THE BEST Chicken Pot Pie

I made this for supper tonight.  I also made an extra for my freezer, one for my sister, and one for a lady at church.  It's such a great recipe with tons of flavor! 

*I buy my pie crusts for this because it sort of takes a while to chop all the veggies and stuff, and I really despise making pie crusts (probably because I'm not that good at it yet).

*I add a little extra flour (1/2 c. or so), then an extra cup or two of liquid to stretch the creamy mixture further.

*Then, I add a lot more veggies and chicken.  Like what I made today: I baked 1 whole chicken, then took the meat off, 4-5 c. diced potatoes, 12 carrots, 1/2 big bunch celery, a bag of peas, 4 c. corn, an onion. 

Do whatever works for you, but this recipe is great and since it kind of takes a while, I like to make it worth my time.

By the way, food always tastes better when you have great help.  (In my case, a 3 year old and a 1 1/2 year old putting all the veggies in the pot, helping put the pie crust on at the end - they're so helpful.)

Who doesn't love pulling supper out of the freezer and not getting the kitchen all dirty?

If you don't love it, you're weird.

Just kidding...but seriously, try it!

And, enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie for Freezing

• 12-16 Servings
• Prep: 40 min. Bake: 35 min. + standing

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 1-3/4 cups sliced carrots
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup butter, cubed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• Pastry for two double-crust pies (9 inches)

Directions

• Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat.
• Line two 9-in. pie plates with bottom pastry; trim pastry even with edge. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges.
• Bake one potpie at 425° for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Cover and freeze remaining potpie for up to 3 months.

To Use Frozen Pot Pie: Shield frozen pie crust edges with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Yield: 2 potpies (6-8 servings each).

Solitude

My dear family left me tonight.

Home alone.
I'm not scared to be here by myself or anything, but it sure is weird how I miss them once they're gone.  I love the peace and quiet, but it's so comforting to know my family is sleeping upstairs.

Oh well, they'll have fun.

Matt's taking the kids ice fishing....he's really been on a fishing kick lately.  He told me it was his favorite thing to do in high school, and since we've gotten our farm, he's rarely had time to go.  Plus, our summers are so busy, we never really get a chance to get away, so it's fun for him to go now.

He took the kids with him because I'm working at the butcher shop in town in the morning.  I used to work there in high school (8 years ago) and have only filled in occasionally since then.  I enjoy going in to work there, and Ed, the owner, is always so good to us when we bring in animals to butcher.  So I don't mind going in to help for a Saturday one bit. 

I told Matt I was going to paint the living room tonight.  I haven't gotten there, yet, and I don't think I'm going to.

Number 1: it's late...like 10 o'clock or something.  Only crazy people start painting this late, and I'm not that crazy.  I can do it tomorrow, or the next day, or next week, or next year.  Whenever.  There's no rush.  It's been this color for four years....another day or so won't hurt it.

Number 2: They didn't leave until 8 o'clock, and by then, I was already tired and ready to just sit and relax for a minute or two.  So, here I am, still relaxing.  :)

 Number 3: I wasn't that excited about it in the first place.


Nikki and Harley came over to visit us today...we had a lot of fun.  I made a huge batch of chicken pot pie filling, so we made 4 pot pies with it for our suppers.  I gave her one to take home, froze another, made one for my family for supper, and brought the 4th to an older lady from church who had surgery a week or two ago. 

I highly recommend the pot pie...I'll post the recipe in my next post.  It's absolutely fabulous, and very easy to stretch into three or four pies instead of the two the recipe calls for - just add more veggies.
(I guess I should be writing this with the actual recipe, right? Who wants to look at two different posts about it?)

Anyway, have a nice, quiet night.

Sleep tight.

Don't think about all the scary things that might be lurking around the next corner.

:)

Selling Calves

Well, today's the big day.

We find out how much we'll get for the calves we've had since they were born last April and May.  We sell our calves over the internet on wvmcattle.com.  If you go to that website, then go to the catalog button, then sale catalog underneath, you can scroll down until you find Przekwas Ranch and C & L Younggren Farms.  If you click on the number at the beginning of our line, you can watch a video of our calves....Clarence is even on there holding up a sign with our names on it.

