Recipe and Restaurant Blogging begin again.
Diet starts Monday. That's what we all say, right? Well, this fatties' diet was supposed to start about 10 Mondays ago. But things got in the way...Dominos had two medium two toppings for 6$ each (basically free food), Mom and Dad offered to take me to dinner (free), sister turned 25 (free chance to watch family drink too much), and so on and so forth. So, this Monday was a new week. Egg whites for breakfast were followed by a delicious Tomato and Mozzerella sandwhich on olive bread from Empire Bakery. Tomatoes are healthy, but I hate tomatos, so I took them off, leaving me with a straight up cheese sandwhich, a.k.a. non-diet food. Me losing 10 pounds in 7 days was definitely not a possibility now (gaining 10 in 7, however, is always a possibility). Seeking solace, I turned to my thoughts to another Stout Southerner, know for her overuse of butter love for gravy: Paula Dean. Most of Paula's recipes can clog your arteries just by eating them, but there are a few that can be tweaked to be a little healthier. Her "Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie" is quite delicious. I sent a text to 2 people, and fatties heard pot pie, and soon I had 7 people over to eat pot pie and watch Gossip Girl.
Side note: On Monday night I ate Chicken pot pie and watched a bunch of privileged Manhattan 18 year-old debutantes parade around, cuter and richer than I will ever be, then on Tuesday night I ate 2 slices of pizza while watching The Biggest Loser, which should be depressing, but seeing that I was skinnier than everyone on the show made me reach for another slice.
Below is the recipe for the Chicken Pot Pie from Foodtv.com
Ingredients
* 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
* 1/2 cup frozen green peas
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup (use 98% fat free)
* 1 cup chicken broth (Use low sodium)
* Salt and pepper, optional
* 1 1/2 cups instant biscuit mix
* 1 cup milk (use skim)
* 1 stick melted butter (Doesn't really need it)
I add a bag of Green Valley Steamers potatos and green beans--cook them half the time that the instructions say then add them to the mix.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a greased 2-quart casserole, layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, and peas. Mix the soup, chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour over the layers. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole. Drizzle butter over the topping. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
If you have never been to Empire Bakery, go. There sandwhiches, while overpriced, are delicious. They all come on different bread freshly baked on site. My favorite is the Tomato Mozzerella or the Turkey with Apple. Most people at my office get Chicken Salad sandwhiches, but I don't care for mayo (surprising, right?), so I opt for ones with pesto or mustard.
Their Menu: http://www.empirebaking.com/lunch.html
My new quest will be for the best Morning Cocktail, as this weekend marks the time for the Dallas shitshow that is the St. Paddy's Day Parade. I need to be sufficiently cocktail-ed by about noon because I own no green and need to have little to no feeling in my limbs for when I get pinched. Any breakfast suggestions on/near Greenville? Must include any variation of vodka/tequila drink and breakfast meat. (BACON)
