Chicken Pot Pie with a Savory Crumble Topping

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Sept 2010)
Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 11)


Quick, if you have any interest in this recipe, go to the TV Show link and watch the recipe before it moves behind the pay wall. If there is a new season for 2012 of ATK then those videos will be gone when it starts. The recipes are usually available for another year though. If you like pot pies, you should definitely check this one out.

All pot pie recipe's I've seen either have pie dough on top or a biscuit on top. This one is a cross between the two. The topping is quite rich, and also quite delicious. It is made with flour, butter, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and some pepper. I never make pie crust pot pies, but I will definitely make this one again. The filling is similar to CI's other pot pie recipes, but they do add some soy sauce and tomato paste to add savory flavors which was good.

I did not add the mushrooms, so the prep time might be a bit longer if you use them. I added the soy sauce and paste to the veggie mixture instead. The only problem I had with the recipe was the carrots were not cooked enough. I would cook them longer next time.

This recipe was a winner and got a thumbs up from my picky eater, so I will make it again. It is a bit rich, even with the healthy modifications I made. Those include, using half the butter in the sauce, using 2% milk instead of whole, and all chicken breasts instead of thighs. None of those changes hurt the dish. I left the topping as is, since it is the star of the dish, but you could get by with using less of that also, since it is so rich.
 

Turkey and Stuffing Bake

Prep Time: 30 minutes 

Bake Time: 25 minutes

Cool Time: 10 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe next year 

Recipe Source: Every Day Food (October 2011) 

http://www.marthastewart.com/859565/turkey-and-stuffing-bake

I meant to post this a few weeks ago, before Thanksgiving, but managed to not do that.

This was a kind of fun recipe that is a take on Thanksgiving dinner. It has a ground turkey and sage base, and a stuffing topping. The topping was delicious and it all tasted good. It was almost like a bread pudding or a strata on top, which I really liked.

The one problem I have is I just don't love ground turkey flavor when it is more on it's own. I use it in chili a lot and with salsa and those flavors take over. But in the dish, the other flavors weren't strong enough and the ground turkey taste isn't quite like turkey to me. 

I probably won't make this a lot, but maybe next November when I am in a stuffing mood and want a simple dish to prepare.

Actually, now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm thinking this might be a nice recipe to modify using leftover diced turkey instead of ground turkey. I might try that, if/when I'm lucky enough to have leftover turkey. I love turkey breast, but never cook a turkey because it grosses me out. I became a vegetarian for 7 years after learning how to prepare the turkey! Even though I've been eating meat again for over 10 years now, I leave the turkey prep to someone else every year.

November Favorites

Here is a list of my favorite Everyday Food recipes from November. Some I haven't made in a while, but remember the recipes make me want to try them again. I did just do the Tomato and Sausage Risotto, and I love that one.

I really want to compile my favorites from Cook's Illustrated my month also, but that might have to wait a while.

• Bean Burritos - Good freezer food for making ahead.
• Tomato and Sausage Risotto - fairly easy and very tasty. Good comfort food that I made again this week.
• Steak and Onion Sandwich - a super easy recipe I love, but I may replace this with the lighter version I tried from ATK earlier this year.
• Baked Pasta with Spinach, Ricotta, and Prosciutto - this can get dry if you overcook. A better ricotta will help.
• Southwestern Skillet Pie - one of my most used recipes. Flexible, quick and easy.
• Chicken Posole - I haven't made this one the past few years, but I should, because it is an easy tasty soup.
• Chicken with Bell Pepper Sauce - The recipe calls for steak, but I've always made it with boneless chicken breasts which works out nicely.
• Sweet Potato Biscuits - I've never put these in the blog, but I love these biscuits and make them often. The hardest part is getting the sweet potato cooked first. It is easy, just time consuming.

Everyday Food recipes from November that I still really want to try:

• Savory Sweet Potato Souflees
• Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
• Maple Glazed Sweet Potato and Parsnips
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares
• Brussels Sprouts with Baon and Apple
• Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting

Buttermilk-Thyme Drop Biscuits

Prep Time: 9 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe
  Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2005)

These are lighter biscuits with only 4 T of butter to the recipe. The thyme adds flavor though, and I liked these. I'm not sure I will make again, since there are so many good biscuit recipes.

I should mention I used 1/2 t. of thyme instead of the full t. I think the flavor would have been too strong with the full amount.

These biscuits were really good with the Chicken Barley soup.

Chicken Barley Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2011) 

This is a a super quick and easy recipe. I think it is one of the fastest soups I've ever made. It can be made quickly because it uses quick cooking barley. You add spinach the last minute, which I really liked. However, the soup is good without the spinach too. I will definitely be making this soup again because it was so simple. 

October Favorites from Everyday Food

I could have sworn I created this post in October, but I don't see it. I did want to keep making the list of my favorite recipes for each month, so I am making sure I get this done before Fall is over.

(If I blogged on the recipe, the link takes you there first. You can still get to the recipe from Recipe Source. If I haven't blogged on it, the link takes you to the recipe.)

• Ginger Pumpkin Bread - I finished up the last of this from the freezer and wish I still had more.
• Bolognese Pie with Bicuit Topping - I thought I had added this to the blog, but I guess not. A good way to use up leftover sauce. 
• Candy Corn Sugar Cookies - I made the Chocolate version and they were even better than the original recipe. (Replace 1/4 c. of flour with cocoa.)
• Whole Wheat Pasta with Kale and Fontina
• Tortilla and Black Bean Pie - a nice recipe if you have some large tortilla leftover
• Fennel and Potato Bake - a rich and delicious side dish

October Everyday Food recipes I still want to try:

• Chicken Barley Soup
• Turkey and Stuffing Bake
• Pear Custard Pie
• Asian Style Pork and Noodles
• Glazed Chocolate Cake Recipe
• Red and Black Bean Pies 
• Manchego Crackers
• Roasted Pork Loin with Balsamic Gravy
• Applesauce Cake
• Chocolate Custard Cups

Chicken and Kale Casserole

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2011)

I love cooked kale, so I wanted to try this recipe. I used the leftover chicken from my Chicken and Brown Rice which worked out well. I did modify the recipe slightly, and don't think I would have liked as much if I had made it as is. I used less lemon zest and a lot less ricotta. The recipe called for 48oz, and because I'm cheap, I only bought a 15oz package. It was plenty creamy enough for me with that amount. However, I should mention, I cut back the other ingredients slightly also. I think if I was making a full recipe of this 24oz would be good.

I think this recipe would benefit from a crunchy topping on top, like some breadcrumbs with the parmesan. It would add a little bit of work, but would be nice.