This simple recipe is filled with downhome goodness: Creamy chicken filling stuffed inside a flaky golden pastry. It is the epitome of comfort food. It is also one of my little sister, Ali’s, favorite family dishes.

Not for All the Tea Leaves in Our China Teapot

As previously mentioned in other blog posts this month, May is Ali’s birthday month. Therefore, we are discussing one of her most-preferred meals in today’s post: Chicken and Pastry Shells. Every time I make this dish, I think of Ali. We even served Chicken and Pastry shells in china teacups at her Alice in Wonderland-themed bridal shower. According to my mom’s note in the entry for this recipe in our family cookbook:

“This is one of Ali’s favorite meals!

Grandma always sautéed slivered almonds in butter and sprinkled them over the top for a more elegant meal.

When I was in high school, we would have a ‘friends’ Christmas party every year, and I was always assigned this dish.”

Recipe By Mom

To be honest, I kept put off writing this blog post. It seems like a fairly simple thing to do: Write about one of your favorite people’s favorite recipes, throw in some anecdotes, and voila! Food blog post, done!

You Just Inspired Me to Hire a DJ, So Thank You

When I am inspired to write about the historical research I’ve done on bourbon (albeit, minimal), or sharing what I read about the science of taste buds or food and wine pairings, it’s easy to write. However, when it comes to expressing how very much I love someone, and how much he/she means to me, I procrastinate.

He Says You Gave Him a Toothache

Ali is truly one of my favorite people in the world. When you grow up as closely as we did, you understand one another in a way that is unparalleled by others. We have even developed our own language: comprised mainly of random movie quotes and song lyrics. So when I write something about her, and for her, I want to get it right. I want to ensure that I do it justice. I want to express how much she means to me, at the risk of sounding too saccharine and sweet for the readers of this blog.

Need You, Feed You, Even Let You Hold the Remote Control

As latchkey kids, much of our childhood was spent hanging out, just the two of us. We watched and re-watched our favorite funny movies of the time: When Harry Met Sally, Multiplicity, Wayne’s World, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, The Wedding Singer, Clueless, Troop Beverly Hills, and too many more to list. We spent our afternoons after school together with reruns of SNL, Golden Girls, and new episodes of South Park each week. I remember making us an after-school “snack” (which was really more of a pre-dinner dinner) consisting of refrigerated tortellini, Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese, or frozen pizza. When we got older, we shared a love of true crime podcasts and ID, as well as our continual love for pasta and pizza.

Bikes!

However, we did not spend all of our childhoods sitting indoors, watching TV. We were that lucky generation of kids who felt safe enough to explore our neighborhood until the street lights came on. Sometimes we met up with friends who resided in our subdivision. But often, it was just Ali and I, riding bikes or rollerblading (yes, rollerblading) around our neighborhood, making our way up to the Waterford Market for some sweet treats and Clearly Canadian sparkling soda in those beautiful pale blue bottles. Back then, it felt like we had all the time in the world. We were carefree and young, with the the freedom to do whatever we wanted, until the sun went down.

My Cupcakes Are Moist and Delicious

As briefly mentioned in my prior blog post, Ali has grown up so much from the little sister I used to take care of and make after-school snacks for. She is, and will always be, the baby in our family. As such, I am often consumed by the ongoing desire to be her caretaker. However, she is now an excellent cook and baker, in her own right. Ali has surpassed me in the kitchen in many ways, with the ability to bake the best cookies I have ever tasted! (While, I, on the other hand, typically stick to Slice ‘n Bake.)

I’ll Have What She’s Having

I have obtained many of my favorite recipes from Ali. Including, but not limited to, the One Pot Creamy Cajun Kielbasa Pasta recipe, included in the link below. As much as I miss the days when I cooked for her, read books to her (& always did “the voices”), and helped her with her homework; I am immensely proud of the wife, mother, career woman, and friend (my best friend), that she has become.

You’re Right, You’re Right, I Know You’re Right

Ali and I know each other better than nearly anyone else, and we agree on most things. But we are certainly not identical. I have always admired the fact that she speaks her mind, without my propensity for that Midwestern passive-aggressiveness. She never says things with a malice intent. Ali is just honest, and typically right. I like to bring up the fact that she once told me, Don’t take this the wrong way, but, when you tell stories, you spend an awful lot of time in the middle.

And ya know what? She’s right! On the bright side, that trait seems to be a plus in the blog-writing world.

Did I Catch a Niner in There? Were You Calling from a Walkie Talkie?

Alas, now that I have moved to Kentucky, Ali and I don’t get to see each other as often as we used to. Our relationship has been reduced to greeting cards, holiday visits, and weekend phone calls, many of which go on for at least 2-4 hours (just ask our husbands). We talk about life and food, fashion and beauty trends, housework and work-work, family and our “fur babies,” music and murder shows, recipes and memories. We never run out of words when it comes to our conversations, often saying “I’ll let you go,” a multitude of times before actually hanging up.

Party On, Wayne

I am planning a trip home to celebrate all of our (mine, Ali’s, and The Josh’s) birthdays next weekend. When we were younger, I did not appreciate the fact that mine and Ali’s birthdays were three days (and three years) apart. This often resulted in having joint birthday parties for the two of us. Which often resulted in me acting out in some way. (For instance, stealing the Snow White plastic figurines off of Ali’s birthday cake and playing with them before the cake was served.) To be clear, I am not proud of this fact, and hope that I have made up for my bratty tendencies in more recent years.

