Easy Chicken Pot Pie...

Normally, I'm all about homemade baking. Cakes, cookies, especially pie crusts, there's just something about actually making it that's way more satisfying than unrolling or mixing it from a package.

Sometimes though, you run out of a little thing called time and that's where frozen puff pastry comes in.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen puff pastry sheet, unthawed
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 frozen bag of mixed vegetables
• 1 jar of gravy
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onions, garlic powder, salt and pepper over medium heat until slightly caramelized. Add in chicken, gravy and vegetables. Heat until mixture is warm. Pour into a greased pie dish. Unroll pastry sheet on top and crimp edges to seal. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. You may want to put a baking sheet underneath the pot pie. Your oven will thank you later : )

Homemade Marshmallows...

Sugary foods with no corn-syrup are hard to find these days. Can you imagine marshmallows with no corn-syrup? I bet the recipe would go a little something like this:

Homemade Marshmallows (adapted from multiple recipes...)

• 1 tablespoon (or packet) gelatine
• 1/4 cup cool water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 and 1/8 cup water
• 3/4 tablespoon of honey
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 cup powdered sugar
• 1/8 cup cornstarch
  

Grease a 9x9 or 12x8 inch pan (depending on if you want square or more rectangular marshmallows). Combine powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and sprinkle into greased pan so that it is fully covered. (This is important-if you don't, the marshmallow will stick to the pan). Set aside.

In a large bowl mix gelatin and cool water. Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, remaining 1/4 and 1/8 cups of water, honey, salt and vanilla extract. Stir constantly (so that the sugar doesn't burn) until mixture has reached a slow boil (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and slowly pour into the gelatin mixture.


Using a mixer, beat on low until its combined and then increase the speed to high. Beat for 10 to 15 minutes until mixture thickens and it resembles a thick, marshmallow cream. Pour into pan and spread evenly.

After it has cooled (about 20 minutes in the fridge or 3 to 4 hours sitting out), sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. Cut into squares with a sharp knife and roll the sides of each marshmallow square in powdered sugar so that no part of the marshmallow is sticky. Keeps 2 weeks in an airtight container.

I think tomorrow night calls for a cup of hot chocolate....

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away" -Unknown

I had one of the best days on Saturday. And the best part about it? Nothing was planned. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what made it so different from every other day. It was just simply a great day.

Being a planner, it's hard for me to remember that life isn't all about planning, and that sometimes the unexpected can be just as rewarding.

I took this photo of downtown from Kerry Park, a scenic lookout spot in Queen Anne. It was a gorgeous day which can be unusual in January, but even rarer in Seattle. (Did I mention, no rain?) You can see almost everything in it - the Space Needle with the city skyline behind it, a ferry coming in, a hint of Mt. Rainier, and even a seaplane just taking off.

What you can't see in it, is all the people that were there doing the exact same thing we were- walking around, laughing, taking photos. And I like to think that they were having a simply great, unplanned day too.

Chicken Curry with Cashews...

Over the past few days, I've begun to think that you can add cashews to just about anything. Crushed up in salads or on top of vegetables, it seems to be such a versatile addition that adds a bit of crunch to any dish. So when I saw this recipe for Chicken Curry with Cashews, I was sold.

I made a few adjustments to the recipe (mainly because it served 4-6 and I wanted it to serve 2-4), but I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. Careful, this version has a bit of a kick.


Chicken Curry with Cashews
Adapted from January 2005 Gourmet

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
• 1 large red onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 3 or 4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tomato (diced)
• 1/4 cup cashews (finely chopped)

Heat butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted. Stir in onions, garlic and ginger. Cook 2 minutes. Add curry powder, salt, cumin and cayenne. Cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add tomato and bring to a simmer. Then cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked (about 25 minutes). Serve over white rice with finely chopped cashews sprinkled over.

And finally because I'm devoting this post to cashews, did you know...
- Cashews are in the same family as poison ivy and poison sumac. We can eat them though because it's found in the shell oil and not the nut itself.
- Although when it comes to cooking, a cashew is a nut, in the botanical sense it is actually a seed.
- There is such thing as a cashew apple. It's an accessory fruit that's pear-shaped and yellow.

Yep, when it comes to cashews, I guess I'm a little bit nuts.

A Whole Latte Love...

I've discovered a secret.

Hands down the best caffè latte in Seattle. (And no, it doesn't come from Howard Schultz himself).

Located on Lower Queen Anne, Citizen Coffee is a tucked-away place serving up breakfast, lunch, and amazing caffè lattes. The layer of frothy foam blanketing the latte allows you to get a little bit in every sip. Presented beautifully with a rosetta (which resembles a fern), the caffè lattes look as good as they taste.

Head upstairs for a unique, loft-like experience: eclectic in it's own right, you'll find a few diners sitting in old movie theater chairs, and feel as if you've snuck up to a not-so-secret fort.

The crêpes hold true to their French origin with a selection of sweet or savory tastes. Service can be slow on weekends, but all you need is a caffè latte while you wait.

Citizen Coffee - http://www.citizencoffee.com/
706 Taylor Ave. N
Seattle, Wa 98109
Hours: Monday - Thursday 6am-9pm, Friday 6am-10pm, Saturday 7am-10pm, Sunday 7am-9pm

**Check in on Foursquare and receive a dollar off any coffee or tea drink. Yes, including a caffè latte.

"When nothing is sure, everything is possible" -Margaret Drabble

I read somewhere that a good exercise is to write down the three things you most want to do with your life or that you are most passionate about, and then go start doing them.

Hence, how I began this blog. What's on your list?

Photo Credit: Tina Phillips

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream...

is delicious. Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is divine.

I got an ice cream maker for Christmas and this was my first experiment with it - or should I say experi"mint"!

Here's the recipe (easy, hardly any preparation):

• 2 cups nonfat milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon mint extract
  
• 5 drops green food coloring
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Stir together all ingredients (minus choco chips) until sugar has dissolved. Add chocolate chips.* Pour into ice cream maker and freeze for 35 minutes. After the mixture has thickened, spoon it into a container and freeze for 2 hours.

*I refrigerated the mixture overnight which made the mint flavoring seep into the chocolate chips. The ice cream also came out with more of a chocolate mint flavor.

Enjoy! I know I did...