Are you ready for some football?!

I know we are! The Ravens are in the AFC Championship game this weekend and the whole town is painted purple. All of the buildings downtown, all of the folks at work. I’m even watching Sportscenter at the gym. CAW!

Do not judge these wings by the camera phone picture…they were too good to stop and photograph!

And since these chicken wings were SUCH a hit last week, and they’re so easy, I think they’ll be on this Sunday’s menu. Because if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. It may even be lucky! Along with my purple stick on Fu Manchu.

Easy Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
As many wings as you want to cook (I usually make 3 packs) Try to buy the ones that are separated
Good Barbecue Sauce, like Bone Sucking Sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 and line two cookie sheets (for two packs of wings) with foil.

Spread wings out on cookie sheets. Spoon sauce over them. Bake, in preheated oven, for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove sheets, flip wings over with tongs, and spread remaining sauce on the wings. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until wings are crispy. Serve hot, with lots and lots of paper towels and beer!

And GO RAVENS!! BALL SO HARD U!

I’ve already confessed my love of cooking related catalogues, especially the ones with recipes. I think it’s completely an offshoot of my love for magazines. And the catalogues are actually a really good thing, because then I get a hit of glossy love without the guilt of an actual magazine, which I feel compelled to hang on to for a few months (or longer it seems, from the stacks of magazines in my living room). I can flip through a catalogue and then toss it in the recycling, guilt free!

So it should not come as any surprise that when I sorted the ginormous pile of mail that waited for us after our return from VA Beach (seriously how many credit card solicitations do two people need over what was essentially a long weekend) I pulled out the Williams Sonoma and King Arthur catalogues for later perusal.

When going through WS, I was intrigued by how many of their recipes used this, my ultimate crockpot love and all time most ridiculous kitchen purchase. It’s not ridiculous because I don’t use it, but more because we often don’t use it to it’s fullest potential. Like direct oven to crockpot action.

I made a mental note of the pulled pork recipe, but no actual plans to cook it. And then suddenly it was sunday and I was at the farmer’s market. I wandered over to Truck Patch Farms to buy some bacon, and suddenly I was asking the lady manning the coolers what cut of meat I should buy to make pulled pork. She pulled about the appropriate cut and soon I was walking away with it. Less than 12 hours later, I was eating a delicious pulled pork sandwich. Perfection in a sunday!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Adapted from Bryan Voltaggio’s Recipe in the Williams Sonoma catalogue

I made a lot of adaptions to this recipe because 1) I only had 6 hours to cook 2) I was missing a bunch of the spices needed for the rub 3) I had no apple juice. But this still turned out amazing, so I think I’m keeping my alterations!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbs. kosher salt
2 Tbs. paprika
1 Tbs. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbs. cayene pepper
2 tsp. caraway seeds
1 pork shoulder, 3 to 4 lb.
6 garlic cloves, peeled (we used the chopped up refrigerated garlic)
1 1/2 cups beer (we used Clipper City’s Heavy Seas)
1/2 cup water
Dinner Rolls or baguette for serving
barbecue sauce for serving

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F.

In a bowl, stir together the brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, thyme, coriander, dried mustard, fennel and garlic powder. Score a diamond pattern on the fatty side of the pork. Generously rub the pork on all sides with 6 to 8 Tbs. of the spice mixture; reserve the remaining mixture. Place the pork in the bottom of an oven safe dish (or crockpot insert) fat side up. Cover with garlic.

Transfer to the oven and roast until the top of the pork starts to crisp, 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer the insert to the slow-cooker base and add the beer and water. Cover and cook on low according to the manufacturer’s instructions, turning the pork occasionally, until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork, 6 to 7 hours.

Transfer the pork to a deep bowl. Using 2 forks, pull the meat apart into large shreds or, using a cleaver, chop it into large chunks. Strain the cooking sauce into a bowl. Ladle 1/2 to 3/4 cup sauce over the pork. Stir in 1 to 2 tsp. of the reserved spice mixture. Serve immediately with rolls and barbecue sauce. Serves 6 to 8.

The time has come to share one of my great secrets.

I cook whole chickens in my crock pot. I’ve been doing this for quite sometime. And for some reason, it makes me feel guilty. Because it’s so easy, and it doesn’t seem like a fine culinary technique. But it’s delicious. So we keep doing it.

I’ve never talked about my method for crockpot chicken though, because, well, it was never really a method. We just always threw stuff in the pot and let it cook. And sometimes it turned out better than other times.

