Chicken Pot Pie or "Pea Pie"

I have never had a pot pie like this. It's a recipe from Heather's family, and absolutely delicious. This is real, down home, comforting country cookin'. It may sound a little weird at first, but it is one of my favorite things that Heather makes.

1/2 pound ground pork sausage
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1-3/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1 10 ounce bag frozen peas
1 package refrigerated pie pastry (one crust)

Brown sausage in a large skillet. When cooked, remove sausage from skillet with slotted spoon and set aside, reserving drippings in skillet. Add butter to drippings. When butter is melted, add flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until flour is slightly browned. Add chicken broth and milk and stir until mixture is thick and creamy. Add cooked sausage, chicken and peas to sauce and stir gently. Spoon mixture into 2-1/2 or 3 quart casserole dish, and top with pie pastry. Flute edges as desired and cut a few small slits in crust for steam to escape. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

This year for Easter, Heather and I wanted to make a different, really decadent dessert. So, we pulled out our Taste of Home Baking book, and saw the cheesecake tab. Both of us looked at each other and smiled, and flipped the tab, and this cheesecake was staring us in the face. We KNEW we had to make it. So we did. It was AWESOME. We hope you like it as much as we do!!

CRUST:
1-3/4 cups crushed chocolate chip cookies or chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

FILLING:
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

COOKIE DOUGH:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1. In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and one inch up the sides of a greased 9 inch springform pan; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat just until blended. Pour over crust; set aside.

3. In another large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add water and vanilla. Gradually add the flour. Stir in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls over filling, gently pushing dough down below surface (dough should be completely covered by filling). Place pan on a baking sheet.

4. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until center of cheesecake is almost set. Cool pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate cheesecake overnight. Remove sides of springform pan. Sprinkle with remaining mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate leftovers.


Source: Taste of Home Baking Book