This is a delicious, simple dinner pie that can easily be cooked on a propane, charcoal, or wood burning grill, or in a conventional oven. Leftovers taste just as good warmed up the next day!

It’s a hot July day here in North Carolina, and I like the fact that I can keep the heat out of my kitchen by using a rotisserie chicken from the grocer’s deli & baking this dinner pie outdoors in our propane grill!

Chicken Enchilada Pie 

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (10 ½ oz.)
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 3/4 cup chicken stock or chicken broth
• 1 envelope reduced sodium taco seasoning mix (1 oz.)
• 14 oz. frozen or canned corn (drained)
• 14 oz. canned black beans, drained & rinsed (optional)
• 6 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken from the grocer’s deli works great)
• 1 cup (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup (8 oz.) shredded pepper jack or Italian blend cheese (your preference)
• 2 refrigerated pie crusts, brought to room temperature

1. Bring the refrigerated pie crusts to room temperature, per the instructions on the manufacturer’s packaging.
2. Lightly grease a 10.5-inch cast iron skillet with Crisco or a small amount of canola oil. Set aside.  If you will be baking the pie in a conventional oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. Dice the onion. Mince the garlic. Shred the chicken and set aside.
4. Prepare the pie filling on the stovetop. In a separate large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of canola oil and sauté the onion over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chicken stock or broth, taco seasoning, corn, black beans, and shredded chicken. Remove from heat.
5. Unroll and press one room-temperature pie crust into the bottom and sides of the greased cast iron skillet. Spread one half of the pie filling onto the crust. Sprinkle ½ cup of each of the shredded cheeses on top of the filling.  Unroll and place the #2 pie crust on top of the mixture.  Layer on the remaining filling, and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheeses.
6. Bake at 400 – 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 – 45 minutes, or until pie crust edge is golden brown and cheese is bubbly and lightly browned on top.
7. Remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Note: When I bake in our propane grill, I place the cast iron skillet on top of a pizza baking stone that is made specifically for grilling. The stone absorbs & diffuses the direct heat from the grill flames, preventing the contents of the skillet from scorching on the bottom, while giving an even heat to the cast iron.

Serve with a side salad of baby greens, slivered radish & slivered sweet onion, drizzled with a light citrusy vinaigrette for a deliciously simple summer evening meal.  My favorite beverage to bring it all together? A fresh-mixed margarita on the rocks!

Makes 6 to 8 servings.  Approximately 1.5 hours to prepare – 30 minutes to prep, about an hour cooking & cooling time.

On a whim, in late April, I sowed half a packet of six-year-old radish seeds.  Only a couple of short rows in a raised trough style planter. The packet had been languishing in a basket in the basement, along with many other packets of old seed……seeds purchased with good intentions of getting serious about establishing a viable kitchen garden, but for a variety of reasons never quite getting it accomplished.

I was surprised when many tiny green sprouts began to emerge from the soil! Not only did they grow quickly, but they grew thickly! Expecting a poor germination rate, due to the age of the seed, I had sowed more densely than recommended on the seed packet.  Then, seeing their desire to GROW! – once released from their long slumber and feeling the warm soil between their toes – I just couldn’t bring myself to pluck and thin those tiny green bits of life, as was recommended on the seed packet.  So…….I’ve been enjoying small harvests of small mild radishes for about 30 days now.  (I have since learned that the young seedlings can be enjoyed  – roots, sprouts, and leaves – in salads or as a bit of peppery crunch minced on top of crème cheese crostini.  I’ll be plucking and thinning my autumn sowing in hopes of harvesting more fully developed ruby red radishes.  And, likewise, delighting in experimenting with ways to enjoy the taste and nutritional benefits of the “pluckings”!)

Having been raised up in a family of raw radish eaters, there was never the need to explore other ways to prepare them.  My taste and tolerance for raw radish has diminished and so I’ve been experimenting with some new ways to enjoy their peppery goodness.  Two of my favorites so far:

Pan Roasted Radishes and New Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

• Radishes, tops and tails removed, halved lengthwise
• New red potatoes, skins on, halved or quartered
• Fresh thyme sprigs
• Garlic – 1 or 2 cloves, smashed, skin removed
• Butter
• Kosher salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

Toss radishes and potatoes in a lightly oiled, pre-heated cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.  Lower heat to medium-low, continue to cook for about 6 – 10 minutes, until radishes and potatoes are just slightly charred & fork-tender, stirring or tumbling occasionally. Add butter, fresh thyme sprigs, and smashed garlic – all to your taste.  Increase heat to medium-high again, stirring often, allowing garlic to slightly toast.  Remove garlic and thyme stems, season with salt, and serve.