But I’ve discovered a method that seems fullproof, so I need to share. Yes, this is a little bit more work than just throwing the chicken in the pot, but it was worth it and it’s going to be the method from here on out! So here goes…

Chicken in a Pot
Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution

Like I said, this is a little bit of work but it’s worth it. Our chicken was so juicy, and it literally fell off the bone. We used it for everything from salads to risotto. And it was fantastic!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 chopped medium onions
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
1 whole chicken, rinsed

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet. Add onions, garlic, and tomato paste and cook until onions are soft, 5-8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in wine.

Transfer mixture to your slow cooker insert. Add thyme and bay leaves. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then place breast side down in the crockpot. Cook for 4-6 hours, or until chicken is tender. My experience says cook less if you want an intact chicken to come out of the pot, cook more if you want falling off the bone pulled style chicken.

Okay, now back to my sunday night Oscar viewing! It’s a nice distraction from being sore after my first Body Pump class!

I’m a big fan of Everyday Food magazine. So much so, that I actually like to sit down and *read* it instead of just flipping through it like I do with most magazines.

When I was flipping through the December issue, I was delighted to see a bacon feature in the table of contents. Because I love bacon (but who doesn’t?). But when I reached the bacon feature I was AMAZED to find this recipe. For. Bacon. Pancakes.

An idea so simple, yet so perfect, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before! Because bacon and pancakes are made for each other, and bacon is always better with syrup. I immediately put out a food emergency bulletin to the usual suspects and less than 24 hours later we were enjoying bacon pancakes. Breakfast perfection.

Bacon Pancakes
Adapted from Everyday Food

These pancakes take the best parts of breakfast and combine them into one fantastic dish. If you want to double the recipe, double everything in a bowl except the liquid. Then add the liquid slowly until it reaches your desired pancake thickness.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
8 slices thick cut bacon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200. In a bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, butter, and 1 large egg. Combine and stir until just moistened with small lumps remaining.

In a large skillet fry bacon until it is just crispy. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Remove grease from pan, retaining a few teaspoons.

Place about a teaspoon of bacon grease on a hot griddle. Pour pancake batter on pan, using about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Place a strip of bacon in the middle of each pancake. Cook until batter is bubbling and side touching pan is golden brown. Flip the pancake (so now the bacon side is down) and cook until golden brown. Place cooked pancakes on plate in oven to keep warm until all pancakes are done. Serve with maple syrup!

So I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

The good news is, I had some more tests this week and they’ve ruled out an ulcer as the mystery ailment. The bad news is, this means more tests! Yipee!

I guess the other good news is that during the test they took a biopsy, and they’ll use that to test for gluten intolerance. I haven’t talked about it here, but gluten intolerance has been one of the things I’ve been–for lack of a better word–scared of, since this whole testing process began three months ago. I have a deep dark love for bread and baked goods (I know you’re not surprised out there) and the thought of giving them up was just a bit much for me. Yes, I know there are tons of AWESOME gluten free baking blogs and recipes out there, but my fear of the unknown is greater than that knowledge at this point. But at least in two weeks I’ll know for sure, and I won’t have a reason to spend hours trolling the internet, trying to decide if I’m exhibiting symptoms of gluten intolerance or not. So it’ll be one less thing to worry about, which is something I’m always grateful for.

I’ll have to say, there was quite a humorous element to the tests. They had to knock me out, and despite my insistence at the time that I was *absolutely fine* afterwards, I find that today I remember nothing at all between when I finished and when I woke up from a totally unplanned nap about six hours later. No I didn’t go right to sleep–I scheduled a follow-up appointment, went to Starbucks and Whole Foods with Noel, and apparently did some chores. And then sat down and passed out–for three hours. When I saw Noel last night, he reminded me of all these things and I was like “really, we did that?” It was sort of embarrassing to have to call the doctor’s today and admit I had no idea when my follow up was, since I had been so out of it. Lucky for me, the receptionist just chuckled and said “happens all the time!”

Shrimp Spinach and Squash Salad
Adapted from Everyday Food

But I’m not going to forget to share this lovely pasta salad with you–Noel added it’s picture to my beautiful new header so I couldn’t forget! This is what I was supposed to make when I made the impromptu dessert. It too was welcome at the table, because who doesn’t love a light and lemony pasta salad with shrimp?

