Happy New Year - We Have A Winner!

Congratulations

Jennifer Garcia!!

You have won the premier membership

to 

Capture Your 365

for 2016!!!


Thank you to each and every one of you who took the time to stop by and leave us a comment.  We appreciate your input and will do our best to incorporate your suggestions into our 2016 posts.

If you didnt win this time, stay tuned because we have other treats up our sleeves!  

Monday in Texas - Birthday Gifts

It is Monday, but I am writing to you from Texas,  rather Tracey from Michigan, because today is my birthday and I want to share the recipe for my all-time favorite birthday cake with you.

My mom was not much of a baker, but she did always make this cake for me on my birthday.  Mom has been gone nine years and I can't remember the last time that I made the cake myself.  With a daughter who is a pastry chef I have not gone without birthday sweets; they have just been different.  This year I decided to make my own cake and return to this childhood favorite, Chocolate Cinnamon Cake.

CHOCOLATE CINNAMON CAKE - THE RECIPE

THE CAKE

Mix in a large bowl:

     2 cups flour

     2 cups sugar

     1 tsp cinnamon

Melt in a saucepan:

     1 stick butter

     1/2 cup shortening

     1 cup water

     3 1/2 tsp cocoa

  Bring this mixture to a boil.  Add it to dry ingredients.

With a spoon mix in:

     2 eggs

     1 tsp vanilla

     1/2 cup buttermilk with 1 tsp baking soda mixed in.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

Let cool 30 minutes.

THE FROSTING

In a saucepan melt:

     1 stick butter

     1/3 cup regular milk

     3 TBS cocoa

Pour the above mixture over a box (3 1/2 cups) powdered sugar.  Mix until the sugar is incorporated.  Pour over the cake.

ENJOY!!!

And here is another treat!!!

Because it is my birthday and I believe it is just as much fun to give gifts as it is to receive, Tracey and , with the help of Katrina Kennedy at Capture Your 365, are giving away a premier membership to Capture Your 365 for 2016!  We want all of you to enjoy the community and friendships that are built by sharing a photo of your life every day with a community of like-minded people.  It doesn't matter whether this year will be your first time taking a photo a day or your 54th, it is a wonderful experience!  To see the details of what's included in the Capture Your 365 premier membership, click here.

All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is leave us a comment on this post telling us what you'd like to see here at Pixels, Plates, and LOLs in 2016.  Is there a recipe for a particular dish or ingredient that you are interested in?  Something you'd like to know about us?  Something about our photography process?  You name it.  Almost anything is fair game!

We will announce the winner on New Year's Eve at 11pm Central time.  Good luck and thanks for reading!!!

     

Food Friday - Soup-er Easy Meals for Busy Days!

from Kris B.

Seven days and counting....this time next week, Christmas morning will be over.  And after that, just as quickly it will be 2016!  How is it that some days it feels like the days drag on and on and then all of the sudden you have no idea where the time went?  I wish I understood this phenomenon.

Our big sit-down family meal on Christmas is brunch.  Food service later in the day is usually limited to a big pot of chili or soup that I made ahead, brunch leftover, and/or whatever  anyone would like to fix for themselves.  As a church musician, I sing for two services on Christmas Eve, the second being midnight Mass.  By the time I get home and finish up the last Christmas chores, it is very late when I get to bed.  I always look forward to a nap on Christmas afternoon.  No cooking for me!

This week's recipe is a simple and hearty vegetable beef soup.  As is the case with many soups, it tastes better on the second day so it works perfectly with my make-ahead plan.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
4 ribs of celery, sliced
4 potatoes, any kind, cut into 1" cubes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can cut green beans, rinsed
1 15.25 oz can kernel corn, rinsed
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
water

Slice and dice the potatoes,  onion, carrots, and celery.

Place the vegetables and ground beef to your soup pot. Cook until the beef is browned and cooked through.  Drain off any fat.  Add to the beef the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green beans, corn, and potatoes.  Mix well.  Add the bay leaves and desired seasonings.  Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water to the soup mixture.  This soup is thick, almost like a stew.  If you want more broth, either add more water or some beef or vegetable broth to achieve your desired consistency.

Simmer the soup covered until the potatoes are done, about an hour.

