GCC: Menu 30 - Chicken Pot Pie

April 24, 2011 by Monica in Baking, Chicken, Cookbooks, Cooking Club, Gutsy Cooks Club, Main Courses, Pie, Savory

I think our fellow Raymond is reminiscing a bit his childhood with the options he has given us while hosting this months Gutsy Cook menus. Not that I mind one bit. Seriously, who can say no to chicken pot pie?

I usually don’t, specially when I go and order it in any restaurant that has it on the menu. I have been holding off in making it at home, because it just seems like a long difficult dish to make.

But, I’m going to prove to you how wrong I was on that assumption and tell you that in less than 1 hour you can serve this to your family. First the recipe is made with puff pastry and not pie crust, so you can just go out to the supermarket and get one of those frozen packages, that are just as good a homemade but without the hours upon hours of preparing it. And while you are there, stop by your supermarket deli and pick up a roast chicken.

See? The most difficult time consuming part of the recipe is DONE.

Beef Involtini - Slow Braised Meat Rolls

February 24, 2011 by Monica in Beef, Cookbooks, Family Cookbook, Main Courses, Meat, Savory

For the past 11 days I have been fighting a cold. I experience every single symptom that every cold medicine list on their packaging. I don’t think I ever had a cold hit me this hard or overstayed it’s welcome - EVER!. I had been, simply put – MISERABLE. And like anyone, when you are sick, the last thing you want to do is cook or be around food - at least that is the case with me. On top of all that I’m in the middle of interviewing for a new job, which has taken over my mental state.

Tomorrow I will be going in for my third interview with this company and I’m about to crack – No joke. To have something that you want so very bad right there for you to take, but still beyond your reach, because other people are making the final decision - well, it’s sucks the big one. I can honestly say that I comprehend what Top Chef contestant go thru doing everything in the power to reach their dream and still not have full control of the final outcome.

So, I know that I have neglected Sweetbites this past week. But, hopefully this weekend I will be back in full swing and cook up a storm, and then you all be sending me emails to stop posting so much. Just you watch.

But what I do have is a recipe that I made over a month ago, and just remember that it has been sitting on my DRAFT box all this time.

GCC: Menu 11 - Gruyere Tart

December 12, 2010 by Monica in Baking, Cookbooks, Cooking Club, Gutsy Cooks Club, Main Courses, Quick Meal, Savory, Tarts

This past weekend the Gutsy Cook menu included this tart, a Carrot and Orange soup and Arugula Salad with Parmesan.

As you can see, I played lazy and only did the tart. But, after reading Raymond’s take on the soup, I think I may have to back track and cook up some carrots!

The whole menu was totally on the fence up until Sunday. I had spent Friday and Saturday baking up about 7 dozens of cookies for my first cookie exchange party (recipes and post coming) so, my kitchen and I were taking a break from eachother. But, on Sunday as I was whipping up my brunch menu, and felt something was lacking, so I took a look and decided to include this tart in the list of things to serve. I came together pretty quickly.