mustard chicken pie - the original and the cheats!

I received a lovely message from Kim of Squirrel in my pocket requesting the recipe for this scrumptious pie. 

I decided that it would only be fair to share both the Original recipe and the Cheats version - which is the one in the post I wrote.  If you click on the links you should be transferred to Google docs to access the 'pretty' recipe.  If you're unable to access them for some reason - like I was until I cleared the cookies from my cache  - sounds like I know something IT-ish but actually I just did as Google said. And it worked :) then I've added the recipes below so that you can copy and print them if you like.

Super simple and simply scrumptious - according to my family ;)

Cheats Mustard Chicken Pie – serves 6

From: Emma – www.tiggytwinkle.blogspot.com

Pastry

2-3 sheets frozen puff pastry

1 egg lightly beaten

1 -2 tspn butter to butter cake tin

Filling

30g (1oz) butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 leeks chopped

1 carrot peeled and diced1 plus 25 g (1 c) fresh or frozen peas

OR 2 cups mixed frozen veggies

2 tbs seeded mustard

2 tsp fresh thyme chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

750 g (1 3/4lbs) cubed pre-cooked rotisserie chicken

½ cup sour cream

1 tbsp corn flour/cornstarch

2 tbsp water

Salt and pepper to taste

1.     Melt butter over low/moderate heat, add garlic for 1 minute, stir in leeks, carrot, mustard, thyme and cook for a further 8 minutes

2.    Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes until the chicken is warmed through

3.    Stir in frozen peas, carrots and corn, sour cream, corn flour/cornstarch and water.    

4.    Stir until mixture boils and thickens then set aside to cool.

5.    Butter 20cm spring form cake tin well

6.    Lay one sheet of pastry into tin, there will be gaps that you fill with wide strips of pastry until the whole tin is lined.  I like it to look a bit random and layered J

7.    Spoon filling into lined cake tin. 

8.    Place 3^rd sheet of pasty over filling, tuck edges into tin. 

9.    Make cross-cut into centre of pastry lid and decorate with remaining scraps

10.    Brush with egg wash

11.     Bake in moderate oven (180C/350F) for 45 minutes or until golden brown according to oven.

12.    Allow to cool approx 15 minutes before releasing from tin.  Leave pie on base and serve.  REALLY ENJOY – because it’s every bit as yummy as the original version!

Mustard Chicken Pie - the original– serves 6

From: Emma – www.tiggytwinkle.blogspot.com

Pastry

1 ½ c plain flour (all purpose)

60 g (2 oz) butter

1/3 c sour cream

1 egg lightly beaten

 

1.    Sift flour into bowl, rub in butter, add cream and mix to a firm ball. 

2.   Knead lightly on a floured surface until smooth (or use a food processor to do the whole lot!)

3.    Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes

Filling

30g (1oz) butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 leeks chopped

1 carrot peeled and diced

2 tbs seeded mustard

2 tsp fresh thyme chopped

750 g (1 3/4lbs) cubed chicken

125 g (1 c) fresh or frozen peas

½ cup sour cream

1 tbsp corn flour/cornstarch

2 tbsp water

Salt and pepper to taste

 

1.       Melt butter over low heat, add garlic for 1 minute, stir in leeks, carrot, mustard, thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes

2.      Add chicken  and cook for  10 minutes until the chicken is tender

3.      Stir in peas, and sour cream, then corn flour/cornstarch and water and mix through. 

4.      Stir until mixture boils and thickens then set aside to cool.

5.      Spoon filling into 20cm (8”) pie dish with funnel. 

6.      Roll out pastry on lightly floured board until large enough to cover pie. 

7.      Place over filling, trim edges and crimp.

8.      Brush with egg wash, decorate with pastry scraps

9.      Bake in moderate oven (180C/350F) for 45 minutes or until golden brown according to the speed of your oven.

10.      ENJOY!

Thanks so much for visiting.

E x 

bashed up beauty

Another gorgeous piece inherited from Greg's grandparents!
I should say we salvaged it as his uncle had put this dear little bashed up beauty on the street as rubbish. I swooped it up and brought it in.

It was the little table used for Woo's party and had been in the garage waiting for the summer to use it outside. But after its visit inside I just couldn't relegate it back to the garage again and here she sits proud and happy and now the children's craft table.

It is "naturally distressed" and has about 20 coats of paint, and 40 odd years of  use to give it a genuine old patina.  I love it.

Thanks so much for pooping (why do I always type that first?) popping by today. 

I hope you have a wonderful week.

mid-century memories

This gorgeous mid-century buffet has come to live with us.

It was originally a dressing table with a large mirror attached at the back. We decided to remove the mirror and use it in our dining area as a buffet. We just love its family history . I think of sitting on the edge of Greg's Babcia's bed, the dresser behind me, as we chatted while she lay too frail to get about like she used to. I sat and wrote down many of her famed recipes, as she gave dictation - these were not written recipes that she could give me from a book! And now I am able to make the food that everyone loved for my family. Now I will make her delicious babka and tangy lemon biscuits and care for her dressing table and think of both Babcia and Dziadziu with great love and appreciation.




