A Beef Stew Recipe that was years to Perfect.

Hello Everyone!
I know that you are probably thinking that I fell off the face of the planet, but the truth is, I just have been very involved with the theatre this year and haven't really been home to craft and blog.  But I have one evening and a half a day before I have to be in dress rehearsals for A Christmas Carol, so I thought I would do a post very quickly.

I want to make this outfit happen in my life.  If I ever get it, I might even learn how to ski.

For those of you don't know, I have started to Instagram more frequently, so far, daily.  I have been assured, mostly by my younger friends in the theatre, that Instagram is a social medium that I needed to be on, and that I needed to be mindful of my personal branding.  To be honest, I have not thought much about branding when it comes to Instagram.  To this blog, absolutely, but I thought Instagram was just pictures.  I thought wrong.  So, for Instagram, I have started documenting my vintage inspired outfits.  My goal is to show that you can dress vintage on a budget and every day.  Therefore, you will not see many fancy, professional looking shots of me.  Nor will you only see me wearing the gorgeous vintage outfits that are so predominant in the vintage fashion world.  (And, I must admit, which I love to look at, but do not have the ambition or skill to emulate.)  What you will see, is what I wear on a regular basis and what I wear to do my day to day work in.  I want to do this to prove that vintage can be practical, comfortable, and affordable.  I know not as many people are as interested in that as they are in food, which is why I focusing that aspect on Instagram instead of in the blog.

These are pictures that my husband took on the freak cold days that we had just about a week ago.  I wish those cold days would come back!!!!  I want more sweater weather.  (These are the types of pictures you will see on Instagram.)

Of course, as I start more crafting and working on more recipes, I will put up hints and photos on Instagram as well.  It is a learning process, but is one that I am looking forward to undertaking.
If you wish to follow me on Instagram, I am at carole_moore_the_frugal_femme.

But enough about me!  At least for now.  I gave my people who are following me on Instagram several options for what the subject of this post would be, and it was pretty much unanimous that they wanted me to do another recipe.  So a recipe it is!!!

May Never Need Another Beef Stew Recipe

This is a recipe that I have been working on for years as I try to come up with, or find, a beef stew recipe that met all my expectations.  All of the recipes that I tried fell short.   I just wasn't getting what I wanted.  Try after try, I would, finally, get the flavor the way I wanted but the beef would be too chewy, when the beef was done right the vegetables were too smooshie (yes, that is a technical cooking term), or the flavors were just wrong.  Blandness seems to be endemic on the internet when it comes to beef stew recipes.  Then, one night I saw a recipe on America's Test Kitchen on Create TV.  They made a stew that was put in the oven and not on the stove top.  I was intrigued.  So I tried it.  For me, it didn't have the flavors that I wanted from a beef stew, but I loved the cooking method, so I set out to experiment.  After making and tweaking this five times, I finally came up with this recipe.  This is one of the few recipes that I am going to get specific about the brands and types of ingredients.  This is because that it is with these specific ingredients that I FINALLY was able to get the flavor I wanted.  You are welcome to substitute these ingredients if you do not have these items in your area.
The topping is inspired from a recipe that I saw on a cooking show with Sarah Moulton.  I honestly cannot tell you what she was making, and she used different ingredients, but I loved the idea of making a warm "relish" to put on top of the stew.  I keep playing with the idea of making the topping with a good balsamic vinegar in it as well, like a relish, but it is so good as is, I am a little afraid to mess with it.
Also, this is not a quick recipe.  This stew takes HOURS.  It is worth it. But don't try to make it on a weeknight after work.  It also makes ALOT, I just couldn't figure out how to portion it for two and get the consistency I wanted.  But it freezes amazingly well and I will tell you more about that at the end of the recipe.
Also, I know that I am not flouring the meat and browning it first.  I have tried several times to do the meat browning method and I always ended up with tough, chewy meat.  (Probably because the cooking time is usually reduced when this method is used.)  So just be aware that, no, I am not missing a step.

