March 31, 2010 | Posted By: Annie
Filed Under Life
I am a naughty cook, I rarely measure and never completely follow recipes. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. . . I would generally say I don’t particularly make anything better than anyone else I know, except for my one claim, chicken pot pie. It can bribe this man to do anything, it convinced my chicken-pot-pie hating grandmother to convert, and my husband can polish off half a casserole dish in one sitting. Due the intense power it holds over humanity, and the freakish amount of butter it contains (rivals a Julia Child allotment) I don’t make it but twice a year and it was about time, I had to get it in before summer hits.
Here is the recipe, I attempted to estimate measurements and it seems according to my sister and Mollie that they are right, but don’t hold me to it if you disagree.
Crust:
-in food processor add:
2 c flour
2 sticks sliced up butter
1 t salt
1 t sugar
-turn on low and pour in spout:
1/4 c cold water (or gradually add more until dough begins to come together)
-pulse until it starts coming together in chunks
wrap in cellophane and refrigerate 30min. while you make the filling.
heat oven to 400
this makes just enough crust for a 9×13
or make more baked by itself for extra crusty-ness to have on the side, the recipe halves very nicely.
this is my favoritest crust ever, for anything needing a crust.
Filling:
-in large dutch oven saute on med-high until softened:
2 T butter
2 red potatoes diced into 1/4″ pieces (optional)
3-4 chopped celery stalks
1 chopped large sweeeeeet onion
-then add and cook 30 sec:
2 t minced garlic
-then stir in and cook 2ish min.:
3 T of more butter
6 T flour
- then slowly add :
32 oz of chicken broth
-then bring to a boil, when thickened turn on low and add:
4 shredded cooked chicken breasts
4-5 sliced carrots that have been parboiled til tender-crisp (or frozen carrots boiled half their recommended time)
1 smallish package of frozen peas
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t white pepper (its nice and subtle and smokey)
1/4 t poultry seasoning
1 t rubbed sage
- simmer until everything is hot and adjust all seasoning to taste, you’ll most likely need more of all but the black pepper. fill large 9×13 casserole dish or two small ones or what ever it fits in and cover with rolled out pie crust, slitted prettily in the middle. they don’t need to be perfect as you can see from the photo. bake 30 min at 400 degrees or until edges start getting a slight suntan. remember how many vegetables are in it and forget about the buttah.
I’m not sure if Chris will appreciate this photo. The chicken pot pie in context of the gold couch and straggling laundry that I should have folded before we sat down to eat.
If you don’t trust my recipe, then give the incredible smitten kitchen a try, or holy cow, the amazing foodbeam, though I confess have never been courageous to convert any of her recipes. But just go look at them anyhow.
March 30, 2010 | Posted By: Annie
Filed Under Uncategorized
Every season, I suddenly decide the one we are experiencing is my favorite. I feel as though I forget how refreshing spring is, even though I’ve lived through 26 of them, each one is a new redemption. Well, a little bit of redemption.
Lisa Cogdon’s a collection a day, brilliant!
The amazing shop I saw on Elle Decoration, Davidmetnicole. . . the photos of the actual shop on Elle are so tantalizing, all those piles of random interesting things!
by the way those flowers in the photo are extremely stinky.
March 26, 2010 | Posted By: Annie
Filed Under Artist Love, Like + Love
Seen on one of my favorites, Fine Little Day, these rooms made out of shoeboxes, auctioned off to benefit a childrens’ charity. How fun would it be to make one of them?!
Another new fav blog from across the sea, Froken O, don’t know how to do the dot things which I do know the term but not how to spell and my intelligent husband is not here to correct me. I’m sure a comment from him will soon appear.
March 25, 2010 | Posted By: Annie
Filed Under Life
Above, print from Lee Newman we got framed and hung, below, the print we found under it when Chris took it the top one to be framed. I love it!
the paper necklaces on Upon a Fold
the photo/life blog The Blue Hour
March 25, 2010 | Posted By: Annie
Filed Under Life
The giant beetle, found in Mollie’s yard. . . lacking some limbs, I kept him in a jar until he expired. Yes, isn’t that awful! I did, but I think he didn’t have long to live anyhow and at least I can enjoy him for what he was. . .he’s actually about an inch and a half long and the wire is not a torture device, just an armature to keep him propped up. And beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
March 24, 2010 | Posted By: Annie
Filed Under Life
Something I’ve wanted to do for a while now, keep a nice sketchbook. No, I don’t draw in it every single day. . . but I try to at least every other. My usual sketchbooks are just thumbnails and concepts, I don’t actually seriously draw unless I’m working on a final piece. Trying to change that with this moleskine. I look most forward to coloring in the letters in the date at the end of my sketch, of course, the most trivial part : )
March 23, 2010 | Posted By: Annie
Filed Under Artist Love, Like + Love
My husband had this link on his computer at the studio when I was putting wires on little frames to hang pendants from. Monica Canilao, creator of fascinating assemblages of patterns and textures. . . I read her about page, I will probably go back and read it again, but I wish there were more specifics from her background. Of course I find the Native American aspects interesting and I like the impulsiveness also. I need to be more impulsive in my artwork.
March 22, 2010 | Posted By: Annie
Filed Under Life
The result of spring cleaning. . . forgot that I had all this gleaming dishware stashed away in a box I just so happened to be organizing. And the sun just so happened to be flowing nicely when I was laying them out for inventory. . . I resolve to give them more attention and food fillings this year, farewell boring white bowls.
