Freezer Chicken Pot Pies

• 1 1/2 pounds bonelss, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 celery rib, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 (9-inch) store-bought pied dough rounds
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
• 6 2-cup disposable aluminum loaf pans
• 1 large egg, beaten

1.  Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook until well browned, about 2 1/2 minutes per side.  Add broth and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until thickest part of chicken registers 160, 6-8 minutes.  Transfer chicken to plate; strain broth through fine-mesh strainer set over bowl.

2.  Melt butter with remaining 1 tablespoon oil in empty pot over medium heat.  Add carrots, onion, celery, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables are lightly browned and softened, 8-10 minutes.  Reduce to medium, add flour, and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in milk, thyme, and reserved broth and simmer, whisking often, until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces.  Off heat, stir lemon juice and chicken into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer filling to bowl and let cool completely.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well-chilled, about 1 hour.

4.  Place 2 dough rounds on lightly floured counter.  Brush surface of each round with water, then place 1 remaining dough round (the third round) on the other two.  Press gently to adhere.

5.  Position 1 inverted loaf pan on one layered dough round.  Using a sharp knife, cut out piece of dough using pan as template.  Repeat twice more for a total of 3 dough pieces, then repeat the process on second layered dough round.  Discard excess dough.

6.  Stir in peas into chilled mixture.  Then evenly divide into the three loaf pans.  Top each pan with 1 dough piece, then use fork to seal edges.  Using a knife, cut 3 steam vents into each pie.

7.  TO STORE:  Tightly wrap each loaf pan in 2 layers of plastic and 1 layer of aluminum foil, then freeze up to 1 month

8.  TO SERVE:  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400F.  Unwrap frozen pot pies and arrange on cookie sheet.  Brush each pie with egg and cover with foil.  Bake until filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes.  Uncover pie and bake until crusts are golden, about 35 minutes.  Let pot pies rest for 10 min before serving.

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Ranch Sauce

• 1  can (10 3/4 ounce) cream of chicken soup
• 1  cup refrigerated ranch dip
• 2/3  cup chopped green onions (about 10)
• 3  cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
• 12 soft flour tortillas (6-inch)
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Heat oven to 350 F.  Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, mix soup, dip and 1/3 cup onions.  In a large bowl, mix chicken and buffalo wing sauce until coated.

2.  Spoon 2 tablespoons soup mixture down the center of each tortilla; set remaining mixture aside.  Reserve 1/2 cup cheese for garnish.  Top each tortilla with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture and scant 1/4 cup cheese.  Fold sides of tortillas over filling; place seam side down in baking dish.  Spoon remaining soup mixture over filled tortillas.

3.  Cover dish tightly with foil.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

4.  Remove from oven.  Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese and remaining 1/3 cup onions.  Bake uncovered about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ½ pound fettuccini pasta
• ½ large onion, diced
• 1 (4 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tablespoon salt
• 1/3 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ cup half-and-half
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 ounces shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• ¼ cup sour cream

1.  In a large skillet over medium heat combine chicken, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from 

skillet and set aside.

2.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

3.  Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Saute onion, 2 cloves garlic, and mushrooms until onions are transparent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes. 

Slowly add milk and half-and-half, stirring until smooth and creamy.

4. Stir in Parmesan and Colby-Monterey Jack cheeses; stir until cheese is melted. Stir in chicken mixture, tomatoes and sour cream. Serve over cooked fettuccine.

Ceviche

• 1 pound raw shrimp; peeled and deveined
• or 1 pound cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1½ cups fresh squeezed lime juice
• 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 sweet white onion; chopped in ½-inch pieces (make sure you use a sweet onion)
• 2 Roma tomatoes; medium sized cut into ½-inch pieces
• or 16-ounce red grape tomatoes
• 1 large Poblano pepper; stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro; leaves only and chopped
• 1/3 cup Manzanillo olives; chopped
• 2 ripe avocados; peeled, pitted, and diced
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• Tostadas, tortilla chips, or you can serve on a bed of lettuce for a low-carb version

1. 1.  In a 1 1/2-quart glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the shrimp, lime juice and onion. Use enough juice to cover the fish and allow it to float freely; too little juice means unevenly "cooked" fish. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours, until a cube of fish no longer looks raw when broken open. Drain in a colander. Reserve liquid and onion for adding to remaining ingredients.  If you use chicken, simply add the chicken, lime juice, and onion to the remaining ingredients.  
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3. Variation:  You can quickly grill the shrimp until opaque or chicken until cooked through on the grill.

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5. 2.  In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, green chiles, cilantro, olives and optional olive oil. Stir in the shrimp or chicken and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Add the orange juice. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately. Just before serving, gently stir in the diced avocado.

MAKE AHEAD

Working ahead: The shrimp may be marinated a day in advance; after about 4 hours, when the shrimp is "cooked," drain it so that it won't become too tangy. For the freshest flavor, add the flavorings to the shrimp no more than a couple of hours before serving.

NOTES

There are many ways to serve ceviche. Here are some of our favorites: Place the ceviche in a large bowl and let people spoon it onto individual plates to eat with chips or saltines; spoon the ceviche into small bowls and serve tostadas, chips or saltines alongside; or pile the ceviche onto chips or tostadas and pass around for guests to consume on these edible little plates. Garnish the ceviche with cilantro leaves before serving.  You can also serve on a bed of chopped, green leaf lettuce.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

Chile tends to be known for inexpensive reds, but the real secret is the country's terrific Sauvignon Blancs. The cold winds off the Pacific give Sauvignon Blancs like this one a finely-tuned citrus zestiness, perfect for ceviche (something else they do extremely well in Chile).