Ingredients
Stew Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks  (I know this sounds huge, but trust me on this.)
2 onions diced (these should be medium sized onions, if you don't like onions as much, use small onions)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. tomato paste  (I like the stuff that comes in the tube by Amore, I find it less wasteful as I can open it and then store it in the fridge.)
2 large cloves garlic, minced (How large you may be asking, enough to equal the amount of garlic in four or five small garlic cloves)
1 tbsp. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary)
1-2 bay leaves  (I ALWAYS use two, but I like to give options)
1/2 tsp. - 1 tsp. Trader Joe's 21 Season Salut  (If you don't have a Trader Joe's, you can order this on Amazon.  Its one of my favorites, and I highly recommend it.)
1 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. - 1 tsp.  Herb de Provence
1 cup red wine ( I highly advise you use Apothic Red Dark, it is delicious in this stew, is not too pricey and can be found at Target.  They also have the coolest website for a winery that I have ever seen.)
3 cups beef stock
1/4 cup flour
1-2 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 carrots cut into 1/2 inch coins OR 8-12 baby carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
Kosher salt (to taste)
Fresh Ground black pepper

"Relish" Topping Ingredients

1 cup pearl onions, peeled and halved - quartered if they are larger pearl onions (I don't use the jarred ones, so I am not sure if jarred pearl onions will work, I use fresh.)
2-3 carrots cut into 1/2 inch coins OR 8-12 baby carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 slices of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

Instructions
1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  In a large heavy bottomed dutch oven or cooking pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions are golden brown - this will take about twenty (20) minutes.
3.  Add tomato paste and garlic, cook, stirring constantly, for about two minutes until the onions are a gorgeous rust color.
4.  Add flour, sprinkle while stirring to help avoid clumps.  Stir constantly for about one minute.  (This helps to get rid of the raw flour taste.)
5.  Whisk in beef broth.  Do this slowly and in sections/portions - make certain that the flour is completely incorporated with one section before pouring more broth.  Continue in this manner until all three cups are completely mixed with the flour.  (This is the best and easiest way to avoid lumps of flour.) Add the wine.
6.  Add all the herbs and bay leaves and bring the liquid to a simmer for about three minutes.
7.  Add beef chunks.  Stir and return liquid to a simmer.
8.  Move the dutch oven/pot from the stove top to the oven and cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
9.  Remove the dutch oven from the oven and, using a wooden or silicone spoon/spatula, scrape down the brown "stuff" that has formed on the sides of the pot.  You may need to use some of the liquid in the pot to help release it from the sides of the pot.
10.  Remove the meat from the pot and place on a plate or in a large bowl.
11.  Add the potatoes and carrots to the liquid part of the stew left in the pot.  Spread over the bottom of the pot.  Using tongs or a slotted spoon, place the meat on top of the vegetables so it is poking out of the broth.  (This will cause the meat to brown and is the main reason for cutting the meat into such large chunks.  I know this sounds weird you may worry that the meat will dry out but, trust me, this works.)
12.  Return the dutch oven/pot to the oven and cook, uncovered, until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour - depending on your oven.

WHILE THE STEW IS COOKING
These next steps should be done after you have put the stew into the oven to cook for its final round of cooking.
A.  In a medium saute pan, add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.
B.  Add the bacon pieces, place on the stove top and turn the meat to medium - high.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
C.  Once the water is boiling, add the pearl onions and carrots.  Stir continuously until the water has evaporated,
D.  Add kosher salt.  Don't use much salt, the bacon is already salted and you don't want to go overboard.
E.  Continue cooking, stirring frequently until vegetables are browned - about 20 to 30 minutes.  (I never have had to do this, but if your bacon is very lean, you may have to add melted butter or olive oil if bacon does not produce enough grease.  The grease should coat the vegetables.

