Chicken & Leek Pot Pie

Oh hey there! It's been a while. I have been focused lately on exercise and healthy cooking. And much of what I have made or eaten hasn't really been blog-worthy. I plan to change that and update here more. Another issue I have been having is food photography. Our kitchen is dark and we have no windows there. We had to get rid of our kitchen table too so we have been eating off of a rickety old coffee table. Not the best circumstances for good food photography. I hope to be able to pick up this blog back to it's old glory when we move out into a new home with a better kitchen. Until then, expect some posts here or there.

Now this Chicken & Leek Pot Pie is the best chicken pot pie I have EVER MADE! Leeks are much tastier in this pie than onions. I don't add herbs or celery but feel free to add them in if you want. This is simple and delicious.

Chicken & Leek Pot Pie

Ingredients:

Extra Light Olive Oil
1.25 lbs of Chicken Tenderloins, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1-1/2 lbs of baby tricolor potatoes, halved or cut into thirds depending on size
2 leeks halved, sliced and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsps of flour
2 cups of Chicken Broth
Pie crust dough
egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of water)

Makes 6 servings

Preheat oven to 385 degrees

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven or a wide bottomed pot. Once the oil starts to sizzle, brown the chicken. I brown the chicken in two batches. Take the chicken out and set aside.

Add another drizzle of oil and add the potatoes and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Then add the flour, leeks and chicken. Stir so the flour covers all the ingredients Slowly pour in the chicken broth. Stir well.

Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes. Shut off heat and cool for 10 minutes.

You basically want to do all the cooking of the filling on the stove top. The baking time is really for the crust.

Add the filling to a baking pan. I use a 9-1/2 inch oval one.

Cover with your pie dough, stretch and cut off extra bits.

Cut a few diagonal slits along the top. Brush the top with the egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes in your preheated oven.

I forgot to add the egg wash to this one in the photo above. Oops! Otherwise the crust would have been a lot glossier and not as dry.  It was still good though.

The filling is a bit light on the chicken but I like it that way. You can always reduce the amount of potatoes and add some more chicken if you want. Fresh herbs would be nice too but since they are expensive and don't keep well in our fridge I skipped them.  

It's important to let the pie cool for 20 minutes. Or 10 minutes in front of a fan! Cooling time is crucial so you can serve the pie without it completely falling apart. Enjoy!

Zucchini Tomato Pesto Pasta Bake

This casserole is ridiculously good! I got the idea from WebMD's recipe for Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin. The picture shows it on top of pesto penne but didn't say anything about cooking the gratin with the penne. I decided to combine the two and turn it into a casserole. This makes a lot so you'll have plenty of leftovers.

My husband hates Zucchini and while it's not my favorite vegetable either I am determined to sneak it into as many dishes as I can. I shred the zucchini to make it more palatable. It works really well in this casserole!

Zucchini Tomato Pesto Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1 box of whole wheat penne
1 7 oz. container of prepared pesto, divided
3 large zucchinis
3 plum tomatoes
2 cups of panko bread crumbs
extra light olive oil
1 container of Pearl Mozzarella
extra light olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Fill a large pot with water, cover with lid and heat to a boil.

Shred your zucchini and slice your plum tomatoes into thin slices (I remove the jelly and seeds as much as I can). Set aside.

Add a drizzle of extra light olive oil to a large skillet and heat. Once the oil starts to sizzle, add the shredded zucchini. While that's cooking, add the penne and some salt to the boiling water and cook 10-12 minutes based on package instructions. While the penne is cooking, continue cooking the zucchini. Stir occasionally. You want to dry out the zucchini a bit so there is not so much water. After 10 minutes, stir in 2 tablespoons of the pesto. Set aside.

In a bowl, add the 2 cups of panko bread crumbs and about 3 tbsps of extra light olive oil and mix.

Drain the pasta reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add the remaining pesto to the pasta and add the 1/2 cup of pasta water. Stir until all the pasta is coating in pesto.

In a 11 X 13 baking dish, add the pasta. Cover the top of the pasta with the shredded zucchini pesto mix. Top with half of the panko bread crumbs. Then add a layer of sliced tomatoes. Top with the pearl mozzarella balls and the rest of the panko.

Cover with aluminum foil and add to center rack of oven. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove foil, switch oven to low broil and broil for a couple minutes until the top gets brown. If you have patience, you can wait a little longer and it'll brown on top in the 375 degree oven. I am not patient so I like to brown with a quick broil. Watch the casserole closely or you can burn the top!

Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Or dive in if you can't wait.

Bon appetit!

Arroz con Gandules - Rice with Green Pigeon Peas

The other day I was watching Navidad Utilisima which was the Christmas special for the Spanish-Language television channel Utilisima. In one of the segments, a very charming Puerto Rican  man cooked up some Arroz con Gandules, Rice with Green Pigeon Peas, which is a very traditional Caribbean dish. My mom cooks it but does it very differently. I wanted to learn this version and try it myself. I went on to Utilisima.com to find the recipe but it wasn't there! Good thing I taped the show. I watched the segment again, took notes and tried the dish out. And voila!

Adapted from Utilisima

Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Green Pigeon Peas)

Ingredients:

Pork Broth
1 small package of pork bones
4-1/2 cups of broth
1 whole onion
aromatics (whatever seasonings you want, I used cumin, garlic and oregano)
salt and pepper to taste

Arroz con Gandules

1-1/2 cups of cubed pork loin (I bought a big pork loin and used the rest of the meat for another dish)
1 cup diced all-natural ham (with no nitrates or nitrites!)
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
2-3 garlic cloves pressed
2 cans of Goya Gandules (Green Pigeon Peas)
2 cups of uncookeed long grain rice
2 bay leaves
cilantro and chopped plum tomatoes for garnish

Makes 8 servings

To make the Pork Broth, add pork bones, water, onion and aromatics. Cover pot with lid and bring to a bowl. Lower to medium heat and let simmer with the lid partially covering the pot. Cook for about 45 minutes or until broth has some flavor. Season with salt and pepper. Strain and set aside.

Chop up your pork and dice your ham, green pepper and onions.  Season your pork cubes with salt and pepper.

Heat some extra light olive oil in a deep pot until the oil sizzles. Sear the pork cubes.

Add the ham, onion and green peppers to the pork cubes and saute until the onions and green pepper start to break down. Or until the onions begin to be translucent.

Add the pressed garlic, gandules (make sure to rinse them!) and rice.

Cover with 4 cups of the homemade pork broth and add the 2 bay leaves. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary. Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil. If the pork broth is still hot this will happen quickly. 

Bring the heat down to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Check 10 minutes in and stir the rice so all of it gets cooked evenly.  If its too wet for your taste, you can always cook for an extra 5-10 minutes, stirring carefully and occasionally so it dries out a bit.

Top with cilantro and fresh chopped plum tomatoes. Or you can also top with chopped roasted red peppers. The green and red give the dish a great look. This dish is a complete meal!

Buen provecho!

Easy Dinner ~ Sausage Pepper Pasta

When I get home from a long day at work, sometimes the last thing I want to do is cook. So I depend on quick and easy dinner recipes that will help me put dinner on the table within 30 minutes. This one is super easy and very satisfying. If you are not a big fan of peppers, this is a much more palatable way to eat them.

Sausage Pepper Pasta

Ingredients:

4 links of Chicken Sausage, sliced (I used an Italian flavored one that had cheese)
1 Green Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
1 Red Pepper
1/2 box of Farfalle pasta
Seasoning
extra light olive oil

Makes 4 servings

*Note - You do NOT need a whole box of Farfalle pasta so don't be tempted to empty the whole box. For seasoning you can use thyme, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes or whatever seasoning you'd like that would work with the sausage and peppers.

Start a pot of water and get it boiling. Add the farfalle pasta and cook to package direction or until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, add some extra light olive oil to a large saute pan  and turn the head up to medium-high. While it's heating, chop up your green, yellow or red pepper. I cut them into chunks or thick strips. Once the oil starts to sizzle, add your peppers and cook until they start to brown/blacken. A couple minutes into cooking the peppers add your seasoning. Do not add salt because it will drain the peppers of their natural liquid.

Remove the peppers from the pan, add a drizzle more of olive oil and saute the chicken sausage. Once the sausage is browned, add back the peppers and drain the pasta and add that too. Stir thorough and serve.

Top with some grated parmesan or chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Make this without the pasta for a low-carb meal. Just add an orange pepper and have some steamed veggies on the side.

Easy Meatballs and Sauce with Rice

I have been making meatballs for years but always served them with jarred marinara sauce and pasta. The meal was delicious but way too filling and starchy. In fact, I'd almost always get sick because of the pasta! I wanted to try making a meatball dinner which was just as delicious, a little lighter and with a quick and easy homemade sauce. I like how the beef broth cuts the acidity of the tomato sauce. Also the sauce is really good with the rice and I like to dip my green beans in it.

