Concert Curveball

One of our early adventures in dating included a trip to a Kenny Chesney concert in New Orleans. Forrest is a fan of live music and I love Country. We thought it would be an event that we could both enjoy. The only problem was that we were visiting his family out of town when the tickets went on sale and didn't have the luxury of stalking Ticketmaster for early purchase. We actually had my mom purchase the tickets for us since we were away from a computer. Since we were at the mercy of someone else and a couple hours late before we tasked my dear mother with the purchase details, we took what we could which ended up being seats in the very top row of the New Orleans Arena sitting up against the highest back wall.

The night of the concert we arrived early to scope out our seats and have a few drinks. We knew our seats were terrible and we figured that we should get an early start on the fun since we would not be able to engage with the stage performance too easily. As we got to the arena we spent some time outside watching the festivities that take place before most concerts. We enjoyed the drunk Kenny Karaokers, the Kenny impersonators and the the rowdy country crowd. While we were standing outside taking in the sights we were approached by a man in unmarked clothes that handed us two wristbands and told us they were for special seating. He didn't give any further detail and before we could inquire further about his gift he was gone. We kept the bracelets but didn't think much of it since it all seemed very odd. We decided to go in the arena and find our seats. After a LONG walk up thousands of steps before we officially settled into our miserable seats we decided further investigation into our mysterious bracelets might be worth it after all. Forrest made his way back down to the first security staffer he could find and asked what the bracelets were for. He explained that they were promotional tickets from the Rum Company sponsoring the concert and they got you access to The Pit. The Pit was the section on the floor in front of the first row of seats where you were allowed to stand and watch the concert. Forrest motioned for me to come down and shortly thereafter we were being helped over the railing onto the floor. We spent the entire concert in the pit tapping on Kenny Chesney's stage to the beat of his music. It was the best concert experience ever and Kenny even grabbed my hand during the show and gave me his guitar pick. Of course my brother Trey says that is because I probably had the longest arms in the pit and therefore posed the least amount of bending for Kenny during his performance ;-) In spite of the reasoning, it was still really cool!

So sometimes when you expect one thing you get another totally opposite outcome. An outcome that is unexpectedly better than you could have ever imagined and something worth telling about. So just like that so so Kenny Chesney concert that turned into the best concert ever, this Mexican Chicken Pie was my meal time shocker. I am not ecstatic about chicken pot pie and didn't expect to be in love with this recipe, but I was pleasently surprised. The enchilada sauce and the corn bread added the perfect extra touch to this otherwise ordinary dish.

Mexican Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from Southern Living October 2008

Ingredients

• 1 (10-oz.) can enchilada sauce
• 1 (10-oz.) can Mexican diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
• 2 cups canned whole kernel corn
• 1 fresh jalapeno, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, cayenne, onion and garlic powder before pan sauteing)
• 1 (6-oz.) package cornbread mix
• 2/3 cup fat free milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mexican four-cheese blend, divided
• 1 tablespoon of minced jarred pickled jalapeno peppers
• Toppings: sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, sour cream

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Stir together enchilada sauce and next 4 ingredients in a 3 1/2-qt. saucepan over medium heat until combined;

cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in chicken.

2. Whisk together cornbread mix, next 3 ingredients, in a small bowl just until blended.

Stir in minced pickled jalapenos and 3/4 cup cheese.

3. Pour chicken mixture into 8 lightly greased (7-oz.) ramekins.

Spoon cornbread mixture over hot chicken mixture.

Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Divide ramekins onto 2 jelly-roll pans.
4. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with desired toppings.
Note: Mixture may be prepared in a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Bake as directed, omitting jelly-roll pans.