Chicken pot pie

I tried to make this slightly easier and a less massive amount, so the recipe below includes a few modifications. It was still a big pain, but came out tasty. I’m probably gonna save this for special requests because its so much effort. Next time I will bake the pastry on the side cut into squares, it was too much of a pain to try and get it to fit perfectly on top of the dutch oven.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/recipe/chicken-potpie.html

For the filling:

• 1 stick butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp. Dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into slices   1/8 inch thick
• 3 oz. white button mushrooms, cut into   1/4-inch dice
• 2 small red-skinned potatoes, cut into   1/2-inch dice
• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 sheet frozen puff pastry for topping, thawed 

Directions

Preheat an oven to 400ºF.

To make the filling, in a dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells fragrant and nutty, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the stock, whisking until smooth, and bring to a boil. Add the thyme, bay leaf, onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken, salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. 

Brush the rim of the pot with water. Lay the pastry round over the top and press the edges to seal. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

Chipotle sweet potato burgers

Haven’t tried this yet but i want to

https://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/05/chipotle-sweet-potato-burgers/

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sweet potato (1 lb.)$1.00
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels $0.31
• 15oz. can black beans$1.19
• 1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce $0.33
• 1/2 cup cornmeal, divided $0.12
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder$0.02
• 1/2 tsp cumin $0.03
• 1/2 tsp salt $0.03
• 1/4 bunch cilantro (optional) $0.19
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (for frying) $0.02
• 4 wheat rolls $1.42
• 1 avocado $1.19
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (optional) $0.45

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the sweet potato well and then poke it several times with a fork so that steam can escape while it cooks.
2. To cook it in the microwave: wrap it loosely with a paper towel, set it on a microwave safe plate, and microwave on high for five minutes. Carefully squeeze the potato to make sure it is soft all the way through. If it is not, microwave longer, in one minute increments, until it is soft all the way through (mine took 8 minutes).
3. Took cook it in the oven: heat the oven to 400 degrees and then bake the potato for 45-60 minutes, or until it is soft all the way through (either directly on the oven rack or on a baking sheet).
4. While the sweet potato is cooling, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Place the frozen corn in a large bowl. Drain and rinse the black beans. Allow as much excess water to drain away as possible, and then add them to the bowl with the corn. Roughly chop the cilantro leaves and then add them to the bowl, along with half of the cornmeal (1/4 cup), garlic powder, cumin, and salt. Take one chipotle pepper out of the can, mince it, and then add it to the bowl along with about one teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the can.
5. Once the sweet potato is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Stir everything together and then either use a potato masher or the back of a fork to slightly mash the beans. Cover and chill the mixture for 30 minutes to allow the cornmeal to absorb some of the moisture.
6. Divide the sweet potato mixture into four (or six) portions and shape each into a patty, approximately 3/4 inch thick. Use the remaining 1/4 cup of cornmeal to coat the outside of the patties. This will provide a nice crunch to the burger.
7. To cook the patties in a skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over a medium flame. When the oil is hot (it should look wavy on the surface), add two of the patties. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until the patties are golden brown. Add more oil and cook the remaining two patties. Remember to turn the patties carefully as they are quite soft and can fall apart.
8. To cook the patties in the oven, Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and then coat lightly with non-stick spray. Place the patties on the foil and then spritz the top of the patties lightly with non-stick spray (this will help it crisp up). Bake for 25 minutes, or until the patties are heated through and the bottoms are golden brown.
9. Spread one tablespoon of mayonnaise on each bun and top with a chipotle sweet potato patty. Slice the avocado and place 1/4 of the slices on top of each burger. Top with extra cilantro leaves, if desired.

Skillet seared salmon with lemon garlic butter

This is my favorite way to make salmon, and I just made this simple sauce for it for the first time tonight. It was lovely over the fish, steamed broccoli, and buttered bowtie pasta. Not the easiest meal, but not the most difficult either. Lots of pots to clean up afterwards though! Lovely Sunday dinner, even the baby tore it up and asked for seconds. Next time I'll double the sauce and serve some on the side for dipping.

https://www.cookingclassy.com/skillet-seared-salmon-with-garlic-lemon-butter-sauce/

Skillet Seared Salmon with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients (with Dan's modifications)

1.25 lbs skinless salmon, cut into 5 fillets (about 1-inch thick)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, very approximately
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1/4 cup chicken broth aka 2oz
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice aka 30ml
3 Tbsp + 1 tbsp salted butter, very approximately  1 tsp honey, very approximately
(I  did not use, but recipe calls for 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley, Lemon slices for garnish)

Instructions

Remove salmon fillets from refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature 10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare garlic lemon butter sauce. In a small saucepan melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until lightly golden and aromatic, about 1 - 2 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and lemon juice (I premeasured these in a small mason jar). Let sauce simmer until it has reduced by half (to about 3 Tbsp), about 6 minutes. Stir in remaining butter and honey and whisk with a fork until combined. Set sauce aside or just turn off the burner.

Remove skin from salmon and slice into portion sized fillets, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a (heavy) 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat (Cast iron, preheated for 5 minutes, works very well. Once oil is shimmering add salmon and cover the pan. Cook for 4 minutes on the first side then flip - it should have a nice brown sear on the cooked side. Then cover again and cook on the opposite side until salmon has cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. Remove from pan promptly to avoid overcooking, dry salmon is the worst.

Plate salmon (leaving oil in pan) and drizzle each serving generously with butter sauce, sprinkle with parsley and garnish with lemon slices if desired. Serve immediately.