Buyers look at the videos and call in and bid on our calves.  At that same time, we're on the phone with someone from the auction and we can either sell them or "no-sale" them if we aren't getting the price we want for them.  We're selling ours  - the steers, anyway - at 775 lbs.  We have until the end of February to get them to that weight, then semis will come to our farm and pick up our calves. 

It's really a slick deal; it's probably not as  much fun as going to the sale barn and actually watching them sell, but we can watch it on dish at dad's house and we probably make a little better profit going this way. 

Anyway, if you want to watch it, the sale starts at 2 pm today, I think, if you go to the website I posted above.  There's a button on the site that you can click to watch it......if it interests you.  :)

Have a super Thursday!

Ideas

I love looking at home decorating magazines, pouring over the pictures, thinking about ways to incorporate those ideas in my own home.  I love Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living,  and even Taste of Home had a kitchen in this month's issue that I have fallen in love with. 

No matter what kind of room I look at, I find ideas I'd like to try.......bathrooms with clawfoot tubs - I have a clawfoot tub out in my quonset that I am going to refinish, and I found a tub on pinterest that I want it to look like; bathrooms with painted wainscoating; kitchens with big farmhouse sinks; cozy living rooms; houses with good use of space; little libraries/sitting areas with book shelves all along one wall - Oh, I'd just die to have something like that!  (Not literally!)  All things I'd love to incorporate into my own house.


Then, I think about the price tag that goes along with all those fun/creative ideas......and I wonder if it will ever be possible....?

Will we ever be able to afford something more?


And, does it really matter?

Now I'm sounding all materialistic, but whatever......I think it's something women always think about - different ways to change/update/improve their houses.

Well, here's to a few more years of wishing, planning and dreaming of the days to come when I can turn those ideas into reality!

Kids

They've been farming on the table.

They've been making corrals out of playdoh and putting the animals inside.  

Matt's been helping.

He makes troughs for the animals to eat out of, and helps them connect the "fences" together.

They've been farming under my desk.

As I write this, there are some gate panels and some calves resting on the foot ledge underneath the desk.

Now, too, Clarence is using some big legos he got from Grandma Muriel as fences. 

They're much easier to assemble and make the fence come together faster. :)





While I was getting supper ready tonight, the kids were "camping" under the desk.

Clarence was talking about how fun it would be to go camping.

I told him we went camping last summer in a camper.

He couldn't figure that one out.

I said, "Grandma Juli has a camper we used, and we can use it again this summer."

To which he replied, "Grandma Yuli, Gampa Lowell, Tae, Chuck, everybody go camping?"

(Um, not sure about that one, Clarence....)    :)




He's also been taking all the kitchen chairs and setting them in a circle.

They he'll round up Hef, (heifer) aka Adina, to get in the cow pen.

He'll chase her around the circle of our house, and then she'll run in.

She's really a great buddy for him - she does pretty much anything he asks of her.....the doting sister.



I love seeing what he comes up with next.....it's always about cows and farming, but it's a new little twist.


Next time you're feeling in the mood to be part of a cow herd, come on over....Clarence will always welcome another cow!

Long Days.....

Sometimes, when I've had a long day....




Like teaching piano lessons yesterday................






I had many students to listen to/encourage/coach/teach/drill/prod, etc...............................




And, don't get me wrong, I love my piano students, and teaching and getting to know them,




but I missed my cute babies........



However, they had so much fun at daycare yesterday that I had to prod them to get their clothes on to go home........




That's good, though, I guess.  I'm glad they enjoy where they spend their days....with all their friends, playing all day...





Anyway, after long days like yesterday, I kind of look forward to this:

Fun, relaxing summer days at the beach........and camping!

Going out to check cows together.......it's always a fun thing to do together.

BEAUTIFUL summer sunsets!
 

But who wouldn't wish for that? :)



Enjoy your cold, winter day!

The Weekend

It's been a fun Sunday. 

#1: It's brother Nathan Henry's birthday today.  He's 20....we celebrated with him tonight at Nikki's house.  She made alfredo...YUM!  Mom made a delicious spinach salad to go with it and cheesecake for dessert.  Always a wonderful supper when we get together!







Happy Birthday, Uncle Tae! 

