Chicken Pot Pie and Homemade Chicken Stock

I love to cook and I love being in the kitchen.  That's not a big secret at all if you know me.  I'm always trying new recipes, tweaking old ones, and finding different ways to present the same old things.  Most things I make are made from scratch or from a few staples I can buy at the store (like creamed soups, pasta, etc)  Personally, I never buy foods like Hamburger Helper.  But remember--I'm not perfect.  My kids do love their Kraft Mac-N-Cheese and I buy canned soups, but I keep these for times when I just don't have the time or energy to make homemade.  I don't buy all organic or make everything from complete scratch; I honestly don't have the time, money or patience for all of that.  But I do try to make hearty meals that are as healthy and as natural as I can make them with my time and money limitations.  Don't get me wrong, there are nights that the kids have cereal and an apple for dinner, or we all scarf down 2 frozen Tombstones and a bag of chips.  But those days are thankfully few and far between, balanced out with good meals that I'll be sharing with you often.  I'll also be sharing some tips on great kitchen staples to keep on hand for just about any meal.

Right now, I'm in the middle of preparing a family favorite--Chicken Pot Pie.  I pulled boneless, skinless chicken breasts from the freezer this morning and set them to thaw in some cold water.  By noon, they were about halfway thawed so I put them in water to boil on the stove.  This is the same way I do it every time, but this time I decided to try my hand at making chicken stock as well.  So along with my chicken breasts, I also added oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic, onion and black pepper.  I simmered them for about an hour, then removed the chicken and added some diced potatoes and frozen mixed vegetables.  After about 10 minutes, I strained out the veggies and preserved the liquid, which is now cooling in my fridge, waiting for me to skim the fat and then freeze it in ice cube trays for easy use.  I've never done it before, but I hope it works and tastes good.  It sure smelled good.

Anyway, back to the Pot-Pie.  I guess it's not what you'd call a traditional pot-pie as I'll fill you in on a little secret--I don't like pie and it's 100% because of the crust.  Can't stand the stuff.  So when I say pot-pie, I really mean it's more like a chicken and veggie casserole with a bread-like topping.  What I do is cook a few chicken breasts (read above) and then shred or dice them.  I mix them with any veggies I have on hand or a bag of frozen mixed vegetables (cooked al dente), and then a can of cream of chicken soup (I usually use either the reduced fat or sodium variety) mixed with 1/2 cup chicken liquid.  I bake this for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, then top with either canned biscuits, 1 cup Bisquick + 1/2 cup milk + 1 egg, or some other similar mixture, and bake for another 15 minutes or until the breading on top is golden brown.  Sometimes I put it as one big pot-pie in a casserole dish, other times I divide them into individual pies.  This is a simple, decently healthy, and very yummy meal that everyone here loves