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What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

Cooking for two can sometimes be a challenge when you’re making a recipe that normally feeds six!  I have made a yummy homemade  Chicken Pot Pie for years.  We LOVE it,  but it is served in a pie plate that  feeds a whole family, and in my opinion, pot pie is not a dish that reheats very well.  So in the last couple of years, I cut the recipe in half and make it in individual ramekins.  It’s a perfect size and there’s no leftovers!  They’re also so pretty served like that!

Whether you make the whole recipe and put it in a pie plate, or you cut the recipe in half for only two or three people , this is a wonderful supper meal.  It has all the comfort that supper should bring!

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This is my recipe that I’ve tweaked over the years.  I love it because the sauce in the pie is creamy and delicious, and unlike a most purchased pies,  the homemade version has nice chunks of roasted chicken breast in it!  You can also add whatever vegetables your family likes.  We like it best with just peas, but you could add mixed veggies. You could also use turkey breast in place of the chicken.

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Here’s a peek at the filling inside the crust!

 

Chicken Pot Pie – whole pie

2 Tbl. butter or marg.

2 Tbl. flour

1 cup milk

1 cup chicken stock

1 tsp. Thyme

salt & pepper, to taste

Cooked Chicken breast

Frozen peas

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add flour and cook on low about a minute.  Add milk slowly with whisk.  Whisk in chicken stock. Cook until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. If it seems a little thick, add equal amounts of milk and stock to thin it out to your liking.  Season with, thyme, salt and pepper.  Add cooked Chicken breast and vegetables.  Cook for a few minutes, or until frozen vegetables have just cooked.  Pour into pie shell.  Top with crust.  Vent crust.  Bake at 400 degrees until crust is golden (about 30 minutes).

To make individual pies: (Halving the recipe makes 3.  If you don’t need all 3, pop one in the freezer, see below)

Cut pie crusts about an inch bigger than the ramekins.  Pour filling into dish, then top with crust.  Brush with egg wash to seal edges.  Place ramekins on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until golden.

To roast chicken for pies:

Place boneless chicken breast on baking sheet.  Brush with Olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast at 400 about 20 minutes or until meat juices run clear.

For a do-ahead meal, prepare as above, then cover with plastic wrap and foil.  Freeze until needed.  No need to thaw before baking.  Just slide it into the oven and bake as instructed. 

This makes such a hearty meal.  I usually serve it with a green salad.  This is one of my husband’s favorite meals at our house. I hope you’ll give it a try!  

Homemade chicken stock makes recipes like this soooo much better!  Do you ever make your own?

With love from my country kitchen,

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Freshen Up Friday

I’ve never been one to do certain chores on certain days.  When I see something dirty, I clean it.  But sometimes it helps to have a little reminder to clean something that you’ve neglected.

I recently found a site on Instagram that I’m enjoying following – it’s called Clean Mama.  Every day she posts a suggestion of something in your home that you should clean.  This past week her suggestions were:

  • Monday – Bathrooms from top to bottom, including the shower.
  • Tuesday – Dusting – Go over all surfaces and give them a good dusting.  
  • Wednesday – Vacuuming – Vacuum the house from top to bottom, including tile, hardwood and carpet.
  • Thursday – Floor washing – wash all the floors, both tile and hardwood.

I enjoyed just using her suggestions as a reminder to check those areas off sometime this week.  She also posted a March calendar that’s a free download complete with rotating tasks; things like vacuum baseboards or wash rugs.   Continue reading “Freshen Up Friday” →

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A Peek From My Porch

A Peek Into My Life This Week

20150303_120036 I spend a lot of time with my husband as he makes hospital calls. When I was a child,  I dreamed of walking the hospital halls as a nurse.  The Lord had other plans, and now for all these years, instead of being called “nurse,”  He’s given me the title of “Pastor’s wife.”  I get to stand alongside my husband as he enters room after room to comfort and encourage. I have learned to love these times at the hospital for so many different reasons. One of those is that we always go to be a blessing, but we always come away having received a far greater one.

Yesterday was one of those busy days visiting at the med center.  One of our visits included the former pastor of our church; a dear man who loves the Lord, His Word and His work.  As I stood at the foot of the bed and listened to my husband minister to this former pastor, the Lord revealed three important truths to me.

  1. I thought about how at one time this patient was the one standing beside the bed giving the comfort.  Now instead, he is listening, drinking in and receiving the encouragement from God’s Word.Time to serve God is short.

