Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie

One of the most underutilized appliance in my kitchen is my crockpot. Sure I use it occasionally, but not nearly enough. When I got the February 2012 issue of Real Simple magazine in the mail, I was excited to see that there was a whole section dedicated to crockpot recipes. In fact, the photo on the cover of these pot pies were enough to make me drool, so I immediately flipped to that section and made a list of things I needed to make that dish. While making the pot pies, I realized that as convenient as it is to use the crockpot, it is also a huge tease. The pot pies smelled so amazing, which made me so hungry, but as soon as I looked at the timer, I realized that I still had another 4 hours to wait! I guess it is my fault for making them on the weekend when I was home all day! Maybe I should start to use the crockpot more often while we are at work, to make meal prep super easy.

8 ounces Cremini Mushrooms, stems trimmed and halved if large
4 Carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Onion, chopped
1/3 cup Flour
2 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
1 Bay Leaf
1 1/2 pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (I used breasts)
Salt and Pepper
1 sheet Puff Pastry, thawed (half of a 17.3 ounce package)
1 cup Frozen Peas
1 cup Frozen Green Beans
1/3 cup Heavy Cream

In a 4-6 quart slow cooker, mix together the mushrooms, carrots, onion, flour, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 cup water. Place the chicken on top and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cover and cook until the chicken and vegetables are tender, on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Using a 4 1/2 inch cutter or a large glass, cut the pastry into 4 circles (I just made 4 rectangles). Place the pastry on a baking sheet and bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Ten minutes before serving, add the peas, green beans, cream, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high or low until heated through, 5 to 10 more minutes; remove the bay leaf. To serve, place the chicken mixture in bowls and top with the pastry rounds.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

About a year and a half ago, I hosted a surprise party for my dad, which I posted about here. As a main dish to serve the 40 guests, I made pulled pork (I used 16 pounds of pork to make sure to accommodate everybody). After a mishap with some of the ingredients, I needed a quick fix in a pinch. Realizing that I had all of the ingredients on hand, I used the spice rub and method seen here on The Piggly Wiggly. After everybody ate, I received numerous compliments on the pork. I had meant to post the recipe, but I never ended up taking a picture. Last week, we hosted a Super Bowl party with about 15 friends. I made chili and pulled pork, using the same recipe I had made for my dad's party (with 6 pounds of pork this time). Once again, everybody seemed to enjoy it, and this time I made sure to take a picture! I ended up with a lot left over, and luckily it freezes well, so we have an instant dinner for some day in the future too!

For the Spice Rub (per 2 pounds of pork):
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Dried Oregano
2 tablespoons Paprika
1 tablespoon Salt

For the Pork:
2 pounds Pork Loin
1 cup Liquid (I used beer, but water, coke, or stock would be fine)
18 ounce bottle BBQ Sauce

Mix the spices in a bowl. Massage the rub onto the pork. Place the pork into a crockpot, cover with liquid, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. After the cooking has been completed, drain the liquid and shred the pork with 2 forks. Add the BBQ sauce and serve on rolls.