(We did have to sing to Nathan twice tonight because Clarence loves singing "Happy Birthday" so much....he just stands up, smiles, and sings nice and loud.)


#2: The kids were great in church.....they were busy, but not naughty, which is always a blessing!

#3: Mom and I took the kids outside to play at Nikki's house; we pulled them all over the yard in the sled.  They just loved it!  Dad's new puppy, Odin, and Uncle Chuck's new puppy, Manford, were out playing, as well, and the kids just laughed and laughed at the fun little puppies.

Yesterday was fun, as well.....

We went ice fishing for the first time this winter.  I was a little nervous...there's only certain areas of the lake that are frozen....thankfully the ice was a good 1 1/2 foot deep.  However, everytime a vehicle drove by, I could hear big loud cracks on the ice....it makes a body nervous, that's for sure!

Clarence came with us....(Bob, Matt and me).  It was his first time ice fishing.  He was such a good little sport!  We brought 2 little portable fish houses with....he started out with Grandpa Bob, and within minutes, he was reeling up his first fish.  I waited for Matt to get the next house up, then I started fishing.  All day long, Clarence went back and forth between the two houses.  He was in such a good mood.  Even after he went back to Grandpa Bob's ice house and stepped down a hole, soaked himself up to his waist, and had to strip down to his undies, he stayed in a great mood.  We just hung his pants from the ceiling and they were dry in about 45 minutes.  He got a little squirmy, but we just made up fun little games to pass the time.

Here are some pictures of the afternoon:

 What's this?

 So happy and proud!

 Such a handsome, lucky fisherman!

 In helping me catch a few fish.

 With no pants on......

at least it was pretty warm in there.

 Sorry for the sideways pictures.....I forgot to flip it.

 Matt with his one and only fish.


While we were out fishing, Adina stayed in Roseau with Grandma Carmen.  They had such a fun day together.  They called Great-grandma Jeanette, Great-Auntie Karolyn and Great-Uncle Bob to come over and visit.  They baked, visited, and had a great time together.

Hope you've had a great weekend......stay warm this week!

Cappuccino Brownies = YUM!

My family came over Sunday afternoon to help Matt finish putting tin on the shed outside (the men, anyways).  Nikki, Harley, and Mom came to have coffee with me and visit and make a delicious supper.

We always like to make a big, delicious meal when we all get together.  Sunday, we made chow mein and I made these delicious brownies for dessert.  They were very well-received.

I found the recipe in a taste of home magazine; however, the original recipe called for bittersweet chocolate, and since I didn't have any, I used an old brownie recipe that I like, and adapted it to make it coffee-flavored.  It turned out really well.

Here's the recipe:

Cappuccino Brownies

 1 tsp. coffee crystals (more if you like lots of coffee flavoring)
1 c. water
1/3 c. oil
1/2 c. butter
3 T. heaping cocoa
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped walnuts

Boil first 5 ingredients for 1 minute.  Combine flour, salt, and sugar.  Pour cocoa mixture over this. Add remaining ingredients.  Bake 20 minutes at 325 degrees in a greased and floured jelly roll pan. 

*Note:  I made my brownies this way.....this recipe makes it so the brownies completely fill the jelly roll pan, so when you pour the chocolate on top at the end, it would run over the side; therefore, to avoid this, I put most of my batter in the jelly roll pan, then put a little extra in a greased and floured 8x8 pan.  Then, after the brownies were cooled (in the jelly roll pan), I cut them in half so I could make a layered brownie;  this would solve my chocolate-running-over-the-edge problem.  Next time, though, I think I'll use my big glass 15x11 pan and make one thicker brownie.  It's your choice, though; just wanted to let you know your options. :)

Allow the bars to cool.

Mix:
1 pkg. (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
6 TBSP. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter until blended. Add the rest of the ingredients.  Spread over cooled bars. 

*Like I said above, I cut my jelly roll pan of brownies in half, so I spread this between my layers.  Then I stacked the other brownie section on top.

Top with:
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. coffee crystals
1 c. sugar

Combine ingredients and boil 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.  Add 1/2 c. chocolate chips.  Mix until melted and pour over bars.  Enjoy with a fresh cup of coffee!

