Say what??

As a self-proclaimed "Chopped" champion (see last blog "Master of Disguise") I am a big fan of all the cooking shows. I constantly hear chefs using terms that I sometimes do a double take and yell..."say what????" You know the terms....hericot verts, compote, tapenade, bechamel, arugala, and so on....you get the picture. Now some of you may know what the previous terms meant but....it took some effort to learn them. Don't be intimidated by terms chefs use...bechamel sauce is basically roux (hope you know that one) with milk and nutmeg. A great sauce used in a lot of recipes. Hericot Verts....actually string beans are a very close cousin, arugala is an aromatic salad green (love the stuff). If you are cooking and see a recipe or hear one you like but there is a term you are not familiar with and are intimidated by.....look it up...it is easier than you think. One lady who knew none of these terms was my Grandmother...we all have eaten or seen a recipe that is just "lights out"...and I will bet Grandma is the answer for a lot of you....well, my Grandmother was the greatest cook I have ever seen....to make it even better..I'm not sure she ever used any measuring device in all of her delectable creations. Her best was her homemade chicken pot pie. Not sure if any two were ever the same but they were pretty damn close every time. That has been one of my lifetime challenges...to duplicate her Chicken Pot Pie....I will tell you how I tried this time....I will give you the short version cuz it is basically stew with a lid. First make your crust...flour, s&p, cheese, butter and shortening...mix ingredients together...add ice water...flatten it on parchment paper and chill for 2-3 hours.For the stew part,  I put in rotisserie chicken, apple sausage, onion, rosemary, celery, carrots, a bunch of mushrooms and cream....OK...saute chopped veggies in butter till tender....add flour to make roux (got that one yet?) when mixed...add heavy cream and chix broth...let simmer till it reduces...add some white wine for body....reduce again....when it gets to be the thickness of a pot pie, pour it into a casserole dish...flavor to taste (you don't have to measure  :-)  ) and preheat your oven to 400 ish....you are only going to cook the crust and this is a quick cook pastry. Work your crust so the edges will flop over the casserole dish...make it look pretty and bake about 1/2 hour.....voila ..homemade chicken pot pie.....no fancy words...just Grandma's Pot Pie....so come on all you Epicureans..cook without intimidation....  Next blog.....Hospital Food.....???