Simple Beef Potpie

You're going to love this! Why? Two words -

COMFORT FOOD.

Wait, make it three words -

EASY Comfort Food.

Being so far away from home we have a continuous craving for good comfort food. The kind that makes you want to cuddle up under a blanket with something warm to drink and pretend it isn't 80 degrees outside! At least that's how we like it.

So when we think comfort food a good, saucy beef potpie is what comes to mind.

I spent the longest time scanning Pinterest for a good Beef Potpie Recipe without much success. Everything I found was...well...too much work! I was looking for something that wouldn't take 3 hours to prep and cook. So since I couldn't find it, I created it!

I also worked out a Gluten Free version - see the note at the bottom for more info (:

Simple Beef Potpie

Ingredients
• 1 pound tender beef cubed (beef tips can also work)
• 1 large onion chopped
• Your favorite biscuit recipe or Bisquick (I used Down Home Recipe's biscuit recipe)
•  3 cups beef broth (prepackaged Beef Gravy** is another option - my husband prefers it over the broth)
• 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
• 3 Tbsp flour**
• 4 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• salt
• pepper

Preheat your oven to 425F. Spray an 8x11.5/2QT casserole dish with non-stick spray and set aside.

Cut your beef into bite sized cubes and then add to a 2QT sauce pan with your chopped onion. Add just enough water to cover the beef and simmer over medium low heat.

While the beef is simmering make your biscuit dough. Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick for your bottom layer. Put your rolled out dough into the prepared casserole dish, covering the bottom and all the sides. Make sure to press it into the corners. Bake it in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden.

Strain the beef and onions and set them aside. If you want you can save the beef water, its a good natural beef broth to start with. The beef water will only have a light beef flavor, if you save it and add it to your beef broth or gravy make sure to taste test for your preferred beefiness! Pour your beef broth/ gravy mix into the sauce pan and place over medium heat. If you use a gravy mix you will still need to add some broth to it. Most gravy packages make 1 cup, and you want 3 cups.

Stir in garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Once your broth starts to simmer add the flour and bring to a boil. (**if you use a gravy mix for one cup, you should only need 2 Tbsp of flour) Whisk continuously and scrape the bottom of the pan. Once your broth starts to thicken return the beef and onions to it and then add the mixed vegetables.

Continue to boil the mixture for 10 minutes, making sure to stir it often and scrape the bottom of the pan. Your gravy will continue to reduce and thicken.

Pour your filling into the pre-baked crust. Roll the remaining biscuit dough into an 8x11.5 inch rectangle. Feel free to make the top layer as thick or thin as you would like it depending on how fluffy you want the crust. Cut a couple slits in the dough before transferring it to the casserole dish. Cover the hot filling with your crust and pinch the edges to the side of the dish.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let your potpie sit 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Stephanie's Notes: My husband prefers the beef gravy to be added in for a stronger beef flavor. If you are GLUTEN FREE make sure to check the instant gravy package, as most contain flour. This is easily made into a gluten free meal by using a gluten free pie crust and cornstarch in your broth instead of flour. Don't forget it only takes half the amount of cornstarch to thicken gravy, so you would only need 1 and 1/2 Tbsp of cornstarch rather than 3 Tbsp of flour.

Settling In

Okay so I have come to realize that I am a slacker with blogging. I plan to use this blog for all my baking and artsy adventures but I figured it would be a good place to update everyone as well. I have been working on this post for the last month! So keep in mind while you read it that I wrote most of it a couple weeks after we arrived. We have officially been here for two months now! Time has flown by!

Well we made it to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, moved into our apartment, made some new friends, explored a little and enjoyed a lot of food! I know how many people want updated on what is going on with us  - and with everything going on and all the people wanting to know, we agreed that having a blog would be the easiest option (and give me something fun/creative to do with all my pictures and cooking!).

Our Apartments

We began our travels at 4:30am on Wednesday, August 28th and ended them here in Saint Vincent when we arrived at our apartment complex at 2:00am Thursday morning. It is safe to assume that we spent most of our first day on the island resting and unpacking!
We are very happy with our apartment complex! Our neighbors are wonderful and to top it off we have a pool! What more could a girl ask for?

The school is pretty reliable in terms of transportation, which we are so thankful for! The public transportation consists of privately owned vans that drive you to and from random locations for $1.50 EC (approx .58 US). They are safe, unless of course you count the way they drive - but more often than not they are incredibly full of people, therefore not the most convenient for transporting groceries! The last time we took one to go grocery shopping someone was practically sitting on my lap, where I was holding eggs and tomatoes! Now we try to rely on the school trips to the grocery store or private taxis. The school takes us every Saturday and Sunday either to Kingstown, the capital and main port city of the Grenadines, or just to the grocery stores.

Kingstown is an experience all on its own! It isn't a large city by any means, but it seems to always be packed full of people. Outside of a couple stores and our bank we try not to venture into the city too often. Our first Friday on the island the school took us on a trip to town. We split into groups of ten and got to eat at a local restaurant and then got a tour of the city and some of the more useful stores. Toward the center of the city is the market, an open street full of booths where Vincentians are selling fresh fruits and vegetables.There is supposedly a fish market too, but we haven't ventured that far yet.

Timothy is doing great with his studies! He is going to be an amazing doctor! I have been spending my time cooking breakfasts and dinners for some of the students that live around us. I started making pizzas on Thursday evenings and they are a big hit! I made 15 pizzas last Thursday night! If you saw our oven, you'd know that this is a big accomplishment haha (:

 

We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers! I'll keep posting (hopefully more often!) and we will see everyone in December!