Raising Maine

chocolate chip cookie bars......i had been craving them for weeks but made myself wait to make them when we were having company, otherwise I would have picked at them and eaten the whole pan! Something about this time of year, I just love them!!

Banana bread - I have made four loaves in the last two weeks for company and for home. I always top it with cinnamon and sugar and the last loaf I made had chocolate chips in it - YUM!

I love a big vat of chicken chili with extra cheese & sour cream!

I love roasted garlic, on pizza, in pasta, on it's own. I just love it. If it didn't make me so stinky, I'd eat it every day! Also, I have been craving some of Mesa Verde's nachos and chili relleno. Mmm. Mmm good.

Here's one of mine: Chicken Pot Pie · 1 cup chopped onion · 1 cup chopped celery · 1 1/2 cups diced potatoes · 1 cup chopped carrots · 1/2 cup low fat butter or margarine (or butter) · 1/2 cup all-purpose flour · 2 cups chicken broth · 1 cup half and half · A dash of salt and pepper · 4 cups chopped cooked (boiled) chicken · 2 (15 ounce) packages refrigerated pie crusts or homemade depending on how much time you have. 1. Preheat your oven to 400 2. Either make your piecrusts or remove refrigerated piecrusts & bring them to room temp. 3. Boil Chicken on stovetop. Do not over cook. When chicken turns white it’s done. 4. Boil chopped potatoes separately. Do not over cook, when your fork barely perforates the potato it’s done for this dish (it will continue to cook, so you’re really just giving them a head start). 5. Saute chopped celery, carrots and any other veggies you have on hand or desire. Saute for another 10 minutes. 6. Gradulally add flour to the vegie mixture, stirring constantly for one minute. 7. Combine half and half and chicken broth stirring into veggie mixture. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly until thickens to your liking. 8. Add your salt and pepper. 9. Add the chicken cut into cubes. 10. Add potatoes cut into cubes. 11. Spray on stick vegetable spray into a 9X13 casserole dish and place piecrust on the bottom of the pan to cover, cutting to fit. 12. Pour chicken/potato/vegetable mixture over the piecrust, 13. Top with the remaining piecrust. Cut vents into the top crust. 14. Butter the top with margarine or butter for an extra golden brown pie top. 15. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. 16. Enjoy.

How about some crock pot split pea soup with the Christmas ham bone (from the freezer) in it? Yummy.