Food Review #1 and a Recipe

I love the convenience of ready made chicken broth. I heard someone (Alton Brown from Good Eats?) say once that a bullion cube isn't much more than a salt lick. Yes, bullion cubes are often cheap and they're good for food storage since the shelf life is pretty darn long, but in everyday cooking sometimes it's nice to splurge and go for wholesome goodness (especially when you can get the product with a coupon* and it's not that much more anyway!) This new Progesso broth is available in original, low sodium and beef varieties. As you can see from the box it is 100% natural.

• 99% fat free, no preservatives, artificial flavors or MSG (except that which naturally occurs in autolyzed yeast extract)
• Chef-inspired broths are slow cooked to deliver rich flavor
• Convenient, resealable 32 oz. cartons

It's tasty too. In short it's something you can feel good about feeding your family. I loved it. Here's one of the recipes I used to try it out:

Mom's Deep Dish Chicken Pie

Pastry for 9" two-crust pie

2 or 3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup frozen peas

1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and cut into eighths

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon thyme

1/2 cup chicken broth (I used Progresso)

1/2 cup light cream or half and half

2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Roll about 2/3 of pastry and line a 9" pie pan. Roll remainder of pastry, cover lightly and set aside. Put carrots, peas and onions in a small microwave-proof dish. Add water, cover and microwave on full power for about 6 minutes. Set aside.  Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken broth and cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and vegetables. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Cover with vented top crust. Trim. seal and flute crust. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden.

This is one of my favorite comfort foods. It is so yummy! One thing that my mom told me you can do is brush a little beaten egg white on the bottom crust before you add the filling. This kind of seals the crust and prevents any sogginess. It's not necessary--just a matter of personal preference really, but I thought I'd share the tip.

*Feel free to contact me or leave a comment with your email address if you'd like to get a great coupon for this product.