  2. I sensed this man’s keen knowledge of God’s Word as, even in his weakened condition, he made a connection from the passage my husband read in the psalms to one in Revelation.  Time in God’s Word is evident.

  3. I thought about his wife, at home, unable to be at his side because of her own physical limitations.  I’m sure she had ministered with him in years past, just as I was doing now.  Is she wondering where he is?  Is she calling for him when he cannot come? Time with our spouse is a privilege not to be taken for granted.

So while some folks loathe visiting the hospital, the Lord has given me a joy – not in other’s sickness – but in what they always teach me. What a wonderful privilege is mine to be called “The pastor’s wife.”   I pray I will serve as faithfully as this dear man and his wife did. Then when the Lord sets me aside and I can no longer serve in this capacity, I pray that I will encourage others who visit with me as much as I was encouraged yesterday!  If I take these lessons to heart that will be far more likely.

Of the three truths the Lord showed me, which one strikes a chord in your own heart?  Listen to what the Lord wants to say to you through this faithful former pastor!

With love from my country porch,

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Thanks for a Messy House

The weekend ended and school and work schedules returned.  Yesterday when the last of your brood was out the door and you turned and looked behind you, it was as if the proverbial tornado had blown through your house.  Fingerprints, footsteps, dirty dishes, soiled laundry and messy bathroom sinks were the casualties in the tornado’s wake.

You may have been tempted to complain or fuss about your mess, but one homemaker had a refreshing perspective on her disheveled house.  Read on:

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Dear Lord,

Thank you for this sink of dirty dishes; we have plenty of food to eat.

Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry; we have plenty of nice clothes to wear.

And I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds; they were so warm and comfortable last night.

My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom, complete with all the splattered mess, soggy, grimy towels and the dirty lavatory; they are all so convenient.

Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly; it has served us faithfully for many years. It is full of cold drinks and enough leftovers for two or three meals.

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Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today; it has baked so many things over the years.

The whole family is grateful for that tall grass that needs mowing and lawn that needs raking; we all enjoy the yard.

Thank you, Lord, even for that slamming screen door. My kids are healthy and able to run and play. Many children cannot.

Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says You have richly blessed my family. I shall do them cheerfully and I shall do them gratefully.

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings… Thank you, Lord, that I can hear.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible…Thank you, Lord, that I can see.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising…Thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise.

Image result for burned toastEven though the first hour of my day is hectic with socks that are lost, toast that is burned, tempers that are short, and my children that are so loud…Thank you, Lord, for my family.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times not balanced…Thank you, Lord, for the food we have.

Even though the routine of my job is often monotonous…Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest…Thank you, Lord, for life.

Author Unknown

A fresh perspective is good, isn’t it?  Now, turn your glance upward to your home.  What can you thank the Lord for right now that could easily turn to a complaint if you were’t purposefully looking to see the blessing in it?  Give thanks instead.

Lovingly,

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Freshen Up Friday

During this week of all our wintry weather, I got an email from a store in our area ~ Gracious Designs. They were inviting customers to their store so they might turn their home and thoughts from winter to spring.  My thoughts are definitely there!  How about yours?

I guess it’s no surprise that we’re all anxious for some sunshine, warm temperatures, and flowers!

Even my chalkboard and mantle have spring fever!
I drew this the day before we got six more inches of snow!

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As I suggested earlier this week, we can still think about spring, even if it will be a while before it arrives!  I went to my Pinterest board for a little inspiritation for the inside of my house.  I am hoping to make this adorable wreath for my Apricot-colored front door…

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 How cute is that?!

I’m also planning on doing this little craft from Better Homes and Gardens…

Use paint chips to create cute Easter art! See more Easter crafts that are perfect for kids: http://www.bhg.com/holidays/easter/crafts/easter-crafts-for-all-ages/?socsrc=bhgpin022313paintchipeggs=2

You use paint strips from the hardware store to make the eggs.  I’ll be shopping for paint for my dining room, so I’ll use the colors I find for it, then it will also blend into the room’s decor!  Ahhh, I can’t wait!

So along with my longing for spring, my shopping list is also growing.  But when spring arrives, I’ll have several adorable projects under my belt!

What projects are you working on while you’re waiting for spring to arrive?

Stay refreshed!  The best way to do that is to attend a Bible-preaching church on Sunday!

With prayers for a wonderful weekend,

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