Individual Turkey Pot Pies

Cleaning up inside the freezer, I discovered I had some turkey breast meat leftover from Christmas. I also had some frozen puff pastry, so I decided it was a pot pie dinner tonight. This is a simple recipe if you already have prepared meat and some kind of ready made pastry on hand. Good way to clean out the freezer too!
 Ingredients:

• 4 cups of cooked turkey breast, cut into cubes
• 2 sheets of pie crust or puff pastry
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, cleaned, and thinly diced
• 2 carrots, cleaned, skinned, and thinly diced
• 2 medium sized potatoes (peeled and cubed)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg, beaten, for brushing on top of the pie crust
  
  Method:
  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  Roll out your pie crust or puff pastry, and cut out as many rounds as you will need (I did six). I personally only made six rounds for tops, you may want bottoms on yours so double it up. Cover with cloth. Set aside.
  
  Now for the filling. In a large pot, add the butter, and slowly melt. Add in onions, celery, carrot and potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the flour, and stir, cooking for another couple of minutes. Whisk in the milk and continue to whisk until smooth. Stir in the chicken stock, and sherry. Bring the heat to low, and cook down for another 10 minutes. You will notice the sauce begin to thicken. This is what you are looking for. Stir in the thyme, parsley, peas, turkey, and season with salt and pepper. You will want to taste this a couple of times, getting your salt and pepper right on point before adding the mixture into the ramekins. Fill each ramekin to the top with the mixture, (if you are doing a bottom, add it first). Use some egg wash around the perimeter of the top of ramekins. Top each ramekin with a dough circle, making sure it is just a bit longer than the top of each ramekin. Seal the top of each ramekin by gently pinching around the edges. Brush the beaten egg onto the top of each ramekin, and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Poke a slight gash through the tops to allow some steam to escape. Place these back in the oven on a baking sheet for 25-30 minutes, or until they are a nice golden brown. (Keep checking after 20 minutes).
  
   ***Be very careful as the filling will be hot!!!

Valentine's Day Empire Cookies

Something sweet for that someone special on Valentine's Day.  These are one of my all time favourite cookies. They are a bit of a labour of love, but I am sure that someone special is worth it. A very Happy Valentine's Day to all.

 Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1/4 cup candied cherries, chopped

Directions

1. Cream butter. Add sugar, creaming well. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 2 inch rounds, (you can reuse dough, just form into a ball and roll it out again) and place on ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until very lightly browned at edges. Cool thoroughly.
4. Spread half of the cookies with jam, and top with remaining cookies.
5. Combine confectioners' sugar, almond extract, and enough hot water to make a thin icing. Frost tops of cookies. Top each with a small piece of candied cherry.

Potato Galette

Delicious side dish. Easy to prepare and takes no time to bake. The recipe is extremely versatile. You can add just about anything that you would like with a potato such as may-be some bacon, cheddar or even some ground sausage.  We enjoyed this simple side with our B.B.Q chicken breasts (recipe on Blog).

Ingredients:
4 good-sized baking or yukon gold potatoes
4 Tbsp butter (melted)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup romano cheese
1 small chopped shallot

Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 425°. Spray a 10-inch pie plate or shallow tart pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place your butter and shallots in a glass dish and microwave it for a few seconds until melted. Slice your potatoes into very thin slices, and distribute them in the bottom of your pie plate in a spiral fashion, 2 layers deep. Dust with salt, pepper and sprinkle of some of the cheese. Brush with melted butter and shallot mixture, and repeat the process until you've used all your potatoes. Press down a bit. Be sure to cover your top layer completely with the melted butter so it browns up nicely in the oven. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, keeping an eye on the degree of browning. When done, the potatoes will shrink away from the sides of the dish slightly and be fork-tender in the middle. Allow to cool slightly. Run a sharp knife around the edges and carefully flip the galette upside down on a serving platter and cut into wedges for serving.