Ham Pot Pie

I was talking to a friend on the phone yesterday and we ended up discussing what we were making for dinner. I told her that I was making ham pot pie. "What?" she asked, thinking that she had probably heard me wrong. So I repeated, "Ham.Pot.Pie." To which my dear friend replied, "Oh, that SO does NOT sound good." We'll see, I thought. I found this recipe on Kim's blog, Stirring the Pot and I knew from the pictures and the description of Ina Garten's biscuit topping that this had to be good. Like Kim, I had some ham that needed to be used up, so this recipe came along at the perfect time. Ham Pot Pie was a delicious way to use up leftover ham. Heck, I'd even purchase ham just to make this. Why wait for leftovers? Kim was right, Ina's biscuit topping was the way to go. She described the biscuits and this dish perfectly in her post:"The biscuits really made this dish. The tops of the biscuits had the lightest crispness and the inside of the biscuit was fluffy and wonderful. I loved the little specks of parsley flakes going throughout the biscuits. The creamy filling had bubbled up over top the biscuits and was so comforting."

Doesn't that just make you wanna whip up a pot pie for dinner? If so, here's how it all went together. First, I chopped a cup each of potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion.



Saute onion, celery, carrots and potatoes in butter for 10 minutes. Then, add flour to sauteed mixture, stirring well. Cook one minute stirring constantly. Combine chicken broth and half and half. Gradually stir the liquid into the vegetable mixture. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.



Add ham and stir well. As I was executing this step I looked to my right and noticed the carton of half and half. I'd forgotten to add it to the broth. Oops.



So I stirred in the half and half and let the mixture cook for a couple more minutes.



Pour into shallow 2 quart casserole dish and top with biscuits.



To make the biscuits combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add diced butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.



Then pour in 3/4 cup of half and half...or in this case, milk. I used my last bit of half and half for the ham filling. Combine the milk on low speed.



Mix in some parsley too.



You're supposed to dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8-inch thick. Then cut out twelve circles with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter. Instead, I took Kim's suggestion and formed the biscuits in my hand and laid them on top of the pie. I brushed the tops with an egg wash and popped the whole thing into a 375 degree over for 30 minutes.



Tah-dah! It comes out looking all puffy and bubbly and golden brown and delicious! The only thing that I'd change is next time I'll make it in a bigger casserole dish. The filling bubbled over the edges of my 2 quart casserole dish and would have been a big mess if I hadn't heard the drips hitting the bottom of my oven and sizzling. I shoved a cookie sheet underneath the casserole to catch the overflow, but next time I'll save myself the trouble and just make it in a 13 X 9.



Mmm. Comfort food. Those biscuits really are SO good!



You can find the recipe for Ham Pot Pie right HERE at Stirring the Pot.

And now, for an award....



Not only has Kim given me this pot pie recipe, she also recently passed along this Sweet Friendship Award to me. Thank you Kim, for this award and for all of the yummy food and good ideas that you share with your readers!

Now I am supposed to post the award (see above), mention ten things that make me happy and pass this on to ten people who brighten my day.

Here goes with my happy things...it was hard to narrow it down to 10. I can't complain about that!

1. My daughters. Even on those days that they're drivin' me crazy, they still make me smile or laugh at least a hundred times a day. In fact, right now, they're in the next room playing some kind of make-believe game that requires them to answer the phone. My five year old keeps saying, "Hello! City halls. What's your emergency?" City halls? That's "halls", the plural pronunciation. Maybe she reasons that there has to be more than one hallway in that building. Who knows...but everytime she "answers" with her authoritative little greeting I crack up.

2. Hangin' out with my husband. I chose well. : )

3. A clean house. Consequently, a messy house makes me the opposite of happy. I can be a real grouch when the house looks like a tornado hit the inside.

4. Hiking, camping, and just about any time spent in "the great outdoors". I love to sit by a campfire.

5. Food. Obviously. Cooking it. Eating it. Reading and writing about it. Top 5 foods that make me happy: Dark chocolate, a good cut of perfectly cooked steak, seafood/sushi, Thai food, and Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake. Honorable mention goes to the McDonald's cheeseburger. Just keepin' it real...

6. A good book, and the time to actually sit down and read it.

7. Catching up with my sisters and girlfriends. Gotta have my girl time!

8. Vacations. I don't care where. It actually makes me happy to plan em' too. I get a strange satisfaction from planning all the little details.

9. A massage...in a spa. Love those!

10. Singing. I don't really have a good voice, but I've got a whole lotta soul. Some days I love nothing better than driving with the wind in my hair, radio up, and belting out my favorite tunes. These days my daughters join in too... and that makes me extra happy.


I'd like to pass this award along to:

1. Teresa @ A Blog About Food
2. Julie @ The Sporadic Cook
3. Dave @ My Year on the Grill
4. Stephanie @ The Creative Side of Me
5. Heidi @ Tried and True Cooking with Heidi
6. Kim @ The Ungourmet
7. Elizabeth @ Elizabeth's Edible
8. Chicago Mom @ What's for Dinner
9. Ty's Mommy @ The Seventh Level of Boredom
10. Rachel @ Rachel vs. "The Kitchen"