Well it's the New Year and I'm back Up North for whatever this land has to throw at me, including many "first" experiences! My stay in Ontario with family and friends was lovely, but truthfully I'm glad to be home.
No more nostalgic trips to Christmas' Past; the decorations have been stored for another year and my sight is squarely focused on things to come. My resolutions? To be more organized, save money and eat healthier. Original, I know. Truthfully, I don't really subscribe to the New Years Resolution game, these are always my goals! But maybe this is the year to make them stick...maybe.
Warning: before you go further into this post, know that there will be a picture that you may not like. I'll tell you what it is so that you don't go there just to see: it's a dead rabbit. So if you don't want to see that, don't scroll past the puppies. If you'd like a nice Chicken Pot Pie recipe, then scroll down quickly to that part.
In my two week absence the dogs have grown so much! They no longer look like puppies, but they still act like them. It was such a joy to take them on our afternoon walk, how I missed it! The fresh air, the prancing pups and the beautiful snowy scenes!
These wintry days we have to be careful because while I was gone, Nanuq got his paw caught in a snare. He wasn't really hurt, just pinched a little, but we now tie the dogs up when we're getting to the area where the traps are. They're just made of wire and are designed to catch small game like rabbits, so they wouldn't be harmful to my dogs unless they were to be caught for some time, or seriously panic and cause the wire to dig into their skin. I was glad to have the pups on their leashes yesterday because we came upon a gruesome scene that got them straining to get a closer look (and perhaps a taste).
Yes, there was a bunny caught in one of the snares...well, part of one. You can see it's little head dangling from the wire snare. I figure that a wild animal got to it before whoever set the trap, because it seems like an awful lot of fur ended up on the ground, and also the snare isn't reset. Sorry if I ruined your day, but it's my first run-in with this reality Up Here so I had to share. Hopefully I didn't turn anyone off of their moccasins!
On a lighter note, I was walking by a tree I've walked by many times before and noticed what appeared to be huge caterpillars sitting on the branches. Of course they weren't caterpillars, they were pine cones, but it took me a second look to confirm it.
After a walk is when I start to think about what to make for supper, and what is more welcome on a cold winter's day than a warm casserole dish? I decided to make Chicken Pot Pie, and since I'm wanting to save money I made the crust myself. If you buy the crust pre-made, it's also a pretty easy and delicious dinner.
Chicken Pot Pie
Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup icy water
Filling:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 celery stalk
2 carrot sticks
2 small potatoes
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
Sauce:
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
To make the crust, mix the flour and salt together, then cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is mixed in but there are still small pea-sized butter chunks. I learned a great trick, which is to keep the butter frozen and grate it with a cheese grater, that was it's already in little pieces. Add the water 1 Tablespoon at a time, mixing the dough until you can form a ball. Then cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or two, or overnight. Roll the dough on a floured surface pretty thin. I found that the dough made just enough for the base and top crust, so if you want some extra to play around with add a bit more flour and water.
To make the filling, cube the carrots, celery, potatoes and chicken into bite-sized pieces and boil in a pot for about 15 minutes (make the potato pieces smaller so that they are sure to cook through). Strain the water (keep 1 1/2 cups for the chicken stock) and if you wish, break up the chicken pieces into smaller shreds. Add the peas. Season with garlic powder and salt and pepper, mix, and place in a pie dish on top of the bottom crust.
To make the sauce, cook the onion in butter until translucent, not browning. Then add the flour and stir. SLOWLY add the chicken stock and milk while stirring constantly. If you add it too quickly, the floured onions will clump up (ask me how I know this!). Add the bay leaf and nutmeg and allow to simmer on medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened. Remove bay leaf and pour over the vegetables.
Top with the remaining crust and cut holes so that steam can escape. I made mine quickly because I was hungry, so I didn't make it pretty but it's nice to use small cookie cutters (or a knife, if you're artsy) and make a neat design in the top crust.
Bake in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes.
I don't know if this is healthier eating or not. The recipe doesn't call for any cream, which many do, and it's got veggies in it, but it also contains a lot of butter. It likely doesn't help that I served it with cheddar cheese and onion bread (with more butter, of course!) but hey, no one's perfect!
I was concerned that the sauce would run when I cut and served the slices, but it was perfect! Nice and creamy, but not all over the plate. I had never made this before, so I consulted a few recipes on the internet and then did my own thing. For my first home-cooked meal of the New Year, I feel that this was a pretty great start. And hey, at least I didn't make rabbit stew!
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