chicken pot pie

I have spent seven winters in Southern California, and I'm still not used to them.  Having spent every winter in Minnesota, except for one in New York, I'm not at all used to the 60 or 70 degree "winter" days.  Anytime someone finds out I'm from Minnesota, s/he inevitably says something like "oh, you must love the winters here."  And then I go all Debbie Downer and say that I actually miss the cold and snow.  In fact, sometimes I deliberately under-dress (meaning that I don't wear a jacket or a sweatshirt) when I go outside just so I feel cold and can pretend I'm in Minnesota...on a fall day.

This winter was probably the "coldest" one since I moved here in 2006.  I had to buy a couple long sleeve running shirts, and I almost considered buying a pair of running pants.  On a handful of days in the early morning (meaning 7am), the air was cool and brisk; I could see my breath, and I found frost on the ground and on our car.  On some days, I even wore gloves while I ran.  

Though others complained that the 50 degree days were freezing, I was sad to see them go.  Aside from the beauty and peacefulness of freshly fallen snow, one of the things I love about winter is the comfort food.  Eating hearty soups and stews when its 70 degrees just doesn't feel right.  But, I adapt and eat these things anyway.  One of my favorites is chicken pot pie.       

The recipe is from Ashley English's "A Year of Pies," and of course, we vegetarianized it, which means that we used a bag of fake chicken strips instead of the shredded chicken.  The result was amazing, and my pie crust was better than usual.