Sauteed Cabbage, Radish & Sausage with Gorgonzola

Ingredients:

• Savoy cabbage, ½ medium sized head, chopped
• Radishes, medium sized bunch, tops & tails removed, halved lengthwise
• Cooked sausage, 1 or 2 links, sliced (Andouille, Bratwurst, Smoked Sausage, Kielbasa – any type of flavorful sausage that you prefer)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea Salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Gorgonzola cheese – crumbled

Generously coat bottom of skillet with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add cabbage, radish, and sausage slices. Saute, stirring or tossing frequently, until cabbage and radishes are tender.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir, remove from heat. Top individual servings with crumbled Gorgonzola and serve warm. Delicious as a left-over meal or side dish – warm or cold.  Reserve and refrigerate extra gorgonzola in a separate container from the other ingredients.  Add gorgonzola to left-overs just before serving/eating for best flavor and texture.

In the spirit of my focus on “Souping through January”, here’s a tasty recipe.  This soup is rich with winter vegetables, seasoned sausage, and lovely orzo, all swirling around in a delicious fresh-made poultry broth. The aroma speaks to home and hearth, and there is nothing quite like a warm bowl of delicious soup, crusty artisan bread, and a Belgian beer enjoyed on a chilly January evening.

Sausage, Kale, and Orzo Soup

• ½ pound ground Sweet Italian Sausage or Chorizo, browned and drained
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled & chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled & minced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle
• 1 teaspoon ground celery seed
• 4 cups homemade poultry stock (see my Use What Ya Got Stock recipe via link)
• 2 cups filtered water
• ¾ cup uncooked orzo
• 4 cups kale, rinsed, coarsely chopped, & drained
• Fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste
• Shredded Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese

Toss carrots, onion, and garlic with the olive oil in a heavy soup pot or dutch oven, and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Some light browning adds flavor, but watch closely so that garlic doesn’t burn. Stir in the browned and drained ground sausage.  Stir in the salt, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper, chipotle, and celery seed. Continue to cook and stir for about a minute. Add the poultry stock, water, and orzo. Turn up the heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low/medium and cook, covered, at a strong simmer until the orzo is tender (about 10 to 12 minutes). Turn off the heat. Stir in the kale. Allow to sit, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.

Ladle in to bowls, top with the shredded cheese and fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste. A thick slice of warm, crusty artisan bread is a nice accompaniment! And if you have a favorite Belgian style beer, it will pair nicely. Enjoy!

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

I was inspired yesterday.  Inspired to prepare and consume wholesome, simple, delicious food! After watching the first episode of Samin Nosrat’s Netflix series, Salt Fat Acid Heat , I rummaged through my frig and pantry to see if I had the necessary ingredients for one of my favorite pasta dishes.

Although not the incredible aged Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy that Samin featured on her show, I had shredded Parmesan in a plastic pouch from the grocery store.  High class all the way, baby!! Although not fresh handmade pasta – also featured on the show, I had a box of average, run of the mill fettuccine in my pantry. I did have a nice fresh bottle of Italian Carapelli Oro Verde EVOO. And a can of California ripe olives. The stars were aligned!  The pasta prep could begin!

I have been making this dish for eons.  Well, since the early ‘90s actually, which, most days, seems like eons ago.  I used to follow the recipe to a T. Now I am lazy and tend to avoid / combine a couple of the steps.  Main reason – I absolutely abhor peeling and seeding tomatoes, and will do just about anything to avoid that task.  Besides, I like the skins and the seeds – they add flavor and texture.  So, for correctness sake, I’ve included the recipe in its original form.  If you choose to make the dish, you can make the call on how you want to handle the tomatoes.  I do not peel nor seed my tomatoes, I simple cut them into large chunks and cook them along with the peppers and garlic.  I will tell you that I have used fresh heirloom tomatoes, cherry/grape tomatoes, even canned tomatoes, and have been pleased with each.  Yesterday I used a package of Wild Wonders Gourmet Medley , and I love the variety of colors and flavors they brought to the dish.

