This chicken fried steak is a bit different.  It is homemade.  It is comforting.  And it is delicious. I got the recipe from a woman I met here in Amarillo.  She grew up here and remembers having this at least once a week if not more often when she was a kid.

This is beef country, people.  A great deal of the economy depends on it.  I wake up on many mornings and can smell the feed lots when I let the dog out.  My grandpa Marvin appropriately calls it the “money smell”.  Texans love their beef, but Amarillo-ans LOVE their beef.  This may be a stereotype, but it’s a stereotype that is true and in no way negative.  Beef is good, and so is chicken fried steak.

The gravy recipe is not all hers, she admits.  She once watched an Alton Brown show where he added fresh thyme to the gravy.  Intrigued, she used it the next time she made her gravy and hasn’t gone back since.  You can’t help but love Alton Brown.  He stays true to what a dish originally was and only adds to it if it really and truly makes it better.  You wouldn’t catch him adding something weird like lavender to a chicken fried steak gravy, but I am sure some ridiculous chef out there has.

Cheryl wasn’t very specific in her measurements, but I think it all turned out OK.  I am a big fan of recipe following, so the term “some flour” kinda freaks me out.  But really when you think about it, the ingredients in chicken fried steak are simple and do not require a lot of measuring.  If it sticks to the steak, then that’s how much you need.  If there are naked spots, then you need more.  Pretty easy.

I served this with mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.  A few slices of buttered Texas toast would have been a good idea, but I was not quite on top of things enough to get Texas toast when I was at the grocery store.

Here is Cheryl’s recipe for the steaks and Alton Brown’s Gravy.

Cheryl’s Chicken Fried Steak

• 4 pieces of tenderized round steak, pounded thin
• 2 cups flour
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2-3 eggs, beaten
• vegetable oil

1. Whisk the flour, salt and pepper in a large, wide dish.
2. Whisk the eggs in a seperate large wide dish.
3. Dredge steaks in flour, then eggs, then flour once more.
4. Let the steaks sit for a few minutes while you heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet over medium high heat.
5. Cook steaks in oil for about 5 minutes, flip and cook for about 3 minutes more.  Transfer to a plate and keep warm in a 200° oven while you cook the remaining steaks.

Alton’s Creamy Gravy

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

1. After cooking the steaks, heat the remaining cooking oil and tasty bits left over medium heat.
2. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the flour left over from the dredging.
3. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan.
4. Whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken.
5. Add the milk and thyme and whisk until the gravy coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. S
6. eason to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the gravy over the steaks.

Here is my story.  I was scheduled to leave Amarillo Friday morning at 6:55 to help prepare everything for my sisters baby shower that is today at 3.  I took the day off of work a few weeks ago, and days off are a precious commodity.  As you may or may not know Amarillo received a good foot of snow on Thursday resulting in both Ben and I getting the day off!  So exciting!  Or so I thought.

The Panhandle weather also caused business closures, highway closures, and flight cancellations.  As of this moment my flights have been cancelled and rescheduled a total of 3 times.  If all goes well, I will be in Austin tonight.  I will miss the baby shower and the 3 dozen bird cookies that I made will not be enjoyed.  The cookies I spent all day Thursday rolling and baking.  Argh.  They are cute, no?

I know that I should not complain.  Some people have been affected by the weather in far worse ways than I.  I am in a warm house and I am safe, so I am thankful for that.  I am sad about not being able to see my family.  After Southwest called me this afternoon to cancel my morning flight for tomorrow I decided that I needed to make something for dinner that would bring some sort of comfort to my weary soul!  Nothing says comfort like chicken noodle soup.

There were some very exotic chicken noodle soups out there when I started searching for a recipe.  One was particularly interesting to me.  It had all the regular ingredients but also had saffron and corn.  I almost decided to make that soup, but wanted to do a simple and basic chicken noodle soup.  So, here it is.  Basic chicken noodle soup.  Pure comfort.

This soup is incredibly easy.  Not including chicken boiling time, this came together in 20 minutes.  Since I am only making soup for 2, I thought I would use a bit less chicken and broth.    I increased the carrot, celery and mushrooms because I like a soup that is more full of stuff and not so full of broth.

