Chicken pot pie

This is a bit of a stretch for me. This IS my own personal recipe. I have no real measurements, like many things I cook. But I've decided to share, knowing that most of you will not make this. :)

You need:
Chicken, cooked your method of choice. Today, I browned then slow cooked in broth.
a bag of mixed veggies
butter
flour
onion
half and half or heavy cream
salt
pie crust (two)
monterey jack cheese
garlic
Melt the butter over low heat. Yes..that is a STICK of butter. add the chopped onion, about one medium.
Cook for a few minutes, stirring then add the mixed veggies.

cook the onions and mixed vegetables over low until the onions are translucent. Add some garlic... you can never have too much. Think of Emeril.

Cook stirring constantly for about two minutes then add flour. A good rule of thumb is flour equal to the amount of butter.
Add about 6 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese and stir until it is melted, then add the cooked chopped chicken.

Cook for a few minutes, until the flour loses that 'raw' smell. It shouldn't smell like playdough.
Stir in half and half, start with about half a cup and keep adding as the mixture thickens. You want it to be thick but not gloppy.

Pour into a pie crust, top with another, and bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Spaghetti almost like homemade

I'm going to confess a cheat. While I DO make homemade spaghetti sauce, it IS an all day event. I've found a rather glorious way to fake it.
Brown meat of your choice; I use half ground beef and half Italian sausage. sometimes I add chopped onion to this mix as it is browning, sometimes I don't. Drain off most of the fat if you didn't use a lean meat (Tip: meat that cooks with some fat actually TASTES better, even after you drain the fat away.) I use two jars of Prego Spaghetti Sauce (Roasted Garlic and Herb). Just pour it in. To this, add about a cup of nice red wine (Always use a wine that you would drink, if you wouldn't drink it; don't cook with it.) Set the temp to medium low and let it cook for as long as you can, this will thicken the sauce and intensify the flavors. Taste your sauce! If it needs a 'little something' add a tablespoon or two of sugar. (Yes I said the 's' word) If it STILL needs a little something try a hint of nutmeg...trust me.

I like to make an Alfredo sauce when I cook spaghetti. I prefer it and so do the girls. Another option though is to top the red sauce WITH the Alfredo! If you want to go one step further... saute fresh mushrooms and top the double sauced spaghetti with a spoonful or two of them!!