Friday, January 19, 2007

How to Feed Your Family

It distresses me that our children are often away at mealtime. It's not much fun to cook for people who breeze into the house then leave right when I want to serve dinner. I pull out tablecloths, candles and the good silver (hey! wash that sterling flatware in the dishwasher, it's fine!) for evening meals so we can talk around the table.

Sometimes, when I cook dinner, people grab their plates and race to their rooms. I'm not fond of this practice. My cooking mojo suffers.

This afternoon, after I inventoried what I had in the freezer and pantry, I made a chicken pot pie in a lime green casserole dish. Everyone had two helpings! I didn't have to go to the grocery store.

Anyone else dislike grocery shopping?

Here's my recipe:

five boneless, skinless chicken breasts from the freezer
saute on low with several dollops of olive oil; sprinkle with cajun seasoning.
1 can of low fat turkey gravy thickened with two tablespoons of corn starch
1 can of green peas, drained
1 can of carrots, drained
Ready-made crust, unused from Christmas pies

Cook chicken thoroughly but not to the dry-and-stringy stage. When cooked, add turkey gravy with corn starch. Heat through then add drained vegetables. Stare at pan. Add more Cajun seasoning.

Unfurl ready-made pie crust and place in bottom and sides of casserole dish. Fill dish with chicken veggie mixture. Top with remaining circle of pie crust. Stare at casserole dish. Make decorative cuts in top crust to allow steam to escape and because cutting into top crust is very fun.

Place in pre-heated oven at 350. Cook for 20 minutes or until crust is browned slightly.
Holler at family to come to supper.

Served with fresh green salad and tropical fruit mixture from a jar with fresh apples and bananas cut up. Do not mix green salad with fruit mixture. Serve in separate dishes.

Suggest, after dinner, that children clear the dining room table and load the dishwasher.

Retire to blog about dinner in the study.

That's it!,

St. Casserole

13 comments:

APStraight said...

Let me know the next time you fix this- I think it would be worth the drive! Yum...

zorra said...

Mmm, I love pot pie. I'm the only one in the house who does, though...
Re: the dishwasher: Even the hollow-handled knives? My mama would have been aghast.

Anonymous said...

I especially like the ingredient "stare at pan". I use that spice in all of my cooking. Though I must confess to enjoying grocery shopping. It represents 60% of my social life. This (blogging) is the other 40.

St. Casserole said...

Zorra, thanks for the reminder! I do not put sterling hollow knife handles in the dishwasher. Only solid flatware.
I don't wash crystal (like Waterford) in the dishwasher or even those French knives with the little bee insignia.

My point is that I use the "good" stuff all the time.

reverendmother said...

Pres Gal made me laugh.

Sounds delicious and resourceful with your leftovers.

I'm a little daunted about this dinnertime issue, to tell you the truth. Our kids are little so we're OK for now, but I'm sure it will happen soon enough. I wish activities didn't happen during the dinner hour, but what is the alternative?

Unknown said...

Sounds delicious!

Jules said...

Wish I'd had dinner at your place last night.

Cathy said...

Kind of like a casserole making a casserole. I like the part of poking holes in the pie crust.

I want to know really HOW SAFE it is to put the silver in the dishwasher. Now that I don't have kids taking spoons out into the dirt to dig, I think I can safely use the silver. :)

Anonymous said...

Holy Casseroles, Batman, that sounds GOOD! Makes me think I need to hit Cracker Barrel sometime soon for their yummy Chicken Pot Pie; it's been years since I had it, and I won't either make one for myself or let those dreadful frozen ones suffice. Mmmmmm...nothing says "comfort food" like CPP!

Anonymous said...

Yummmmmm! Thanks for the recipe. I think even I could handle that. I'll have to send G&T to the store for pie crusts, but that's one advantage of his unemployment. He does most of the shopping now!

Anonymous said...

ooohhh...this sounds so good! I use the dinnerware that I got at my shower over 25 years ago. I agree with using the good stuff!

Anonymous said...

This sounds very good! Hubby is the one who really likes Chicken Pot Pie around here. Bet I could score some major Brownie Points if I made this for him!!

Mary Beth said...

Okay, I'm making a note: Next time I see St. Casserole (first time!), whenever that happens, take a piece of my grandmother's flatware to show her. Find out if she REALLY thinks I can put in dishwasher.