I’m a huge fan of meat pies, but in the past I’ve had limited success.  Last weekend I finally hit the jackpot though, with (IMHO) the best chicken pot-pie I’ve yet made.

I started by melting about 4 T. of butter in an oval casserole (love my LaCruset) on the stove, then added a chopped onion and let it brown a bit.  That was followed by some celery, chopped carrots, and mushrooms.  When most of the water had cooked out of the mushrooms I threw in about 4 T. of flour, cooked briefly, and added around 3 cups of chicken broth and maybe 1/2 cup of half-and-half, and a can of peas (fresh or frozen would have been better, but that’s what I had), and leftover chopped chicken, and brought it to a boil for a bit on the stove.  I seasoned with salt to taste, some black pepper, dried sage, and a little thyme.  It looked a little thin, so I added a little cornstarch and water until it thickened a bit.

The oven, meanwhile, was pre heating to 425°.

The I whipped up a quick batch of biscuits with about 2 cups of flour, 1 t. of salt, 3–4 T. of butter (lard would have been better) and cold milk until it came together.  I dropped the dough in biscuitty shaped on top of the chicken mixture and popped the casserole in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the biscuits were well browned.

It worked out really well.  Not too runny, but not gluey, nice crunchy biscuits on top, very flavorful.  Hopefully the leftovers will work out well too.

This weekend I got a couple of little cans (about the size of small cat food cans) of pre-prepared Thai curry paste.  The recipe on the can said use the whole can with two cups coconut milk, et. al. for a green curry.  Great, said I, I never have enough time to make my own, so lets give it a go.  I figured that such a thing would be scaled for howlies, rather than Thais, but how wrong I was.  I made up a batch last night with tofu, Thai eggplant (the little green ones), bamboo shoots and some canned straw mushrooms. 

The flavor was fantastic, but it was so hot that even I was a bit put off, and I consider myself to be a pretty dedicated chile-head.  Wow, it was hot.  My wife found it almost inedible, and the kids wouldn’t go anywhere near it. 

Ah, well.  Now I know.  I think these may have actually been a Thai brand (I didn’t look that closely).  Taste Of Thai makes some pre-made curry paste that’s a bit more moderate.

Scott turned me on to Slashfood this week.  What a great site.  They just finished a whole day of pumpkin recipes, and some of them sound like real winners.  Yay for food!

Having grown up on hippy vegetarian food, I just can’t resist the allure of trashy food.  Many of the American classics that I never got to eat as a kid, I can’t pass up as an adult.  Meat loaf, biscuits and gravy, CFS (Chicken Fried Steak to the uninitiated), etc.  I even have a soft spot (as I discovered eating in the college cafeteria) for chipped beef. 

This weekend I indulged in that most sublime of all sausage-based dishes, the chili cheese dog.  There’s nothing about those that isn’t good.  It’s important to use really cheap ingredients.  I went with Tillamook Cheddar instead of the classic American, since I just can’t bear to buy that stuff, but cheap trashy hot dogs and canned chili are a must.  I’ve tried using home-made chili and good sausages, and it just didn’t do it for me. 

I remember as a kid we’d go visit my Aunt in Anaheim, where they had Der Wienerschnitzel franchises.  Best chili cheese dogs EVER.  Guaranteed to be all over the inside of the bleached white paper bag by the time you’d gotten 10 feet from the drive-in. 

In the summer when I was a kid we’d stay with our grandparents in Sacramento, and one of my Grandpa’s favorite hangouts what a place called Vick’s.  Classic diner.  Homemade shakes, all things grilled, everything came with Lay’s potato chips.  We invariably ordered these hotdog sandwiches that consisted of Oscar Meyer weiners on Wonder bread with American cheese(food) and French's mustard.  With iceberg lettuce for good measure.  The whole thing went into the grilled-cheese sandwich machine.  Ahhhhhh.  Nothin’ like it in the world. 

Quite a change from the bean spread and green onion sandwiches at home. 

There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned trashy Chinese take-out place.  Unfortunately, we can’t seem to keep one in Hillsboro. 

When Vikki and I first moved out here almost 12 years ago, just about the only restaurants at all in Hillsboro were two take-out Chinese places, just down the street from our house.  They are long gone, unfortunately.  There’s a pretty good Chinese buffet place down the way, but it’s just not quite the same.  Since they focus on the buffet, the takeout choices are pretty limited. 

After a long drought, we got a new place up by the airport, but discovered last night that it, too, has gone. 

Of course, we’re kind of ruined for good by frequently visiting my Mom in Seattle, who lives quite near one of the best Chinese restaurants EVER, Snappy Dragon.  If you are ever up that way, check it out.  You’ll never look at a neighborhood Chinese restaurant the same way.