Vegetable Pot Pie

As the weather is slowly warming up I realized that there are a few hearty meals I want to make before it gets too hot. One of the meals is vegetable pot pie. Before I was a vegetarian, my old boyfriend got me hooked on chicken pot pie. His mom had a simple delicious recipe that I couldn't resist. I think why I liked it so much was because I thought I would hate it. I have a thing against casseroles as well as white sauces (I know I am a freak), but this pie changed my mind. I finally finagled my way into getting her recipe and decided to change a few things since I would no longer be adding chicken to it.

I took a look at Ina Garten's vegetable pot recipe for another reference point. Ina's recipe is loaded with butter and other specialty ingredients, click here for her version (it got five stars). Below is my recipe, but feel free to change it up with what you have around as well as what is in season. You can also add chicken in substitute for some vegetables. Simply take two or three chicken breasts and boil them for about half hour, let cool and then cut into bite-sized pieces. Add the cooked chicken at the same time as the vegetables to the sauce. I used puff pastry for the top, but you can use pie dough or biscuit batter. Really, the possibilities are endless.

Banana Crunch Muffins

All the food I write about I usually think is pretty good, but these banana crunch muffins are truly the most scrumptious treats I know how to make. In fact, I would say if you recreate one thing on this blog - bake these. This is an Ina Garten (from Barefoot Contessa) recipe - so you know it is good and fattening. Click here for her original recipe.

The muffins have a few steps to them and a lot of ingredients (hence why it always takes me a while to get around to making them - I never have all the ingredients at once). First off, it requires bananas - two which need to be extremely ripe (think black peel). You have to think about this in advance. I let my bananas ripen for a week. I have heard if you put an apple with the bananas in a paper bag they will ripen more quickly, but I have never tried it. The third banana can be a normal yellow peel. Besides bananas you add shredded sweetened coconut, granola, and walnuts to complete the sweet party in your mouth.

Obama Rama

Since this is President Obama's first real week in office. Here is my first post on my blog. For Inauguration Day I insisted on having an office potluck while watching the inauguration together. There was a lot of delicious food - especially a quinoa salad (which will be featured on a later post). Also, my coworker Shari brought me this awesome cupcake from Eleni's NYC (pictured above). I couldn't eat it that day for I felt it was sacrilegious, but I didn't feel bad the next day. For the evening I had a Chili and Cornbread Party in honor of Obama. After doing some research I found out that Obama's favorite food is chili (based on a bunch of random things I read online). Honestly, if it isn't - I don't care because it is a fav of mine. Chili is so easy, quick, and filling. It is also great for leftovers (which is something I hate). I also made Jalepeno Cheddar Cornbread courtesy of Ina Garten. It isn't that traditional, but still really flavorful and easy to make!
Here is the recipe for the chili (the picture above is double the recipe):

Ingredients:
-1 Can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 Can of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 Can of Cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 Can of fresh corn (drained and rinsed)
-2 Cans of stewed tomatoes (chopped if you want smaller chunks)
-1 Large can of tomatoe sauce
-1 Packet of chili mild seasoning (I like it hotter, but for guests I kept it mild)
-1 Long hot pepper (chopped and seeds removed depending if you want a milder version)
-1 Large sweet pepper (chopped and seeds removed)
-2 Cloves of garlic (minced)
-1 Large onion (white, yellow, or Spanish - chopped)
-Olive Oil (or whatever oil you have)

Directions:

-Saute onions in a couple tablespoons of olive oil until translucent on medium heat.
-Add garlic and peppers and cook until soft
-Add everything else and simmer until the flavors meld (about 1/2 hour).

Note: I love to serve this with Fritos and extra sharp cheddar shredded on top. It is a must for the ultimate chili experience. Oh yeah, and you can also add meat, but I don't think anyone missed it - but they could have just been being polite :)