A long hiatus and a delicious homemade Beef Pot Pie

           

            It has been forever and a day since I have posted anything on my blog. I know I have disappeared for a long period of time but I just was not feeling motivated to write posts. I don't want to say I was unhappy with what was happening in my life but I was definitely not feeling satisfied with how things were going. I did a lot of soul searching and I figured I need to change some things and also my outlook on life. This does not mean I was not cooking or playing around in the kitchen at all because I did but on the small scale. I just was not finding joy in it.
       
             I have been debating on whether or not I wanted to continue to write at all on this platform. I have been hemming and hawing on what I should do with this and I finally decided to start writing again. I will try to post at least twice a week if all goes well. I do have a full time job that takes a lot of my time. Usually over 40 hours a week and it is draining sometimes. What helped me come to the decision of writing again was I remembered how much enjoyed it. I loved trying new recipes or writing my own and sharing them. I feel it is good to share the things you love with others. I love cooking, creating, and writing. I think I forgot that for a while. I let life get in the way. I also let myself get in the way.

              Anyway, enough with the explanations let's get on with the cooking shall we. For the past week I have been on vacation with my husband and it has been great. I found some recipes that I have bookmarked to try as well as figuring out what to make for Thanksgiving. Stay tuned I will share. I have been cooking recipes that are good for dinner as well as lunch the next day. We sometimes are terrible at eating leftovers so I have been making things that are easy to warm up and transport to work the next day. Yesterday it just happened to be Beef Pot Pie. I love pot pie but I usually only make chicken for some reason. Why not beef?

            I am glad I made beef because it was delicious and a break from the usual. Although, I must confess I did not make the crust from scratch. I have not had much success with that in the past, maybe some day I will get the hang of it but it was not going to happen yesterday. I figured pie crusts were on sale for Thanksgiving, why not take a short cut? You are probably tired of me rambling so i will just get to the recipe. I hope love it like we did and will visit me often in the future.

Homemade Beef Pot Pie

 

Ingredients

 

1. 4 pie crusts - one for the top and one for the bottom
2. 1.5 lbs. of stew beef cut in 1 inch pieces
3. 3 carrots peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
4. 3 celery cut in 1 inch pieces
5. 1 large onion diced
6. 4 cloves of garlic minced fine
7. 8 oz. of mushrooms sliced
8. 3 c of beef broth
9. 1/2 c red wine
10. 2 T Italian seasoning
11. 2 T thyme
12. salt and pepper to taste
13. 2 tsp. onion powder
14. 1.5 T corn starch and 2 T water to dissolve it in
15. 3 T avocado oil

 

           Directions

 

• Heat oil in large pan over medium heat
• Preheat oven to 375 F
• salt and pepper beef and brown in oil



• remove from pan and set aside
• add the carrots, onions, celery, salt and pepper and cook until softened. About 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
• add the seasonings and stir
• return the beef and its juices back to the pan
• pour the wine in and cook until reduced by half and then the beef broth and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for at least 1.5 hour or until the beef is tender.



• Taste and adjust seasonings
• add the cornstarch slurry to thicken sauce
• Divide filling between two pie crusts and top with the other two and cut slits in the top to allow the steam to escape.

 

 

 



• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through all the way
• let cool 15 minutes before serving
• Enjoy.



 

 

                  We cooked one and froze the other for a later dinner. If you freeze one and cook it later bake at 425F for about 45 minutes or until cooked through. I think next time I make this I will make them individual sized for convenience of lunch or dinner for one.

 



 

                 I hope to see you here in the near future. I will be posting on a more consistent basis. I have a lot of ideas for recipes and a bunch to try. I am excited for the future. I hope you have a great day and will talk to you soon.