Chef Suz

Happy Monday Everyone,

For those of you who still have to go to work, at least your day is done. (1st shift, that is). Me..I’m legit retired, but sometimes I wonder. Lol

We’re way underway in to the Spring season here in the Heartland. 🌻
Our weather tends to continually fool you with what appears to be classic seasonal temps, until…BAM…it’s freezing and/or scorching at the most inopportune times!
Currently, it’s a gorgeous 72 degrees with the typical Kansas winds whirling around at a gentle 50 mph! 💨☺️ 🌬️

Both of us are just about a month out from a nasty bout with Covid.
I’m not even going to sugar coat it, this one totally took the sails out of both of us! Besides not being hungry, I could not drag myself into the kitchen if I wanted to.
So tonight, I figured I’d start with something easy, yet comforting and satisfying! As I mulled over a few ideas, I kept going back to an old childhood favorite!
Yep…classic chicken pot pie was sounding better all the time! 🥧

I just happened to have all the great pot pie ingredients on hand, so it was a no brainer.
Other than the peas, I’ve tried the frozen veggie version, but I just love the flavors of freshly sautéed veggies and homemade pie dough! Seriously, you can’t go wrong with flour, butter, ice water and a pinch of salt…voilà ! Trust me, easy peasy. 😉

I sautéed fresh celery, carrots, sweet onions, red, yellow and orange peppers, lots of gaahlic, and cubed, boneless skinless chicken breast in a lot of butter.
I’m not a fan of potatoes in my pot pie, so those are still sitting in their bag waiting on some future mashed taters.
My seasonings consisted of S&P, thyme, turmeric, paprika, celery salt, Dijon, garlic and onion powder, and fresh parsley. 🌿

After incorporating the seasonings and making it all happy, I then added flour, white wine, heavy cream and homemade chicken stock stirring until a medium thick consistency.
I tend to let the delicious mixture cool a bit before adding that perfect crust so it doesn’t get soggy from the hot mixture.

I love using my enameled cast iron skillet for one pot wonders such as this. It cooks great, holds the heat and is an absolute breeze to clean.
Winner~winner chicken dinner! 👌

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes then up the heat to 400 until beautifully golden brown! Let rest for 15 minutes then dig in.
Let me tell you, It’s very hard waiting on those last few minutes….VERY!
I make jokes about trying to keep the hubby out of food when indeed it’s “ME” that I need to keep in check!

I was so enthralled in getting this put together that I totally forgot to get some pics of all the colorful veggies!
Next time, I promise. 😏

Enjoy the rest of your week friends, and remember to always…

Be Happy, Be Well

Chef Suz 🧑‍🍳

Hello friends and happy Football Sunday! 🏈

So, here I am on this dreary, rainy and quite frankly…typical Fall day. 🌾🍁🍂
Our forecast for the Heartland includes 40’s & 50’s and even some..dare I say 🤫..snow flurries for the upcoming Thanksgiving week. 🥶🦃

So while pondering today’s menu..
I was thinking which one of hubby’s favorites he might request on a day like this. He has many. Lol
Hmm maybe breakfast….yep, that’s it, breakfast it is.
(btw…in case you missed it…he is a breakfast food ju**ie and will 100% ask for breakfast for dinner every single time, if asked.) 😉
So in April, we will have 50 beautiful years of marriage…and honestly he’s not had the best time with years of ongoing health issues.
So I figure, even after all these years, I feel it’s the very least that I can do to make his day a little brighter.
You’d be surprised how simply serving up something that he truly enjoys can make his day.
(Disclaimer: Ok, I admit…I’m an old fashioned girl 💯)

I had gotten some organic pork breakfast sausage a while back, so I decided that it was time for some good Ol’ fashioned sausage gravy. You notice I didn’t say, “biscuits” and gravy.
(sorry I’ve never been a biscuit fan)😳
Ya, ya, ya…I know…I can hear y’all through my phone! “That’s sacrilege”!
So it was literally toast, sausage gravy, fried taters with lots of sweet onions and the fluffiest scrambled eggs you’ve ever had. 🤤
Let’s just say…there was no conversation for at least 13 minutes
😏 Could that possibly be a sign?

It was more than I expected…so comforting and delicious. I grew up eating this classic and thought my Mother’s could never be topped. She would be so proud of my version.
Since I am notorious for never using a recipe…I am humbly admitting that I just may have to note this one down.

If you look up any internet recipe of “sausage gravy”, it usually only includes sausage, a roux, milk and S&P. Trust me, I’ve read many, and tasted many..I’m just not impressed.
I am a huge proponent of going outside the box and attempting to create a final outcome that satisfies my expectations and palate. This particular version definitely met those expectations.

As you can see from my photos, I added several out of the ordinary ingredients. After it all came together, not only did it work, but dare I say, possibly the best batch to date.
If you don’t already, I challenge all of you to at least try to step outside of your cooking comfort zone. You’ll find that you will be pleasantly surprised by your creativity and flavor profiles.

Enjoy your week ahead, have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving with your loved ones..
and remember to always...................

Be Happy, Be Well

Chef Suz 👩‍🍳