If you are making this soup ahead, let it cool and then refrigerate.  Reheat on the stove when ready to serve.




from Tracey G

Pea soup was a nemesis of mine for ages, and I'm not sure why, it's a super easy soup to make. I think part of my trouble was I tried to make it more complicated than it is! LOL It's taken me years to finally get it the way I want it - and it's based on an Ina Garten recipe, that I then tweaked a few things here and there to my own taste. But it has finally gotten me the recipe for split pea soup that I've always wanted and it comes out consistently every time for the flavor I'm looking for! It does make a large batch, so usually we have it for dinner one night, then there's enough to freeze for another meal and sometimes I can get a couple lunch portions frozen out of it too. :-) It is one of those things that does the miracle crazy thickening so I make sure to have extra chicken broth/stock on hand for the left-overs and to thin down as needed as it's cooking - water works well too, but I like to use the broth or stock as it adds a little more oomph to it all the way around. Serve it with some yummy bread and a nice salad and it's a great fall or winter meal - or if you're like me it's an any time of the  year meal! :-)

I usually lighten up on the salt in recipes, out of habit from when I was taking care of my mom and her special dietary needs - and it's just one I've continued with. And that let's everyone season their individual servings to their taste.

Split Pea Soup

Serves 10-12

1 to 1 1/2 c chopped yellow onions (1-2 onions)

1 tbsp minced garlic (3-4 cloves)

1/4 c olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

1-2 tsp kosher salt

1-2 tsp pepper

4 c diced carrots

2 c diced potatoes

2 lbs dried split green peas

16  cups chicken stock or water

In an 8-qt stock pot or Dutch oven on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano until the onions are translucent, about 12-15 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, 1 1/2 lbs of split peas and chicken broth/stock or water. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered about 40 minutes. Skim off foam while cooking. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from sticking and burning on the bottom. Serve hot. 

Food Friday - Christmas Brunch

from Tracey G

I love this dish - and I'm sure most people have some kind of version of a "ring" in their bag of recipe tricks, lol. It uses the refrigerated crescent roll dough to make it pretty. My mom found this particular recipe years ago, and I know she's added a few tweaks here and there and I've even made my own on the fly with it. I discovered that what's written in my book is different from what she had written down, lol. So I made my version this time, but I know we've made hers more, lol. She called for shredded Colby Jack, I used shredded Swiss, so you can go with whichever you like - or change it up each time you make it. Sometimes ham and Swiss is what you after - so go for it, as I did!

 I also upped the Dijon mustard amount - I go by taste, so I start with the 2 tbsp called for and go from there. I think in this particular go, I added a couple more extra (could even have been 3 extra for a total of 5, lol) - I love the flavor it adds. It also calls for chopped/minced onion and since Harry is not a big fan, I used some onion powder (to taste). Although, since it has broccoli in it, my hopes of him eating it were dashed. But I did decide it would be good without the broccoli, lol.

The longest part of the recipe, for me is arranging the crescent roll dough in an even pinwheel - I'm so particular I arrange and rearrange more times than I can count so I can get if fairly even. You really don't have to be too particular because once it bakes it looks pretty anyway. ;-) It's also one of those recipes that tastes better the next day - so leftovers, if there are any, are really good if not better than the day before!

Broccoli Ham Ring

Preheat oven to 375°

2 - 8 oz. tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough

1 ½ c shredded Monterey Jack cheese with Colby (Colby Jack)

¼ lb fully-cooked ham, diced (1/2 c)

2 ¼ c finely chopped broccoli

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp Dijon mustard (more to taste)

1 tsp lemon juice

Unroll crescent roll dough and place triangles on 12” pizza pan (or large cookie sheet), forming a ring with pointed ends facing outer edge of pan and wide ends overlapping. Press wide ends together.

Combine remaining ingredients; spoon evenly over wide ends of rolls. Fold points over (towards center of pan) and tuck under wide ends (filling will be visible). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

from Kris B.

First let me apologize for my uninspired photo of this week's recipe.   This poor shot has nothing to do with the fact that I am behind with everything and am not yet fully feeling the Christmas spirit.  It is much more traumatic than that!  My tripod, with camera attached, tipped over and my lens took the brunt of the fall.  Thankfully, despite the fact that for some reason I had taken my UV filter off of it, the glass didn't break.  The plastic ring around the edge, however, is another story.