Ingredients:

1/2 lb short pasta, such as fusilli
1 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced crosswise
1/3 cup roughly chopped pitted Kalamata or Noicoise olives (I left these out, because I couldn’t handle the idea of chopping olives)
4-6 lightly packed cups baby spinach
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about the amount from one lemon)
Juice of 1 lemon
2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta, transfer to a large bowl, and toss with squash, olives, spinach, lemon zest and juice, and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oil. Season with salt & pepper. If you are planning on refrigerating the salad and serving it later cold (as I did) add the extra olive oil now and stir well to coat the pasta.

In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until opaque throughout, about 3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Top pasta with shrimp and toss. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. If you are serving later, cover tightly with plastic and keep in fridge until just before serving!

And don’t forget, you can still enter the Eat Local Contest!! If you haven’t done so yet, pop over here and enter…I’ll keep it open through Saturday at midnight!

I hate to sound like a broken record, but it’s been H-O-T here on the east coast. Like, more days over 90 degrees than ever before in my expert meteorological memory. Right after the fourth, we had a day where the actual temperature–not the heat index–hit 105. Yikes! We were at the shore that day, AND IT WAS STILL over 100 degrees, which is downright shocking for Slower Lower.

As always when it’s that hot out, we try to get as much of our cooking done outside as possible. No need to heat the house up when the AC is already running non-stop!

One of those hot, hot, hot days at the shore, we made this. I’ve decided this might be the perfect summer treatment of pork loin. It takes literally no time to prep, it waits for you in the fridge while you’re occupied, say, on the beach, and then you can grill it up with little effort. Oh and it’s just salty enough to replenish your stores after a day in the sun. Because salt tastes really, really good after a day on the beach!

Coriander and Oregano Brined Pork Loin
Adapted from Everyday Food

When we were putting this brine together, I was worried about how much salt it called for. We were making a triple recipe, and that’s A LOT of salt. But it turns out, my fears were unfounded. Once the meat was grilled, the meat was only lightly salted, and mostly only on the seared outside “crust”. And boy was the light salting good after a day in the sun. We ended up cutting a bunch of this into bite size pieces and taking it to fireworks party and it was a HUGE hit!

Ingredients (for one 1 1/2 pound section of pork loin, increase the recipe for larger pieces):

2/3 cup coarse salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 springs oregano
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin
vegetable oil for grill

Directions:

In a large bowl combine 4 cups of water and the first 6 ingredients. Stir until the sugar and the salt dissolve. Place the pork loin in a gallon sized zip top bag, then pour the mixture over the pork and seal the bag. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 8.

Set up your grill for indirect cooking over medium high (if you’re using charcoal, this means put all of the coals on one side, with gas, only turn on one burner). Remove pork from brine and pat dry. Place the meat on the side of the grill that has the coals or burner on for 15 minutes. Then move the meat to the other side of the grill, and cook with the lid on until the pork is cooked through and a meat thermometer reads 140 (this took about 35 minutes for us). Transfer meat to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Miniature pork (almost) cylinders!

A year ago I started 990 Square in the hopes of sharing my little Baltimore story with the world. I love to cook, I love to take pictures, and I wanted to share.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this year, and I have you all to thank. This blog has introduced me to many wonderful people, many of whom I now consider to be my real friends in the virtual world. It’s also connected me to a fantastic food blogger community here in Charm City.

But most of all, it’s kept me in touch with food, one of my true loves in life. I feel like I’ve learned so much about food, and myself, in the last year. I’ve thought more about what really matters, and what I really love, mostly while I’m working dough with my hands or icing a big tall cake.

So thank you, for joining me on this journey, and I hope we enjoy the next year together as much as I enjoyed this one.

Without further ado, here is my salad for one year.

Chicken Tostada Salad
Adapted from Everyday Food

This is a fantastic summertime dinner. It’s light and it’s flavors are bright, cheering anyone up on a hot summer night. You can either use leftover chicken as the recipe suggests, or cook your own chicken breast. We’ve had it both ways, and it’s always delicious! You can also use a toaster oven to toast the tortillas. It sure is nice not to turn on the big oven when it’s hot!

Ingredients:

4 corn tortillas
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces)
1/2 small red onion, diced small
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 garlic clove, minced
Breast meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, torn into bite-size pieces (we use two chicken breasts)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (or the juice of one lime)
6 ounces baby spinach shredded
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced small
Fresh cilantro, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with 2 teaspoons oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, 10 minutes. Divide cheese among tortillas and return to oven. Bake until cheese is bubbling, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high. Add half the red onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chili powder and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add chicken and 1/4 cup water and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is warmed through (or cooked through if you’re using uncooked chicken) and water is almost evaporated, 2 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon lime juice and remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine lettuce and 1 tablespoon lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat and divide among tortillas. Top each tortilla with chicken mixture, tomato, avocado, remaining onion, and cilantro.

