Chicken Pot Pie Pockets

When one of my favorite instagrammers posted this recipe, I was sold. Pot pie is one of my favorite childhood meals, and I couldn't wait to share it with my kiddo! I had visions of making these all fall and winter, and passing on the love of pot pie...
He hates them. My heart hurts.
But the recipe is too good not to share.

What you need:

2 chicken breasts
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 small onion
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 cup chicken stock
2 tsp corn starch
Fresh Pastry dough, or your favorite store bough variety
Milk to brush pies (or egg - see notes in recipe)

Small sauce pot
Pan to Saute
Baking sheet
Parchment Paper
Rolling Pin
Mason Jar top

Let's Bake!

- Start by putting your chicken breasts into your small sauce pot.
- Season your chicken how you want. I used salt, pepper, and some curry for some color.
- Cover with chicken stock and simmer for about 20 mins or until chicken is cooked through

- While the chicken is simmering, cut up your small onion
- Place cut up onion and butter into sauté pan

- Check your chicken for doneness, then shred it

- Add your chicken, and one cup of the stock (add more from your box if too much boiled off) to the onions

- Lower your heat to about medium and add in your sour cream and stir until everything incorporates

- Let the sauce thicken a bit while you are stirring, then add in your corn starch 

- The corn starch with really thicken the sauce. It with go from a loose soup to a more gravy like consistency that will be slow to come back together.
- Once you reach the gravy stage add in your frozen mixed vegetable and stir for 5 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through

- Take the sauce off of the heat and let it cool before you use it

- Pre-heat your oven to 350

- Get your baking sheet ready by covering it with parchment paper
- Start rolling out your pastry dough
- Using the top of a mason jar cut out two circles (top, bottom)

- Place the bottom on the baking sheet, spoon your cooled filling into the middle of the circle
- Place your second circle on top and using a fork seal the two circles together

- Brush the tops with milk* and pop in the oven for about 25 mins or until golden brown 

* I have to say I was curious to see how milk worked as opposed to an egg wash. I was not impressed. Since I won't be making these again, I can't try the egg, but I would recommend it. 

- Enjoy!

I hope your kiddo enjoys this childhood classic more than mine does!

Zucchini Bread Pancake

Breakfast is a great meal to sneak vegetables into. Our kiddo loves scrambled eggs, little does he know that they are packed with shredded zucchini or spinach. I wanted to spice up breakfast one weekend and I thought how can I sneak some veggies into a pancake? This is what I came up, I'm thinking of doing a carrot cake variety too!

What you need:

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup shredded zucchini
Unmelted butter for cooking

Skillet
Shredder

Let's bake:

- Start by mixing together your dry ingredients
- In a separate bowl mix together your wet ingredients
- Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients

- If your batter seems thick, make sure you added all the ingredients. My batter was really thick, and it was because I forgot to add the eggs

- Now shred your zucchini, I was aiming for a cup, but I was a little under, and add it to your batter 

- Butter your skillet and measure your batter onto the skillet

- You know they are ready to flip when they start to bubble

- Once they are cooled they are good to serve

Things to be aware of:

1. The cinnamon makes the pancakes have a "whole wheat" look, so if you have a picky eater, I would put less cinnamon into your pancakes. 

2. My kiddo doesn't seem to care that the pancakes have green flecks in them, but if you have a visual eater, I would recommend using a very fine shredder, and even peeling your zucchini prior to shredding to eliminate the green color showing. 

Enjoy!

Happy Happy Birthday

Our little kiddo had a birthday last month! We threw together an airplane themed party and everyone had a blast.

I decided to take on "the making of the birthday cake". Sheet cakes are great, but they are way too expensive, someone always cuts the pieces too big, and then no one eats it. Leaving me with a sheet cake that can feed 40, that is gone in a week, and I'm left feeling sorry for myself.
Well not this time. No sheet cake for us! I made a pull-apart-cake. They are all the rage, and who can refuse a cupcake??
I figured Pinterest would't let me down when it came to finding a cake template. Well it did. I was shocked. It did show me that the best way to make a pull-apart-cake is by practicing with pennies, and that was a lifesaver!
So while this isn't a recipe, and the cupcakes are most definitely of the boxed variety, I thought I would put my airplane pull-apart-cake template out there for the world to see.
Please keep in mind that I am not an artist, and while I am very proud of my cake, I hope that those of you out there are better cake decorators than I.

**side note. Did you know that red icing is REALLY hard to make? Like next to impossible. So I would recommend either buying pre-made red icing, or adding a little coco powder to your red/pink icing - that is what I did and I was pretty happy with the results! Pinterest for the win!

Enjoy!

Penny template

Finished Masterpiece!