I used canned chicken broth, but I think you could easily use the water that you use to boil your chicken.  All you’d have to do is add some salt, peppercorns and bay leaf.  I used 4 good sized skinless bone-in chicken breasts and I ended up with leftover chicken that will be made into a tasty chicken salad.

Dinner is served…

Ben said “This tastes so fresh and so clean, clean.”  Get it?  I have a sweet husband.  Anyway, the vegetables give so much to the broth.  It does taste fresh because it IS fresh!  The mushrooms are great, and I would use more of them next time.  Another thing I would increase is the broth.  I ended up adding an extra can for a total of 10 cups.  I did not give the broth its due credit.  Use the broth it calls for.  I was a bit silly in thinking I had better sense than recipe writers.  I guess 16 cups just sounded like a lot to me.  There is a reason I teach math and do not write recipes for magazines.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Bon Appetit, 1998

Ingredients

• 12-16 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 8 ounces dried wide egg noodles
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Combine chicken broth and chicken in heavy large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover partially and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to large bowl. Cool chicken and broth slightly. Discard skin and bones from chicken. Cut chicken meat into bite-size pieces and reserve. Spoon fat off top of chicken broth.
2. Return broth to simmer. Add onion, carrots and celery. Simmer until vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Add mushrooms to broth; stir in noodles, parsley and reserved chicken. Simmer until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

This recipe came from the Southern Food section on about.com and I found it easy and delicious.  The end product is a cross between creamy mac and cheese and a casserole.  I loved the green chile flavor and the toasty breadcrumbs on top.  I served this with a little sour cream on the side and sprinkled it with some chopped cilantro.

I used half cheddar and half queso quesadilla in this macaroni with great results.  Creamy, cheesy, a bit spicy and incredibly yummy.  If you have fresh roasted green chiles, then you must used them in this dish.  I used canned and it was good, so fresh would be crazy good.  I also used a 7-ounce can of chopped green chiles instead of the measly 4 ounces called for in this recipe.

Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese

• 8 ounces elbow macaroni
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup green jalapeno salsa
• 1 can (4 ounces) mild chopped green chile peppers
• 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno peppers, canned or fresh, optional
• 8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, about 2 cups
• salt, to taste
• 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional
• 1 cup fresh finely ground bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• paprika

1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
2. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water following package directions. Drain and rinse well.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in flour and pepper until well blended and bubbly. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in salsa, chile peppers, and cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted. Taste and add salt, as needed. Combine with the drained macaroni; stir in cilantro, if using. Spoon into the prepared baking dish.
4. Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter with the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.
   Serves 4 to 6.

The cool fall weather we’ve had the last couple days here in Amarillo demanded some serious comfort food.  Ben made a fire Saturday afternoon since the temperature hovered around 40 most of the day and dropped down to 30 that night.  Today it was close to 90.  Gotta love the Panhandle!

The cool weather called for some kind of casserole or hearty pasta dish for a dinner in front of the fire.  I came across a pot pie recipe, marked with a blue sticky note, in The Pastry Queen cookbook.  A friend of my mother-in-law told me that I just had to make these because they were one of the tastiest meals she’d ever had.  This was over a year ago, and I had yet to try them!  Now was the time.

I used the Rebecca Rather recipe and this recipe from Simply Recipes to create my pot pies.  My initial plan was to roast my own chicken, but as time began to catch up with me yesterday afternoon, I decided to buy a rotisserie chicken instead.  A very good decision.

The kinds of vegetables varied in these 2 recipes, so I just chose what I liked: onions, potatoes, carrots, celery and peas.

There are a lot of options for the sauce.  Some recipes call for the sauce to be made separately, while others create the sauce along with the vegetables.  I chose a separate sauce that is then added to the vegetables and chicken.

Now to the most important part of a pot pie.  The glue that holds it all together.  The crust.

Puff pastry is a decadent option, or a regular all-butter pie crust or butter and shortening crust can be used.  I even found a recipe that used phyllo.  I chose a butter and cream cheese-based crust that came together quickly in the food processor, didn’t require much chilling time, was easy to handle and roll out, and tasted heavenly.

