Del.i.cious.ness

I've made 2 new recipes of late in an effort to spend more time in my kitchen. While I appreciate the fact that my job provides three squares a day, I realized that I was feeling: 1. I live at work (which I guess I do), 2. I love to cook and miss it, and 3. I make healthy, tasty things.

They are both adapted from Rachael Ray recipes. I never follow a recipe very well, so I wrote them out as I made them, not as the originals were. If you make one, please let me know what you think.

Chicken Pot Pie (If this is not a husband/child pleaser, your eaters are too picky:)

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, poached and shredded or diced
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1/4 pound button mushrooms, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 russet potato, diced
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1-1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 5 to 6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves picked and chopped
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 sheet puff pastry or pie dough, defrosted if frozen (I used Pepperidge Farms, no hydrogenated oils)
  
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Poach chicken breasts. To poach, place chicken breasts in a pan and mostly cover with water. Simmer, uncovered, until meat is cooked through, about 12 minutes. While meat is cooking, cut up veggies and brown in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. When veggies are cooked through, sprinkle with flour, toss lightly to coat, and cook for about a minute. Deglaze pan with white wine and add stock and milk. Return to a simmer and add peas, tarragon, mustard, and shredded chicken. Stir until sauce starts to thicken, 2-3 minutes.

Transfer to a casserole dish and cover with the pastry dough, trimming it as needed to cover the entire surface (a good way to do this is to put the casserole dish on top of the dough and trace around the dish with a knife). Make a few slits in the dough to allow steam to escape, then brush the top with the beaten egg.

Bake the pot pie until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

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Chicken, Tomato, and Arugula pasta toss

Ingredients:

• 2/3-1 lb. whole wheat penne
• 3 T olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
  
• 2 t. poultry seasoning
  
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 large red onion, chopped
  
• 2 pints grape tomatoes
• 3 T flour
• 1 c. red wine
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 2 cups fresh basil, chopped
• 3 cups arugula, roughly chopped
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan

Cook pasta as directed. While pasta cooks, dice the chicken and season with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add chicken, and cook until brown on all sides. Add garlic and onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cover the pan with a lid. Cook about 5 minutes until the tomatoes begin to burst and release their juices. If they don't burst, break them open gently with a potato masher. Sprinkle flour over mixture and toss lightly to coat. Add red wine and chicken stock, stir, bring back to a boil, and cook a couple of minutes until slightly thickened. Turn off heat and stir in basil, arugula, and Parmesan. Serve.