Chicken Pot Pie Soup

I am in love with this soup. This morning when I checked my google reader I saw this recipe for a version of chicken pot pie that is very popular in central PA. It is more like a soup and less like the flaky pastry pie we are used to around here. I knew I wanted to try it and couldn't wait...so I made it tonight!

I am so proud of myself and this recipe because I had to make homemade noodles. Normally this would send me running and I would never attempt the recipe. However I did and it was awesome. By far my favorite soup recipe that I have ever made. I suggest trying it. And if you too are frightened by the homemade noodles- don't be! It really was so easy!

I halved the recipe and it worked perfectly. The following is the original recipe, but half of this recipe yielded enough for the two of us and left overs!

Pot Pie Squares (The Noodles)

3 cups flour
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (like Crisco) (I used butter)
1/2 to 3/4 cup water

Directions
- Mix the flour, egg, and shortening together
- Knead the dough mixture, while alternately adding small amounts of water until the dough holds together well
- Divide the dough into two or three pieces
- Roll each piece out to about 1/8" thick on a floured surface
- Cut the rolled out dough into squares - about 2" to 2 1/2" wide
- Allow the freshly made pot pie noodles to dry for about 30 minutes or more before cooking (I let mine stand for over an hour)

The Soup
*3-4 cups of shredded chicken, turkey, beef, or even ham leftovers can be used instead of a whole stewing chicken for this. When using leftovers, use broth instead of the 2 quarts of water. With leftover chicken or turkey, use 4 cans of chicken broth.

1-3 lb stewing chicken (I used one LARGE chicken breast, boiled and shredded)
2 quarts water (I used 1 can of Roasted Garlic chicken broth and one can of vegetable and herb chicken broth)
5 medium potatoes - peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
2 cups chopped celery
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions
- Cook the chicken in water until tender
- Remove the chicken from the broth and separate the meat from the bones and skin
- Cut or shred the cooked chicken into bite size pieces
- Meanwhile, add the vegetables and seasonings to the simmering broth
- Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, then add the pot pie squares to the broth mixture, a few at a time, stirring frequently so they don't stick together
- After all have been added, cook gently for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the noodles are tender
- Add the cut up chicken and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes longer
- Cover, and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Mom's Pot Roast

Let me first say pot roast is not pretty... these pictures are not beautiful but the food is good! This recipe reminds me of my mom and dinners growing up. She made it semi regularly and it was always good. The best part of this, in my opinion, is the gravy. I am not a huge fan of red meat and rarely cook it. This was an experiment... and it went pretty well. I will say since I don't normally cook red meat I didn't realize how much the meat would reduce down in the cooking process. This led to my meat being a little overcooked. The recipe below is the one that my mom gave me, the way it should be made. I cut the size of the meat in half because we aren't good with leftovers, but in the future I would make it the way it is and freeze half. I made this in the crockpot, but my mom always makes it in the oven, so you can do it either way. I really love the potatoes and carrots in the gravy, so I felt the need to include a picture of just them:


Ingredients:
2-3LB roast
2 cans of round potatoes
1/2 bag of baby carrots
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped up (I LOATHE celery...so I omitted that)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope of onion soup mix

Directions:
Place the roast and the carrots in the crockpot. Cover with the onion soup mix and the can of cream of mushroom soup. Set the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. After about 2 hours of cooking, add the potatoes and celery. Stir, and allow to finish cooking.