Week 12

Sunday November 1, 2009



Chicken Pot Pie, Halloween Candy

Another week in the month of the plague. It started with the stomach flu which made it's unpleasant way through each child, Now it was out with the Stomach Flu, in with the Swine Flu-- yippey! Isabel and Jordan were sick, poor things missed out on trick or treating. Laney had to go for them. She was good sport explaining at each house why she had two buckets. She came home loaded and Isabel and Jordan quickly got over missing out on the fun when they saw how much candy was waiting for them when they recovered! Since we had sicklings in our midst Chicken Pot Pie seemed appropriate for the occasion. Notice we did not do a dessert. I figured there was more than enough treats in the house with 3 buckets full of candy, especially for the sick ones. Plus I cleverly reasoned that the Chicken Pot Pie qualified for dinner and dessert because it was, after all, a pie! The kids seemed to buy it and that's all that matters.

Laney with the stash!


My guilt from the previous week was absolved when I called several times for helpers to start dinner and this is what they were doing. Yes that is Isabel the one who sobbed about missing out on cooking last week and this time wouldn't leave her drawing.




Laney was ready and willing





Isabel did join us.




This is what the "helpers" were doing. Actually for the record, JJ did come in and cook the filling after their light saber fight. Can you believe that little kid is sick? Resiliance. Actually he got very sick with extremely high fevers the next day, probably because he was doing this when he should have been resting.



" "I know how to put on Band aids myself."

apparently so-- licking it first- yeah that will help it stick!




Rolling the Pie Crust

We call this video "Meany"

I'm always amazed that week after week even despite little episodes like this. Cooking always remains in their minds a net positive. Maybe I shouldn't document anything negative-- that is after all the beauty of photographs, no matter what fighting or crying went on during family events, all you have on record is everybody smiling for the picture!

Laney did get her turn

What a cutie!

MMm Mmm filling up the pie

Ready for the oven!

It really tasted better than it looked!

Jordan was more interested in drawing than eating.

I love Jordan's little drawings. As of late, he spends a good portion of his day drawing and coloring. It's pretty amazing a few months ago his work was exclusively of the abstract in nature. Now he draws scenes full of skies, people, clouds, houses, flowers etc. There is no gift more precious than the drawings of little children. My fridge is constantly covered in thier works of art. I have to rotate them frequently and I am always pained with guilt when one of the kids finds their drawings in the recycle bin. Laney actually checks the recycle bin regularly having caught on to my habits before the other kids. Every day she rescues at least one of her homework papers from an untimely death. Her drawer is quite full, but it makes her feel better to hold on to them a little longer even if she doesn't look at it again until I make her purge her stash.

I guess I can relate, I find myself keeping things I know will eventually toss not having used it. Somehow the comfort of keeping it until I have oficially proved it's uselessness out weighs the inefficiency becuase of the off chance I could be wrong. My sympathy for my children doesn't however change my behavior towards them, I continue to stash their school papers and old drawings the recycle bin every chance I get--now I just try to be more discreet. Hypocrisy at it's finest!

This is Isabel's Opinion of the meal!

Everyone else loved it too!

Homeade Chicken Pot Pie

1/2 cup butter
1 onion chopped
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 can chicken broth (or homeade stock)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken
2 cups frozen vegetables (we used fresh vegetables instead)

saute onions in butter until tenter. Add flour, salt and pepper stir until blended. Cook for about a minute then add broth and milk stirring constantly until it thickens slightly. Add chicken and vegetables. (we cooked it on high for a little while until the pie crust was ready) pour into pie crust. Lay other half of crust on top. Pinch the edges and cut slice in the top of the crust. Bake @ 425. for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.



Pie Crust

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1/4 cup butter flavored shortning
4-6 tbsp. ice water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter and shortning until crumbly. add water 1 tbsp. at a time until mixture comes together and forms a ball. Do not over mix. Cut dough in half and roll out between floured pieces of wax paper. Pull off top piece and flip into pie plate. (this recipe makes enough crust for top and bottom in a 9" deep dish pie pan. ) roll out the other half for the top.