There is no denying it.  It’s cold outside!  Some of us are colder than others.  The one thing we all have in common when the weather is frigid is the love of comfort food.  I used to joke with my grandfather that if it was cold outside we were all in the need of something covered in gravy.  I’ll take gravy or anything gravy adjacent like the creamy filling of a good pot pie.

If you have the time it is quite relaxing to be in a cozy kitchen dicing vegetables, making a cream base, and making the perfect crust.  If the thought of any of that makes you recoil never fear.  You too can have a hearty chicken pot pie fresh from your own oven.  With the help of a few items that you probably already have in your house, (or a quick trip to the grocery), you will be up and running in no time.

This recipe is easily adaptable.  The chicken can be swapped out for beef or turkey.  Also, the meat can be left out altogether.  For a more traditional pie, reduce the recipe by half, pour filling into a pie shell and top with second pie crust.  Like a cornbread crust!  Go for it!  I like to use jiffy mix brand cornbread.

Give it a try!  Mix it up!  Let me know what you think either here or in my FB Group!

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At this point, usually, I no longer have time to make what I had planned and just have to throw something together.  I’m trying so hard not to be wasteful.  We will not speak of that full bag of salad that liquified and is now in my trash.  I love brioche bread and there was no way I was going to let it go to the mold graveyard in the sky.  Plus that stuff is $4.99 a loaf!   I can’t even remember now what I was going to do with it but I pulled it out along with the premade cheesecake filling, as well as some pie filling, and decided to see what I could do.  The stuffed cupcakes didn’t get made but there is always next time! I wonder what I’ll pick up this week that will end up being something other than what it was intended for.

Like this recipe?  Did you make it?  Let’s talk about it!  Meet me in my facebook group!

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I almost always have at least 4 boxes at the ready.  Last week,  I went through my normal routine.  Decided at the last minute to defrost hamburger and got back to adulting.   It’s time to start dinner and the spot where the Helper lives was empty.  Ok, I thought, let’s check the overflow pantry shelves.  Alas, no Helper.  I could have gone with burgers but I really didn’t want that either.   I looked in my fridge, more than once, trying to come up with something and nothing spoke to me.  Well, one of my tiny humans was speaking to me about what’s for dinner over and over and I had to just start creating something.  I spotted a box of macaroni and cheese and decided to try my hand at coming up with my own “Helper”.

When I started the dish it was just to get something hot and nutritious into my sons’ bellies.  Halfway through the process, I realized this dish was blog worthy.    After his first helping, my eldest asked me if I would make it more often.   I think we have a winner!

Have you tried it? Meet me in my facebook group and tell me what you think or leave a comment here

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When it comes to cooking, I like to try all sorts of new things.  Swap out one ingredient for a similar one to see what I can come up with, etc.  This is what led me to cook more with leeks instead of the traditional white/yellow/red onions.

I use leeks for various reasons, sometimes to add a pop of color or for the slightly sweeter milder flavor as compared to a regular onion or scallion. I like to think of it as the gentle giant of the onion family.   I often hear people comment that they like onions but onions don’t like them back.  Cooking with leeks is sure to please your onion-sensitive crowd!

Unlike a regular onion, you will need to clean your leeks before using.  Remove and discard the hard outer leaves.  Slice off the root end of the leek.  Cut off the dark green portion.  You can save the dark green tops to flavor soups.  I also slice them paper thin and use them as you would chives or the tops of green onions   Fan the stem apart and rinse under water or wipe the remaining dirt and sand off with a paper towel.  Do not skip this step!  I’m always surprised by the amount of dirt that is hiding from plain sight.   The most common way to enjoy leeks is to slice them into thin rings and sautè them or to toss them into a salad raw.

Cooked leeks go bad very quickly. If sautèed advance, use them within 2-3 days.  However, you can slice them in advance and freeze them for future use.  Store your leeks in the refrigerator and use within a week or two.

I encourage you all to google leeks and make something besides leek and potato soup!   Use them in place of onion in some of your dishes and see if you like the difference.

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Between Pinterest and various people’s posts on my Facebook feed, I started to see a dish called Creamy Crack Chicken.   The term “crack” is often used on various dishes to imply how deliciously addictive they are.  That automatically makes me skeptical  I read quite a few different versions of this dish and decided to give it ago with my own twists.   Shame on me for being a Doubting Thomas.  My son hoovered through it so fast I had to remind him that I had not eaten yet.

If you are a fan of all things chicken, bacon and cheesy, this dish is for you.  We eat it several different ways, on a bun, over a baked potato, or over pasta.

