Must be Santa and a Chicken Pot Pie

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE Christmas! I always have. I would beg my Dad to get the decorations out as early as possible and spend all day placing the little trinkets, and wreaths, and angels, and nutcrackers around the house. Growing up we had a hodge podge of old decorations from before I was born like a ceramic white tree with blue plastic pieces that you stuck in the branches and then it lit up,  handmade ornaments, paper angels with ripped wings, smooshed wreaths that needed sprucing up every year, and I didn't care how new or old it was, the more decorations the better. I would personally thumb tack lights around my sister and I's windows and climb on chairs to hang plastic mistletoe. I was only satisfied when the house was covered in a Christmas explosion. Every year my poor Dad would spend hours outside wrapping lights around bushes and climbing the ladder to hammer lights across our roof just for my sister and I to delight in. Finally we would journey out to a shopping center Christmas tree lot and pick the perfect tree. My parents were all for a nice big tree but our downstairs ceiling was only so tall and the goal was to get one so the angel almost touched the ceiling....or at least that was my goal. So we would pick our tree, put it in the pick up truck and head home. Once home my Dad would eye up the tree and the ceiling situation, then trim some more, eye up again, and trim some more. Then he and my Mom would try and get the tree in the stand while they bickered about how someone wasn't holding it straight. Once the tree was finally placed we could add all the ornaments. Of course the good ornaments get front and center placement while the older, uglier ornaments go in the back...of course.

I loved these traditions. It was always such a magical time of year. We would bake cookies with Mom in the kitchen and wear aprons that were too big for us and make a huge mess. I would lay in bed every night and pray to Santa and Jesus to bring me all the gifts I wanted. Then that amazing day came....Christmas Eve!!!
We would eat cookies and my Mom would go pick up wings and a party sub and we would munch all day on sweets and snacks, watching movies, and listening to Christmas music. My sister and I loved "sleigh ride" and would gallop around the house like we were horses over and over and over listening on repeat and cracking imaginary whips.
One Christmas eve my sister and I were attempting to fall asleep in her room together but we just couldn't sleep. It was the same thing every year. We would stay up talking about what gifts we hoped to get and couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard we tried. We are laying there and begin to hear a sound coming from the air duct in the floor. It is a rustling sound and some low voices. All at once we both sprung up out of bed and ran over to the vent and put our heads on the floor listening. It was paper, paper rustling and being cut. Who was down there? Was is Santa? Was he bringing our gifts already?
We listened some more and heard the voices again. Very familiar voices. It was Mom and Dad! What the heck were they doing down there?! Don't they know Santa could be here any minute!
So I yell down the vent; "HEY! MOM AND DAD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
silence. then "uh we are just watching TV"
"BUT I HEAR PAPER AND CUTTING?!"
"oh we are just helping get things ready for santa. he can't wrap everything all by himself."
"REALLY?!"
"yes - go to sleep!"
"CAN WE COME DOWN?"
"no go to sleep"
"OK"

I think the conversation through the vent went on a bit longer than that because I was one stubborn kid...but at some point my sister and I looked at each other a little confused and crawled back in bed.
I think that was the beginning of realizing that Santa might not be real. Either way we tried to accept that Mom and Dad were just doing a little prep work, closed our eyes, and waited for morning and all those wonderful presents Santa (or my parents) was bringing.

So I made this recipe several days ago and wanted to share. I have been in the mood for comfort food with the snow we have already gotten and it being the holiday season and all. So I found this awesome recipe for chicken pot pie casserole. I added a half cup of diced carrots and a half cup of diced celery too. I highly suggest doing that, but here is it.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie Casserole Recipe

By Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

• 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1-1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large chicken breast halves)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried sage, divided use
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, divided use
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, unthawed
• 1/2 cup finely-chopped sweet onion
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups homemade biscuit baking mix, (or Bisquick®)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup strong chicken broth
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 cup fine-shredded Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Pour melted butter into a 9- by 13-inch glass casserole dish and swirl to evenly coat the bottom.

Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch chunks. Spread evenly over the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the sage, 1 teaspoon of the thyme, then the pepper. Top with the frozen mixed vegetables, onions, and roasted red peppers.

Whisk together baking mix, onion powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon the sage and 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Using a large dinner fork, stir in milk just until combined. Slowly pour over the chicken and vegetable mix.

Whisk together chicken broth and condensed chicken soup until combined. Again, slowly pour evenly over the baking mixture. Finally, top with the Cheddar cheese.

Bake the casserole for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings