Pot Pie...just like grandma used to make!

Home cooking at it's best, sure to bring back memories of your grandma's kitchen and the comfort that always came in the form of yummy food! I can just see her, pulling a steaming pan of chicken pot pie out of the oven. The aroma that fills the kitchen is almost intoxicating!

Can you tell that I love chicken pot pie? It's one of those dishes, yet again, that we thought we'd miss out on once we started on this gluten-free journey. I know that seems to be a common theme in many of my posts, but isn't that why you are here? You are looking for ways to cook your favorite dishes. Is this one of them? I hope so! I know it's one of ours.

Pot pie is one of those dishes that makes good use of leftovers. It's the perfect dish to plan ahead for. Do you make menus for your busy week? I try to, making menus can be a great time saver and a great way to help you stretch your food dollar. Planning ahead can save you time as well. If you have pot roast, chicken or turkey on your menu one night, just make enough to save some out for pot pie later in the week. Just chop the meat up into small pieces and store away for easily assembly of your pie when you are ready.

The vegetables that you add to your pot pie will depend on your preference and the time you have to spend in the kitchen. I will often keep a bag of mixed vegetables in the freezer just for making pot pie. Any variety will work fine, our favorite is the mix that has carrots, Lima beans, peas and green beans. Quick and easy!

Now the "gravy" in your pot pie can make or break your dish, at least that is what some would say. I have found that just using a quality stock makes the best gravy. I like a thick gravy in my pot pie, often using a roux to thicken the stock, but I've also just used corn starch and water. If I have leftover mashed potatoes, I'll often use a few spoons of the leftover potatoes in the gravy as well. It will give you a nice, thick, hearty gravy.

Once I have the ingredients ready, I mix them all in a large bowl. That will determine what size baking dish I use. Remember, I am feeding a family of six, all with adult appetites. I will often fill a 9"x13" baking dish, sometimes larger if I have the leftovers to allow for that. I know it will get eaten later if there are leftovers. My family is good at making sure that leftovers are eaten, when we have them.

Around here, my family loves the biscuit topping on pot pie. I've made it with a pie crust type topping in the past, but the favorite by far is the good old fashioned biscuit variety! I just use my favorite baking powder drop biscuit recipe. The All-Purpose Flour Blend that it calls for is in the recipe section also.

This recipe for biscuits is easy to prepare and is also easily adapted to dairy free and even egg free. Just use the milk and egg replacer that you would normally use in your baking. I have found that soy milk actually works better than rice milk in this recipe, but that was just our preference. As with many ideas here, play with it and make it so that it fits your families taste.

Now that you have all of the ingredients to this wonderful dish, putting it all together is a snap! Spoon your biscuit dough over your filling and pop it in the oven. So quick and easy, this recipe will be on your table in no time at all! Just bake it until the biscuits on the top are nicely browned and the dough in the middle is completely cooked.

Serve this with a side salad and fruit. It's a complete meal and your family will love it. Best of all, it uses leftovers, stretches what you have and gives your family a dish that they will enjoy. It's inexpensive to make and your family will find the same comfort from your kitchen that you found from grandma's! What could be better than that?