Beef Pot Pie

The Crust:
2 cups of flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup of canola oil
6 tbsp ice water
2 tbsp fresh chives, minced

Stir the flour, salt, canola oil, ice water, and chives together in a bowl; mix until flour is wet. Gather the dough into a ball (mixture will be crumbly) and place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; roll into an 1/8 inch thick oval crust (or square depending on your pan). Cover the dough with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

The Filling:
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb top sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch pieces (I used a 1 lb. package of diced lean stew meat)
1/2 onion, diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
6 small red potatoes, diced
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 tsp of thyme (more if desired)
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups of beef broth (divided)
1/3 -1/2 cup of cornstarch (depending on how thick you want it)
2-3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the diced potatoes in a pot of water and boil for 4-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the beef and sear, stirring often for 1 minute; add the onions, mushrooms, and carrots then continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, stirring well then deglaze pot with 1/2 cup of broth, scraping up the bits. Add an additional 3 cups of broth along with the potatoes. While the mixture is simmering, whisk together the corn starch and the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth; stir into the beef mixture until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Taste and re-season with salt, pepper, or thyme if needed. Ladle the filling into a large baking dish. (I used a large oval corelle baking dish.)

Place the dough on top of the filling. Crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork. Make a small slice in the center of the crust with a knife. Place the pie on top of a baking sheet covered with tin foil then place in the oven and bake for 38-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. (I found that it baked a lot faster, so be sure to check it often.)

Remove the pie from the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before serving to allow the filling to cool and thicken.

Ingredients: stew meat, mushrooms, carrots, red potatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, garlic, thyme, parsley, canola oil, fresh chives, cornstarch, flour

Original recipe in the April 2010 issue of Cuisine at Home. I adapted and made a few changes from the original recipe.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

My family all really loved this recipe. It had great flavor.


1 tsp of olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced (I used celery flakes since I was out of celery)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5 cups chicken stock
1-2 bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp dried basil
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced (more if you like)
1/2 cup long grain rice
1 cup of frozen corn, thawed
2 tbsp corn starch
1 12 oz can evaporated milk

Heat olive oil and add the onion, carrots and celery once hot. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir constantly for 60 seconds. Add the chicken stock, diced chicken, rice, bouillon, basil, sea salt, black pepper and bay leaf. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Turn the soup up until it boils. Mix the corn starch and evaporated milk thoroughly in a bowl. Add the milk mixture to the boiling soup and stir. Lower the heat and add the corn. Mix thoroughly and simmer for a few more minutes. The soup will thicken as it sits.

Ingredients: carrots, celery, garlic, onion, dried basil, bay leaf, corn starch, chicken stock, bouillon cubes, chicken, long grain rice, corn, evaporated milk, olive oil.

I found this recipe off of the internet.

Texas Almond Sheet Cake

I absolutely love this version of texas sheet cake.

1 cup of butter
1 cup of water

Place both in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then set aside and let cool.

Combine

2 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. of almond extract (no imitation)
1 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of baking soda

After ingredients mixed add the butter water mixture to batter. Spray jelly roll pan and then pour batter into pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, just until lightly brown. Let cool for 30 minutes prior to frosting.

Frosting:

Combine and bring to a boil:
1 cup butter
1/4 cup of milk
4 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp. of almond extract

Frost cake and eat!

Ingredients: Butter, water, sugar, flour, sour cream, eggs, milk, powdered sugar, almond extract, salt, baking soda

Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam

I have always loved my mom's strawberry freezer jam but have never been adventurous enough to make it myself. I decided to try it and was shocked at how easy it was. I have been eating peanut butter sandwiches all week just because it reminds me of home and my mom.

4 cups of pureed strawberries
3 cups sugar
1 box of pectin
1 cup of water

Puree strawberries and set to the side. Boil the sugar, pectin and water. Once at a full boil let boil for 1 minute. Combine sugar mixture and strawberries and then pour into containers for freezing.