Jack-O'-Lantern Pot Pie

Ingredients
Filling:
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp. flour
1 chicken bullion cube or 1 tsp. chicken base/chicken granules
3/4 to 1 C. milk or water (you can also use chicken broth for the liquid and chicken flavor)
1 cup mixed vegetables
1/4-1/2 cup broccoli
1 1/2 C. chicken, cooked and cubed or shredded

Pie Crust:
2 C. sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 C. shortening
5 to 7 Tbsp. milk

Directions
1. Saute onion and garlic in butter in saucepan. Add flour and mix well.
2. If using chicken bullion cubes or granules, mix them in water or milk. If using chicken base paste, mix it in with flour mixture.
3. Add liquid to flour mixture and mix with a whisk. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. If soup is not thick enough, add some flour to some cold milk or water; pour through a fine mesh strainer into pan to keep lumps out. Cook until thick. Remove from heat; set aside and keep warm.
4. If using frozen or fresh vegetables, cook until tender. If using canned vegetables, you do not need to cook them.
5. Add chicken and vegetables to soup. Heat through. Set aside and keep warm.
6. (Directions for pie crust) In a large bowl, sift flour and salt together. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until pieces are pea-sized.
7. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of milk at a time over the flour mixture, gently tossing with a fork after each addition. Repeat until moistened.
8. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a ball. Flatten each ball on a lightly floured surface, rolling from the center to the edges until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut Jack-O'-Lantern face out of one piece of dough.
9. Place piece of rolled out dough without cutouts in pie pan (tip: gently fold crust into quarters, lay in pan, then unfold, being careful to repair any small tears); add filling. Place the dough with Jack-O'-Lantern cutouts on top of the filling, sealing edges.
10. Bake at about 425-450 degrees until crust is lightly browned and filling begins to bubble. If the edges begin to brown too quickly, you can put foil around the edges to keep them from burning.

Notes: This was very tasty, but it took a lot of work to make. It can be made much quicker by using diluted, canned cream of chicken soup instead of making your own. You can also use pre-made (unbaked) pie dough. The amounts for the filling are approximate. I made about twice this amount, and had enough left over for another pie. The inspiration for the Jack-O'-Lantern pie came from a Jack-O'-Lantern Sloppy Joe Pie recipe that John received in an email (it can also be found here). The cream of chicken soup recipe is from my sister, Kimberly. The pie crust recipe is my mother's.