A simple, easy down home meal. I’m really saddened that you can find these in the frozen food section of your grocery store. There are even some that are microwavable. *gasp* There really is no comparison to the real deal. The buttery, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust and thick, rich, savory beef and veggie filling that make up a Beef Pot Pie, made from scratch, just can’t be replicated in a microwave version.

I’m posting one of my versions here. This is the quick, spicy version that I make on a regular basis.

I usually have crusts on hand from a recipe that my granma gave me years ago. However, I have made these with a Pillsbury crust and the results were fantastic. I just happen to really prefer my pie crust recipe. Which, I shan’t be posting here. Sorry. Girls gotta keep a few secrets, right?

Beef Pot Pie

1 pound  beef stew meat, or sirloin steak, cubed
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
cumin
1 14.5 oz can of beef broth
3 large carrots, sliced into rounds
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 pie crusts

Preheat oven to 350˚ F.

Sprinkle the beef with the cayenne, onion and garlic powders and ground cumin. Toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I don’t have exact measurements. I just guess, like I do everything else.) In a saucepan, brown beef of both sides. Once beef has browned, add enough water to just cover, turn heat down, and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until beef is tender.

While beef is simmering, add potatoes, carrots, celery and beef broth to a pot and let slowly boil until veggies are almost tender. Remove beef to a bowl, but keep sauce pan. Drain liquid from veggies into sauce pan, and then add veggies to the same bowl as the beef.

Disolve cornstarch in 1/3 cup water. Slowly add to broth in saucepan and simmer until thickened. (sometimes I have to add a little extra water if it seems to thick). Salt and pepper to taste.

Line a 9″ pie pan with one of the crusts. Add veggie and beef mixture. Pour gravy over veggies and beef and then cover with 2nd pie crust. Bake in 350º F oven for about 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

How do you fix your Beef Pot Pie? Variations? What do you do differently!

Anyone else tired of turkey? I know I am. I’ve eaten more than enough turkey sandwiches for this holiday season.

Which, in the Mini Skirt world means…It’s time for Leftover Turkey Stew.
Which I, of course, freeze. And save for a later date, when I’m not wore out on turkey.

Ingredients

2 cups very strong turkey stock
4 cups water
Turkey – cut and shredded slightly
Carrots
Onions
Celery
Potatos
Dill
Thyme
Sage
Sea Salt
Sweet Basil

Now. I don’t really have any measurements for this recipe because I tend to go by the “That looks like enough” method of cooking this stew. Okay, I’ll be honest. I go by this method in just about anything I cook. It’s just who I am.

Turkey stock.
I make my own. You can use chicken stock. To make my turkey stock I throw the turkey carcass in a big stew pot, add enough water to cover. I then add a little sea salt, a few dashes of sage, some thyme and sweet basil and I let this simmer until the water reduces by half, or about 2 hours. I then use a colander, and drain the “broth” out of the pot and throw away the leftover pieces. This is just my method. There are plenty of other choices and recipes out there.

Now, to make the Turkey Stew.
Pour turkey stock and water into a large stew pot. Add carrots, celery, onions and bring to a slow boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and add spices. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Add turkey. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add potatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes. At this point, if your stew hasn’t thickend, mix a little water and flour or cornstarch and slowly pour into stew, stirring while pouring. This can be a soup or a stew, depending upon your choice and tastes. I prefer a thick stew.

I let this cool, and then ladle into my food saver bags, and freeze.

When I need a quick meal this winter, I’ll just pull one of these bags out of the freezer, put a pot of water on the stove, add the bag of Turkey Stew, and bring the water to a boil and boil for 10-20 minutes. Perfect!

I’m pretty certain no one ever thought they’d see the words “Corn Chowder” and “Mini Skirt” in the same headline….

I’m going to warn you all right now. When I make soup or chili, I make a lot so that I can freeze it. This recipe freezes really well.

Here goes.

I usually use corn from the garden, but frozen corn can be substituted.

Place 4 ears – 6 ears of corn in a pot and about 6-8 cups of water, until the corn is floating. I then throw in a dash of sugar and salt and boil until the corn is soft. I don’t know how to tell if it’s actually done, I just know from boiling a lot of corn. I usually do this step the night before I make Corn Chowder. I drain the water, and let the corn cool, and then place it in a zip lock bag in the fridge. When I’m ready to make Corn Chowder (usually the very next day) I pull the corn out and using a knife cut the kernels from the cob.

Then the real fun starts.

6-8 cups of water
6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed. I use red or Yukon gold usually.
1 onion, chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
1-2 large carrots, chopped
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced. I like garlic so I usually use more, but this is really up to you.
1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cup of vegetable broth/bouillon, or chicken broth/bouillon or beef broth/bouillon.
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. Lawry’s or other salt free seasoning
Pepper to taste – fresh ground pepper is the best
3-5 cups fresh or frozen corn
2 tbsp. butter
2/3 cup. scallions, minced
1/2 – 1 cup of heavy cream or half and half
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh dill, minced

Bring water to a boil and add potatoes, onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Return water to a boil and add sage, thyme, oregano, sea salt, Lawry’s or other salt free seasoning and pepper. Cover, and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender, but not mushy. Add the 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups of broth or bouillon, corn and continue to simmer. In a sauce pan, melt butter and add scallions. Saute until scallions turn bright green, approximately 3 minutes. Stir into simmering chowder. Add the heavy cream and dill, and simmer for about 15 more minutes. Stir regularly. If this seems runny, you can add a little milk to some cornstarch and add to Chowder, stirring continuously.

This is just the basic chowder recipe I use. I serve this just like this. Sometimes, however, I’ll add:

Cooked cubed chicken or ham, bacon, browned ground beef, other vegetables, and sometimes shrimp.

If you make this, please leave a comment, I’d love to know your thoughts, suggestions or any changes you made.