Peanut Butter Energy

One day when Emma was playing over at the Smith's (Ellensburg neighbors). It happened that she stayed through lunch and they had peanut butter and jam sandwiches. The only hang up? They like crunchy and Emma was used to creamy. She ate it and told me all about it when I came back to get her. Rachel told her, and I confirmed it, that the crunchy peanut butter would give her energy and make her run really fast. She has not forgotten that. We've referenced that energy many times, and Emma is usually the one who brings it up. Rachel didn't know she had such powerful peanut butter.

Well, just recently Paul picked up on it too. The other day he said, "Mommy, me got peanut butter energy." At first I wasn't quite sure what he was trying to say. And then I just laughed when it dawned on me. Thanks Rachel for peanut butter energy.

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Filling:

1/2 cup chopped onion
6Tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen peas and carrots or
1 to 2 cans mixed vegetables
1 two crust pie (recipe below or use your own)

Saute onion in butter. Add broth and flour. Increase heat, stirring constantly until broth thickens. Reduce heat and add chicken and vegetables, heat through. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 for about 40 min or until golden.

Pie crust:

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup + 2 Tbsp Crisco
5 Tbsp water

Use a bowl that has a lid. Stir salt into flour, add Crisco. Use a fork to cut shortening into flour until Crisco is coated and in fine pieces. Sprinkle in water. Place lid on bowl and toss ingredients in a circular fashion. (It may sound funny, I know, but it works. Keep a firm hold on the bowl and you can use some force as you toss the ingredients.) When you're done, the ingredients should come together in a ball. Then divide the dough into two balls and roll them out to fit your pie dish.

My signature

I sat down on Monday and made up my menus again. It has been so nice having things planned out and I know just how much time in advance I need to start dinner for it to be ready at our 5:00 dinner time. We all get cranky if we don't eat close to 5:00.

Monday night we had chicken pot pie. I thought of my mom the whole time because she used to make it when I was growing up.

The exciting part was how I cut the top of the pie to allow it to vent while it cooked. I remember my mom telling me that when you bake a pie you cut it your own special way. She has a certain way that she always does it. Today I cut a heart into my pie. I loved it! That will be my special trademark, my signature. I may even right a column about it. That's one of the two jokes about me - my ideas either end up in vinyl or in writing in my column.

Doesn't this pie look great!