Winter Comfort

There are few things as good as homemade chicken soup, accept of course, homemade Chicken Pot Pie. As it gets colder, I find myself caring less about my diet and how I will look in a bathing suit this summer and more about what kind of food will make me warm and happy. I'm sure to regret these choices sooner than I think but for today, I'm okay with it.

I know there are many ways to make pot pie but this is how I do it.

Start with the usual suspects. Chicken, of course. I used a fresh breast because I had it on hand but you can also use leftovers. I don't like the taste of leftover meat though. So, I use the fresh stuff. Then onion, carrots, and celery. Your basic rue mixture. And some cubed potatoes. One large or two small will do the trick. Don't forget the salt and peppa.

I use these two. I don't have all day to make my own broth nor would I care to. I am squeamish when it comes to chicken.  Truth be told, my husband cut this up for me. I can't touch the slimy stuff. Ewe. The smell of it boiling would send me over the edge. Sorry, I hope you didn't loose your desire to keep going. Stick with me. It's gonna be good.

After the veggies and chicken have softened a bit, add a tablespoon of flour and coat the mixture. Then add your can of broth. Allow this to bubble and thicken.

This is where some might add heavy cream or who knows what but I like to just pop a can of cream of chicken soup. It adds just the right amount of creaminess and flavor. I also add the sweet peas now. They're still frozen, too. If you add them too soon, they'll be over-cooked. Gotta have peas in pot pie!

This is what it should look like when it's ready to go into the pie crust. I just used a two-pack of pie crusts so there's one on the bottom and one left for the top. How convenient.

I will confess, I asked for and got a rolling pin for Christmas but in all honestly, I'm not sure when I'll use it. It won't likely be on a homemade pie crust though.

And there's my girl, just hanging out. Some don't like a dog in the kitchen. I get it. If Lucy was a shedder, I wouldn't either. But she follows me everywhere and I just can't say no to her. Thankfully, we get her shaved and groomed regularly and it's not an issue. She's waiting patiently for the pie.

Well, there it is! The finished pie. I hope you give it try. We can pack on some winter weight together.

Little Road Trip

Last weekend we loaded up the whole family (dog included) and set out for a day of adventure to no where in particular. Actually we did go under the river (via tunnel) and through the woods to Williamsburg. My husband wanted to show us a fishing spot on the James River. We found a great camp ground that we have vowed to re-visit this summer. We also happened across several plantations when we got off the beaten path. One of them was the home of former president John Tyler. Yeah, we didn't really remember him either but apparently he was our 10th president. It was a worthwhile day out. Here are some highlights.

Let's start with LUCY! She's like "hurry up, I'm trying to explore".

 Too bad there wasn't someone there to take a family picture for us. Would've been a good one.

A hollow tree in a hundred acre wood.

 This was a pet cemetery at John Tyler plantation. Many of the dogs had the same name.

Where's Mom?

So there was a mom who blogs for the Huffington Post and she wrote a year ago about not being in the photos with her kids. I can really relate to this. I am always behind the camera, not in front of it.

I lost my mom in my early twenties. I don't have a single video of her and oh how I wish I did! My kids never met her and I never met her mom. They don't know how awesomely sweet she was and how much they would have loved her. I look at the photos I have and wish there were more. Once our loved ones are gone, it's all that we have.

So the mom in the article had vowed to be in more photos with her kids. She is there, raising them, caring for them and documenting all of their life's events, yet she is not in the pictures. This is me. This is most of us and moms came out of the woodwork to make the same claim. We all thought that we were doing a good thing by getting behind the camera, now we are getting in front of it.

Starting now, I will make it a point to get in the photos so my kids can look back at watch me age along with them. So they can look back when they are older and see me being silly, being serious, being their mom. I have been here with them nearly every single day of their lives and I should be in the picture.

I have a habit of deleting photos that don't flatter me. My teeth are out-of-whack and my arms look fat at every single angle. But, that's me. I'm not perfect but I am always ready to have fun with my kids and the goofy photos are to be cherished.

So here is a selfie of me and my son. Acting silly on a fun day out. (go big or go home) I'm glad we took it and I know that someday he will look at it and remember this day and how much fun we had.

And Payton and I. We had a little time to ourselves one evening as the sun was setting. We had gone to the movies with the guys but got bored and left. (Tee-hee)  Just us girls- at the beach. We had a lot of fun.

Notice how I have to take my own photos? Doesn't anyone else have a camera? Note to self: buy cameras for family!