Aaaar! Halloween is coming soon.

How about making these cute, yet creepy, little Tentacle Pot Pies?

The pies are seriously fun and the Chicken Pot Pie recipe is one of the best I have tried. There is a splash of sherry in the filling which gives it a lovely flavor that is miles better than the frozen food aisle variety.

Tentacle Pot Pies

Ingredients:

Your favorite chicken pot pie recipe or the most excellent version below
Two (8 oz) tubes of Pillsbury Crescent Dough
Sliced olives

Directions:

1. Cut strips into crescent dough that are about 1.5 inches wide, then cut each of those strips diagonally.

2. Place each pot pie onto an oven proof plate. (The plate is used because if the dough simply hangs over the edges of the bowl, the tentacles will give way to gravity and fall off while cooking).

3. Position the tentacles by picking them up by the wide end and lowering the narrow end down to the the plate first, then up the edge of the bowl and over the lip of the bowl.

4. Place a circle of dough on top of the pot pie, covering the wide ends of the tentacles.

5. Place two sliced black olives on top as eyes.

6. Bake pot pies at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes until the dough is golden brown. Make sure your diners know that the plates will be hot.

Makes 6 (10 oz) servings

Note: I used 6 (6 oz) ramekins for the creatures and baked remaining pot pies in 3 (10 oz) bowls.

Recipe from Babble.com

Chicken Pot Pies

Ingredients for chicken and stock:

1 (3 1/2 pound) frying chicken
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 small onion, halved
2 teaspoons salt

Ingredients for pie crust:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
3 to 4 Tbs ice water

Ingredients for filling:

6 Tbs unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup dry sherry
3/4 cup green peas
2 Tbs minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for egg wash:

1 egg whisked with 1 Tbs water

Directions to cook chicken and stock:

1. Combine the chicken, carrot, celery, onion and salt in a large stock pot. Add enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.

2. Remove chicken from the pot and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

3. While chicken is cooling, continue to boil the remaining water and vegetables in the pot.

4. When the chicken is cool enough to touch, strip away as much of the meat as possible. Set aside.

5. Return chicken bones to the stockpot and continue to boil, on high heat, while preparing the pie crust dough and filling. Set aside 2 1/2 cups of the stock for this recipe. The remaining stock can be refrigerated and used for another recipe.

Directions for pie crust:

1. Combine flour and salt in a food processor. Add the chilled butter and pulse 5 times to combine.

2. Add the shortening and pulse a few more times, until the dough resembles a coarse cornmeal.

3. Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough sticks together when pressed between your fingers. Turn dough out onto work surface and use your hands to mold into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Sprinkle with a little flour, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days.

Directions for filling:

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.

2. Add onions, carrots, and celery, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the flour and cook, stirring, one minute longer.

4. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock, then whisk in the milk. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.

5. Add the chicken meat, thyme, sherry, peas, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Divide the warm filling among six 10-ounce ramekins.

Directions to assemble pot pies:

1. Prepare the crust. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a little less than a quarter-inch thick. Cut into 6 rounds, slightly larger than the circumference of the ramekins.

2. Place a dough round over the filling of each pot pie. Fold the excess dough under itself and use the tines of a fork to press the dough against the edge of the ramekins.

3. Cut a 1-inch vent into each individual pie. Use a pastry brush to apply an egg wash to dough.

4. Place the pies on a foil lined baking sheet.

5, Bake potpies at 400°F for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 (10 oz) servings

Recipe from SimplyRecipes.com

Halloween is Strange Beast time, but none comes even close to the beauty of this song.

I love the deep male singer’s voice layered over the lovely lightness of the female vocals.

Sad guitar and lonely lyrics, this is the kind of tune I live for.

Check out Lower Plenty on the Fire Records’ Website, where you can buy their music.

Cheers!