I logged on to the Nikon website to see what the procedure was for sending it in for repair.  Surprisingly, it was an easy process, not often the case these days.  I was presented with a multiple choice menu from which to identify the nature of my problem.   #2 "Dropped or Impact Damage". I guess I am not the only unfortunate person to have such a problem.  Once all of the pertinent information was supplied,  I was given an estimate of the cost of repair.  Mind you, it is only an estimate; but, I had to provide payment information at that point in order to proceed.  The good news is that the estimate is a great deal less than the cost of replacing the lens.  The bad news is that this lens is the most expensive one that I own.  So after school this afternoon, I'll make my way to UPS with all those who are trying frantically to get holiday gifts shipped and send my lens on its way.  Hopefully it will not get lost in the Christmas rush!

Once Nikon receives the lens and assesses the damage first hand, they will send a specific cost of repair and I will again have an opportunity to decide how to proceed.   Until then, I will be forced to use some of the lenses in my bag that I haven't used much lately.  That is a good thing, I think.  I have been kind of lazy and have been relying on my "workhorse" lens rather than pushing myself to be a little more creative with some of my other options.  We'll see what happens...

Back to breakfast...

Despite what the photo looks like, this egg dish with a southwest touch is really good!  The recipe was given to me by a friend several years ago.  I believe she got it when she was working as a substitute innkeeper for a bed and breakfast.  I wish that back then I had been more diligent about making note of such details.

Because my older daughter is a vegetarian, our Christmas morning main course is always meatless.  (The rest of us have bacon or sausage on the side.).   And truthfully, the "protein dish" is never what anyone in my family looks forward to.  For the last ten years, said vegetarian daughter has made homemade cinnamon rolls by the dozens for Christmas morning.  (Leftovers are a must!). These are the part of the morning feast that we all anticipate!  But, I insist on something with protein during the morning to help mediate the sugar and caffeine high on which we all find ourselves.  Hyper adults on Christmas  are not nearly as cute as sugared up excited children. Lol!

INGREDIENTS

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

12 corn tortillas, taco sized cut into pieces

2 4 oz. cans diced green chilies

2 Cups Mexican blend cheese

4 eggs

2 Cups buttermilk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp oregano

Dash of cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

I make this is an cast iron skillet, but it can be made in a 2 quart casserole dish as well.  Coat the pan or dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until browned.

In the cooking pan, layer half of the tortillas, all of the onion mixture, half of the green chilies, and half of the cheese.  Continue layering with the remaining tortillas, chilies, and cheese.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and spices.  Pour the egg mixture over the layered ingredients.

Bake for 40 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and let rest for ten minutes.

This dish is good just like this, but can also be topped with sour cream, extra cheese, and/or diced fresh tomatoes.

I'm f you haven't yet settled on your Christmas morning menu, I hope you'll add this one to the list of contenders.

During this hectic and crazy time of year,  make sure to give yourself the gift of a few moments of peace in every day!

Food Friday - Merry Cranberry Christmas!

from Kris B.

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it is now December!  I so enjoyed November, the month of intentional gratitude and thankfulness, but haven't yet made the transition to being in the Christmas spirit.  At this point my energy is being consumed by trying to finish up the fall semester at school.  Two more weeks!  Then maybe I can get some Christmas decorations up and actually enjoy the process rather than feeling stressed because there are so many more pressing things that I really should be doing.

During November, as I was making my gratitude list, one of the things that kept coming to mind is how thankful and grateful I am for my friends- those that I see regularly and those that I keep up with primarily via Facebook.   There is no greater gift in life than a caring and loving circle of friends.  One reason that I am particularly grateful for friends right now is because some of them have infused a little bit of Christmas into my otherwise Scrooge-like present life.

Some of our closest friends have an annual Christmas party on the Saturday evening after Thanksgiving.  Because my husband smoked our Thanksgiving turkey and my oldest daughter did all of the side dishes for our Thanksgiving meal, I had virtually no cooking responsibilities for that day so, I volunteered to help cook and prepare food for my friends' party.  I really enjoyed making twelve dozen cookies and hummus and chocolate mousse for forty.  The green and red sprinkles made an appearance as decoration for the sugar cookies.  That was the first touch of Christmas at my house.  (Don't worry;  cookies, hummus, and mousse are not all that we had to eat.  They did have some of the food catered as well.  Lol!).  The party itself was a festive celebration with lots of food, fellowship, a home decorated from top to bottom and a Christmas carol sing-a-long.  

