Chicken Pot Pie

Spread of the ingredients used (the red pepper didn't end up in the pie)
Pictured above: Celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, basil, turkey gravy, pie shell.
Not pictured: Chicken, sunflower seeds, lactose-free milk, butter, nutritional yeast

Cooking the chicken mm.

Boiling sweet potatoes... you don't really want to bring them to a steady boil though.  Afterward, drain the water, add a bit of milk and butter and mashmashmash.

Basil before I massacred it.  (In hindsight I probably should have added a lot more)

Veggies and chicken (in gravy) cooking on the stove.  Garlic, basil, salt & pepper added.

In the premade spelt pie shell with nutritional yeast and sunflower seeds on top. 

Mashed sweet potatoes spread on top.

Right now it's baking in the oven.  It better hurry up because I'm so very hungry.

It was delicious and I'm ashamed to say I ate an entire 1/4 of it.

Butternut Squash Pie

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and that means plenty of traditional recipes that your family may have been making the same way generation after generation.  But why not try a new twist this year?  Instead of pumpkin, a butternut squash pie can be quite delicious and more mild in flavor for those that find pumpkin pie a bit sharp.

This calls for actual butternut squash which is easily found at grocery stores this time of year.  Please don't tell me you make your pumpkin pie out of a can! :(

Here's a butternut squash for those who have never eaten one.

The total prep time for this recipe is about 2 hours

Baking time is 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups cooked squash, mashed

1/2 cup sugar

1 TBSP flour

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

butter

and of course 1 9" pie shell!

To prepare your butternut squash, first start by cutting lengthwise (like the picture above) and then removing the seeds.  Baste the squash with butter and then cover the cut side with foil, placing it in a baking pan to bake in the oven at 375F for 1 hour.  When done it should be tender to the fork.  After removing from the oven, turn the squash to allow the juices to drain into the pan and then allow the squash to cool.  Peel the skin from the squash and then mash until you have the desired amount.

Using a double boiler, now heat the milk and your mashed squash.  Do not boil at any point!  In a separate bowl begin mixing your sugar, flour, and spices before beating in 2 eggs.  Once the mixture is well whisked, add it to the double boiler with your milk and squash.  Stir together and then pour it into the pie shell while still warm.  Begin baking the pie at 400F for 10 minutes, then reduce your heat to 350F for the remaining 15-20 for the pie to set.

Hope you enjoy!