut out the interior. Slice it into cubes for dipping or save and make into croutons.

7. Pour the cheese mixture into the bread loaf, and put the loaf on a cookie sheet. Top with the remaining mozzarella, and cover with foil. Or, you can refrigerate the loaf until it's ready to serve.

8. Bake the stuffed bread for 25-30 minutes covered. Remove the foil, and bake for about 10-15 minutes uncovered, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly and looks like the top of pizza.

Best Foodie Gift: Food Network Magazine subscription

My best friend Johanna got me this for the holidays, and it’s the gift that keeps on giving. I love Food Network on any given day, and having their magazine helps me think of new recipes and also keeps me updated on what my favorites are doing. The magazine is CHOCK full of ideas, although not many are healthy. Despite that, it’s like recieving a new cookbook every month. I’ve saved all of them and they are in my bookshelf right next to the rest of my cookbooks. If you’re looking for an inexpensive gift for a foodie, I would highly recommend purchasing this!!

Annnnd, we're back!

I've decided to have Christmas in May. Mostly because I couldn't find my camera cord anywhere, and it's taken me this long to upload my photos. ahem...anyways, first up is a post on a fabulous new tradition we’ve started - Christmas gift swap and dinner.

The ladies and I decided to keep our get together low key and personal. Meghan C. kindly offered to host the event, and it was a GREAT success. Check out our festivities:

I volunteered to make the main dish - my first ever chicken roast. I used a Jamie Oliver recipe "Roast Chicken Recipe with Lemon and Rosemary Potatoes" mostly because he used the words ‘chuffed’ and 'some lovely fat'. I just couldn’t resist - I love anything British!

Jamie’s recipes always seem simplistic, but are flavorful and delicious. The technique of boiling the lemon with the potatoes and then transferring it into the cavity of the chicken really tenderized the meat and gave the potatoes a lemony hint that meshed well with the chicken. Some photos below.

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• 1 x 2kg/4½lb free-range organic chicken
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2kg/4½lb potatoes, peeled
• 1 large, preferably unwaxed, lemon
• 1 whole bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
• a handful of fresh thyme
• olive oil
• a handful of fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
• optional: 8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

Directions:

Rub the chicken inside and out with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Do this in the morning if possible, then cover the chicken and leave in the fridge until you're ready to start cooking it for lunch or dinner. By doing this, you'll make the meat really tasty when cooked. Preheat your oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cut the potatoes into golf-ball-sized pieces, put them into the water with the whole lemon and the garlic cloves, and cook for 12 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for 1 minute (this will give you crispier potatoes), then remove the lemon and garlic. Toss the potatoes in the pan while still hot so their outsides get chuffed up and fluffy – this will make them lovely and crispy when they roast.

While the lemon is still hot, carefully stab it about 10 times. Take the chicken out of the fridge, pat it with kitchen paper and rub it all over with olive oil. Push the garlic cloves, the whole lemon and the thyme into the cavity, then put the chicken into a roasting tray and cook in the preheated oven for around 45 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Some lovely fat should have cooked out of it into the roasting tray, so toss the potatoes into this with the rosemary leaves. Shake the tray around, then make a gap in the centre of the potatoes and put the chicken back in. If using the bacon, lay the rashers over the chicken breast and cook for a further 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are nice and golden. (You can tell the chicken is cooked when the thigh meat pulls easily away from the bone and the juices run clear.)