OC Living: Family Dinner Style

My mother used to tell me, "If you can read you can cook." This coming form a woman who never ever consulted a recipe book, who always knew when she needed an extra dash of salt (What is a dash, anyways?) and knew when the blueberry muffins were finished baking without even using a timer. She was my idol in the kitchen, and I was here little protege. And oh was I bad. I could literally burn potatoes (Ask me about the best parsley potatoes recipe involving burnt potatoes and a whole tub of butter!) and it took me hours to get a pot of boiling water going. But my mother never gave up! As a going away present for college she gave me a full collection of Betty Crocker Cookbooks.. 

Needless to say, upon coming to College with access to the fully stocked servery, I rarely ever cooked unless it was to whip up a cup of ramen. However, my Junior year has found me off campus, living with 5 other housemates and full access to a wonderful kitchen. Although scared at first, I have decided to begin on a cooking adventure, one recipe at a time! Every week, Maria and I will post some sort of collaboration involving a new recipe to try or just general followings on our adventures in our kitchens. Whether you live on campus or off, have access to kitchen or not, we're looking to bring something here to the blog that will cater to you!

 Last Sunday, my housemates and I decided to have our first family dinner. We had a quick pow wow session on who was going to prepare what and off to the grocery store we went! We made Chicken Pot Pie and Green bean casserole. The meal went as follows:

Before...

 

 

...After

 

Needless to say, the boys tore through the delicious Chicken Pot Pie and Homemade Green Bean Casserole. Below are the recipes!

James' Famous Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 can chicken broth (Low salt preferred)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/2 - 3 cup diced cooked chicken
• 2 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Place crust in pie pan, pressing it down gently into the pan
2. In Medium saucepan, melt butter and cook onion until tender (2-3 minutes) Stir in flour, salt, and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, stirring constantly. Cook until bubbly and thickened.
3. Add chicken and mixed veggies and combine well. Spoon mixture into crust lined pan. Top with second crust. Fold edges over and crimp. Cut slits in top to vent.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

For the topping:

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 TBS panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• Pam

For beans and sauce:

• 2 TBS plus 1 tsp salt divided
• 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
• 2 TBS unsalted butter
• 12 oz mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
2. Combine the onions, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.
3. While the onions are cooking, prepare beans, snap off ends (we forgot to do this!) Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and cook for 5 minutes. Drain beans and set aside
4. Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately. 

Stay tuned for adventures from our next cooking adventure! :)

And remember, if you have any questions at all regarding the recipe, the instructions, or suggestions for future recipes, let us know!