Greg's grandparents' home was recently sold.
It was so sad to pack everything up and I have to say we all became quite emotional as things that couldn't be kept had to be re-homed and nostalgic over the oddest of things, most of which now reside in my garage!! I mean really, what use do we, or anyone for that matter, have for a non-functional fake fireplace? Yes, the original faux-brass-faux-logs-faux-fire-plug-in-fireplace. Mmm, the one with an electric element for heat and red globe to complete the trick! One lovely surprise was to find a packet stuffed at the back of the laundry which held the original postcards and tickets from Greg's trip to Poland with his Grandparents in the early 70's. Back when tickets were hand written!




What I didn't show is the fab vintage orange floral Contact that lines each drawer! Love it!

Thanks for popping by,

E x

hotties

I've long admired these beautiful linen hot water bottle covers that Kris makes. Tigs always likes to take one to bed. Woo on the other hand is always quite warm but wanted one too. I have usually had to sneak Tiggy's in to his bed as we only had one in the house! Crazy I know as they are one of the most cost effective and quaint ways to warm chilly feet and to take the edge off the cold between the sheets in winter!

So this year while we were away I finally got around to making them. Both of my children love to take an armful of snuggly critters to bed with them each night. Their essentials are the North American Bear Company Baby Cozies that they have both had in their cots since they first made it into our arms.



Woo has this one and this is Tiggy's. Adorable, soft, snugglies. And so I used their precious friends as inspiration for their covers.
I used ultra-velour for their bodies and on the backs of the covers to give the soft and feely quality they love and the linen to appeal to my aesthetic!

woo hoo

Oh, wow!  Always appreciative. 

My clever friend made Woo the most lovely present. 

 I'll show you another day!

Time to eat.  I'm sure it's just  me but I always think I've captured more of an event than I actually have.  There were scrumptious little crustless sandwiches &  Korean snack foods  - Pockys, Corn Claws, Peach Aloe Drink in tiny bottles, that didn't end up making it to 'film'.  Nevermind.  I think you get the  picture.  Cute.  Pretty. Pink!

Teeny, tiny cupcakes.

The birthday cake.  Honey joys and big cupcakes. 

Super, super easy to bake and I think they look so sweet piled up on the stand. 

Plus the cupcake 'cake' reduces the spray effect, and thereby the spread of winter lurgies,

when it came time to blow out the candles.   

Dear little friends

Just the perfect sized bottles. 

I know you can buy these gorgeous little vessels online now.  But I can let you in on a little tip.  Go to your local Italian delicatessen.  Purchase a six-pack of apricot nectar.  Share the nectar with your family.  Wash out the bottles and there you have it. A cute set of bottles plus a yummy drink. It seems like madness to me to buy the empty bottles for more than the cost of them full!! 

Ok, that was the practical, sensible, thrify me speaking.  The ridiculous, attention-to-detail-at-any-cost me told me to purchase 25 super-cute paper straws for $8 online.  Actually it's now $10 for 24!  Hey-ho.

Some more of the decs

And here's to my baby girl.  I hope you have a wonderful year being 3!

party prep

Thank you presents for Woo's little friends

Handmade flags to decorate 'things'.

Cupcake toppers ready to top cakes!

Lanterns above the children's table.

Half set table .  I can't believe it but I missed taking a couple of crucial shots, like fully set table - never mind.

In the absence of a fully laden table here it is from a different  angle :)

Simple, healthy, fun food.

Woo was very beautifully dressed by me - you'll have to take my word for it. 

The Barbie gown was deemed essential by Woo.

She had such a wonderful party.  And it was super fun to pull it all together. 

It was a vision in girlie and sweet.

And the three little boys didn't seem to mind a bit that they were sitting within a cloud of pink.

I'll come back with more soon.

Thanks for popping by and I hope your day is sugar and spice and all things nice.

E x

3

My precious girl.

Just look at her.  I know she's mine and I'm supposed to love her more than words can say.  But she's such a joy and so sweet and fun and wild and clever and chatty. And so completely lovable.  It's almost embarrassing the amount of attention she gets when we're out and about. 

And if you haven't met her let me assure you she'd sweep you off your feet too.

Tigs is careful and considered with his present opening  and very sweetly always opens the card first and thanks the giver.  Not so Woo.  She's just in there and at 'em.  All presents were ripped asunder within a minute or two.  Only this little scene remained intact for a while.  Tigs spent an age 'setting the scene' the evening before her birthday.  He wnated her to be able to play with something immediately.  The house they live in took some time to put up.  Not quite sure there's enough room for two on the sofa though :)

I mean look at that hair. 

 It is always in her face and sticking up at all angles and

it just makes my heart melt into a little pool more and more each day.

Her birthday fell on a Friday which meant it was a bit of a non-event.  Greg was at work all day, Tigs at school and I had to go to work in the evening.  In fact as Greg walked in the door I plonked my paltry effort of a cake on the table.  We sang, she huffed and puffed, I cut, we ate and I left.  And just look at her smile.  Did she care?  Not a jot.  My happy, appreciative, easily pleased little one.

Tomorrow we are having a little party for Woo and 5 little friends.  Tigs will stay home from school to share in the fun and is going to be the co-host of the day.  I um'ed and ah'ed all evening about whether to send him to school or not.  So I took my mum's suggestion to flip a coin.  Heads it was! With a healthy whack of inspiration from the most perfectly pretty party I've seen in a while we will celebrate tomorrow.

Happy, happy 3rd birthday my darling girl.  I love you to the moon and back. 

You fill my days with happiness - ok and sometimes a little frustration ;)

 Love Mummy

x