Chocolate Chip Cookies for my Heart

I haven't been much in the mood to write lately...actually not much in the mood for anything.  Alot has been happening, along with the regular stresses of life... and it has just about brought me to my knees.

I have worked with Greyhound rescue for many years and although not as active as in the past, I am and forever will be a lover of these beautiful dogs.  Many of them have not had the best life at the track as people would think...and many have been lucky enough to come off the tracks and go into  'forever' homes.  My home was one of these and we have been fortunate to be able to foster about 20 greyhounds in the past (not all at the same time!) and also been blessed to have had four of our own.  But, like all big dogs, they come with issues.  Osteo took the lives of two, along with a little rescue pitbull mix we had found.  All of this within the last three years.  The latest to 'cross the bridge' was my beautiful Gwennie, a petite little black greyhound only 7 years old.  I lost her only the day before last, March 16, 2011....again, to the monster named Osteosarcoma.

Now Gwennie, like many others, came to me with a story.  It was her mission to come to my home and fill a void for my solo greyhound at the time, Kari.  You see, Kari had lost her greyhound companion months before to an unknown and sudden death.  We were in shock over Barbie's death and Kari depended heavily on Barbie.  (Barbie and Kari were my two original greyhounds and the the reason i became interested in helping retired racing greyhounds.)   So...i needed an alpha type personality for Kari and also a dog that was not so young as Kari was going on 9 years old.

Barbie (brindle) and Kari, my first greys

I contacted my 'group', All Star Greyhounds in Lafayette, Indiana and told the president what i needed.  They had a dog haul coming soon from Daytona and she told me she would make a call to see if they could find a dog of my description for me (i should say that most greys coming off the track are younger...so this was a stretch to find one that would be older).  A week later, i got the call that a dog had been found, a spirited little black beauty whose kennel name was Gwendolyn and her racing name was 'Lips are Sealed'.

Apparently it took some doing to talk the trainer out of her.  She had not raced for 4 years but for some reason they had kept her...perhaps as a kennel pet?  It is my understanding that sometimes favorite ones are kept behind.  (Don't get me started on how they could treat a 'favorite one' like this by not allowing them to have a REAL home outside of a crate.)  Nevertheless, she was put on the truck at the last minute with the other 10 lucky ones that would be coming to Indiana.  Indeed, this was to be the start of her life after 6 years of being crated probably more that three-fourths of her life and many times with only one meal per day.

It wasn't easy for her when she got to Lafayette.  After her vet visit, it was determined that her tick titer had come back positive for a tick disease.  She was flea invested, had to be spayed, and needed 6 black, nasty teeth pulled.  The treatment for the tick disease is similar to Heartworm treatment and took several treatments over a 6 week period, i believe.  She needed time to heal before she came to me and that was fine...but at least she was coming!

Finally in June '09, she came to our house.  Such a happy day!  The group president  had fostered her personally while she was healing and told me that she was one of the best that she had ever had and that she was beginning to play with toys and stuffed animals...learning all the things that she never got to experience inside the kennel at the track.  Even treats are foreign to many of them!  Well, this little girl did a wonderful job bringing much happiness to the family...and especially to Kari and myself. 

Gwennie's last day before 'crossing'.

Skip to the present, it was only about 3 weeks ago she started having problems with her back leg.  If you have ever lost a dog to osteo, you know it is always in the back of your mind.  When  her leg got no better but only worse, i took her to the vet.  X-ray showed a growth on the bone, but not definitive of cancer.  I took her home with three types of meds, two of which were for pain.  One week later my gut told me it was osteo.  She was so much worse, in pain..crying into the night with me sleeping on the couch to be close to her.  Her time was too short with me but she had a good life here and got to know what it is like to truly be 'retired' and in a loving home.  She got to see her first snow this past winter and wore a bright red coat with a snuggly 'snood' that made her look like Little Red Riding Hood!  She got to experience going to the local hot dog and root beer stand.  She got to experience laying in the sun in the grass (not gravel).  Most of all, she got to experience the love and affection that she so deserved.  Oh, how i miss her as i type this!

