The winner: Chicken Pot Pie (the boiled kind)

Here is the fourth and final recipe from our weekend-o-baking. It's for Chicken Pot Pie. Not the baked kind, the boiled kind. I forgot about this dish. Not sure how, it's freakin' so good. It's like home in the form of dough squares.

We didn't use saffron, because it's real expensive. I used the handy-dandy "Food Substitutions Bible" to see that it was OK to use Paprika instead. Invest in this book. It's saved my rear time and time again.

Anyway, enough of that, here it is. It's from "Pennsylvania Trail of History Cookbook." It's my g0-to book when someone has an argument about what a real PA Dutch dish is.


Chicken Pot Pie
3- to 4-pound whole chicken
2 quarts water
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch saffron
3 to 4 potatoes, diced
3 carrots, coarsely cubed

Cook chicken in salted water with saffron until tender. Remove chicken to cool. To the boiling broth, add potatoes, carrots and onion. Cook for 15 minutes. Debone cooled chicken and set aside.

Pot Pie Dough
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons water

Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Beat eggs with water. With a fork, work into flour and salt to make a stiff dough. Add more water if mix is too dry. Roll dough onto floured board until thin, and cut into 2-inch squares. Drop dough squares into boiling broth a few at a time, and cook about 20 more minutes. Stir in chicken pieces and heat through. Makes 6 servings.

Casserole recipes galore

Today's post is just to show you that not all recipes turn out the way you want them to. Jen asked for the casserole recipes Kelly and I made over the weekend. I was hesitant to share them because neither one was out-of-this-world good. I only like to share to amazing recipes. But, I have to say both were extremely easy and fun to make. I think some if it had to do with how we made it. I include a few tips with each recipe. Both of the recipes came from a Taste of Home Casserole book Kelly thinks she got me for a wedding shower gift.

Chicken Ham Casserole
Makes 6 servings
1 6-ounce package long grain and wild rice
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Colby cheese
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions. Transfer to a greased 2-quart baking dish. Top with chicken and ham. In a bowl, combine soup, milk, Colby cheese (we used Cheddar) and pepper; pour over chicken mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

**We split this casserole, so it was a little runny. The taste was great. I bet if you followed the directions and cooked it in a 2-quart container, it would set better. I would double the rice if I made it again. I ate the leftovers on top of a baked potato and it was Gooooood!

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes (about 6 medium) baked
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 cups (24 ounces) sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, sliced

Directions:
Cut baked potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place half in a greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle half of the salt, pepper and bacon. Top with half of the sour cream and cheeses. Repeat layers. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with onions.

***This casserole is still in my freezer. I thought it called for a lot of sour cream. When Kelly and her kids ate it, they agreed. She thinks this would make a better side dish than a meal, despite it having bacon. She recommends not freezing this one.

Stay tuned for the winning recipe of last weekend. We LOVED the boiled chicken pot pie. We PA Dutch gals like to stick together.