Rainy Day Dinner

It's 40 degrees and rainy out, so I decided to make dinner with what I can scrounge up from the fridge and pantry, fun! I wanted to make a chicken pot pie, but I didn't have half-and-half or cream of potato soup, or pie crust. I do have cream of celery soup, skim milk, and chicken broth however, so we'll make it work. I almost always have random veggies that will go bad if I don't use them, or partial bags of frozen veggies in the fridge. It's all perfect for this; also perfect for fried rice, lo mein, and sheppard's pie. So here's what I put together (I encourage you to use what you've got, not everyone has broccoli stalks in their freezer...)

Chicken and Biscuits

1 medium russet potatoes (did I mention I got a 10lbs bag for $1.50? potatoes go in everything I make right now)

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 broccoli stalk, chopped (I save these in the freezer to maybe make broccoli soup one day)

1/4 cup mushrooms (would not normally have used these, but they need to be tossed if I don't use them today, so why not!)

2 chicken breasts, cubed

1 tsp emeril's essence (salt and pepper is fine)

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tsp dried bay leaves (or one whole bay leaf)

1 tsp dried parsley

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 can cream of celery soup

1/4 cup milk (skim is what we had in the house)

1 tbsp sour cream (you could use an oz of cream cream cheese here)

1 tsp pepper

1 can of biscuits

Wrap the potatoes in a paper towel and nuke them for 5 minutes. Peel and cube them. It's okay if they're a little under done. Place in a square pyrex dish along with the corn, broccoli, and mushrooms.

Bring a small skillet to med-high. Season the cubed chicken with 1 tsp of emeril's essence (salt and pepper is fine if that's what you've got). Once hot, add a little canola oil and then the chicken. Stir frequently for 4 minutes then add to the pyrex dish. Turn the heat down to med-low, add a touch more oil and then the onions and carrots. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the dried bay and parsley and cook for 1 more minute. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth, cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Stir in 1 can of cream of celery soup, 1/4 cup milk, 1 tbsp sour cream, and 1 tsp pepper. Mix the liquid into the soup completely. When I was done I felt like it needed one more splash of chicken broth because it was just a little thick for my liking - be willing to tweak things as you go along. Add this to the pyrex and mix it all together very well.

Bake covered for 20 minutes at 350. Raise temperature to 450. Once the oven beeps, uncover, add the biscuits and bake for 8-10 minutes more.

I'm kind of amazed, but it really was good!