Also, a colleague asked me if I would bake something for her to give as gifts.  Enter this week's recipe.  Last night I baked fifteen loaves of this Apple Cranberry Streusel Quick Bread.  Because she wanted them packaged as Christmas gifts, I was forced to unearth some red and white curling ribbon.   So there you have it...Christmas colored sprinkles and red and white curling ribbon are the total extent of Christmas at my house at this point.

I will get there.  We will get the tree up and the stockings will be hung by the chimney with care.  Wrapped packages will appear under the tree and brunch will be prepared for Christmas morning.  Right now, the process seems a little overwhelming, but it always does for me at this time of year.  I always feel better when a take a few minutes a slow down.  Today that happened with a cup of coffee (or three) and a piece of this delicious bread.  I needed fifteen loaves for my colleague and it just so happened that the math worked out that I made sixteen.  One for us, too!

Apple-Cranberry Streusel Quick Bread

INGREDIENTS

For the Streusel 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

For the bread

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups chopped apples, any variety

1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter 2 9x5–inch loaf pans or use 4 unbuttered 3x7 waxed disposable baking pans.

In a medium bowl, prepare the streusel topping first.  Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Add  the butter with a pastry cutter.  Mix in the chopped pecans.  Set this mixture aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda. and salt 

In a large stand mixer bowl, cream the butter.  Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture by alternating it with the buttermilk until you have a smooth batter.  Stir in the cranberries and apples by hand.

Equally divide the batter into your prepared pans. Top each loaf with the streusel mixture.

Bake 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of bread comes out clean.

This recipe can also be halved.



by Tracey G.

I'm with Kris, I can't believe it's December already! It's just flown by, I barely remember November, lol. Seems like it was just the other day I was sitting on the beach! This year has me so behind and I'm not quite sure why - well, now that I think about it, I'm really not that behind in everything - I just have that horrible feeling that I am. Usually I have all the Christmas shopping done by November, I have none done. It doesn't help that Harry has given me nor Santa any ideas other than a few things that are still debatable. So, I know I need to buckle down and get that done this week - I hate last minute shopping, it makes me crazy! But on the flip side, I'm ahead of the game as far as the tree goes - we don't usually get it until about 2 weeks before Christmas, but today I sent Jeremy and Harry out with the task to get the tree - I had to trust them that they'd get what I want, lol. I'm an artificial tree kind of girl, but when we had Harry I started giving real trees a chance, and now that's all Harry wants, so I'm out of luck as far as ever having my perfect artificial tree anymore, lol. They did really well, came home with one I can live with - I wanted a bit taller and fluffier, but they did a good job and I really can't complain. :-)

I'll admit it -  I love McDonald's Cranberry Orange Muffins, lol. They're my favorite and I get one every chance I get. I finally decided since I love that combination so much, I really needed to start making them at home, lol. So, I searched around and found a recipe I really liked and tweaked it a bit, of course, lol. Now, there were complaints from the Peanut Gallery that they're not sweet enough, so I think next time I make them I will adjust the sugar up a bit, OR get some coarse sugar to use as a sprinkle on top of them before I bake them. I liked them a lot, the only thing I thought it could use was more cranberries! So, again, that might be something I'll adjust next time I make them. I also omitted the nuts, Harry doesn't like nuts in things like this, so I skipped them. I will though be making a batch of them one of these days WITH nuts though for  myself!

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

2 c flour

3/4 c packed brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

1-2 tsp grated orange peel

2/3 c orange juice

1/3 c vegetable oil

1 c cranberries, coarsely chopped

1 c chopped pecans

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, orange peel and baking powder. In another bowl, beat eggs. Add orange juice and oil; stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in cranberries and pecans. Spoon into 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups (cups will be almost full). Bake at 375° F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool on wire rack. 

Food Friday - Family Favorites

from Kris B.

It is hard to believe that the holiday season is here!  It's that time of year where my life is made possible only by the many lists that have diligently created - lists of social obligations, Christmas gifts to buy, chores to be done, and of course, meal planning tasks.