Ingredients
1.5-2 lbs of ground beef
1/2 an onion finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves minced or put through garlic press
a small bunch of cilantro chopped (or parsley if you prefer)
1 egg
1/4 cup of dry bread crumbs
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup of beef broth
salt and pepper to taste 
extra light olive oil
rice

Cook rice Raquel Style.

While rice is cooking, heat up a large skillet with some extra light olive oil.

In a big bowl, add the grown beef and season with salt and pepper. Add an egg, breadcrumbs, the finely chopped onion, minced garlic and parsley. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated. If you have a husband handy, have him mush the mixture with his hands. It's fun!

When the oil starts to sizzle, start forming the meat mixture into small balls and add to the skillet. Do this in batches. I advise doing half first then the other half next. You can transfer the first batch to a plate or push them to the side.

Tip: If you want to check the seasoning of your meatball mixture, test out one very small meatball, cook it up and eat it. If it tastes good, make the rest. If not, adjust seasonings.

Cool the meatballs until they are brown on all sides. I like mine a little crispy. Don't worry if your meatballs are a little pink in the middle. They'll continue to cook in the sauce.

To the skillet add the beef broth and crushed tomato. Lower the heat so that the tomato doesn't spit everywhere!  Stir and let simmer until the rice is done and the sauce is thick.

Serve with some steamed green beans and some cilantro on top. Enjoy!


Variations:
Add some chopped chipotle en adobo (include the adobado sauce) to the tomato sauce for a smoky and spicy kick!
Replace beef broth with red wine for a very decadent flavor
Replace cilantro and onions with lots of finely chopped scallions

Chicken in a Spicy Coconut Tomato Sauce

This is a very quick low maintenance meal. Serve the chicken with a scoop of white rice and some steamed vegetables on the side. The sauce is good on everything! I made this while having a terrible migraine and I liked that it was easy and quick to make so I could sit and nurse my migraine while the sauce thickened.

Adapted from an Utilisima recipe

Chicken in a Spicy Coconut Tomato Sauce
 
Ingredients:
6-8 chicken cutlets cut into chunks
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
1 tablespoon of chopped pickled jalapeño
3 tablespoons of  tomato paste
1 13.5 oz can of Light Coconut Milk
Cilantro for garnish
salt to taste


Cook some rice Raquel-Style.

While the rice is cooking, heat up a large skillet with some extra light olive oil or canola oil. Don't use a lot or you will make the sauce greasy. If you end up with too much oil, blot some of it out with a paper towel.

Season the cut up chicken cutlets with some salt and pan sear. Once the chicken is cooked and has a nice brown sear, add the tomato paste, grated ginger and chopped pickled jalapeño. If you use fresh jalapeño, put very little unless you like your food super spicy.

Incorporate the coconut milk little bit by little, stirring all the ingredients so that the tomato paste dissolves. Bring the sauce to a bubble, then turn it down to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes or so. You just want the sauce to thicken a bit.

Serve with some rice and top with fresh cilantro.  If you don't like cilantro (what's wrong with you?), then substitute with some parsley. You'll want something green on top as the sauce and chicken are not very pleasant to look at on its own.

Chicken in a Spicy Coconut Tomato Sauce is a delicious and easy meal which makes for a great mid-week dinner.

Lomo Saltado

Lomo Saltado (Beef Loin Stir-fry) is a traditional Peruvian dish with an Asian twist. It consists of Beef Tenderloin stir-fried with vegetables and in a sauce made up of vinegar, soy sauce and beef broth. It's served on top of or alongside french fries or fried potato wedges and rice. Top it off with some cilantro for a delicious meal.

Lomo Saltado is one of my husband's favorite meals to eat. Every time we go to Machu Picchu, a Peruvian Restaurant in Union Square Somerville, MA, he always orders it and there are never any leftovers. It's a great dish that never disappoints.

Beef tenderloin can get a bit pricey. I try to buy the smallest package and sometimes I'll get the beef tenderloin in Kabob chunks as the packages tend to be $8 or $9 instead of $15. To stretch the dollar I added some sliced zucchini which is not traditional in Lomo Saltado but adds something extra to make up for the loss of meat. If you are not on a budget, just add more meat to the dish.

To save time I use frozen french fries instead of making them fresh. They'll bake in the oven while you are preparing the rest of the meal.

