Chicken Potpie Casserole & Oven Woes

Well, my oven has decided it doesn't want to work properly. It overheats, not cooking dishes properly, which is likely due to having one of the heating elements fail. I have to give it credit as it is ancient, as in it was likely put in sometime around the 1970s. Who even knew that GM made ovens? I certainly didn't until I moved into this house. And this is my first go around with a wall unit style oven (makes for keeping the house warm).

Check out these old appliances; the photo about seven pics down is a spitting image of my (failing) kitchen gem. As I am currently in a rental, there is little hope of having it replaced before I move. So I make due by altering my baking and roasting times, usually turning the dial down by about 25 or more degrees. I also rotate everything once every five or so minutes. Even with the extra care and attention, one in four baking attempts result in charred bottoms. Le sigh...

One of the recent dishes which successfully made it out of my needy oven was a Chicken Potpie Casserole. If you are anywhere near my neck of the woods, you have likely survived the insane amount of rain we've had (it feels like Oregon weather around here). And what goes great with rain? Casserole and biscuits!

Over the weekend I had made a baked chicken, seasoned with rosemary and oranges (based loosely on this recipe), and had a need to use up the leftovers. I usually make Chicken Potpie using some sort of pastry dough/pie shell I have in the freezer, in a more traditional fashion. After some online exploring, I came across this recipe for Chicken Potpie Casserole from Taste of Home which suited my needs perfectly. As I already had a heaping portion of chicken gravy leftover from the chicken dinner, plus some mashed potatoes, I modified this recipe a bit. I also am not a lover of peas, so I replaced them with chopped celery. And the pimentos from the original recipe just didn't scream down home cooking to me, so I omitted them.

The end result was simply amazing. This just may be the best Chicken Potpie recipe I have ever come across and made. Part of that may be due to how awesome the original baked chicken was, but I am also giving some credit where it is due - the recipe. Next time you have leftover chicken and have a hankering for some comfort food, give this one a try. Enjoy!

Chicken Potpie Casserole
Adapted from: Taste of Home

• 1 ½ cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2/3 cup sliced fresh carrots
• 2/3 cup sliced celery
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1-2 cups chicken gravy (see original recipe if you don’t have gravy on hand)
• 2-4 cups cubed cooked chicken (any meat works as it’s a casserole)
• Seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, onion powder, etc.)
• Leftover mashed potatoes (optional) 

Biscuit Topping

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cream of tartar
• ½ cup cold butter, cubed
• 2/3 cup milk

In a large saucepan, sauté the mushrooms, carrots, and onion in butter until tender. If you don’t have gravy on hand, revert to the original recipe and follow the step by sprinkling flour into the pan. If you do have gravy on hand, add the chicken and heat through. Next add the celery and seasonings. Follow with adding the gravy to the pan and stir until well combined. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, scoop little spoonfuls of it into the prepped casserole dish, and then pour the mixture over the top. If you don't have pre-made gravy, you will have already made some in cooking the mixture and can go straight to pouring the mixture into a greased 2 to 2 ½ quart baking dish, then set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Stir in the milk until just moistened. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8-10 times. Pat or roll out the dough to about a ½” thickness. Cut with a floured 2 ½” biscuit cutter or use the rim of a glass.

Place the biscuits over chicken mixture. Bake uncovered at 400 F degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm and eat lots. 

Repurpose Food & Mashed Potato Casserole

I am the queen of reusing and repurposing food. Yes, I sound smug saying this but it is only after years and years of success that I brag with such ease. Maybe it harks back to my environmentalist days, but I am not a big fan of waste (food waste, especially). And since it sounds like us Americans seem to waste more food than anyone on the planet, I figure repurposing potatoes into something yummy is my way of helping out.

Last weekend I made a batch of mashed potatoes as a side dish and ended up with WAY more than I could humanly eat. Instead of letting the plastic container sit in my fridge for the allotted week until the contents found its way into the trash, I opted to use my spuds as an example of reusing leftovers. Off the cuff, I made a mashed potato casserole (super easy). With just a couple items from my fridge and cupboard, my once plain potatoes turned into a light and fluffy casserole! This is very much a hodgepodge of whatever is readily available in your kitchen, so let your imagination run wild. And stay tuned for the repurposed mashed potato casserole into potato bacon soup (mmm, good fall eating here). Salute!

