Old Fashioned Beef Pot Pie

In winter, there is nothing quite like a hearty pot pie. There are many ways to make pot pies, including using pastry crust as a double crust pie or just a top crust. This recipe uses cooked noodles as the base with beef and gravy filling and a biscuit topping. It is a delicious pot pie.

I made this pot pie with leftover beef from a pot roast. I also used leftover gravy from the pot roast to make this pie. Other meats, such as chicken, lamb, or pork, could be substituted in this recipe to use up leftovers. Otherwise, just cook the meat before making the pot pie. When I made this recipe, I did not have biscuit mix on hand, so I created my biscuit mix using one cup flour, one and a half teaspoon baking powder, a dash of salt, and a tablespoon olive oil.

Old Fashioned Beef Pot Pie 

• 1 cup beef gravy, medium thick
• 1 cup peas, cooked
• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1/4 cup minced onions
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1 pound cooked roast beef
• 4 ounces egg noodles, cooked and drained
• 1 cup biscuit mix
• 6 Tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. oregano

Preheat the oven to 425. Combine gravy, cooked peas, catsup, onion, salt, and pepper. In a buttered casserole dish, layer noodles, beef cubes, and gravy mixture, respectively. Combine biscuit mix, milk, and oregano. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto top of casserole. Bake until biscuits brown, about 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Babka

A lesser Babka, I think not! The Cinnamon Babka features prominently in "The Dinner Party" episode of Seinfeld, which also features George's overstuffed Gore-Tex coat that is the picture of a scary cold winter day. When Jerry and Elaine find out that there is no more Chocolate Babka at the bakery, they get a Cinnamon Babka instead. Chocolate Babka gets all the attention. But this Cinnamon Babka is an excellent alternative.

Babka takes some effort to make. It is a sweet yeast bread that requires a double rise and needs to be rolled out to get the cinnamon swirl. The result is a rich, sweet bread with cinnamon in every bite. While this babka takes more time to make, it is an excellent babka and worth the time.

Cinnamon Babka 

• 1/2 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
• 1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup + pinch sugar
• 1 whole egg + 1 yolk (save egg white for egg wash)
• 2 cups flour + more for work surface
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 10 Tbsps. butter, divided
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• Streusel topping (1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 2 Tbsp. butter)

Pour warm milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast and pinch of sugar over milk; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 1 egg yolk. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add egg mixture and mix until flour is incorporated. Add 6 tablespoons softened butter and mix until flour and butter are completely incorporated and a soft dough is formed. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to double in bulk (about one hour).

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Blend in 4 tablespoons softened butter until well combined. Punch down dough and transfer to floured surface. Let rest for five minutes. Roll out dough into a 16-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Brush edges with egg wash. Crumble most of the cinnamon filling evenly over dough, leave 1/4 inch border. Roll dough up tightly like a jelly roll. Pinch ends together to seal. Twist 5 or 6 times. Brush top of roll with egg wash. Crumble remaining cinnamon mixture on the left half. Fold right half of the roll over the left half. Fold ends under and pinch to seal. Twist roll two turns and fit into greased loaf pan. Brush top of loaf with egg wash. Crumble streusel topping over top. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 and bake until deep golden brown, about 5-15 minutes. Allow to cool in pan. Enjoy!

Lemon Wafers

I made these cookies for Meg's birthday party. The party was a fun time, with the highlight being a Choo Choo Cake in lovely shades of purple. These cookies are deliciously lemony and add brightness to a winter's day. I especially like the use of lemon peel to flavor the cookies. 

When I made these cookies, I used a little more lemon juice and a little less water than what the recipe calls for in order to make the cookies lemon flavor stronger. These easy cookies are a great option for any occasion or no special reason at all.

Lemon Wafers  

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water

Mix and sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter; add sugar gradually and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Blend in egg, lemon peel, and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients alternately with lemon juice and water; blend until smooth after each addition. Dough will be very soft. Drop by teaspoon about 2 inches apart on greased sheets. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes of until edges are light brown. Enjoy!