Enjoy–and I hope you continue to enjoy reading 990 Square!

One of the best things about warmer temperatures? Back slabs and decks once again become part of the kitchen. How so? Grilling, and the livings easy.

We LOVE to grill. It could be because grilling gives food such a unique flavor. Or it could just be that it gets quite hot in a row house during the summer without turning the oven or stove on, and when you do it takes all of your superhuman power (which is something I have in extremely limited quantities) to keep from running to the thermostat and bumping it down to 68. In my defense, I can almost reach the thermostat from the stove, so it’s really hard to resist the temptation! So cooking outside helps keep down those cooling bills. But whatever the reason, it’s not summer til the Weber Q is fired up!

Lucky for us, Art is also a big fan of the grill, and was anxious to bust his out of winter storage for our last family dinner on the shore. When we were going through menu ideas–another thing I LOVE about Art, the man likes to menu plan just as much as I do, and seriously, we’ll have days long email threads about recipes–AWESOME–the idea of a pork loin came up. First we were grilling it, then we were stuffing it. And then it occurred to us both–why not stuff and grill! Best of both worlds!

You might be wondering how a piece of meat with a long cook time–like a pork loin–does on something that is famous from charring meat in seconds flat. Actually it does wonderfully, as long as you keep the heat on low/medium, keep the grill lid (mostly) closed, and use a glaze or stock to moisten the meat up ever 30 minutes or so. The result? The best pork I’ve ever had. Like in my entire life. Really.

Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin
Adapted from All Recipes

I initially liked this recipe a lot, but in the end I ended up adapting it A LOT. Partially to work on the grill, partially to work with ingredients in the house and our tastes. Feel free to play with the filling and the glaze to match your tastes. I really think this technique is a great base that could be played up lots of delicious ways. If you have the time–like a lazy spring or summer Saturday–to try this, I highly recommend you give it a go!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
16 whole peeled garlic cloves
2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
1 (8 pound) whole boneless pork loin, patted dry, at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary (snip with scissors), divided
16 dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Heavy kitchen string or twine
1/2 cup apple jelly
1/4 cup dark rum

Directions:

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add whole garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. You will really start smelling the garlic when it’s done. Remove with a slotted spoon; reserve oil.

Turn pork loin fat-side down. Slit lengthwise. Unfold meat so it lies flat. Brush cavity with some of the reserved garlic cooking oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and 1 Tb. of the rosemary. Fresh rosemary is best here, and you can just snip it into pieces right off the twig! Line cavity with sauteed garlic and apricots; sprinkle in cranberries. Tie loin together with kitchen twine or heavy-duty string at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Make sure you tie the ends securely so your stuffing doesn’t fall out. Turn your grill on to preheat before making the glaze–it should be on low/medium (if you have a gas grill).

Combine jelly, dark rum, and remaining rosemary in a small saucepan. Cook on medium-high until it because syrup-like. Salt and pepper to taste.

Brush the fat side of the pork loin with the glaze, then place that side down on the grill. Brush the top of the loin with the glaze. Close the lid of the grill and only check on the roast every thirty minutes for the first hour and a half. When you check on the roast, brush more glaze on it. Roast until a meat thermometer stuck into the center registers 150 to 160 degrees. Start checking at about 1 1/2 hours. The loin should also have a nice char on the outside when it’s done. Remove from the grill and allow it to rest for ten minutes before cutting.

Serve with any remaining glaze and an assortment of fresh grilled veggies.

Nothing like slow cooked pork in Slower Lower!

My family rocks. Really. We can not see each other for months, and then when we get together it’s hours and hours of non-stop chatting and fun. And normally, food.

This past weekend, Noel and I were lucky enough to go to Slower Lower for some quality family time. Nevermind that the picture above shows the best weather we had all weekend (there’s no driving rain or 60 mph winds!) and that we all cried a little bit when we saw the sad state of the beach (if you don’t believe me, here’s the same strip of beach last July. Yeah, there was a whole lot more of it). We had two and half days of food, drink, a bit of shopping, and then more food and drink. And my sister was there. It was fantastic.