Mashed Potato Casserole 

• 2 cups or so of leftover mashed potatoes (slightly reheadted as it's easier to mix) 
• 1/2 can of seasoned lima beans
• 1-2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tbsp Rondele spread 
• 1/2 stalk of a leek, diced 
• Handful of mushrooms, sliced
• Shredded cheese (any variety)
• 2-4 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs 

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Prep the casserole pan (I didn't really do anything other than take it out of the cabinet).

Saute the leek and mushrooms in a frying pan for a few minutes (until the mushrooms appear mostly cooked and the leek becomes aromatic).

In a bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, lima beans, heavy cream, cheese spread, leek and mushroom saute, and most of the shredded cheese. Once this looks well incorporated, transfer it to the casserole pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese and a few tablespoons of bread crumbs over the top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let the dish cool for a few minutes and serve up while still warm.

Amanda's Baked Ziti

It looks like our winter wonderland hopes have been answered...we got snow. Half the city called in for a snow day. You know what I did? Ran outside and snapped a few shots of my ladies exploring the yard. Yes, I am THAT chicken lady. At least I own up to it of my own accord.

It is possible they have seen snow before, but they certainly hadn't played it in until this week.

There is an old wives tale that if the family chickens have an early molt, it means winter will be worse than normal this year.

I promise to keep you informed if I see a trend forming with their feather loss and the snow...

Now, time for some food. In honor of Thanksgiving, I figured I should share a nice hearty alternative to the old traditional turkey supper. In this case, a vegetarian version of my family's baked ziti recipe. My mother used to make a batch of this on cold days when I was a kid. Her version had sausage, ground beef, lots and lots of cheese, etc. Obviously, my version has been tweaked a bit for my vegetarian palate. I prefer to use rice pasta as opposed to normal pasta for wheat/dietary purposes. You can pretty much substitute any veggie, type of pasta, and cheese or sauce into this delicious casserole. Sometimes I make it the more traditional way with ricotta cheese mixed in before I bake it (you can substitute nonfat cottage cheese to save some fat). Play around and make it your own. Enjoy!

Amanda's Baked Ziti

• 1 16 oz bag of ziti or fusilli rice pasta
• 1-2 jars of pasta sauce (I used one of garlic tomato & vodka tomato)
• 1/2 of one 6 oz container of pesto (I used chipotle)
• 1 package of fake Gimme Lean soy sausage
• 1 onion, chopped  
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced 
• 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup black olives, sliced 
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 tsp dried basil 
• Shredded Italian cheese for topping

Bring a large pot of water (2-3 quarts) to a boil. Follow the directions on the pasta packaging and prepare as directed (you can continue doing this throughout the next few steps). I tend to make mine a wee bit on the al dente side, but that is a personal preference. Drain when complete, and set aside.

In a large sauce pan, pour in tomato sauces and half of the pesto container (3 oz). You can add more as your personal taste dictates. Turn the stove burner to low-medium heat. Add sliced black olives, bay leaves, half of the chopped fresh basil, dried thyme, dried oregano, dried basil, and garlic. Bring to a warm temperature (slight bubble) as you complete the following steps.

While you are warming the sauce and boiling the pasta, make the meatballs with the Gimme Lean sausage. You can make larger meatballs by mixing in some bread crumbs and diced onions, or you can go the easy route (like I did) and make simple ones with simply the fake meat. In a large skillet, heat some olive oil on medium and slightly brown the meatballs for a few minutes. Then add the onions and continue to saute until slightly transparent (few minutes). Next add the mushrooms and saute until slightly tender. Finally add the red bell pepper for a minute or two. Remember to mix during the cooking.