Now to the cookies....  In my blogs, i have written about foods and recipes... bringing back  memories of past years, the focus of social events, sharing with friends and family, and for celebrations and comforts.  Well, in my case...these cookies were brought to me today from my sweet neighbors that live across the street.  They knew what these dogs meant to me and know how i am grieving now.  They were brought to me to comfort me.  They were brought to me FOR my heart and not necessarily for my stomach.  They could  taste like crap (which they don't!) or be the most delicious cookie ever but that really wouldn't  matter to me anyway...nothing tastes great right now.  What really matters is the thought and love that accompanied these chocolate chip cookies. All of the kind text messages, phone calls, and postings on my Facebook...support from people who understand that these pets we have, no matter what breed...they ARE truly family members.  I thank all who have been a positive support for me.  And thank you Sherri, Jared, and little Ruthie for bringing the cookies...you have no idea how much it means to me.  :-)

I will end this by saying that the only thing worse than losing a beloved greyhound is never having one at all.... not ever having the privilege to experience these beautiful animals.  If you are considering adopting a dog, do consider a retired racing greyhound...let them race into your heart forever!

Chicken Pot Pie...ANOTHER pie!

Finished Chicken Pot Pie....gone by the end of the evening!

Pies seem to be on my mind alot these days...well, more in my mouth i should say.  The spaghetti pie was such a success with several of my friends that read the blog, not to mention some facebook friends.  So i decided to blog about another favorite pie of mine : a wonderful chicken pot pie that i have been making for many years now (and by the way, is still a fave!).

My mom never made chicken pot pie.  Instead i remember her cramming a whole chicken in the crock pot and dumping a bag of frozen mixed vegetables in on top.  She worked many long hours each day as a factory line worker at one of our local GM plants. (That was back in the day when General Motors was the key employer for most folks in my town.  Now, GM is gone along with  much of our population in this dead, dried up town...ugh.!)  As you can imagine, my brothers and i didn't exactly love this so much and picking the bones out was kind of ...ummm...gross too.  But, i guess it's the closest i got to a chicken pot pie back then...or at least the filling part. And i should tell you that my mom was an awesome cook...but this one just lacked...most likely due to a time issue!

I think the first time i had a chicken pot pie (a REAL one) was at a restaurant when i was in college....and it was my new favorite thing and to this day, rules with my family as well.  When i was in my 20's, i came up with a recipe that seemed to fit the bill and the only thing i have changed within the last several years is to make the filling without flour so that my youngest daughter (who has a gluten intolerance) is able to eat some of the reserved filling over rice or even her gluten free pasta.  Trust me, the taste has not suffered one bit!

Now, i was reminded not too long ago about the first time that one of my dearest friends (since high school) ever had my pie.  She reminded me that I had made it when i was living in an old house that my then future husband and i were renting, along with another room-mate.  We were both attending Anderson University at the time.  Jenny, my high school friend, was attending Purdue University at the time and had come back to visit with me over the weekend.  We were, all of us, non-traditional college students...making another go of it.  I was trying to complete the first degree ....while Jenny was going for yet another degree (some of us are slower and less motivated than others!)  Anyway, lucky for us all....i was a great cook who could cook cheaply and in mass quantities!  College students rejoice!  This was the meal i made for us all on that weekend.

This recipe included all of my favorite veggies...and i like to do it with big chunks of potatoes, a big turnip (yes, a turnip!), carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions, peas, and corn.  The chicken should equally be in big chunks and lots of it.  And it's in the best 'chickeny' , creamy, bubbly sauce you have ever tasted.   So..the filling is wonderful...without an equally great crust, it is RUINED! 

