{august's room}

toddler bed converted from crib built by my husband... he also painted the owl mural. birds of a feather mobile. "the three of us" fox family print. fox mask. bedding: dotty by ferm living. charlie harper ABC's. vintage embroidered ABC's by Steve's mom {she made is for his 1st birthday, and passed it onto me for august}. tea set by plan toys. owl dolls, bunnies and chicken made by me. knit owl dolls by blabla. sleepy fox plush fox.

{rustic chicken pot pie}

i've been making this lately with left over pie dough {this time from the quiche} that i keep in the fridge {store bought is fine too, and easy}. it's also a great way to use up leftover chicken from ina's roast chicken recipe that i love to make. i love how simple it is, and unfussy it is.

{recipe by me}

{ingredients}

1 pie crust

1 Tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, or 2 medium shallots, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2-3 carrots diced

2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

mushrooms to taste, quartered {optional, but i like the earthiness they add}

handful of fresh or dried thyme, roughly chopped

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken stock

salt and cracked pepper

1/3 cup heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2

splash of white wine {optional}

1 1/2 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or chopped

handful of shredded parmesan or sharp cheddar

preheat oven to 375

*if you are starting with chicken breast that you need to cook, start by cooking the chicken breast {season well with salt and pepper} in olive oil, in the sauce pan you will use for the filling. remove chicken to plate once cooked, add a splash of white wine or chicken stock to de- glaze the pan. now begin adding your onions and garlic. this will give your dish more depth of flavor. if you have cooked chicken breast on hand or leftover chicken {like i did from roast chicken} then go start with the recipe below.

heat oil and butter in a deep sauce pan, add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until translucent and fragrant. add carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms {optional}, along with thyme. cook over medium heat for a few minutes stirring to incorporate all ingredients. sprinkle vegetables with flour and cook for a couple more minutes stirring often. add chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat stirring to make sure it isn't sticking. add salt and cracked pepper to taste. add chicken, splash of white wine. cover and simmer for 20 minutes. heat cream and add to finish the filling. turn off the heat and taste to adjust seasonings.

roll out pie crust to just a bit bigger than your pie pan. lay crust in pie dish, with excess draped over the sides. add the filling and simply fold the crust back over the filling. don't over think it, it should look "rustic". sprinkle the top of the pot pie and crust with parmesan or sharp cheddar.

bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and browned, and the crust is golden and crispy.

let stand for 5-10 minutes, cut and serve. i often serve this straight from the pie dish, but you can also loosen the edges of the pot pie and slide it out onto a serving plate.

sprinkle with a bit more thyme, and serve.

*this is also wonderful as a vegetarian pot pie... just leave out the chicken and use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock.

xo,

alison rae

new years day {quiche and mimosas}

our new years day tradition is quiche and mimosas... i always do quiche lorraine, and a mushroom and gruyere quiche. this year i made julia child's quiche lorraine from the vintage mastering the art of french cooking book steve got me for christmas. i'm a little obsessed with her these days.

i had a little mishap in the kitchen {i overfilled the pie crust and it starting seeping out... like, quite literally out of the oven}... and august was having a tantrum, and i have a tiny apartment sized oven that i was trying to bake in, so i was worried they wouldn't get done on time. so, i gave them a pep talk, and said some really sweet things like, "you are the most beautiful quiche i have ever seen...etc" and they responded quite well and turned out beautifully. also, the mimosas helped.

quiche lorraine {adapted from julia child, mastering the art of french cooking}

6 to 8 slices bacon cut into pieces about an inch long}

one pie shell set on a baking sheet {i roll mine out right before i fill them, so that they are nice and chilled}

3 eggs, or 2 eggs and 2 yolks

1 1/2 -2 cups whipping cream or half cream and half milk

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of pepper

pinch of nutmeg

1 to 2 Tb butter cut into pea sized dots

preheat oven to 375

julia says to boil the bacon, but I opted to fry it in a cast iron skillet... i think it gives it more flavor {sorry julia}. beat the eggs, cream, and seasonings until blended. check seasonings and pour into pastry shell and dot with butter.

set in upper third of preheated oven and bake for 25- 30 minutes {mine was more like 45-1 hour because of my oven, or until quiche has puffed and browned.}

Mushroom Quiche

1 pie crust

2 Tb olive oil

2 medium shallots, thinly sliced

1 lb button mushrooms, quartered

course salt and freshly ground pepper

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 eggs, 1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 cup gruyere, grated

preheat oven to 375

heat oil and add shallots, and cook until translucent. add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. cook stirring frequently until mushrooms first release their liquid and then liquid evaporates and mushrooms are dark golden brown.

transfer pie crust to baking sheet {forgot this part... very helpful in case of overflowing quiche filling}.

sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust, sprinkle with mushrooms and the remaining cheese. whisk together milk, cream and eggs along with seasonings. pour over cheese and bake until just set in the center for 30- 35 minutes. cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes before slicing.

{around here}

love the color of these jelly beans. vintage glass ornaments. packing up christmas. red lipstick. our new vintage record player. necklace i made from an antique skeleton key. night stand. coffee table books {vintage copy of mastering the art of french cooking vol. 1, albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities , real simple magazine, stuck by oliver jeffers, around the year by elsa beskow, snowy day by ezra jack keats.} kitchen table with pears. tea {tumbler by kate fisher}. french press. we've been making lots of popcorn in the whirley pop. handmade bow tie pasta. fox mask. candles, vintage chandelier, swedish lantern... finding light where we can in the darkness of winter.

Happy New Year

photo via confetti system, found on sf girl by bay