Ingredients:
2 cups of rice, rinsed

1/2 a bag of frozen french fries

1 package of Beef Tenderloin cut into long strips
1 small onion cut into strips
1/2 green pepper cut into strips
1 or 2 plum tomato cut into strips
1 small zucchini cut into thin strips
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of vinegar
2 tablespoons of beef broth

cilantro for garnish

Preheat your oven according to the directions for your frozen french fries.

Cook your rice Raquel style. Cook frozen french fries according to directions. If you have to take them out before your done, you can always pop them in for a couple minutes later to heat them up.

In a large skillet add some vegetable or light olive oil. Season your beef strips with salt and pepper. Once the oil starts to sizzle, add the beef strips and stir-fry until they are a little browned (no pink is showing). Add first the onions and green pepper strips as they take longer to cook. Once those start to soften then add the tomato and zucchini strips. Stir until cooked (once all the vegetables are starting to get soft).

Add the vinegar, soy sauce and beef broth to the mix. Stir and lower the heat. Let cook for a few minutes. If you are still waiting on the rice and/or fries, cover the large skillet with some foil so that all the sauce doesn't evaporate.

Serve some rice and fries on your plate. Top with the Lomo Saltado and sprinkle on some fresh cilantro.

Buen provecho!

Beef and Vegetable Ramen Soup

Back in my college days I really loved Cup 'o Noodles. But today I avoid it because of all that MSG.  I was feeling nostalgic for my beloved Cup 'o Noodles complete with dehydrated meat and veg. I searched online for a Cup 'o Noodles or Ramen that was sans MSG but  it was to no avail. However, one good thing about that cheap Ramen Noodle packets is that the powder that contains the MSG is in a separate packet. In the Cup 'O Noodles it's sprinkled on top of the dry noodles. So I could just toss the packet and eat the Ramen! Woohoo!

I got this recipe from Family Circle which called for the beef flavor packet with MSG and water but I replaced both with beef broth. Much better! A grown up MSG free Ramen soup.

Ingredients:

6 cups of beef broth
(or 1 box of beef broth, which equals 4 to 4-1/2 cups of broth, and water to make 6 cups total)
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce*
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper*
1 head of Chinese Cabbage, cored and finely shredded
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 packages of ramen instant noodle soup (throw away the MSG packets)2 large mushrooms sliced
1/4 cup of frozen corn kernels (fresh is even better!)
1 small steak, cooked and thinly sliced
sliced green onions for garnish

*If you don't want your soup spicy, then omit these items

Add the beef broth, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, ground ginger, cayenne pepper to a large pot. Cover with lid and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

When it's simmering, add the cabbage and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the ramen, mushrooms and corn and cook for another 3 minutes.

Once it's done, add the sliced steak and top with sliced green onions. Enjoy with some chopsticks!

Vegetable Egg Scramble and Arroz Con Fideos (Rice with Noodles)

This is one of my favorite comfort meals. It's something my mom used to make for me on a regular basis and I now make it for my husband. It's pretty easy on my sensitive stomach and it's very satisfying. It also makes for a very inexpensive vegetarian dinner.

Make the Arroz con Fideos first then while that's cooking start the Vegetable Egg Scramble.

Arroz con Fideos

2 rounds of angel hair pasta
extra light olive oil
2 cups of rice, rinsed
2 cups of boiling water
salt to taste

Pastene sells Angel Hair rounds. Goya also sells them as "Fideos".

In a pot, heat up a couple drizzles of olive oil until it starts to sizzle and pop. Crumble the angel hair pasta over the oil. Stir and toast until it starts to turn brown. Stay with it because it burns really quickly. You don't want it to burn but you do want it to brown.

Add the 2 cups of rinsed rice to the pot. Stir then add the 2 cups of boiling water and salt to taste. Stir and let sit at medium heat until the pasta and rice have absorbed the water.

Turn the heat to very low and cover. Cook for 11 minutes. Then stir the rice bringing the rice and noodles from the bottom up. Then cook for another 11 minutes.

Vegetable Egg Scramble

10 eggs whisked with 1 tablespoon of water
1 large tomato or 2 plum tomatoes seeded and chopped
2 scallions chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
Extra light olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat up some extra light olive oil. Once it starts to sizzle, add the vegetables and sautee until the green peppers start to get soft. You'll want to cook the vegetables before hand so that some of the moisture out. I like to cook the green peppers first then add the tomato and scallions later. You can also substitute sliced thin white onion for the scallions.