13.  Remove the stew from the oven.  Stir, scraping the brown stuff from the sides of the pot one last time.
14.  Taste the stew.  Add more salt, pepper or dried herbs of your choice if you think it needs it.  You may also add more wine or beef broth if you like your stew to be thinner.  I like it thick, so I never add additional liquid.

To serve, put the stew in the bowl and top with the warm vegetable "relish" topping.
This stew is AMAZING with a nice crusty bread.

As I said in the explanation above, this stew makes quite a few servings.  If you want to freeze the stew, let it cool to room temperature and then put in a freezer safe container.  Then put it in the freezer.  I am not certain how long this lasts in the freezer, because, in my house, we usually only have it in there for about a month before we eat it.
To reheat, let it thaw enough to be able to remove from the container.  Then heat in a pot over medium heat until stew is completely defrosted and heated through.  This stew is very thick.  So you will, most likely, have to add beef broth as it starts to defrost.  (I always do.)

So there you have it, my favorite beef stew recipe.  The meat for this is so tender that you can cut it into smaller, more eatable portions with your spoon.  Yum.

Also, if you get the chance go the website for the Apothic wine used in this recipe.

https://www.apothic.com/
This website is the closest I have ever seen to a video game.  Make sure to go to the wine cellar.  Its my favorite part.

That's it for the recipe, but I have read that, when doing a blog, you need to add pictures and stories from your personal life.  So I thought I would do a brief show and tell of what I have been doing that has kept me away from the blog for so long.  If you don't care to know about my life, I will not be offended if you stop reading right now.

My summer started off being cast as the customer and one of the incarnations of a man eating plant in the musical Little Shop of Horrors.  I have always wanted to operate the man-eating puppet Audrey II, so this really was a dream come true.

Here is a picture of me getting into the plant. (I had to be pinned into it.) My friend Neely took the picture and she was just trying to get an idea of the lighting on the set, but I asked her to send it to me because, except for the wig cap, I thought that it looked alot like I was getting into a fancy formal gown.

I'm sorry but I haven't figured out how videos work yet, but what I really wanted to show was me in the plant before all of the fancy stuff was added to the bottom.   This was a video we took at rehearsals so I could see what my manipulation of the plant looked like and I could make adjustments.  You can see my legs sticking out from the bottom.  This is before my Audrey II got a  repaint and foliage around the bottom.

The tech director let me design and paint the sign for the set door for the show.  I am very proud of it, I wanted a rose, but I wanted the rose to kind of look like Audrey II.  Can we say foreshadowing?

Our large version of Audrey II you can see behind the window.  She was huge.  And amazing to see in person.

While I was in the rehearsal process for that show, I got a chance to be a princess in a play that my husband wrote for the Bella Bowman Foundation luncheon.
http://www.bellabowman.org/
This organization does some wonderful things and I have included the link if you want to check them out.

The organization provided the dress, but the tiara is mine and, of course, its vintage.)

While I was in Little Shop of Horrors, rehearsals were being held for The Rocky Horror Show.  Which I had auditioned for, and got the role of the Narrator.  (Score!!!)  So I was working on two shows at once.  As soon as Little Shopped closed, I was on to do Rocky Horror.  But, of course, I had to make my house Hallween-y so, at midnight over several nights, I decorated the house for Halloween.

I know its kind of hard to see, but can you see the baby Audrey II?  I saw it in Michael's and felt I had to get since I was doing the show.

I didn't decorate as much as normal, but this year I was going for a sort of mad, scientist, Dr. Jeckyll look for the house.

Then it was on to Rocky.

This is the selfie that I took of my costume.  I wore this right until the end of the show.  And for those of you who were wondering, yes, the costume came completely from my wardrobe.

This is my costume for the final scene.  The director thought, because I was a woman, it wouldn't be as funny if I just came out in fishnets.  So I came out as a Frank "N" Furter wanna be.  And, yes, all of this costume came from my closet as well.  I just don't normally wear them all together at the same time.

Then, for Halloween, I was asked to be a performer for one our local party supply stores, while a local, news, morning show filmed from their location.  It may have been the most costumes I have ever worn in a single Halloween day.