And If You Threw a Party; Invited Everyone You Knew

Nowadays, I look forward to our annual May Birthday Celebration. We commemorate the birthdays for Ali, our husbands, and myself. These gatherings are always preempted with multiple discussions about (you guessed it): Food! Special requests are made and fulfilled, grocery lists are composed, meals and desserts are planned. All in anticipation for this family event. What can I say? This is how we do it. This is how we “party.” We eat until we’re stuffed; then eat again, and ask one another, “Why did you let me eat so much?”

I Believe in the Faith That Grows

My kitchen playlist for this week (and, undoubtedly, the playlist for this weekend’s birthday celebrations) will consist of our favorite 90s-00s hits. From those awesome decades of country music, when the radio was filled with our generation’s country superstars: Garth, George, Reba, Lorrie Morgan, Mark Chesnutt, Brooks ‘n Dunn, Shenandoah, The Judds, Alan Jackson, and more than I could possibly list here. Not to mention the artists on the alternative rock and pop charts: Matchbox 20, The Gin Blossoms, Third Eye Blind, Eminem, Destiny’s Child, No Doubt, Sugar Ray, Mariah, *NSYNC, BSB, and Britney (just to name a few).

It’s All Quality Time

Ali did not request Chicken and Pastry Shells for our birthday extravaganza this year, but it still remains one of her favorite family meals. Knowing how much she hates to read extremely long emails, texts, and even greeting cards; I am sure that she will not appreciate how long this post ended up being. Yet, I feel like I have not even scratched the surface when it comes to discussing the bond between Ali and I. That being said, I am so grateful for the time we do get to spend together, both in-person and on the phone. Like everything else, I should have appreciated it more when we lived together; and later, just a few minutes away from one another. After all, all of our time together is quality time.

Feeling Verklempt, Talk Amongst Yourselves

Ali, if you’re reading this, and you’ve made it this far, I want you to know the following:

1. I should have played tea party and grocery store with you more often; and I certainly never should have charged you to play with me.
2. No matter how old you are, you will Always Be My Baby (sister).
3. You are my fire,
4. You are The Captain to my Nic, the Wayne to my Garth;
5. And if I had a dollar, I might give you 99.
6. Anywhere you go, I’ll follow you down; and if you
7. Get Knocked Down, I’ll help you get up again.
8. You are my favorite person to talk to about nothing and everything.
9. I wanna grow old with you; and
10. Live out our Golden years on the lanai. Perhaps I’ll even change my mind about cheesecake. But most of all,
11. Thank You for Being a Friend; and also,
12. Rhode Island is neither a road, nor an island. Discuss.

Chicken and Pastry Shells Recipe

Chicken and Pastry Shells Ingredients:

• 1 pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3-4 chicken breasts)
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 large can of condensed cream of chicken soup or cream of chicken and mushroom soup (22.6 oz)
• 1 cup of whole milk or half and half
• 1 box of frozen pastry shells or pastry sheets
• 1 tsp. cornstarch (if needed)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Optional: 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables

Chicken and Pastry Shells Instructions:

1. Add chicken breasts to crock pot and cover with chicken broth. Cook chicken in crockpot on low for 6-7 hours. If preferred, you may simply boil the chicken and broth in a large pot over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove chicken from broth, ensuring that the broth is saved for future use in this recipe.
3. Place chicken breasts on a cutting board to cool and shred with two forks. Note: If you have a KitchenAid or other type of stand mixer, you may use the paddle attachment on low speed in order to shred the boiled chicken breasts.
4. Place chicken in a large pot (or return to the pot that you boiled the chicken in — if you did not use the slow cooker method for cooking). Add the soup, chicken broth, milk or half and half, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling and allow to boil for 1-2 minutes.
5. Turn stovetop temperature to medium-low and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, allowing the mixture to thicken.
6. If needed, you may add 1 tsp. of cornstarch to 1/4 c. hot water and stir to combine. Then, add the cornstarch mixture to the pot and stir well. The cornstarch with assist the chicken filling in thickening.
7. If adding mixed vegetables to this dish, remove pot from heat and pour frozen veggies on top of the chicken soup filling. Cover with lid and let sit 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are thawed and warm. Stir in the veggies, fully incorporating them into the chicken/soup.
8. While the chicken and soup mixture is cooking and and the flavors are mingling, bake the pastry shells according to package directions. Cool on wire rack.
9. Once pastry shells are cool enough to touch, remove the small, circular top so that the insides can each be filled with a generous helping of the creamy chicken soup mixture.

Note: In recent years, I have noticed that pastry shells are hard to locate in my grocery store freezer aisle. If you are unable to find frozen pastry shells, you may use pastry sheets in one of two ways:

1. Top the pre-baked sheets with the chicken soup mixture;
2. Or, you may pour the chicken soup filling into a cast iron skillet or pie plate and top with the pastry sheets. Bake in the oven according to package directions, until the pastry is brown and flaky. I have included photos of the end results from utilizing this alternative method below.