Our weather out here can’t quite make up its mind what it’s going to be doing from one day to the next. It makes menu planning a bit of a dicey game! Am I going to make that leek and potato soup I had in mind (and in fact even picked the leeks from the garden) or should I make bacon and tomato sandwiches (with tomatoes still from the garden, of course!)? Summer or fall? Which is it?

Last weekend I made another batch of Carrot and Pasta Soup since I’d collected enough chicken bones and veggie scraps in the freezer for a fresh pot of chicken broth. I had thought it would make a nice lunch for me all week but we had a few extra for dinner and the kids ate it all up! I barely had enough broth left to freeze, although I did manage to freeze a few 1 cup portions but I had expected more. So when I was at the market and saw a a whole cup-up chicken marked down $2 I snatched it up and made more broth the other day. In fact, I had gotten some little seasoning package as a sample and threw it in the broth and it came out quite good! I often make the broth from leftover bones (necks, wings, etc.) but this time I ended up with fresh chicken so had a few cups of cooked chicken to use up. Eldest requested a chicken pot pie.

2 1/4 cups chicken stock

1 cup peas or peas with pearl onions

2 cups chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

6 Tbs butter

6 Tbs flour

1 cup cream (or milk if you’d rather)

2 cups or so cooked chicken, chopped

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried chives

1 tsp dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Bring the stock to a simmer and add the carrots. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the celery and peas and cook another 3-4 minutes. Drain the vegetables, reserving the broth.

Melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour, using a whisk. Cook over low heat 2-3 minutes, then slowly whisk in the reserved broth, stirring constantly. Raise the heat a bit and bring to a simmer, stirring, and cook 4-5 minutes. Add the cream and cook another 5 minutes to thicken. Stir in the herbs and add the chicken and vegetables and mix.

Pour the creamed chicken into a 9×13 pan (or reserve half and freeze for another day like I did). Top with a pie crust or biscuits, making sure to leave some vents. Cook at 400 for 25-30 minutes (or slightly less if using biscuits as they cook faster).