I’ve played with this enough to finally be 100% happy with how it’s turned out.  I hope you enjoy it as well!  As always you can leave me a comment here or in my Facebook group.

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This has been a hard post to write.   It was a total accidental meal.  I had it in my mind that I wanted to make two separate dishes to blog about   When dinner time rolled around I thought I really want to make those potatoes but I felt nothing else we had were the perfect accompaniment.  I also wanted to make beef and gravy because fall is upon us and nothing says fall to me like gravy.    Time was ticking down and I was dangerously approaching the part of my evening that revolves around answering, “is dinner ready”?  so I decided to just go ahead and make both dishes.  Who cares if they don’t necessarily go together?   I thought to myself, ok, I’ll take two sets of photos and the kids won’t care they just want to eat.

I served my eldest son his dinner.  He stared at his plate for a while then asked ok it looks good but what is it?  I normally take pictures then eat the plated dish.  After I took pictures of the Loaded Sheet Pan Potatoes with a nice dollop of sour cream it was time to plate the Beef and Gravy.  We are now back to the dilemma of nothing available to use in the picture with the beef.  I prepared it in the Instant Pot and the meat was from ButcherBox.com.  It was extremely tender before it was cooked.  As awesome as the meat turned out it did not photograph pretty alone.  It happens.  I’m no pro I’m just a hungry mom who was ready to eat.  I ladled the beef over the loaded potatoes and my taste buds nearly tap danced out of my mouth.

I was several bites in when I decided I needed to share this with you all!   It still doesn’t make a pretty picture but it was tasty!

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Do you remember when pizza used to be a treat that you only got at school every other Friday or once a month with the family long before the days of delivery?   I miss the family trip to the Pizza Hut and playing the tabletop PacMan machine while waiting for our order.  I love how delivery made pizza more convenient but it’s made it less special.

In my family, it was usually burgers or fish on the weekend with the occasional pizza thrown in.   I’ve tried to raise my family with this same cycle.  We eat out on the weekends as a reward for a week of hard work.  Who really want’s to cook on a Friday night or Saturday?   As much as I love being in my kitchen, not me! This past Friday I realized we had some ground chuck that needed to be used.  Instead of contemplating where to eat out, I stood there staring at this pound of meat trying to think of something to do with it.  I had planned all week to make pizza baked pasta and never go around to it so I decided ok let’s try and make a pizza burger.  I’ve seen it listed on various menus across Indy yet never tried it.  Usually, it’s a burger topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, some with pepperoni some without.  Why not make a stuffed burger to give it more than just hint of our favorite Italian fare!

I pulled out some spices and gave it a whirl.  We ended up with quite a tasty burger! (Bonus points if you read that out loud in your best Samuel L Jackson voice!)

My son deemed it delicious and I hope you do too!    Join me in my facebook group and let’s discuss all things burger-related!

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Last year during the Black Friday sales I watched my friends online and off got ga-ga for the new electric pressure cookers that were all over Amazon for the low low price of $99!    I have a not so secret to tell you.  I love kitchen gadgets.  If it has a snazzy commercial I’ve probably owned it at one point or some variation of it.  I’m a sucker for a good food infomercial.

When I saw post after post from my friends claiming they scored themselves an Instant Pot, I resisted.  I told myself I didn’t need one.  I own a nice regular old fashioned stove top pressure cooker and I didn’t need to replace it with a fancy electronic version.  I watched my friends post their lovely meals that they’ve made in under an hour and still I resisted.

I believe the tide turned when I was informed by a good friend that beans could go from dry to perfectly done in under an hour.  If you love beans you know they can often be a labor of love. From the sorting to make sure no rocks are in the package to the overnight soaking it can be a long process.  So after 10 months, I caved.  I purchased my Instant  Pot then I stared at the box for a week before I opened it.  Was I wasting my money?  Am I replacing something that still works as good as the day I first used it?  Will I use this once or twice then stick it in a corner? Trust me when I say I went through the whole “adulting” checklist to make sure I wasn’t being financially irresponsible.  When all was said and done I googled some recipes and opened the box and got the party started.

I have now made three separate dishes and I must say that it definitely lives up to the hype.    If you are looking for an alternative to the old school pressure cooker or even your slow cooker this is the way to go.  If you are anything like me you often forget about dinner until it should have already been started.  You cannot go from frozen to done in 35 minutes with a slow cooker but you can with the Instant Pot and for that reason alone I am keeping it.   I look forward to creating new recipes with this appliance and not eating out as much because mom forgot to take the meat out of the freezer!