Here's me in the store.  When you have a chance to be the classic, animated, Harley Quinn from the best Batman series ever, you take it.  I actually wore four different costumes, but, for some reason, only remembered to start taking pictures on the last two that I wore.

Here I am a zombie mummy.  Apparently, fusion of two completely different things isn't only a thing in food.  I took this picture because I wanted to show the makeup effects I created using only eyes shadow and lipstick.

From the shoot for the party store, it was back home to get into my own costume to wear that day at the theatre for work.  I don't know if you can see it here, but the eyes are done like spider webs and I drew in a tear.

For those of you who are wondering, I am a merry black widow.  I came up with this idea because I wanted to keep my vintage look, but make it clear that I was dressed for Halloween and not in one of my regular outfits.

Here you can get a better look at my spider on its leash and the amazing amethyst bra I wore under the sheer shirt.  The spider is about as big as my hand, is made completely of rhinestones, and is vintage.  The bra is part of the Dita von Teese line and is one of my prized possessions.

I went straight from Rocky Horror into rehearsals for A Christmas Carol.  (Because, yes, I am insane.) At the same time, my husband was performing as Harding in To Kill a Mockingbird.  We got to see one another when we slept.  But, again late at night, I found the time to take down Halloween and put up Thanksgiving.  Because, yes, I decorate for Thanksgiving.

Remove the frog skeleton and the insects and replace with a cute pig.  This is the table in my entrance foyer.

Turkey and pine cones on the counter top between the living room and the kitchen.

The coffee table.

Yet another turkey and more dried vegetables on the mantle.

I did get a night off to attend a fundraising party for the theatre and I got to wear an amazing red dress.

The shoes are vintage and were given to me.  

And then it was time for Thanksgiving.  Time to find recipes and prepare menus and, for me, make a hair piece to go with your Thanksgiving day outfit.  All of this while rehearsing for A Christmas Carol.

Is it a little ridiculous?  Yes.  Do I love it?  Absolutely.

I'm  still in rehearsals for A Christmas Carol.  We started tech week this weekend.  Which means soon we will have all our costumes and props and the magic will begin.  I don't have any pictures yet, but I will soon.  And I will also share the Christmas decorations that I put up between bouts of trying to clean my house.  (I am still trying to clean my house and put up Christmas decorations.)  It takes time when you only have about 30 minutes of your day to do both things.

I don't know what my next post will be, but I am fairly certain that it will be Christmas-y and crafty.

Be back soon!

Fourth of July Fried Egg and Black Garlic Burger

Hello Everyone!
I am all excited because the Fourth of July is tomorrow.

 I love fireworks, swimming at the lake, music by Sousa and, this should a surprise to no one, eating the food!  Although its not the holiday most associated with food, I love to plan an Americana menu to celebrate the day.  And there are so many options to choose from - YUM.  You can grill and do hot dogs and hamburgers with potato salad and coleslaw.  Or you can do fried chicken with mashed potatoes and biscuits. Oooo.  Or ribs with broccoli salad.  The options are delicious and limitless.
As limitless as they are, for this post, I have decided to share a recipe for a hamburger with you.  This recipe was inspired by three things steak and eggs, Bob's Burgers, and McCormick's Black Garlic Powder.  For those of you who don't watch Bob's Burgers there are two things that you need to know: #1.  The show is hysterical and you really should watch it.  #2.  Bob always has a special burger of the day with a pun-ny name.  The burger that I most wanted to try was the Bet It All on Black Garlic burger that was made during season five.  For a person who loves food and garlic I had never heard of black garlic.  So the first thing that I had to do was go online and see if that was a real ingredient -- it was!  The second thing that I had to do was make that burger. 
Fortunately for me, my husband was 100% behind me wanting to make this burger and even got me the cook book so I could have one version of the recipe for us to try.

It was delicious. 