Next mix the meatballs and veggies into the tomato sauce. Follow this up with mixing the cooked and drained pasta into the sauce. Two jars of sauce should cover you here. I prefer to have more sauce than less sauce (thus 2 jars), hence I leave it up to you to make it your preference. If it seems a little runny for any reason, just remember some of the moisture will bake out.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Pour the pasta mixture into a large casserole dish or baking dish. Smooth the top into an even layer. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the entire dish. Follow up with the remaining half of the chopped basil (I forgot in this instance). Sprinkle additional toppings like red pepper flakes, more dried herbs, salt and pepper, or nutritional yeast (all of which I did). Cover with a lid or foil and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. The top should look golden and crispy, the edges bubbling.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. Make sure to have some garlic bread handy!

Sunchoke Gratin Casserole

Ever seen these things before? Note - the small flowers are actually roses. I am referring to the tall green stalks.When we moved into our current abode, we discovered a patch of jerusalem artichokes...or sunchokes. I think sunchokes sounds much more appealing, don't you? It sounds like the food of the gods or something that will give you superhuman powers by eating it.

Sunchokes are a root vegetable that looks a lot like a potato with a hint of a knobby ginger root. Raw sunchokes are said to have the texture of water chestnuts, though also a bit like a raw radish. When you cook them, they get creamy and smooth. And taste somewhat bland (yet crunchy) when raw, but when roasted they take on a slight sweetness with hints of potato and artichoke heart.

I took it upon myself to head out to the garden and dig a few up. Wow, there are a TON growing in my backyard. In an effort to use them up, I created this recipe off the cuff. I was aiming for a casserole-gratin dish, with little dairy, that would taste amazing. Being my first use of sunchokes, I have to admit I am a bit smitten. Especially since I could dig up what I needed, wash and prep, then cook up a batch in little time. This is a perfect recipe for cold fall days, hearty and filling, yet without the gut bomb of usual gratin dishes. Enjoy!

Sunchoke Gratin Casserole

•  2 tablespoons unsalted vegan margarine
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 tbsp minced shallots 
• 5-6 large sliced mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups warmed soy, nut, or rice milk (I used hazelnut) 
• 1 bay leaf
• Braggs to taste
• Salt, to taste
• 1 ½-2 cups of sunchokes, roughly peeled and quartered
• 3  unpeeled Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 peeled & sliced carrots 
• 5-6 brussels sprouts cut into quarters 
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup coarse bread crumbs or panko 
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 
• Chopped parsley for garnish 

Preheat oven to 375. Scrub and roughly peel sunchokes. Thoroughly wash and dry the sunchokes. Cut into fairly even 1/4-inch slices. Cut up the potatoes into similar size. Chop the peeled carrots in to slices. Quarter the brussels sprouts. Toss everything in a large bowl with some salt and pepper. 

Melt the margarine in a frying/saute pan and add the chopped garlic, shallots, and onion. Saute for 3 minutes over medium head or until the veggies start turning slightly transparent. Add the chopped mushrooms and continue to saute for another 3 minutes. Add half of the thyme and Braggs to taste. 

While the veggies are finishing sauteing, warm the milk in the microwave for about a minute or so. In a small dish, pour a little of the warm milk in. Whisk in the flour into the small dish of warm milk until well incorporated (no lumps). Gently milk the flour-milk mixture into the remainder of the warm milk. Once the veggies have sauteed enough, remove the pan from the burner and let it stand for a few minutes. Gently whisk in flour-milk mixture. Presto - you are making bechamel sauce! Return the pan to medium heat and gentle stir for about 1-2 minutes. Add the rest of the thyme and bay leaf, then salt and pepper to taste. Then remove the pan from heat for the final time. Remember to take out the bay leaf before going to the next step! 

Pour the tossed sunchoke-potato-carrot-BS mixture into a 2-qt casserole or equivalent baking pan. Make sure it is one with a lid. Smooth into an even layer in the pan. Once the bechamel sauce has thickened a bit (few minutes of sitting), pour it over the sunchoke-potato-carrot mixture-BS. Lightly sprinkle the panko over the top of the casserole. Next, sprinkle parmaesan cheese on top. Finally, add some chopped parsley for decoration. Salt and pepper to finish things off and place the lid back on the dish. 

Bake for about an hour, or until the dish is bubbling and golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for a bit before serving (this will let the sauce thicken again). Tastes great when served with steamed spinach!