"I am waiting for my case to come up and I am waiting for a rebirth of wonder..." -Lawrence Ferlinghetti

My weekends are running away from me. They are way too short! Have another test tomorrow in OB. Gotta study more for it here in a bit, but got up and wanted to exercise with a vengeance! I'm so glad I did, it felt so good, and my body always feels so good after I do it too. Now to get a shower and clean up and study before I start dinner, but I thought I would post two of the recipes I'm trying out today. Ryan and his friend are coming over to eat most likely so I'm making a double recipe of the first one:

Chicken Potpie 

2 c low sodium chicken stock
1 c whole milk
2 Tbs butter
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
1 c frozen peas
1 c frozen corn kernels
2 c cooked chicken, cut into small chunks
¼ c plus 1 Tbs all-purpose flour
Fresh thyme leaves
Single crust pastry dough
1 egg


Pour the chicken stock and milk into a saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat. Cover and keep warm.

Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté until vegetables are soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add the peas and corn and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken.

Sprinkle the flour over the chicken mixture and stir until combined. Pour in the chicken stock mixture and keep stirring until the flour has dissolved. Place the mixture into a 2 quart casserole or individual casseroles. Sprinkle thyme leaves over the top. Roll out pastry dough and cover the casserole dish(es). Crimp to seal the edges.

Beat the egg with a little bit of water in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash over the pastry dough. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Garnish with some thyme sprigs. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving. 

Copied from: http://kokocooks.blogspot.com/

Instead of making one big dish I'm thinking about making individual ramekins of pot pie, doesn't that sound like fun! Then for dessert...

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:
 2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 
In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 30 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping.

Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.

Yield: approximately 3 cups  

 Derived from: http://www.deliciousmeliscious.com/

So so excited! More later! I'll tell you how it all went...