Laughter, Fun, Food Flying at our Farm Fresh Chicken Pot Pie Class

We had a class this week, called Learn to make a Country Farm Fresh Chicken Pot Pie using fresh ingredients and it is a quick recipe, for those busy families; also we made Fresh Chicken Soup and a Quick and Fabulous tasting Basil, Kalamata Olive, Cherry Tomato Pasta.  My cooking style is when I am in the kitchen, I want to make wholesome foods, but also make enough so I can freeze some. 

In the summer, there are so many evenings when Frank and I drag ourselves into the house after working in the fields all day and neither one of us has the energy to cook.  It is nice to pull out a home made chicken pot pie or a wholesome soup from the freezer.
When I make my chicken pot pie, I normally will make enough for 2 pies; freeze one. 
And if I have enough chicken and vegetables, I chop up enough extra and put it into a soup pot.  So while the pot pie is cooking in the oven, I have a great chicken soup on the stove cooking at the same time basically using the same ingredients; and freeze the soup for later or save 1/2 of it to eat the next day and freeze the other half.

The turnout was great, not too many for everyone to have their hands in the pie, as they say.  One lady would be chopping carrots; another cutting up the chicken; someone stirring the soup; another rolling out the dough.  Candice, Editor of the Edible Shasta-Butte Magazine attended also to take some photos for the Spring/Summer edition of the magazine.  Our farm is being featured in it as a CSA membership farm.  It got pretty wild in the kitchen with cutting boards and flour flying; lots of laughter; people getting to know others in the class.  There is nothing like a cooking get together to bond new friendships. 

One of my good friends, Sarah had her birthday on the

night of the class.  I had baked a lemon/vanilla pound cake with lemon and lavender topping.  We sang the birthday song and cut the cake. Oh, and I forgot to mention the food I had prepared at the class.  I wanted the class members to be able to tell the difference between a store bought pie crust and a home made pie crust.  The day before the class, I made two chicken pot pies, using one of each crusts.  The night of the class, I heated the pies up and had them eat a piece of each pie. 

Then we started the class.  Of course, the store bought crust is a quick alternative to the home made for the working moms or busy moms.  But I demonstrated making home made dough using my food processor, while someone was opening up the store bought package crust and putting it into the pie pan.  I almost beat the time, just needed to roll it out in about the same time. 

The door prizes were:  2 people got to take home the two pies we made in the oven during the class; one cooked, store purchased chicken for someone to take home and use in their own chicken pot pie; a package of Pillsbury pie crust; a chicken broth concentrate package; and a hand knitted Kindle/Nook cozy.  Everyone was happy for the people that won the gifts.

Our next Windmill Farm class will be Bringing In Spring By Making Your Own Laundry Soap"; we will also be making a Gardener's hand scrub and a Scented Hand Wash; all using natural ingredients and scents.  Date will be March 20th 6-8:30pm.  Sign up early as the classes fill up fast and space is limited.

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