Black garlic is delicious and a taste sensation that I can't describe - but is nothing like you would expect.  Unfortunately, black garlic is expensive and doesn't last long.  If you don't use it almost immediately after opening it goes bad.  And the flavor is strong.  So using it every day for a week was more than I could do - no matter how delicious it was.
Which meant that I was thrilled when I found a black garlic alternative that actually gives the taste of black garlic without the shelf life of black garlic.  McCormick makes a black garlic powder!

I bought this on Amazon for way less what I paid for real black garlic.  I was skeptical, but I started to experiment.  And one of the things that you can make with this that is delicious is black garlic butter.  So I started putting the garlic butter on everything - including the steak and eggs I made for breakfast one morning.  Which then started me to thinking about doing steak and eggs in a more portable version.  And thus, this recipe was born.

Fried Egg and Black Garlic Burger

Ingredients
1 lb ground chuck
1 egg
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup Garlic and Herb bread crumbs
2 tbsp. minced shallot
Creole seasoning, to taste
1 tsp. garlic powder
black pepper, freshly ground to taste
black garlic powder, to taste
2 tbsp.butter
1 egg (per burger)
1 brioche bun, per burger

Instructions
1.  Prepare the garlic and herb bread crumbs.  There are two ways that you can go about doing this, you can make homemade bread crumbs or you can doctor bread crumbs that you can buy in the store.  Personally, I like to make my own and you can find several recipes to make your own online.  But if you don't have the time or the inclination to make your own, then just put about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of the black garlic powder into 1/4 cup of the store bought prepared breadcrumbs.  Mix together well and taste.  You can add more black garlic powder if you feel the black garlic flavor is not coming through enough.
2.  Put two tablespoons butter into a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the butter is completely melted, about 10 seconds.  Sprinkle with black garlic powder and stir until the butter and garlic powder are well blended.  Set aside.
2.  In a large bowl combine the ground chuck, 1 egg, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, shallot, creole seasoning, garlic powder and pepper.  Mix with your hands until everything is completely combined.  If the burger is to wet to hold together, then add more bread crumbs.
3.  Split the meat mixture into four equal portions and form into patties.  Make sure to press the center down with your thumb to create a divot in the center of the burger- this will help the burger to stay flat as it cooks.
4.  Cook the burgers the way you prefer the burgers to be cooked.  They are good cooked on the grill or on a griddle.  I personally like to cook them so that they are medium to medium well and I like to cook them on a grill pan on the stove top so that I can make them in the air conditioning but still have some grill flavor.
5.  While the burgers are cooking, start frying the eggs.  For this burger, I like to cook them sunny side up with a runny yolk.
6.  Once the burgers and eggs are cooked, its time to assemble the burgers!
     First, place the meat patty on the bun.
     Then put the fried egg.
     Drizzle the black garlic butter over the egg and the burger.
Because of the egg yolk and the black garlic butter, you don't really need any other dressings for the burger.  But if you are worried that you need something more or the burger will be dry, then you can always add the black garlic mayo from the Bet It All On Black Burger recipe I pictured above.

Well, that is it for today's post, I hope that y'all have a safe and happy Fourth of July and get the chance to enjoy the burger!

Roast Beef Boursin Bites

Hello Everyone!
I don't know about any one else, but I always seem to be a little more whipped after work on a Monday than any other workday.  Even if the work day isn't anything out of the normal.  That was how it was for me today.  Of course, it didn't help that my allergies were the worst today and were kicking my behind like they were getting paid for it.  So when I got home today, I was hungry, and didn't want to eat fast food, but I just was up to doing even one of my super basic meals.  So I decided to make a leftover picnic.

What, you may ask, is a leftover picnic?  That is when you go into the fridge, look at all of the foods that you can eat without cooking, and see if you can prepare a nice, easy cold meal out of them.  One of the things I had was a little bit of pot roast that I had made earlier in the week.  Normally I would have turned it into roast beef sandwiches - but there wasn't quite enough, or stir-fry - but I didn't feel like cooking.  Instead, I decided that I would serve them on crackers as part of my leftovers picnic. 
Oh.  My.  Goodness. 
They were so delicious that I thought that I would share this quick "meal" idea with y'all.  For those nights when cooking is just too much.