I baked individual pot pies in two over-sized coffee mugs and filled a 9-inch pie plate with the extra filling.  While both were delicious, the individual pies are much easier to eat and serve.  I plan to invest in some 8- or 10-ounce ramekins when I make this again for company.  I see this meal being a great dinner party meal.  You can make them ahead of time, bake them when people arrive and not spend too much time in the kitchen.  Having a personal pie for each person is also something I find totally adorable.

Please make these for someone now that the weather is cooling a bit.  You will not be sorry.  And anyone you serve them to will probably offer to be your best friend and maybe even clean up the mess you will most likely make in your kitchen.  Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

Adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

Filling

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 1/4 cups frozen peas
• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and torn into bite sized peices
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Cream Filling

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream
• salt and pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Crust

• 1 cup butter, chilled
• 3 cups flour
• 8 ounces cream cheese, chilled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, beaten, for brushing the tops of the pies

To make the filling:

1. Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add onion and potato and saute for 5 minutes, then add garlic.  Continue to cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add carrots and celery and saute for 10 minutes.  Stir in the salt, pepper and parsley.
3. Stir in the chicken and peas, remove from the heat and set aside.

Make the cream sauce:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth.
2. Whisk in the chicken stock and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly.
3. Add the cream, salt and pepper and thyme and whisk well.
4. Pour the cream mixture into the chicken and vegetable mixture and mix to combine.

Make the crust:

1. Cut butter into 16 pieces and pulse with flour in a food processor until crumbly.
2. Cut cream cheese into a few pieces and add to the processor along with salt and pepper.  Continue pulsing until the dough comes together and forms a ball.
3. Use immediately or chill for 30 minutes to an hour wrapped in plastic wrap.  If you chill it longer, let it warm up a bit before rolling.

Make the pies:

1. Fill six 1 and 1/2 cup oven safe bowls or ramekins equally, about 3/4 full, with the chicken mixture.  You could also use a deep dish pie plate or casserole.
2. Split the dough in 6 equal pieces (or as many pies as you plan to bake) and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.
3. Cut dough into rounds that are about 1 1/2 inches larger in diameter than your bowls to ensure a lovely overhang.
4. Brush a little of the beaten egg onto the edges of the bowls and place dough rounds over the filling, pressing slightly to adhere to the bowl.  Repeat with remaining bowls.
5. Brush the tops of the pies with the egg wash.
6. Bake the pies at 375° for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
7. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

I loved the crunchy breadcrumbs on top of this dish.  The sauteed onions and garlic mixed with tomato paste give the sauce a richer flavor that is more than just milk and cheese.  I used 2% milk and half swiss, half sharp cheddar with a great resulting flavor.  I cooked the chicken in chunks, but ended up kind of shredding it into smaller pieces before adding it to the cheese.  The recipe calls for penne or similar pasta, but I used traditional elbow macaroni.

I was pretty hungry when we ate dinner last night, so my hunger could have contributed for my rave review of this pasta.  However, Ben ate a chimichanga for lunch, so he wasn’t starving…and he had two helpings.  This leads me to believe that this was a true culinary success.  You could add broccoli to this for a little punch of vitamins and color.

This dish was pretty easy to prep and has a quick baking time.  Consider these time saving tips to make life even easier.

1. Use dry bread crumbs instead of fresh.
2. Use rotisserie chicken.
3. Use pre-shredded cheese.
4. Cook the pasta earlier in the day and store it in the fridge.

Mac and Cheese with Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves
• 1 to 2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 10 ounces macaroni
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cups 2 % milk
• 2 cups shredded cheese, 1 cup swiss and 1 cup cheddar
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 cups soft sourdough bread crumbs
• 2 ounces finely shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese (1/2 cup)
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large skillet cook chicken, Italian or desired seasoning blend, salt, and pepper in hot oil over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.

2.  In a large pot or kettle cook pasta according to package directions until just tender. Drain; return pasta to pot.

3.  Meanwhile, in the same skillet in which chicken was cooked, cook onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons hot butter over medium heat until tender. Stir in flour until well combined. Stir in tomato paste. Add milk. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly; reduce heat. Add the shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is almost melted. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add sauce and chicken to cooked pasta in pot; stir to coat. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart square or rectangular baking dish.

4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl stir together bread crumbs,Parmesan cheese, and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle crumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until crumb mixture is golden and edges are bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.