Pasta with Broccoli and Tomatoes

• 1 lb fresh broccoli
• Salt, to taste
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 1 large sweet red paper, cut into chunks
• ½ lb spaghetti, fettuccini, or penne pasta
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 can ripe olives, pitted and sliced
• ½ cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Cut broccoli into small florets with about an inch of stem. Peel the remaining stems and dice into small pieces.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add salt and submerge tomatoes for about 10-20 seconds. Remove. Peel and seed tomatoes; cut in to large pieces.

Add broccoli to boiling water and cook 3-4 minutes, until just tender.  Remove and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking and to retain the bright green color.  Drain and set aside.  (Note: in my current lazy state, I eliminate this step and simply drop the broccoli in to cook with the pasta about 5 minutes before the pasta will be al dente).

Add a few drops of olive oil to the boiling water, drop in the pasta, and stir.

While pasta is cooking, warm olive oil in a skillet with garlic and red pepper flakes.  When hot, add tomatoes and sweet red pepper chunks.  Cook for several minutes over low to medium heat.

When pasta is just about done, return the broccoli to the water to warm, then pour pasta and broccoli into a colander.  Transfer to a large warm serving bowl. Add the tomato mixture, black olives, parsley, black pepper and toss.

Serve with plenty of freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese and crusty Italian bread.

Generously serves 2 to 3 hungry folks. Cibo delizioso!!

So, it is cobbler season, and my oven is currently not functional! Sadness. It over heated some time back and I haven’t moved forward with getting a repair service to come and look at it. My “spidey senses”, intuition, or just plain procrastination have been telling me “wait a little while – don’t get in a rush to fix it”. So I haven’t. But if nothing else has malfunctioned with the range by October – Apple Crisp and Pumpkin Crunch season – you can bet I will be calling the repair guy!

With our collection of about every other piece of cooking equipment known to man (and woman), we have not been going hungry, trust me. About the only thing I haven’t been able to make so far is home-made pizzas.  The “complaint department” has officially stopped taking any further complaints on that issue.

Being that I am frugal, a “DIY-er”, and always aspiring to be more self-sufficient, I decided that there has to be more than one way to make the fruit cobblers I love.  Thus, the decision to experiment was made.  I should add that I inherited all of the above from parents who grew up during the Great Depression in Midwest farm country. Grandparents who always grew, prepared, and shared all sorts of deliciousness may have also contributed to a few of my inherited traits.

First experiment: Peach cobbler.  Cooked on very low heat, stovetop, in heavy enameled cast iron dutch oven. As feared, the cobbler dough on the bottom scorched. The un-burned upper layers were scooped out, consumed, and very tasty.  More ooey & gooey than a baked cobbler, but I happen to like ooey & gooey.

Second experiment: Peach cobbler.  Steamed in DIY double boiler.  As luck would have it, my Pyrex pie plate nestled perfectly on to the rim of my stainless steel soup pot.  And the lid for the soup pot fit perfectly atop the pie plate! Cobbler was steamed for approximately 1 hr. & 15 min. over gently boiling water.  The beginning level of the boiling water was just below the bottom of the pie plate.

Note to self – use less butter than recipe calls out for a baked cobbler! No burning experienced with this method, and my taste tests received an “mmmmm…..yummy” rating. Again, more ooey & gooey than a baked cobbler. Maybe somewhat more of a consistency of an old-fashioned fruit pudding? I packed this experiment up and sent it along to the office with my husband.  His co-workers gave it a thumbs up and the pie plate came back scraped clean.

Third experiment: Blueberry cobbler. Steamed in same DIY double boiler.  Reduced butter by ½ the amount called out in recipe.  It’s ooey and it’s gooey – and I’m not sharing this one!!

Here is my favorite cobbler recipe. So simple and so delicious! I use an air-bake cake pan when I bake in the oven, to prevent any scorching of the bottom crust or fruit sugars.

Fresh Fruit Cobbler

• 1 tablespoon + 6 tablespoons salted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 cups fresh fruit of your choice (my favorites are blackberry, peach, or blueberry)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease an 8” x 8” pan with 1 tablespoon of butter.  In a separate bowl, combine the egg, flour, and 1-1/4 cups of sugar until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ¼ cup of the flour mixture to the bottom of the pan.  Pour in the fruit and sprinkle the lemon juice on top. Spread the remaining flour mixture evenly over the fruit. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter and drizzle evenly over flour mixture. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar on top.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve in individual dessert dishes and top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional).

Yield: 6 – 8 servings.