Roast Beef Boursin Bites

Ingredients
Roast Beef  (a small piece leftover from a pot roast dinner)
Boursin Cheese - Garlic and Herb
Dijon or Creole Mustard - my husband and I like the Grey Poupon Country Dijon Mustard
Round Crackers - like Ritz crackers

Instructions
1.  Slice the roast beef as thin as you possibly can.  Trying to do your best to trim them into two inch, by two inch pieces.  You know, the perfect size to put on a cracker.
2.  Assemble your cracker.  For me, I like to smear the Boursin cheese on the cracker, then put the roast beef slice so that the Boursin sort of works like a glue to keep the roast beef in place, and then I put a small dollop of the Grey Poupon.

These things are so good!  My husband and I couldn't believe how delicious they were. 

Along with the Roast Beef Boursin Bites I included the following:
     Assorted cheeses, thinly sliced
     Salami, thinly sliced
     Celery sticks with peanut butter for dipping
     Carrots with blue cheese dressing for dipping
     Grapes
     Apple slices sprinkled with lavender sugar

I put everything on a big cutting board and put it on the bed in the bedroom.  So relaxing.

I know!  It sounds fancy when you put them all together, but these are just things that I have in my fridge for lunch and dinner during the week.  (The cheese and the salami are part of my go to's for eating a semi-healthy lunch.)
It makes for a super relaxing meal - partly because you can munch on it as you watch television.  I know, I know we're not supposed to eat and watch television, but almost all of us do it, so don't judge me.  You can relax even more if you have glass of wine or cup of tea with your leftover picnic.
Well, this was just a quick post to share a quick meal idea.
Hope you enjoyed! 

Mince Meat Pie or Beef and Cheddar Cheese Mini Pot Pies - Saturday - One Week Menu

Hello Everyone!
So, we are back to the mince meat pies that I started two weeks ago.  This is actually one thing that is better after it has rested, so it is the one thing that will actually be better after the delay with my internet.  Below is the recipe that I posted earlier.  But this time I complete the instructions.
http://frugalfemmecarole.blogspot.com/2016/11/turkey-piccata-pasta-and-roasted-root.html

(Don't worry, for those of you who just don't enjoy dried fruit with your meat, I have a Beef and Cheese Pot Pie recipe after the Mince Meat Pie recipe.)
As I stated before, mince meat pies are traditionally thought of as a Christmas dinner today, but they were served as part of the first Thanksgiving so I think that they are appropriate throughout the holiday season.

Mince Meat Pie

Ingredients

Crust

1 pckg. Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust Dough  (You can make your own pie crust dough, but I don't like the hassle of making dough unless I absolutely have to.  You will be using both pie crust doughs that come in the package.)

Filling

1 cup finely chopped beef suet  (Some people can get this from their butcher.  If you cant, freeze a cup of butter - real butter- and finely chop that.  Try to touch it with your hands as little as possible because you do not want the butter to melt.)

6 tbsp. currants

6 tbsp. chopped rump steak or roast

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tbsp. brandy

1/2 tsp. and 1/4 tsp. chopped candied citron peel

1/2 tsp. and 1/4 tsp. chopped candied lemon peel

1/2 tsp. and 1/4 tsp. chopped candied orange peel

1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp. to 1/4 tsp. nutmeg  (I would start with 1/8 tsp. and if you want a stronger nutmeg flavor, move up to 1/4 tsp.)

1 granny smith apple, cored and finely chopped

grated zest of 1/4 to 1/2 lemon  (Again, do 1/4 and if you want more lemon than add the rest)

Instructions

1.  In a bowl, combine beef suet, currants, rump steak, raisins, brown sugar, brandy, citron peel, lemon peel, orange peel, lemon juice, nutmeg, apples and lemon zest.  Mix well.

