Barefoot Bloggers: Vegetable Pot Pie

Recipe chosen by: Deb of Kahakai Kitchen
Link to Recipe: Vegetable Pot Pie

Wooo, this is some rich pot pie. Awesome and tasty and filling, but rich.

I wasn't sure about the fennel bulb, and I've never used saffron threads. But I decided to trust Ina, and do the recipe with no (okay, a few small) modifications.

I opted for ready made pie crust on one big pie (my very deep dish cassarole dish, actually). I also skipped the asparagus tips. I went trolling the produce aisle for a replacement, but green beans just didn't look like a good replacement.

I also roasted the veggies instead of boiling. Almost forgot that...



The sauce was rich and complex, and I loved the butternut squash and the fennel bulb.

As good as it was though, I'm not sure I'll make this again. It seemed like it took forever. Although since I roasted the veggies, it probably wasn't as long as it seemed. (I just had a problem finding a couple of hours to make dinner. Working late, etc left me making this half-way one night and finishing it the next.)

I might pull this one out for a homey and yet fancy dinner for guests. Add some chicken and the asparagus tips, and bake in the individual bowls - that would be pretty nice. (But I think I'd really, really have to like the guests.)

So, one more recipe where Ina hit it out of the park. A big thanks to Deb for picking a great recipe! Don't forget to check out the rest of the Barefoot Bloggers to see how they liked it.

TWD: Pumpkin Muffins

Recipe chosen by: Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp
Link to TWD Group: Tuesdays With Dorie

I thought they were a little plain, but all the rest of the folks loved them.

For the recipe, visit Kelly - but I made a few mods. I thought mini muffins would be cute and would go over well at the office. The recipe made almost four dozen minis (12 minute baking time).

I ran out of all purpose flour (who forgets to check the flour?) so I ended up using a cup of wheat flour. I forgot the sunflower seeds on the second batch, but I'm not sure they added much to the mini muffins. And, I couldn't find the allspice in the spice cabinet (sheesh, it was just one of those days).

After I taste tested a few, it seemed like they needed a little pizzaz so I whipped up a maple syrup glaze to drizzle on the top. Hubs and the taste testers thought the glaze gave them the kick they needed.

All in all, this is a keeper. I'll have to try them normal size with all the right flour and spices to see how they turn out.