Deconstructed Mexican Potpies and Mother Nature 's tease...

SO, sleds are put away; Snowboard and skis collecting dust.  This is the awkward time of year…  an “in-between”.  Usually means tons of rain (after all we are on the WET coast), muddy days and crisp evenings.  Mother Nature just looooves to tease us intermittently with tastes of the Summer month’s ahead…. The days when you wake up, sun is shining through your windows, house starts to heat up, so you open all of the house's windows to air out…and head outside.  Coming in late, only to find the inside of your house is FREEZING, the shade engulfs the house as the sun sets… bringing the cool crisp air that is like a slap in the face..saying HA HA fooled ya….   SO, you race around, close all the windows….flick on the fire place and sit down to a warming quick and easy meal – Deconstructed Mexican Pot Pies. 

OK, so that last part is what we did on a cool “spring” night.. BUT I’m telling ya, they did the trick.  They had the “kick” spice lovers love…. And with the stew like consistency, they felt like they clung to your insides and warmed you right up.  Quick – Easy, and yummy.  My kind of Dinner!   (though please excuse my puff pastry, as .. umm.. well… It didn’t really “puff”, pretty sure I left it to thaw in the fridge too long, that being said… it was still yummy,  actually more like just the “top” of the traditional crusted pot-pie.. so it worked.

It all started out as a beautiful sunny day…  and even “warm”, the sun’s ray almost “hot” through my hoodie… SO, of course, we had to take a walk.  One of the things I love about our province is that you just never know what you’ll see in your own “backyard”. 



Turtle Turtle



I love seeing the flower buds starting to emerge from the hard ground; it’s hard to imagine that something so delicate can grow in what appears to be a harsh environment.

Everything is slowly starting to show new life, new growth.

**sigh** soon everything should be green AND in full bloom, AANNDD it’ll stay warm all night… HOT at times even.  Until then, when the crisp air takes over for the evening, go on inside,  warm up with a hearty serving of Deconstructed Mexican Pot Pie.. mmmmmm

Deconstructed Mexican Pot Pie

• 1 sheet  frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup each of chopped red, green, orange peppers
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped ( 4-5 rings of pickled jalapenos)
• 1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2- 3 Chicken boneless/skinless chicken breasts chopped
• hot sauce, to taste
• salt/pepper to taste

- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees . On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry.  Using a sharp knife, cut squares / circles that will fit over the bowls you are using to serve; repeat 3 times to get 4 pastry rounds.

- Arrange the pastry rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Bake until deep golden, 15 minutes.

- Meanwhile, in a large frying pan (I used a wok), heat the oil over medium-high heat; add in chopped chicken, cook until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Season with taco seasoning, salt to taste.

- Stir in the onion, bell peppers, garlic and jalapenos. Stir occasionally until softened, 5 to 6 minutes.

- Stir in the flour for 1 minute, then stir in the chicken stock until thickened.

- Lower the heat and season with hot sauce to taste.

   - Spoon the chicken filling into the bowls or mugs and top with the pastry rounds.