Do you have a soundtrack for your kitchen? You know, like a particular kind of music or ambient sound that keeps you company while you cook?
Sometimes I like to turn up the TV in the living room and listen to the Nightly News while I chop vegetables in the kitchen. Or if I’m baking in the afternoon, I confess I’ve been known to turn on the tube and listen to Oprah. (But only if it’s a boring episode like Mark Fuhrman. If it’s something exciting like Favorite Things or Jennifer Aniston, that requires full viewing attention, not just listening from the next room.)
Other times, if I’m making something fun and exotic (meatloaf) and I’m enjoying a glass of wine while I cook, I’ll crank up Buena Vista Social Club (which Hubba Bubba and I listened to virtually nonstop on our honeymoon in Fiji).
And from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Day, the kitchen is holiday music central. Obvi.
Of course all of that was pre-Eleanora. Now that I have a little helper, she creates the soundtrack. And while I haven’t recorded her, uh… singing… here are some photos of my culinary songstress at work. I’ll let you use your imagination as to the melody of her siren song.
Eleanora titles that particular piece, Dear Sweet Mama, Please Hurry Up. To that end, I created this super easy recipe for Chicken Pot Pie. Feel free to cook it to the soundtrack of your choice.
SUPER EASY CHICKEN POT PIE (pdf)
3 T butter, divided
1/2 onion, chopped
3 C cooked chicken breast (I poached about 1 1/2 lbs of chicken tenders, then tore them apart. You could do this step in advance. You could also use a store-bought roast chicken.)
1-2 tsp fresh chopped herbs of your choice (Optional. I used tarragon because I had some.)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/8 tsp poultry seasoning (Optional.)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can milk
1 (12 oz) bag frozen vegetables, cooked according to package directions (I recommend the kind you steam in the bag in the microwave – easy!)
1 canister refrigerated biscuits
Preheat oven to 350. Meanwhile, in a skillet on the stove, melt 2 T butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until tender, stirring periodically. (You may want to turn the heat down to medium after a few minutes.) Add chicken breast, herbs, salt & pepper, and poultry seasoning, cooking until the chicken is heated through.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the two cans of soup with one can of milk, whisking together until fairly smooth. Add this to the chicken mixture, cooking until the soup mixture is heated through and bubbly. Add vegetables.
Lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then pour pot pie mixture into the dish. Top with unbaked biscuits. Bake uncovered until biscuits are cooked through. (Mine took about 30 minutes. You’ll want to check to make sure they’re no longer gooey on the bottoms.) Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and brush over hot biscuit tops.
The hills are alive with the sound of “music,”
P.S. I realize this is not technically a “pie.” Please file your complaints with Human Resources. 😉
P.P.S. Happy Birthday to my Aunt Allison! I love you!