The main food event was a big family dinner on Saturday night, for which our host Art had devised a menu of lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and pina colada martinis. Blue pina colada martinis. Art is pretty much the King of the Martini, and he’s always coming up with recipes for new ones. Don’t ask me how all those flavors worked together, but they did!

But since it was my birthday dinner, we did something a bit untraditional with the lasagna. Instead of ground beef and red sauce, neither of which I typically eat, we used chicken and cheese sauce made from a simple roux.

Then we chopped up a ton of veggies–peppers, spinach, mushrooms–to sizes perfect for layering!

And finally we stacked it all up in a huge and shiny oversized lasagna pan (I think Art has a special pan for everything)! I had never made lasagna before, so throughout the hour of oven time I kept anxiously peeking, curious to see how our creation would turn out. About halfway through, we had to cover the dish with foil to keep the top from over browning. The suspense of that covered pan nearly got the better of me!

But before we get to the big foil uncovering…let’s get to another unveiling! Of the correct answer to last week’s quiz and the winner of the 990 Square giveaway!

I’m a little ashamed to admit it, because I think it’s a sign that I either made the contest too hard or I’m too good at fibbing, but no one actually guessed the right answer, except for my Dad, who surprised me with it as soon I saw him last week. But since he knew, he didn’t think it would be fair to enter. Still wondering which one it was? It was number 4:

“Noel and I love to travel. We go just about any chance we get and we love seeing the different places and the different cultures all over the world. Although I love almost everywhere I’ve been, there’s one city that truly stole my heart and it’s Prague. I would pick up and move there tomorrow if I thought they would let me take claims at the embassy!”

We do love to travel, but the city I would love to live in is wrong! Noel’s favorite city in Europe is Prague, mine is definitely London. It’s a city with a personality that matches mine! A bit too serious at first glance, but lots of fun right under the surface.

Thanks to Random.org, the winner of our contest was comment number 3–Maureen! She has chosen a copy of the King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook to add to her collection. I’m sure you will love it, Maureen. Thank you to everyone who played along–I’m so happy that I got to share my birthday and a bit of obscure Beth trivia with you!

White Chicken Lasagna
Adapted liberally from All Recipes

This was sooo good. The cheese sauce, although simple, had a lot of flavor, and the veggies really kicked the whole thing up a notch. The recipe below will make enough lasagna to fill a 13×9 pan–use 1.5 times the quantities below to fill a big lasagna dish. And have some good bread on standby to soak up the sauce!

Ingredients

• 1 box lasagna noodles (don’t use the oven ready ones like we did–the top ones didn’t cook)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
• 2 packages fresh baby spinach
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles using instructions on the box. Drain, and rinse with cold water.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, the peppers, spinach, mushrooms, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with another round of the ingredients. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Check the lasagna ever 15 minutes and if it starts to get too brown on top, cover with foil. The lasagna is done when a knife inserted into the center goes through without resistance.

Serve with family or friends, for a night of good cheer!

Last week it hit me. It was already officially meteorological spring, and I had yet to make a chicken pot pie this winter.

You’re probably thinking, no big deal. But you see, I had been practically dying to make a pot pie all through the end of last summer and into the fall. Some (perhaps some that are big Arsenal fans), suggested that I should wait until it got cold to make this soul warming piece of American home cooking. So I waited.

And then I seemingly, forgot. Not that I didn’t make lots of chicken and dumplings, which is practically chicken pot pie. But it’s not actually chicken pot pie, so it doesn’t actually count. So last week I resolved, that after we returned from our trip to Philly, but before I went to watch the Oscars (I know, but I love it, and come on wasn’t Neil Patrick Harris great??) I would make a chicken pot pie. And I did. And it was delish…

…even though it was a light recipe I got from Real Simple magazine. Normally when you say light and pot pie in the same sentence, people laugh at you. But this really works! It ups the veggies, cuts the butter, and uses white wine and flour to thicken the sauce. So give it a try, see what you think, and then once you find it delicious, file it away in your recipe file. Because this is one to come back to!

But before we get to the recipe, I want to thank Astra from Food for Laughter for giving me the Creative Blogger Award! It really made me smile when I discovered (belatedly) that Astra had thought enough of my work to share this award with me!

Astra always does such amazing and healthy things with food. I’m always inspired by the recipes she comes up with and I hope that one day I’ll meet her again (yes, we knew each other once in real life) and she’ll cook one of her amazing meals for me!