Let's talk about the crust for a minute.  There is nothing like a real old time home made crust...made with Crisco or even better...good old lard, like back when our grandmothers made a  REALLY good crust.  Yes, i know...but we are talking flaky, light, and tasty.  But i will just say ONE thing here.  IF you can't make a good crust, DON'T put a crappy one on this pie or any other.  It will ruin the whole thing!  There's nothing wrong with not being able to make a crust...after all, just like the meringue on many pies, it takes lots of practice to be able to do it well.  So...to make things easy, go ahead and cheat with the Pillsbury pie crusts in your refrigerated section of the store.  Nope..not as good as grandma's but better than a cardboard crust. 

To prove my point, a friend of mine recently had a birthday and requested Grandma's Pie recipe of Lemon Meringue.  Now, I will at least give kudos to the spouse for  ATTEMPTING to make this recipe (she is not much of a cook except for reheating things that come in a bag...his words, not mine!).  But she made the mistake of trying to make a homemade crust and let's just say that when it came time to cut the pie, i was told that she had to actually pound on the knife to make it go through!  Was it flour or a bag of cement she used??  So..people...know your limits!  (Note:  If there is still pie left the next day and you have more than one person in your family....it could be sign that your pie wasn't the most successful creation and you should probably never make it again!)  

I can't harp too much on making mistakes.  After all, if you don't make the mistakes, how will you ever learn?  None of us are perfect cooks or ANYTHING.  I can definitely remember putting baking soda in some brownies instead of baking powder.  If you want brownies to come out like rocks, this is your recipe!

Back to my friend Jenny.... Lucky for her, she has a husband who is a wonderful cook.  Jenny, you know i love you..but we all know that cooking was never your thing.  (But a true engineer...she can fix anything that breaks inside or OUT of the house!)  This recipe, however, (using the store bought crust) is easy enough that even she has been able to manage and she told me recently that she has made it for her own family and even her parents...and that ALL love it.  So, try it...it's good and not so hard...and a real comfort food that everyone will love. 

To the girls at IU...let me know if you want this chicken pot pie to come visit y'all!  :-)
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                                      Kim's Very Best Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients for one deep dish pie  (I usually use a shallow bowl to put mine into instead of a regular pie dish):

• 2 lbs or more of breasts of chicken
• 1 small can of chicken broth (gluten free if need be)
• 1 1/2 cups each of chunked veggies - carrots, potatoes, turnips, celery (tops included), mushrooms...frozen peas and corn.
• About 2 cups of milk
• corn starch
• Bottom and top pie crust - either Grandma's or store bought
• Salt, pepper, onion powder, parsley to taste.



Preparing the filling

 Preparation:

Boil chicken in chicken broth and enough water to barely cover.  When fork tender, remove on plate to cool and reserve broth. 

Chunk veggies and cook in broth in same pan...hard veggies first...then celery, onions, mushrooms last.  When veggies are nearly cooked but not mushy (remember this goes in oven also for 30 minutes or so!) add frozen veggies and chicken chunks.  Add about a cup of milk to make as much liquid (sauce) as you want.  Make sure there is enough liquid or your pie sauce will be too thick and too dry.  Add about two heaping tablespoons of cornstarch to about a half cup of milk and stir well.  Then add this mixture to the pot pie filling.  It should thicken up as it cooks on med heat.  (if after about 5 minutes, it has not thickened up, add another TBSP of cornstarch.) Add frozen veggies at end, along with seasonings...taste to see how it is.  Allow to simmer for about 5-10 mins to blend all flavors and cook frozen veggies.

Add mixture to deep dish with bottom crust.  Don't get it too full but i do like to heap the veggies and meat.  Then put top crust on, making slits for steam escape.  Follow directions on a two crust pie...usually the oven is set at 375 for about 25 minutes or so.  Be sure to put the dish on a baking pan in case of over flow. 

Serve with a nice salad and rolls...perfect!!!  Enjoy!