Raspberry Filling

Ok so I have had a request for this recipe by a few people so here it is. I use this as a filling for my white cake. That I then top with my Cream Cheese Frosting found here. I usually will just by a regular Super Moist White Box Cake and put this in between 2 8" round cakes. I have also used this for a freezer jam by cooking a tiny bit longer and as a syrup by using any berries on hand and even peaches and cooking a little less. The sky is the limit.

Ingredients:
12 oz fresh raspberries
1 cup sugar
2-3 T vanilla

Directions:
Put all in a sauce pan and boil on high constantly stirring until it starts to thicken. Then take off and let cool. Add to cake for filling or put in a container and freeze it works great as a freezer jam as well. Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pies and Pie Crust Recipe

So I copied this including the picture since my camera does not work from Our Best Bites . That should be a link directly to this recipe for more pictures of hers. It was delicious. I admittedly did not do any variation of rotisserie like her I used what I had and fried 3 chicken breasts to get what I needed for the recipe. If you want to cut back on some work, my suggestion is go to the super market and get a rotisserie chicken and shred it for this recipe and freeze what you don't use for other easy recipes. Also I used plain potatoes for this and not the red and peeled them since I planned on feeding the insides to my 1 year old and I didn't want him to choke on the skins. I will post my own pie dough recipe for those that would like an easy no fail crust. On the site where I got this she also has a pie dough recipe or if you want you can just buy buy dough at the store pre-made. I hope that you enjoy this as much as we did.


Ingredients:
2 unbaked pie crusts

1 lb. chicken chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 12-16 oz. bag of peas and carrots or mixed vegetables, thawed
1 onion, minced
1 Tbsp butter
5 medium-small red potatoes, diced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt (more or less, to taste)

Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of water (salt optional) to a boil. When ready, add potatoes and boil until tender. Meanwhile, heat about 1 Tbsp. butter in a medium skillet. When the butter is bubbly, saute the onion until it's translucent and fragrant. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, chicken, vegetables, onion, and potatoes. Season to taste.

Now...the pie can be done a couple of ways. Normally, I make one family-sized chicken pot pie like Dani does, but my most recent adventure in Chicken Pot Pie-Land involved little individual mugs/ramekins of chicken pot pie. It was a big hit! The baking directions are exactly the same, except that the mug pies ONLY have a crust on top (which cuts down on the fat; in fact, you could get away with 1 pie crust if you do it this way).

ANYWAY. If you're making one whole pie, place one pie crust on the bottom of a pie plate, transfer the filling to the pie plate, and then top with the other pie crust. Crimp the edges and then cut a few vent holes on top.

If you're making individual pies in oven-safe jars, mugs, or ramekins, fill the dishes with the chicken mixture and then top with a piece of pie crust slightly larger than the opening of the dish. Crimp the edges, and cut some vent holes. Place pie plate/individual pies on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

No Fail Pie Crust

I got this recipe from Mormon Cooking Authentic Recipes Cookbook I bought a few years back. Love this recipe. It has not failed me yet. I have substituted the vinegar with lemon juice and the shortening with butter at times. I also now make this in my food processor. I put the flour in with the salt and pulse it a few times and avoid the sifting. Then add everything else according to directions and turn it on at the end till it forms into a ball. So Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C sifted flour
1 C shortening
1/4 Cold Water
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 Large egg, beaten


Directions:
Sift together flour and salt, cut in shortening until mixture resembles small peas. In a mixing bowl combine water, vinegar and egg. Pour into flour mixture and mix lightly until all flour is moistened and pastry forms a ball. Divide dough as desired, roll out onto floured surface; line 9 inch pie plate, fill with favorite filling or bake as a pastry shell for 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Makes 3 single pie crusts.