In a medium bowl, crack 10 eggs. I like to take one egg yolk out to make it a bit lighter. Add 1 tablespoon of water and whisk. The water helps the eggs blend better.

Add the eggs to the skillet with the vegetables. Stir and move the eggs around until fully cooked. You can make this as an omelet but I prefer it scrambled.

Serve with the Arroz Con Fideos and enjoy!

Beer Chili

This recipe originally appeared on my Thoughtful Eats column on the Woburn Patch.

Beer Chili

Ingredients:

extra light olive oil

ground beef (1 lb)

chili powder, salt and pepper

1 onion chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 cubanelle green/red peppers chopped

4 whole cloves of garlic

2 tbsps of the adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo

12 oz. bottle of Modelo Especial or Heineken beer

2 14 oz cans of no salt added diced tomatoes in juice

1 can of low sodium red kidney beans, rinsed

1 can of low sodium black beans, rinsed

pickled jalapenos  

Season the ground beef with chili powder, salt and pepper. Brown in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Drain the excess fat. Set aside. 

In a soup pot, add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Once it starts to sizzle, add the onion, carrots and cubanelle peppers. Saute and mix until they begin to get soft. Add the adobo sauce, ground beef, bottle of beer and cans of tomatoes and beans. Stir and season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Then uncover and lower temperature. Simmer for about 30 minutes stirring ocassionally. Top off with pickled jalapenos.

Serve with any appropriate side you'd like such as grated cheese, sour cream or tortilla chips. If you want the chili to be extra spicy, chop up one of the chipotles and add it to the mix.

Simple Homemade Lasagna

This recipe was originally posted on my Thoughtful Eats column on the Woburn Patch.

Simple Homemade Lasagna

Ingredients

1lb of ground beef

garlic powder

salt and pepper

extra light olive oil

1 jar of marinara

1 cup of pasta water

1 package of lasagna noodles

4 cups of ricotta cheese

2 eggs

shredded mozzarella cheese 

Preheat oven to 380 degrees

Start a large pot of water boiling. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions. While that is working, heat up a large skillet with some olive oil. When the oil starts to sizzle, add the ground beef. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Once the meat is cooked, drain the extra fat. Add the marinara sauce (minus a few tablespoons) and a cup of the pasta water to the pan. Stir and cook on low for a few minutes.

Add your cooked noodles to a bowl of cold water. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, add the ricotta cheese, 2 eggs and season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Take your lasagna pan and add the extra few tablespoons of the marinara to the bottom and coat. This will help prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom.

Layer noodles, then half the ricotta mixture, then noodles, then 1/3 of the meat sauce, then noodles and repeat. Cover the top with the last of the meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan then cook for an additional 15 minutes so the cheese can start to brown. Serve hot or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

This recipe was originally posted on my Thoughtful Eats column on the Woburn Patch.


Ingredients
1 small onion chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks (including leaves) chopped
extra light olive oil
2 14 oz cans (or 1 28 oz can) of Low Sodium Diced Tomatoes with Juice
3 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 8 oz can of small white navy beans, rinsed
2 whole bay leaves
½ tsp of dried thyme
½ tsp of dried sage
1 cup of ditalini pasta
1 small zucchini shredded
½ cup of thawed frozen spinach (optional)
whole wheat rolls

Heat up a couple drizzles of extra light olive oil. Once the oil starts to sizzle, add the mirepoix, which is the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Add the diced tomatoes with juice, chicken/vegetable broth, navy beans, bay leaves, thyme and sage. Bring the pot to a boil. Lower temperature to medium and add one cup of uncooked ditalini pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes until pasta is al dente then add the zucchini and spinach to heat it up.
Serve hot with some freshly baked whole wheat rolls on the side and let the warm fuzzies take over.

Aquapocalypse Chicken & Pasta Salad

If you live in Eastern Massachusetts, it is very likely you are being affected by the aquapocalypse. Either directly or you are being bombarded with news coverage about it. You may be asking yourself, what is the aquapocalypse?

Many towns in Eastern Massachusetts get their water from Quabbin Reservoir which is in Western Massachusetts. A series of pipes transport water to various towns in the Boston area. Not all towns elect to take from the Quabbin Reservoir (Cambridge, MA gets theirs from Fresh Pond) and other towns have back-ups (Woburn, MA uses Horn Pond as their backup). The history of the Quabbin reservoir is interesting. In the 1930s, all residents of 4 Massachusetts towns were kicked out of their homes and the area was subsequently flooded with water. It's been the primary source of public water for the state ever since.

