Vegetable Pot Pie made by Peaches

This has been the summer of children cooking and baking.  It's helped to keep them out of trouble.  Not that my children would ever get into any trouble, mind you, but being in charge of dinner or making dessert has given structure to a few days of endless boredom.  Plus I find that my kids are more willing to eat their dinner if they've had a hand in making it.  Especially if they've chosen the recipe.

I take seriously the weight of being a mother.  All the things I'm suppose to impart to my children.  All the things they need to learn to take care of themselves, be good people, to choose the right, to make a difference.  I don't think this weight is a bad thing.  It motivates me (usually), gives me some direction in what we do around here, but sometimes it can be overwhelming when I don't know how to explain my daughter's math homework or answer questions about how airplanes work.  But I do know how to cook and I do know how to bake and I read cookbooks like they are the greatest novels ever written.  So I am loaded with information that can be passed on to the next generation.  At least in this department.  And besides if my children can feed their families and feed their friends with food that satisfies the soul, they will be surrounded by love and that's what I want the most for them anyway.

Peaches picked out an Ina Garten recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties.  This is the book. She decided to make Vegetable Pot Pie. The recipe is found here. She made a few changes to fit our family.  She did not use the Pernod as I don't think a 13 year old needs to be working with alcohol and we don't keep any in the house.
She also changed up some of the vegetables to be more appealing to her brothers.  No butternut squash this time.  No black pepper on the crust.  Nothing to make them question that first bite.  But I do heartily recommend the yellow onions and fennel at the beginning of the recipe. Cooked down they become creamy and dreamy and add a distinctive back note to the dish.

We managed to serve about 8 by using smaller bowls which were still overflowingly abundant.  Garten doesn't specify a bowl size but ours held about a cup and a half.  There was plenty of filling for all the bowls.  The bonus is that our bowls didn't take as long to bake which was great since everyone was starving. Or at least pretending like they were starving if food wasn't produced at the exact second they demanded it.  Or they were going to die.  You know how that goes.