Recipe source: Cooking Classy

Corn casserole that Catherine makes

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13783/baked-corn-ii/

Ingredients

1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 egg, beaten
1 (8.5 ounce) package dry corn muffin mix
1/2 cup butter, softened or melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Mix together the whole kernel corn, creamed corn, sour cream and egg.

Add the corn bread mix and butter. Stir to mix and pour into a 2 quart baking dish.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes or until the top is medium to dark brown.

Buffalo style tofu

I've been wanting to try this for a minute and I think tomorrow is the day!! Got the tofu pressed and in the freezer, looking forward to giving it a whirl.

**update: I tweaked the spices and it's yummy, crispy and flavorful! I've never used cornstarch as a breading before and I like it. Not sure how leftovers will hold up, so I'm waiting on the wing sauce. Also found cornstarch stuck on in way large quantities in a Ziploc, so I'll go the plate route next time for dredging.

The leftovers held up well! Nice texture maintained, and not soggy. This tofu went great with our pinto beans, kale, and rice. We used sweet baby rays buffalo wing sauce, and it's really nice. Has a good kick to it. This recipe was not super easy but tofu never is imho. This turned out real tasty so I will make it again. The baby enjoyed hers with ketchup one night and bbq sauce the next.

https://www.thespruce.com/tofu-hot-wings-3378135

Ingredients
1 16-ounce block (or 1 1/2 12 ounce blocks) extra firm tofu, well-pressed, frozen, then thawed
1/3 cup corn starch
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2-4 tbsp. oil for pan-frying
1/4 cup butter or vegan butter substitute (optional)
Wing sauce, or any kind of hot sauce you like, amount to taste. Wing sauce doesn't need butter/oil added to it in my opinion. Straight hot sauce does, for that buffalo wing style flavor.

Preparation:
1. Once your tofu has been well-pressed (See: How to press tofu to learn how to press tofu so it properly absorbs all of the flavors of the sauce), you can slice it into thin "finger" shapes, slabs, cubes, or whatever shape you like best. (The pressing and freezing process makes for a nice chewy texture, but isn't necessary if you'd rather save time).

2. In a shallow pan or a zip-closing plastic bag, combine the corn starch, garlic salt, mustard powder and black pepper. Carefully add the tofu, gently tossing to make sure that all sides of the tofu are well coated with the corn starch mixture.

3. Heat the oil in a saute pan or skillet over medium heat, using a non-stick pan if you have it to reduce the amount of oil needed. Add tofu and pan-fry on all sides just until it is just lightly golden brown. Once the tofu has cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside.

4. Using the same pan (or a different one, your choice), heat the vegan margarine or butter substitute over very low heat. Once it is melted, add in the wing sauce, stirring just until combined well. Add the cooked tofu, gently turning to coat well on all sides with the wing sauce mixture.

5. Once that is completely heated, you can take the tofu off of the stovetop heat and serve it while it is warm. Serve with some vegan ranch dressing if you'd like. Enjoy!

Sausage tomato one pot pasta

I made this tonight and it took an hour, not 30 minutes. In part because I had done zero prep and steamed fresh broccoli cuz I hate frozen. I added some pepper as well. Wasn't as easy/quick as I'd hoped, and did not knock my socks off. That said, it's a solid pretty good pasta meal. I might like it better with spicy Italian pork sausage, and maybe a different type of pasta. 

https://www.budgetbytes.com/2017/03/one-pot-sausage-sun-dried-tomato-pasta/

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz (2 links) sweet Italian sausage (I used turkey) $2.00
• 1 Tbsp olive oil $0.13
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced $0.16
• 1/2 lb steamed broccoli florets $0.85
• 2 cups chicken broth* $0.28
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes $1.00
• 8 oz (2 cups) elbow pasta (any small shape**) $0.80
• A shake of crushed red pepper (optional) $0.02
• A couple shakes of Parmesan
• Some black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the olive oil and sausage to the skillet and cook over medium heat until browned. If using links, cook them until browned on the outside and firm enough to slice, then slice into medallions, return to the skillet, and brown on both sides. Transfer the cooked sausage to a clean bowl and drain off all but about 1 Tbsp fat from the skillet.
2. Add the minced garlic and broccoli florets to the skillet. Sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or just until the garlic is fragrant. Transfer the broccoli and garlic to the bowl with the sausage.
3. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir or whisk to dissolve the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Slice the sun dried tomatoes into strips and add them to the broth with the pasta and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir, place a lid on top, and turn the heat up to medium high. When the broth begins to boil, give the skillet a quick stir, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to low or just above low so that the broth maintains a simmer.
4. Simmer the pasta and sun dried tomatoes for about 7-9 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. If the pasta becomes tender before all the broth has been absorbed, simply let it simmer for the last couple of minutes without the lid.
5. Once the pasta is tender and only a small amount of thickened liquid remains in the bottom of the skillet, add the cooked sausage and broccoli back to the pasta. Stir to combine and sprinkle the grated Parmesan over top. Serve immediately

Buttered noodles

Okay sounds simple but these were real good so I'm making a note of it!

Ingredients

• 8-12 oz wide egg noodles or elbow macaroni
• 3-4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

I also added some fresh thyme since we had it, and used lemon juice concentrate since we didn't have lemons handy. 

1. Cook pasta per instructions

2. Melt the butter in a pan and cook the onions and garlic

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and cooked pasta and mix well. Turn off heat and salt and pepper to taste.