2.  Transfer mixture to a large mason jar and screw on the lid.  Refrigerate for two days to 2 weeks.
3.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4.  Lightly grease a pie pan and place one of the prepared pie dough into the pan.
5.  Add the filling to the bottom pie crust.
6.  Place the other prepared pie dough on top of the filling.  Make sure to crimp the edges together and cut some vents into the top dough with a bread knife.
7.  Place in the oven and bake until golden, about one hour.

For those of you would would like something a little more suited for the modern American palette, I am including this pot pie recipe I just perfected this weekend.

Beef and Cheddar Cheese Mini Pot Pies

I didn't crimp this could enough and some of the inside came out.  I made the snowflake with a cookie cutter that I have.  I am going to use the same cutter to show you how to make awesome Christmas ornaments in an upcoming post.

I don't think that I have posted a pot pie recipe yet even though I make them all the time.  Mostly because I was trying to wait until I can take pictures, but I wanted to give y'all another option other than the mince meat pie.  I promise that I will post another pot pie recipe and include pictures with that one.

Ingredients
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 can cream of chicken
1 tsp. Better Than Beef Boullion
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cooked beef roast, cubed
1/4 cup sour cream
1 potato, cubed (You don't have to skin if you have golden potatoes but if using Idaho's, skin the potato)
1 carrot, sliced and cubed
1/2 cup onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
Creole Seasoning, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 package Pillsbury Pie Dough (You will only need one of the pie dough crusts.)
1 egg
1 tsp. water

Instructions
1.  In a large, heavy bottomed stock pot heat oil and butter over medium heat.  Once the oil heats and starts to "shimmer" add the onion, carrots and potatoes.  Cook until the vegetables start to get tender, about 5 minutes.
2.  Add the water, the Better Than Beef Boullion and the garlic, let simmer for about 3 minutes, this will help soften the potatoes and will keep the garlic from burning and turning bitter.
3.  Add half a can of cream of chicken, sour cream, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, Creole seasoning and freshly ground black pepper.  Cook on medium until it starts to simmer.
4.  Once the mixture starts to simmer add the cubed beef.  Cook until the beef gets warm, about 3 minutes.  Then add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese has melted completely.
5.  Remove from heat.
6.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Preparing the Pies
1.  Place parchment paper on work space and lightly dust with flour.  Gently roll out the dough onto the floured surface.
2.  Using a 5 inch custard cup cut four circles out of the dough.  Take one of the five inch circles and roll with rolling pin or fondant roller until the circle is about 6 inches in diameter.
3.  Lightly spray a mini cocotte or custard cup with oil and place 6 inch crust inside.
4.  Scoop the beef mixture into the crust, leaving about about a half inch of room from the top.
5.  Using a 4 inch custard cup, cut out four circles.  (You will run out of pre-rolled dough at this point.  You have enough dough to make one more circle, you just have to gather your dough scraps, make a ball, and roll until dough is about 1/4 inch thick then cut your final circle.  You should even have enough leftover dough after this to decorate the tops of your pies if you so choose.)  Using a rolling pin or fondant roller, flatten the 4 inch dough until the circle is 5 inches in diameter.
6.  Place the 5 inch pie crust on top of the meat mixture.  Crimp the edges of the bottom crust and top crust, making certain to seal.
7.  In a small bowl, mix together the water and egg.  Brush the egg mixture on the top of the crusts.
8.  With a bread knife, cut vents into the pie crust.
9.  Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
10.  Remove from oven and cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serving Note.  These pies freeze very well and can be heated back up in the microwave, so don't worry that they make four pies.  You can freeze them and save them for another dinner.

I don't know what this was supposed to advertise during WWII, but I think its sort of cute, so I had to include it.

Wooh!  Three nights of power posting and I am caught up on the recipes.  That means tomorrow I am going to do my best to start my Christmas posts!!!!