More Updates

Matt's busy working on my bathroom as I write this. He's finishing up a tiling project around the tub that he and Mark started a couple nights ago.  I absolutely can't wait for it to be finished.  I've taken baths for so long now, it's just pure luxury to take a shower.  Soon, I'll be doing it again, though.  Can't wait!  I'll post pictures soon - maybe tomorrow.  He still has to seal it, and can't do that until Monday when the hardware store opens, so I'll have to be a little more patient.  But, it's like I have a whole new bathroom.  Seriously. 

Before, I'd walk in, gaze out the big rectangle window towards the road......and the white and blue tile panel that surrounded my tub.  And, since the window was a couple feet above the tub, you never knew who or what might be watching.....at least that was always the thought in the back of my mind.

Now, I walk in and look at my pretty tiled wall around the tub with a shower head!  Yay! 

Really, words just can't explain how excited I am. 

The only downfall to this whole thing is that a couple months ago, I painted my bathroom a pretty blue.  Now, I'll have to repaint soon....the tile is tan and has two strips of glass tile in it with brown,  tan, and green.  It's really not a huge downfall, though.  The good of this situation definitely outweighs the negative.


______________________-

Mark came over Wednesday and he and Matt started putting tin on our round quonset.  They worked on it for three days (during the day) and worked on my shower at night.

Unfortunately for Matt, they only finished one side of the shed.  He says he's going to work on putting pearlings on the other side, then invite some friends over to help tin the rest of it in a day.  :)  So, if you're bored.................


__________________________________

Adina found the play-doh in the cupboard today;  once Clarence found out about it, they were glued to their chairs at the table.  I'm sure they've spent three-four hours today playing play-doh.  Their favorite things to make include: cookies, cookie sandwiches (with a different color for the filling), bales,  and pies.  Clarence knows it's gross to eat his cookies, but Adina just licks it once in a while and then smiles at me.  It's non-toxic.  Don't worry. 
_________________________-

We went to hang up baby shower posters in Hallock tonight.  Matt was putting grout in the bathroom, so I took both kids with me for the drive so he wouldn't be bothered.  (The posters are for Harley's shower in 2 weeks...).

Anyway, after we hung some posters up, we went to Grandma Muriel's house.  I gave the kids baths in her tub because ours is temporarily out-of-order.  She was overjoyed to see the kids.  I was going to go soon after they got out of the tub because it was suppertime and all, but she just kept telling me they needed to stay and let their hair dry.  It was cute.  She wanted us to stay a while longer.  So we did; the kids ate oranges and apples dipped in peanut butter, and Grandma had so much fun.  To top it off, Clarence gave her a hug before he walked out the door.  I'm glad he likes to do that. :)

__________________________________

I play organ in church tomorrow morning.  Please pray for Matt - that the kids will behave for him during church.  :)


Have a wonderful night!

What's In Store?

What's in store for you this year?

A new job? house? baby?

For us, I think this year will be very similar to last year......

I'll be subbing, doing church stuff, and teaching piano until school's out in May.

March 1st, we leave with my family for Big Sky, Montana, for a fun skiing vacation.  We're staying in the same cabin we stayed in last year.   It's beautiful. I didn't get pictures of it last year, but with my new camera this year, you can bet there will be tons of great pictures.  The cabin has four double/queen beds, a set of bunk beds, a pull-out couch, two kitchens, two living areas, and two bathrooms.  And, when you look out the windows to the West, there's a great view of Lone Peak.  It's beautiful!

When we get home from that, we'll start calving; as usual, we're hoping and praying for a successful year with the weather and healthy cows and calves.

We hope to add on to the house.....

There's fieldwork, seeding, etc.

Then, Haying.........all summer long.


In June, I'm in my cousin Savannah's wedding - I'm a bridesmaid, Matt's an usher.  That'll be a fun way to start off the summer. 


We hope the summer will be full of nice weather, just enough rain, healthy crops, a nice garden, and time to go camping as a family. 

I'm sure there will be many exciting things happening throughout the year; however, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. 

I want to enjoy each day as I have it and not rush forward thinking of days (or months) to come. 


Have a great 2012.  I hope it brings you many new, wonderful adventures!