Do you have an Instant Pot or another brand of an electric pressure cooker?  Let’s discuss!  I’d love to know what you’ve been cooking! Join me on my facebook group and let’s talk about it!

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Have you ever had one of those days where time gets away from you and you realize everything is frozen and you have no desire for any of the typical fast food fare?   This happens to me more than I’d like to admit.  I hopped on my phone and asked the all knowing Siri to point me to barbecue restaurants in my area.  Guide me old wise phone app!  The map on my phone populated with options and I picked the one I’ve never heard of, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit on Pendleton Pike in Indianapolis.

When I clicked the restaurant on my phone I instantly saw a negative Yelp review.  I closed it before I read too much and changed my mind.  I wanted to go in with an open mind and walk away with some awesome food and a new spot to add to my list of frequented restaurants.  I pass this restaurant all the time and I have no clue it was there.   Oddly I’ve always planned on stopping at the taco place that is connected and share an entrance door.  Go figure!

Dickey’s is clean and inviting.  I loved seeing the smoker right up front with the stacks of hickory next to it.  I didn’t catch her name but the cashier at the front was very friendly.  She took my order and we joked about how most adults get their meat entree and load up on starch and get no green vegetables.   I ordered the chicken with mac and cheese and green beans for my older son.  For myself, I ordered sliced brisket, rib tips, green beans and baked potato casserole.

The meal

My son scarfed down his chicken and mac and cheese so fast I have no opinions on it other than it smelled good.  I got the typical teen reply when asked how it was, “it was ok”.  It could have been some of the best he’s ever eaten or really just ok.  We’ll never know.

The baked potato casserole was the star of my meal.  The side dishes should never be the star of a meal in a BBQ joint.   The baked potato casserole was a perfect blend of cheese, bacon, and green onion in mashed potatoes.  They were perfectly seasoned.  Not often do I not need to add salt and pepper to a potato dish.  I was genuinely sad when I reached the bottom of the cup.  Under seasoning is not something you’ll have to complain about with the green beans.  They were country style with onions and a generous amount of bacon but it was heavy handed with the black pepper and too spicy for my toddler.  I didn’t mind the kick.   The meat is where I have a hard time writing this post because I so wanted to love it and I didn’t.  Some of my rib tips were tender and full of flavor and some were a bit tough as if I got tips from two different batches.  The same with the brisket.  I expect brisket to be melt-in-your-mouth tender with a great smoky flavor that leaves me wondering what spices they used and no need for sauce.   The first bite was good.  It was not the best I ever had but it was good.  The rest of the bites were leaning towards the dry and slightly tough side.  I added sauce to it and it helped some.  One or two bad bites ruined my meal and I gave up on it.    When asked how it was I replied that I was so mad about the brisket I wanted to run over their smoker with my car.  True Story. Maybe I got the tail end of some that mixed in with fresher meat.   I don’t know but I’m not sure I’ll try there again.  Well If I need a lot of potatoes with no time to cook my self I can see ordering a  large pan of baked potato casserole to go.

So that was my Dickey’s experience.   Want me to try your favorite place?  Let me know where that is on my facebook page.

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This is one of my favorite compromise meals.  What’s a compromise meal you ask?  When your kids want fast food but you have no desire to leave the house.  It’s a quick and easy meal usually made with the staples of your pantry and fridge.

When I was a younger girl I remember Cornflake Chicken hitting the circuit.  The recipe was on the cereal boxes and often featured in housekeeping columns and magazines.  I never got to experience it and over time I forgot all about it.   I’m sure this no surprise but I also enjoy playing the time management cooking games on Facebook.  I can’t remember which one but cornflake chicken came up again.  The cooking games are often the inspiration for what I make in the kitchen.  I made Cornflake Chicken and was just okay to me, I was very disappointed. What was all the hub bub?  It was an okay variation on fried chicken but not enough to commit to making it into my rotation.   It was missing something that I couldn’t put my finger on.  It was as if the cornflakes was canceling out the seasoning.  The texture was good but the flavor was lacking.

I can’t recall what prompted me to try this recipe again but I did this time with frosted corn flakes and it was literally, “winner, winner chicken dinner.”  The sugar in the flakes caramelizes and gives the chicken a sweet flavor and the flakes stay crunchy when fried. My son prefers dipping them in honey mustard.  I enjoy them how they are.

What will you dip yours in?  Let me know if you make this dish and what you dipped your chicken in on my facebook page.  This recipe is adapted from Cornflake Fried Chicken by Epicurious

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