By: Revanche

In the Kitchen: Stuffed Mushrooms and Pot Pies

June 7, 2014

If I had to toot my own horn, I’d say that my cooking skills are progressing nicely. Luckily, I have PiC here ready and willing to proclaim my experiments successful. I know, this is meant to be a money-life blog so why do I keep sharing recipes? Because good food IS life!

I have to thank Kristen for helping me make a few basic decisions, since I didn’t know what I was doing when it came to dealing with mushrooms AT ALL.

Small Bites: Stuffed Mushrooms

This was adapted from the Pioneer Woman’s classic recipe.

Ingredients

24 ounces, weight White Button Mushrooms
1/3 pound Hot Pork Sausage***
1/2 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1/3 cup Dry White Wine**
8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
1 whole Egg Yolk
3/4 cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated
Salt And Pepper, to taste
* Added a strip of fried bacon. It’s the right thing to do.
**Left this out.
*** I use any sausage, really.

Directions

1. Wipe off or wash mushrooms in cold water. Pop out stems, reserving both parts.
2. Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside.
3. Brown and crumble sausage and bacon. Set aside on a plate to cool.
4. Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat.
5. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. (Deglazed with water since I didn’t have white wine handy)
6. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool.
7. In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese.
8. Add cooled sausage, bacon and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up.
9. Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot.

Thoughts

Allow to cool before serving – hahaha. I tried to try one almost immediately. Of course. And nearly burnt myself. Of course. Who doesn’t do that?

I’ve never loved mushrooms, but I’ve been trying to learn to like a new thing every few years, so this was my entree to not-in-soup mushrooms and I’m pretty happy with it.

Comfort Food: Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breasts – cubed*
1 cup sliced carrots (1 1/2 carrots)
1 cup diced potato (1 small potato)
1/2 cup sliced celery (1 celery rib)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion (1/4 small onion)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
1/4 teaspoon celery seed**

* I roast my own chicken so I used two cups of shredded roasted chicken instead.
**Left this out.
Makes 1 9-inch pie. 8 servings.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2. In a saucepan, combine carrots, potatoes, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper (and celery seed).
Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk.
Simmer over medium-low heat until thick.
Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Mix chicken (and 3-4 strips of cooked bacon if you’re so inclined) into the vegetables.
5. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust.
6. Pour hot liquid mixture over.
7. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
9. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Thoughts

I could have made my own pie crust but between roasting a whole chicken (about 1 hour, 40 minutes) and prepping the whole pie recipe, it seemed wiser to just use a prepared pie crust. As it was, I totally wiped myself out roasting the chicken, breaking it down and cooking up the pie in a three hour whirlwind. At least I didn’t defrost the pie crust too late and half melt it again. (See, ugliest pie ever.)

This recipe actually worked out a lot better than the previous one that I couldn’t find. The liquid was actually gravylike and held together the dry ingredients really nicely.

I’d estimate the cost of this pie to be around $5 without breaking down the actual use cost of each ingredient I already had (butter, flour, salt, pepper, milk) or will be able to use in more than one recipe (potato, celery, onion, broth, chicken).

It’s not all about the cost savings though, I just like the taste of homemade better, where I’m able to control the use of butter, salt, etc., to precisely what’s needed and not overdo it.

Sharing is caring!

Email

Twitter

Pinterest

0