Mmm..Mmm... Good

I had to devote an entire post to this subject because it was so, so good. (Yep, that good.) While in Sun Valley, we were taken to lunch while on a shopping tour. We went to a great little restaurant called 'Cristina's of Sun Valley'. The owner is an Italian woman named (you guessed it!) Cristina Ceccatelli Cook. She serves the most amazing food. Not your traditional Italian fare, but a more Mediterranean style food. We enjoyed an incredible meal, and were drooling over the amazing food in her cookbooks. We had determined that we would probably buy one, when to our great surprise, we won one in a drawing!! I am happy to report that I tried my first recipe from the book yesterday for Sunday dinner and it was a hit! It was for chicken pot pie. TO -- DIE -- FOR!!! We shared an extra one with a neighbor yesterday and he proclaimed it to be 'crazy good'. Then Brad called me from work to say that he had a hard time making it out of the lunchroom at work today because everyone was asking him about where he got such a luscious creation. I'm telling you, you have to try this recipe.

Cristina's Chicken Pot Pie

Pot Pie Tops:
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry
1 egg yolk
3 Tbsp. cream or milk
parchment paper

Line a 13"x18" baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place puff pastry on sheet and thaw. Cut into six equal squares, then brush each square with egg wash (the egg yolk mixed with the cream of milk). Cut a 1/2 inch thin strip from each square to use as decoration. Refrigerate flat on baking sheet, wrapped in plastic.

Pot Pie Filling:
1/2 pound butter (I know, I know, but wow it's yummy!!!)
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 bunch celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon flour (or cornstarch)
1/2 cup white wine (I just used chicken stock instead)
3 to 3 1/2 cups milk
6 to 7 small red potatoes, peeled, cooked, and cubed
1 1/2 lbs cooked shredded chicken meat (any kind)
1 cup peas
salt and pepper to taste
6 four inch crocks (I actually had enough for 8-9 crocks)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium-size pot, melt the butter, then add onion, mushrooms, celery, carrots, parsley, and thyme, and saute gently until onions are golden. Sprinkle flour or cornstarch over the top and stir, cooking slowly, for about 5 minutes. Gradually stire in wine and milk, and simmer 5 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken, stirring gently, just long enough to let the sauce thicken slightly. Stir in the peas, and adjust thyme and salt and pepper to your taste.

Spoon hot mixture into the crocks, top with chilled pastry, and bake until golden and puffy -- 20 to 25 minutes.


A completely yummy use for all your fresh garden produce. Just a note, I looked everywhere for little crocks, but they were all between $5-$10 each, then I looked at Wal-mart, where I found some for only 86 cents!!! They aren't quite as decorative, but the filling/pastry is so gorgeous on it's own, you really don't need the fancy ones.

Sun Valley, Idaho

Brad and I had the opportunity to get away ALONE for a few days to Sun Valley! He had a conference for work and I was able to attend on the company's dime with him. We had a phenomenal time -- it is absolutely gorgeous up there.

Okay, so the picture above is not from the trip - I forgot to take my camera, but just imagine it sans snow and you've got it.

While Brad was in meetings I shopped, ate, slept, read, sat by the fire, watched tv, and just generally vegged out! In the evenings we attended dinners hosted by the conference -- one of which was at the River Run Lodge. Wow, it was stunningly beautiful there. I had a great time shopping in Sun Valley and Ketchum. Let me add that I mainly window shopped because -- WOW -- it is expensive up there!!! I saw a beautiful jacket from across the room at a store near the Sun Valley Lodge, thought I'd look at it a little closer, turned over the price tag and saw $1595.00, turned around and practically ran out of the store for fear I'd accidentally trip and rip the jacket off the hanger and have to buy it. Can I ask what in the world would cause a jacket to be worth $1600.00?? I mean, really, that is ridiculous.

I did find some fun little items that didn't set me back two mortgage payments, and was completely happy with my spoils. Mostly it was just wonderful to have some time alone with Brad.

I also got a big kick out of the swans that live on the ground of the Sun Valley Resort. They are beautiful and dangerous. Apparently they are very territorial and will not hesitate to chase and/or bite anyone who gets in their way. I found them to be rather sweet, but several of the conference attendees were petrified of them!! It was hilarious to watch people hug the sides of buildings or make large and obvious detours just to avoid any potential contact with the swans. I know I'm deranged, but it really cracked me up!

The kids stayed with our awesome friends, Amber and Mike Tribe (they lovingly refer to Amber as their 'other mother'). They have kids that are similar in age, so each of the kids has a built in playmate. They had a fantastic time, didn't ask about us once, and were heartily disappointed when we showed up to pick them up on Friday night!! It was wonderful knowing that they were having a terrific time as well. I think we all enjoyed the break.

Now I'm just attempting to reenter the realm of real life. My schedule is calling ...