Green Chile Stew

My husband and I recently ordered take out from Rudy's BBQ and he discovered their green chile stew. I looked for a copy cat recipe and made some slight additions. It's not 100% like theirs, but pretty darn good! Slightly spicy... Perfect for a cold night.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound smoked beef brisket, chopped (if you don’t have brisket, you can try using sausage like I did)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (7 oz.) can chopped green chiles (I used two 3.5 oz cans)
1 (15 oz.) can fire roasted tomatoes (I used 2 cans)
8 ounces green salsa
1 box beef stock (I used extra beef bouillon powder to taste)

*Use mild salsa and green chile if you can't handle spice very well*

Pour all ingredients into slow cooker, cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours on low.

I like to store my stew in large to go containers like in the picture below. Freezes and thaws well.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

We had leftover rotisserie chicken from the weekend so I decided to make chicken pot pie. My fiance and I love a good chicken pot pie. I like to alternate between pie crust and puff pastry. This recipe is pretty simple. Since I use store bought pie crust/puff pastry it cuts down on prep time. If you love a good chicken pot pie like I do, stay tuned!

Ingredients: 

1 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 medium potato (I like to use gold), diced

4 oz mushrooms, diced (optional)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

2-3 cups of rotisserie chicken chunks

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (1 teaspoon is using fresh)

1 box of either pie crust or puff pastry (pie crusts come circular while puff pastry comes rectangular)

1 egg, whip with a fork to make your egg wash

*you may choose to dice your veggies larger than how I diced mine.

Step 1:

In a large pan or Dutch oven, melt 6 tablespoons of butter. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, mushrooms and onions. Season with salt and and pepper and cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes.

Step 2:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Add flour to veggies and mix thoroughly and cook for 2 minutes. Then add chicken broth and mix again. Raise heat to medium high and add milk. Once the heat rises, you should notice the liquid thicken. If it is too thick add a bit more milk. Taste your filling, add salt if you like it saltier. Add chicken and thyme, mix, then add peas. I did not make mine with peas this time due to the mister's request.

Step 3:

Ladle in to ramekins for individual servings or a 9 by 13 baking pan. Do not fill all the way to the top, leave about 1/2 in to the top. If using ramekins cut circles that are slightly bigger than the ramekins so the dough hangs over the edge a bit. Brush a little but of egg wash around the edge of your ramekins or pan and place dough on top. Pinch lightly around the edges to make sure it sticks. Carefully cut a few small slits in the dough. Brush egg wash on top.

Step 4:

Place in oven, center rack or higher. Bake ramekins for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden brown. If using baking pan, bake for 50-55 minutes until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!