Menu Mondays Return - A Homemade Homestyle Meal

Here I am again, bringing Menu Mondays back with a bang!  First off, some great, unrelated news...I got a job!  I started today and I think this is going to be a great opportunity and I'm excited about all the adventures I have ahead of me.  But if there is one thing hubby and I have learned over the past few months, it is this...we will continue to save money because if we've survived this long on a limited budget, imagine the possibilities with two paychecks and saving some mula!  So have no fear....No Mountain Too High is here too stay!  Now on to dinner!

Since last night was my last night as a "homemaker" I went all out by picking out a recipe in our yet to be used "Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook."  An awesome gift from our dear friend Shelby for our wedding, the cookbook sits in our cookbook stand day in and day out but had yet to be opened...until now.  And boy was it worth the wait!

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you, the Personalized Chicken Potpies!  At first the recipe seemed daunting, but as I really got into it I realized the prep part was the worst part and really, it wasn't all that bad except for the tears I shed chopping the onion (not to self, invest in onion chopper).  First, the recipe and pictures, then I will let you know a couple of things we learned or would change.

All the yummy ingredients

Personalized Chicken Potpies
Ingredients:
1 Tblsp Olive Oil
1 Small Yellow Onion, Chopped
4 Medium Cloves Garlic, Chopped
2 Tsp Chopped Fresh Thyme, or 3/4 Tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine or Vermouth
1 Tblsp All-Purpose Flour
2/3 Cup Chicken Stock or Low-Sodium Canned Chicken Broth
1 Jar (16 ounces) Alfredo Sauce
3 Cups Shredded Purchased Roast Chicken
1 Package (10 ounces) Frozen Mixed Peas and Carrots, Thawed
2 Frozen Pastry Circles or Sheets for 9-inch Pie
1 Egg, Lightly Beaten

The finished product, large size.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and season lightly with kosher salt and pepper to taste.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft, 5-7 minutes.  Add the wine and cook until lit has evaporated but the onion is still moist, about 2 minutes more.  Sprinkle the flour over the onion and cook for 1 minute.  Add the stock and stir until well incorporated and slightly thickened.  Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the Alfredo sauce, then the chicken and peas and carrots.  Adjust the seasonings with more kosher salt and pepper if necessary.  Divide the filling among four 1 1/2 cup ramekins.  Set aside.
Place frozen pastry circles or sheets on a work surface and let them thaw slightly, about 10 minutes.  Place a ramekin directly on the pastry.  Using a knife, cut out a circle 1 inch wider than the bottom of the ramekin. Drape the pastry over the ramekin and seal by pressing gently on the sides of the ramekin.  Repeat with the remaining ramekins.  Cut pastry scraps into your sweetheart's initials, into hearts, or other decorative shapes and place on top of the pastry.  Brush the pastry with the beaten egg.  Place the potpies on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden, 35-45 minutes.  Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

 The smaller portion size the hubby and I preferred, notice the personalized pastry dough on tops including the dog bone for our puppy Cali and the Chevy symbol in honor of hubby's love of Camaros.

A couple of things we learned....1) these things are DEEElicious!  So yummy!  Only thing I would change is cutting back on the amount of wine we use.  I am not a big "wine in food" person so I thought it was a little heavy, hubby thought it was great so it's really all to your taste.  2) Portion size is key.  Hubby and I like to keep our portion sizes smaller so we don't eat too much and so we have lots of leftovers for later meals, ie, saving money!  So we actually only did one potpie in the ramekin size it calls for and did the rest in smaller, 3/4 cup ramekins.  Perfect size!  Basically, if you are a small portion eater like us, this makes enough to serve 8, otherwise, it will serve 4.  As for the already prepared chicken, we picked up a rotisserie chicken at our local grocer and 3 cups is about a full chicken, in case you need help eyeballing how many you would need.

So...are you headed for potpie heaven?  Let me know what you think and bring on the suggestions, let me know if there's a food you love that you just need a new recipe for.  Hubby and I would love to be your guinea pigs!