Chicken Pot Pie

Today I have hard time believing Fall is coming, the heat outside feels like walking into a furnace when you open the door. Ok, that is a little dramatic seeing that where I live people would laugh that I think it's hot. It's 91 and 10:30am, with 41% humidity, this is about as hot as we get but to us it is HOT.  This has been such a mild summer I've had a hard time not thinking that Fall has already arrived, today has reassured me that it's still summer. At the beginning of this week when I was menu planning though the weather was still very Fall like and I found one of my favorite recipes that I realized I haven't shared. So here it is:

Crust
(you may think making your own crust isn't worth the time or hassle, but trust me it's easy and definitely worth it)
2 Cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
6 T cold water
Combine flour, salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add water until ball is created (may need more water).
Put in fridge for 4 hours (I don't always do this step, if you forget to put in fridge I typically just put in fridge while I make the filling and it works well.)

Filling
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt & pepper
1 tbsp garlic
1 onion chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 lb chicken
Carrots
Celery
Potatoes
1 bag frozen peas

Melt 1/2 cup butter, blend in flour, salt, pepper, onion and garlic
Stir in chicken broth, stir until thickened
Turn burner to medium
Add chicken, cook for 5 minutes
Stir in carrots, celery, potatoes, cook for 5 minutes
Add peas (I don't typically add a whole bag, just eyeball how much I want), cook for 2 minutes
Mix well.

Roll out pie crust on a floured surface and place in a greased pan (making sure to save some to use as a cover)
Pour filling into crust and cover with remaining crust.
Cut slits in crust
Bake @ 400 for 30 minutes or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding w/Whiskey Hard Sauce

Now I'm not typically a bread pudding fan, to be honest I don't think I've had a single one I've liked. Well that was until I was at a friends house and had the most amazing bread pudding of my life. I went back for seconds (well actually I went back for fourths) it was that good. I found my friend who was hosting the party and asked her for the recipe. I then found out the "secret" to the amazing bread pudding and I'm about to share it with you...are you ready???  Make sure you're sitting down because this secret is a doozy, here it goes, the secret to the most amazing bread pudding you've ever had...Hot Dog Buns!!!! No joke. Seriously. Hot Dog Buns. You will never look at a hot dog bun the same way again, and you will never never never want bread pudding any other way.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding - (Keep Refrigerated)

12 oz. White Chocolate (chips or chunks cut in pieces).
10-12 Hot Dog Buns cut in approx. 1" sections
1 cup granulated Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
½ t cinnamon
1 Pinch of Nutmeg
7 Egg Yolks
2 whole Eggs
6 cups Heavy cream, ½ & ½ or Whole Milk (depending on how rich you want it to taste, I
recommend heavy cream)


Put all cream/milk into a pot on the stove.
Stir in sugar, vanilla & nutmeg.
Combine whole eggs and egg yolks in a bowl, and whip till bright yellow and slightly frothy.
Add cream mixture and whip vigorously.
Add white chocolate.
Cut hot dog buns into 1” pieces. Arrange cut hot dog buns in a greased 9 x 12 baking dish.
Pour the milk mixture over buns.
Move and push buns in the baking dish to be sure all buns are saturated with liquid.
Push down on the top of the buns to bring any excess liquid to the top.  If there is no excess of
liquid, add milk or cream to allow a small amount of liquid to surface.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 mins. at 350.
Uncover and bake another 15 minutes (or until pudding is set).
Test with a toothpick in the middle of the dish to make sure that pudding is done, checking often until toothpick comes out clean.


Whiskey Hard Sauce  - (Keep Refrigerated Makes 1 ½ cups)

1 C Cream
½ C Sugar
¼ t vanilla
2 oz. Brandy or Whiskey
1 t cornstarch.

Heat cream just until it starts to simmer.  Simmer until slightly thickened. (about 1 minute)
Add sugar, stir until dissolved.  Add vanilla.
Mix cornstarch with brandy until dissolved.  Take cream off the heat and stir in cornstarch
mixture.  Stir until dissolved and then reheat stirring constantly until thickened.
Cool to desired temperature before serving.