And now, in keeping with the tradition of the award, I’m going to share five things about me that you may not know. One of them is not true. Guess which one, and you might win something!

1. When I was a kid, I was a picky eater. I didn’t like food that crunched, I didn’t like things to touch or food that was mixed (especially Spam and mac and cheese!), and I most definitely didn’t like bread crusts, even though my dad tried to convince me bread crusts and french fries were the same thing.

2. The first job I seriously wanted when I was in college was to be a park ranger at a National Park. I wanted to work at a Civil War site. Now I just like to visit the sites, and I still keep track of which National Parks I’ve visited.

3. I really love weather. Growing up, I used to watch the Weather Channel for hours. I even used to do my own hurricane storm tracking with these maps I printed off my computer. Yes Mom, that’s what I did all of those hours when I was home during the summer! It’s probably a good thing we don’t have cable, because if we did, I probably would have watched the Weather Channel for the entire month of February.

4. Noel and I love to travel. We go just about any chance we get and we love seeing the different places and the different cultures all over the world. Although I love almost everywhere I’ve been, there’s one city that truly stole my heart and it’s Prague. I would pick up and move there tomorrow if I thought they would let me take claims at the embassy!

5. Although I may be hyper-cautious, and some may even say BORING in real life, in my kitchen life, I have no fear. Whether it’s making a wedding cake or baking bread, I like to just jump in there and see how it all works out!

And now a sixth (and true!) thing about me: I’m a leprechaun lady. Yep, my birthday is Saint Patty’s Day, so every year I like to spread around a bit of Irish luck and cheer to all of my friends and loved ones. And this year I want you to be part of the cheer, so I’m doing a giveaway! That’s right, for my birthday one of you will receive two things off my personal wishlist. The lucky winner will receive:

1. A set of these fantastic magnetic measuring spoons. I know you have measuring spoons, but these ones are awesome, and will change your life. Okay, maybe not change your life, but you will use them A LOT in your kitchen!
2. Your choice of one of the following cookbooks: Baked, Sky High, Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes, or King Arthur’s Whole Grain Baking. I have three of these and I desperately want the other. I know all will earn their keep on your bookshelf!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below with your guess as to which fact about me is not true! So easy, and there’s a cookbook at stake, so start guessing folks! I will run the giveaway through 8pm on St. Patty’s Day!

And now I would like to pass this award on to three fantastic bloggers. It’s so hard to choose because there are so many people that get me thinking everyday, but these three have been particularly inspiring of late:

Biz from Biggest Diabetic Loser
Kate from The Blueberry Files
Wendi from Bon Appetit Hon

And now, on to the recipe!

Lightened Up Chicken Pot Pie

As I said before all of that self confession, this recipe is fantastic. Go and make it before it’s too hot to have Chicken Pot Pie in your belly. Enjoy with a side of Neil Patrick Harris. May I suggest his work in Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog? It’s also fantastic.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 carrots, diced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups 1 percent milk (I only had skim milk and the broth seemed a bit too light, so I added two tablespoons of butter)
• 1 10-ounce package frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 recipe below of olive oil pie crust or 1 9-inch store-bought piecrust, thawed if frozen

Directions:

Heat oven to 400° F. Cook the chicken in a pot of simmering water until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes; cool, then shred.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, about 6 to 8 minutes until they begin to soften but do not darken. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook while stirring for 1 minute.

Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes (it took about 2 minutes for me). Add the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. If you’re using a bit of butter, add it now and allow it to melt in the milk. Stir in the chicken, peas, thyme, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Transfer to a shallow 1½- to 2-quart baking dish.

Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal if you want the crust around the edges. I always just lay mine on top. Cut several vents in the crust. Place the pot pie on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Olive Oil Pie Crust

This recipe will make enough crust for a whole pie (top and bottom). For just a pot pie with a top crust, half the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup of extra virgin Olive Oil
• 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup ice water
• 1 tbsp of vinegar

Directions:

Place olive oil in the freezer until it solidifies and is of a consistency similar to thick honey. Check it every 30 minutes or so. Mine usually takes 2-3 hours.

Once the olive oil solidifies, place flour, salt and baking powder into a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until a dough ball forms. If your dough ball seems dry, add a bit more water. Place ball in an air tight container or plastic wrap and put in the fridge for an hour or so to chill.

Roll ball out until 1/8 inch thick and put into a pie plate. Use as you would a regular pie crust.

Oh, I look at it now and I want another one…right now!