Monday, January 22, 2007

~Comfort Food~

After so much baking during the month of December, I seemed to need a little break. This afternoon we were craving a treat of some sort, so I started to look through my cookbooks when I remembered these very quick and easy Fruit Filled Oatmeal Bars. In less than five mintues they are ready to pop into the oven!



Fruit Filled Oatmeal Bars

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick oats
2/3 cup brown sugr
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 cup of your favorite jam

In a mixing bowl combine flour, oats, brown sugar and baking soda. Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of the flour mixture. Press remaining flour mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8 pan. Spread with desired jam. Sprinkle with reserved flour mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the top is golden. Cut into bars.

We'll have to see how long they last!


Also on the menu tonight was Chicken Potpie. I have been craving one since early January! Several weeks ago I was feeling lazy and went to check out the ones at Costco. I was shocked by the price...$17.00+! Yes, they were large potpies, but still! When I was sick two weeks ago, I bought the Marie Callender's Frozen Potpies but they weren't as good as I had hoped.

I made a homemade one tonight and everyone loved it.


Chicken Potpie

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 small celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 can (6 ounces) evaporated milk
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 cup dry sherry or white wine
Salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots, not thawed

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place pie crust on bottom of pie pan.

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery; saute until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl along with the cooked chicken; set aside.

3. Meanwhile, heat chicken broth and milk in a saucepan until steamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Heat butter over medium heat in the empty dutch oven. When foaming subsides, whisk in flour and thyme; cook until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in hot milk mixture. Bring to simmer, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Turn off heat, stir in sherry or wine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Stir chicken mixture, frozen vegetables into the sauce. Pour into prepared pie crust. Top with remaining pie dough, and flute crust by pinching with your fingers. Set on a baking sheet and bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 mintues. Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting.



Thanks for looking!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelli! Sorry it's been so long but I can't seem to post at Blogger...
Wanted to say hi and wish you a blessed week ahead!

Susie said...

Hi Kelli,
These both look yummy! I used to make the oatmeal bars years ago. My favorite jams were apricot and raspberry.
I do the chicken pot pie almost the same but use fat free cream soup for the sauce.
Yours looks delish!
:)

Open Roads Mama said...

Wow, yummmyyyy!!! Do you make your own pie crust too??? Bars look too good to pass, I'm making them tomorrow morning! :-) Thanks for the recipes!!!

Rowan said...

The chicken pot pie looks really good - homemade food is always better tasting than shop bought, it isn't stuffed full of preservatives and chemical ingredients either. I've been enjoying your recent posts as always but haven't been able to come up with any coherent comments thanks to the after effects of a virus. Hopefully my brain is getting back into gear again now:)

Dawn said...

Yummy looking comfort food!!! You always have the most tempting food posted!!!
Enjoy this day....

dot said...

Yum yum! Those oatmeal bars look like the homemade fig newtons I made one time.

Beck said...

I am totally going to make those fruit bars! Thanks!

Lines From The Vine said...

We love chicken pot pie and make them often...we save a little time by making huge batches of filling and freezing it...then we just have to make dough and put them together. They do make a fairly quick meal, even for a large family.

More so, I love the idea of the oatmeal bars. I've never heard of them, but would love to try them!

Thanks for posting the directions!

Tracy

Laurie said...

I have made these yummy oatmeal bars before, and you can use just about any fruit filling, delicious!
Chicken pot pie is a family favorite, and now I am hungry.

Lena said...

These recipes look great. I might make your chicken pot pie recipe tonigh!
Thanks Kelli!

Kim @ Home Is Where The Heart Is said...

Fruit filled oatmeal bars and chicken pot are two of our favorite foods!

Sheila said...

I made a chicken pot pie last week but with the recipe I used it took over 2 hours to make! Yikes! I don't recommend that with 2 little ones around whining. :)

I think I'll try those oatmeal bar. Good for lowering cholesterol, right? ;)

TJ said...

Hi!!
I'm here from Susie's ...she mentioned you and I just adore Chicken Pot Pie!!
Thanks for the recipe!!
:-D

Julieann said...

Kelli, I feel the same way about the baking--I think you and I both went on baking overload in December. Those Oatmeal bars look awsome, I am going to make those. (I did make a chocolate cake over the weekend)

As for the prices of potpies at Costco--yep--some things are so pricey. Your pot-pie looks delicious.

Kelli said...

Ola, I didn't make my own piecrust but don't tell anyone. ;0)

Kelli

Susan P. said...

The wonderful food you prepare always looks so delicious. Chicken pot pie is the perfect dish for a cold winter's night.

Heather Anne said...

Oh Kelli - I so wish I was up to baking or cooking- I am just getting over the flu though, so the very thought of food is, um, unsettling!
Everything looks yummy and I will come back and print your recipes out later to try! So far we are on a jello, toast, crackers and yogurt diet! And I was almost too weak to make the jello - never thought it was that labour intensive!

Betty said...

Kelli,
Your recipes look delicious. I am new to blogging but am anxious to get in the swing of things.

I look forward to reading your blog.

God Bless.

Betty : Country Charm

theups said...

Oh Kelli!!!!!!!!
I am DYING over your recipes!!! They BOTH sound so incredibly great!!!

I have got to make those oatmeal bars tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!

His,
Mrs. U

smilnsigh said...

Ohhhhh Yummmmy!!!!! I'm now craving some of those Bars!

'MN'

Carole Burant said...

Woohooooo finally a chicken pot pie recipe that I can try!!! lol I've been so hungry for that but couldn't seem to find any recipes for it that interested me...this one does! The oatmeal fruit bars also look yummy!!

Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads said...

YUM!! I'm going to have to try out those oatmeal bars and pot pie. They both sound easy and delicious!

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelli,

I made your chicken pot pie in the summer. It was delicious and also was very good cold.

My husband's off work today with a heavy cold so I fancied rustling him up a treat. I made the oatmeal bars with strawberry jam, and we're thoroughly enjoying them now with our morning tea and coffee.

Thanks for posting!

Sarah
London
UK

Bethanie said...

I tried the oatmeal bars yestarday. Very good and really easy. thanks for posting about them.