Enjoy Your Turkey! We're Lovin' Our HAM!

...Gratitude...

Today my heart is full of JOY! True JOY! I feel so much GRATITUDE for my FATHER IN HEAVEN, and for my SAVIOR. I wish I could express in more words the MIRACLES that Erick and I have seen in our lives. Today I guess, is just a day I have reflected on those MIRACLES and I know more than ever, that the LORD has a PLAN for our lives, and that our lives are in HIS HANDS when we live righteously. The LORD has answered many of our PRAYERS and in every TENDER and SWEET way, I feel so THANKFUL.

Recipes

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on

3 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

2 chicken bouillon cubes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes

1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)

1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Tarts

Ingredients

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

12 vanilla wafers

1 (21-ounce) can blueberry filling, or other pie filling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a muffin pan.

Beat cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Place a vanilla wafer, flat side down, in each muffin cup. Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow tarts to cool completely. Serve with blueberry filling on top, or pie filling of your choice.

...LIFE....

I LOVE LIFE! Yes, I love the life I live, but I'm talking about LIFE the CEREAL! I am a cereal fanatic! I eat at least two bowls of cereal a day. It makes me happy. My new favorite favorite favorite cereal is LIFE: Maple and Brown Sugar. Give it a try! It rocks!

It's so Mmmmm Mmmmmm GOOD!

...Baking...

I love cooking, baking, and trying fun new recipes. These are two recipes I recently tried and just loved! The Pot Pie was especially fun because of the Holiday Season. Sometimes its just all about the comfort foods!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Tarts

Chicken Pot Pie

YUM!

Guess who's ticklish?

Happy Halloween!

This year for Halloween Erick and I were 70s/hippies and Cooper was a darling little turtle! Our motto was "save the turtles", instead of save the whales. Here's a few fun pics from our ward Trunk or Treat.