An Easy Comfort Food Recipe

Back before I was couponing and meal planning and all of that, I was struggling to get into a routine of cooking meals each week. When Scott and I first got married we lived in a tiny apartment that contained a miniature kitchen. Really, it was miniature. So if I cooked a big meal (in my mini size oven) I often had to wash big dishes in the bath tub, which was disgusting to me, so we ate out a lot. Plus we had no central heat and air, so in the summer if we cooked anything, our entire apartment quickly felt like the inside of an oven. Again, we ate out a lot. This was during our two income life.

After we found out that Ada was on the way, we moved to a bigger apartment in Vinings, with a real sized kitchen that had a normal sized sink, and even, a dishwasher!!! Not to mention that we were trying to save every penny of my income that we could to prepare for Ada's arrival. So...I went on a quest to learn how to menu plan and to stop eating out. To get started, I joined a service called e-mealz. When using e-mealz, I was given a menu each week with a grocery list and a price break down. It didn't save me as much money as I hoped for, but it did establish a habit of menu planning and grocery shopping for the entire week, and I am so thankful for that habit now!! And it built my spice cabinet substantially. Plus, in the process, I found several recipes that are sure to be favorites for the rest of our lives.

One such recipe is Tender Beef Pot Pie. To me, this recipe is the ultimate comfort food. And with the weather turning cooler--the high in the 50s tomorrow!!--I am contemplating adding it to the menu next week. Here it is, super easy, super good.

1 lb stew meat--slow cooked
18 oz jar prepared beef gravy
1 t minced garlic
1/4 t dried basil
29 oz can mixed vegetables (or I am sure you could use frozen)
2 refrigerated pie crusts (or make your own, of course)

Mix meat, gravy, garlic, and basil in a baking dish. Cover and cook @ 200 for 6-8 hours.
Fold in veggies.
Line one pie plate with one pie crust
Pour mixture into pie crust
Top with other crust
Pinch crusts together
Cut vents and cover edges of crust with foil
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes

So easy. So good. So warm and comforting.

For more meat and potato type recipes, check out Life As Mom (one of my favorite blogs).