A few days ago, one of the pipes that transports Quabbin water to a select group of towns ruptured and our drinking water was contaminated. People in my town and various others have had to depend highly on bottled water or boiled water. I prefer boiled water as this incident is already causing environmental damage, who wants to create more by creating excess plastic waste?

The aquapocalypse is pretty serious. Not only does any drinking water need to be boiled any water you ingest has to be too. So for washing dishes, making ice, brushing my teeth, it's been boil, boil, BOIL!

This recipe is based on the Grilled & Dilled Chicken & Pasta Salad from REC(ession)IPES.


Aquapocalypse Chicken & Pasta Salad

- Various pots of boiled water that's been cooled for washing dishes
- a big pot of boiling water for cooking pasta
- ice cubes from boiled water
- a few cups of boiled water that's been cooled for washing veggies

3 celery stalks with leaves sliced
1 red pepper diced
1 cubanelle pepper diced
2 carrots sliced

2 teaspoon dijon mustard
4 teaspoons of white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons of mayo

5 chicken cutlets
juice of half a lemon
light olive oil

1 package of elbow macaroni

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill

This makes enough for 2 with lots of leftovers. Make sure you invite friends over to share!

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Heat up a grill pan. Add salt and pepper to your chicken cutlets and the juice of half a lemon and light olive oil. Make sure there is plenty of boiled/cooled water around for you to wash your hands thoroughly. You're properly armed against aquapocalypse with all that water so don't forget the battle against salmonella!

Add your chicken to the hot grill pan. Grill on both sides for about 2-3 minutes each side. Set aside to cool.

Get a big pot of water boiling for the pasta. By now, you are an expert boiler so you know to let it bowl for a couple of minutes to make sure all that bacteria is dead and gone. Take that aquapocalypse!

Add your macaroni and cook for 10 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, chop your veggies and rinse them in boiled/cooled water. Drain. Set aside. Do this instead of washing your veggies before you chop them. This method requires less water and that boiled/cooled water is very precious!

In a smaller container, add your dijon mustard and white wine vinegar. Shake shake shake. Set aside.

Chop your chicken!

Drain your cooked pasta. You need to cool down your pasta before you add your vegetables, chicken and dressing. Hot pasta is no good, so add some ice cubes made from boiled/cooled water.  Stir, cool, drain.

In a big bowl, add your cooled pasta, veggies, chicken, dill, dijon/vinegar dressing and mayo. Stir. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Wash your dishes with boiled/cooled water!

Congratulations, you've made it through the aquapocalypse!
Aquapocalypse Chicken & Pasta Salad

Raquelle's Ridonk Chicken Pot Pie

A fancy chicken pot pie that's fast and easy? That's ridonk! With very little effort you can create an amazing chicken pot pie.

I created this recipe out of necessity. I didn't have time to make a fancy pie from scratch with crust and all but I didn't want a boring chicken pot pie either. And I would never EVER resort to one of those frozen chicken pot pies from the supermarket. ::shudders:: So I developed a recipe which required very little cooking and could be made super fast. This is the result:

Ingredients:

1/2 rotisserie chicken, meat removed

3 celeries with leaves sliced thinly
2-3 carrots sliced thinly
1/2 onion chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup of frozen peas

1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chicken broth

Pillsbury golden biscuits (8)

melted butter with chopped fresh dill

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This recipe makes 4 servings.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Chop your onion and slice your celery and carrots. Heat up some extra light olive oil in a skillet and sautee the veggies until they start to become soft. While they are hot, place them in a bowl with the corn and peas. Season with salt and pepper and add dill. Set aside.

Now for the gravy. I make a simple gravy based on my rule of 1 tablespoon fat, 1 tablespoon flour and 1 cup liquid. In this case it's butter, flour and chicken broth. I like my pot pie light on gravy so you can double this recipe if you like more of it. Cook the butter and flour and mix until you get a roux. Slowly incorporate the chicken broth. Cook over medium heat, constantly stirring until it's gravy consistency.

Mix gravy with chicken and vegetables. Pour mixture into a casserole dish.

Cover the top of the casserole dish with the biscuits. Melt a tablespoon or two of butter and add some chopped dill. Brush the butter mixture over the top of the biscuits.

Bake in the oven at 375 Degrees for 25 minutes. You can cover with foil for 15 minutes and then uncover for the rest of the time so your biscuits won't get brown. Serve hot or at room temperature. Enjoy!