Sometimes I wonder why planning Thanksgiving dinner is that difficult since it is a meal of tradition; everyone has their favorite dish and it is my job to make sure that all those favorites end up on the holiday table. In my family, we don't have generations of traditions by which to abide when it comes to our holiday meals, but I know many families that have had the same dishes as part of their Thanksgiving celebrations for years and years and years.  And often when they stop and think about it, they realize that some of the things that are still being served were a favorite of someone who is no longer living and no one now even likes "that" dish.  This scenario reminded me of a funny song that I sang with a chorus several years back, "Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise."  If you need a little bit of comic relief during these hectic days, click here.

We don't have any Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise at our house, but we do have some foods that are fast becoming holiday traditions.  One such food is pumpkin butter.  A former friend and I used to make it every year for our church's Christmas bazaar.  It quickly became a favorite of my then toddler second child.  Over the past twenty years, I have tweaked the recipe a little here and there to try and make it the best it can be and to add my own personal touch.  A jar of pumpkin butter used to be the standard holiday gift for my girls' teachers, as well as for many of my friends.

Because of the craziness in my life at the end of last year, I did not make any holiday pumpkin butter. in 2014  Though life still hectic this year as well, I managed to get the first batch of pumpkin butter made this week.  (Yes, Erin.  You may have a jar now.)  As I was making it, I was reminded of just how good pumpkin butter is.  I will definitely be making a few more batches over the coming weeks!

INGREDIENTS

2 15oz. cans of pumpkin puree

1 1.75oz package of pectin

1 TBS pumpkin pie spice

3 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 TBS vanilla

Stir pumpkin puree and pectic together in a good sized heavy pot.  (You want a pot that is big enough so that once you add the sugar, the mixture will not boil over or "spit" hot pumpkin butter over the top.)  Continue to stir regularly while bringing this mixture to a boil.  Once boiling, add all of the sugar at once, the pumpkin pie spice, and the vanilla.  While stirring constantly, again bring the mixture to a boil.  Allow to boil for two minutes.  Remove from heat.

The pumpkin butter can be canned using standard canning procedures; or, it can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Pumpkin butter is fantastic on your morning toast or English muffin, on crackers as an after school snack, or as filling for your holiday thumbprint cookies.  And, as members of my family will tell you, it is also good on a spoon right out of the jar.

by Tracey G.

Thanksgiving has never been a time for sticking with tradition for me, I don't know why, but I've never felt obligated to one certain dish. I've always been very open-minded about my menu. I have made turkeys the majority of the time because I like the sides that go with it, lol. And I like to make turkey noodle soup with the left-overs! But I'm always willing to add in things, omit things and whatnot.

I've been looking for a recipe for the Thanksgiving morning, something simple that could maybe pave the way for a "tradition" of sorts and this recipe came along at the right time so I thought I'd give it a try. I mean seriously this sounded pretty straight-forward yummy, lol. And it is - it's really good. Harry loved it and will go perfect with coffee at any time of the day! I must thank Taste of Home for coming through for me once again!

Down East Blueberry Buckle

courtesy of Taste Of Home Magazine

2 c flour

1/4 c sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

3/4 c 2% milk

1/4 c butter, melted

2 c fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping:

1/2 c sugar

1/3 c flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 c  butter, softened

1) Preheat oven to 375° F. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk egg, milk and melted butter until blended. Add to flour mixture, stir just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Transfer to a greased 9-in. square baking pan.

2) For topping, in a small bowl, mix sugar, flour and cinnamon. Using a fork, stir in softened butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.

3) Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not overbake) Cool in pan on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Wednesday in Michigan and Texas - How We Roll

by Us

Sometimes we chat about important stuff, like what we are going to post here; sometimes it is important stuff like what is making our hearts hurt today; and, sometimes it is just everyday stuff like what we are making for dinner.  Friends are there to talk about any kind of stuff you want to talk about, right?

The other day we were having one of those”what’s for dinner” conversations.  It revolved around having made the chicken and dumplings for last week’s blog post, but finishing them too late in the day to take the photographs for the post so therefore they could not be eaten for dinner that night because there’d be nothing left to photograph so now what was for dinner that night? 

Here is how the conversation went:

Tracey…swiss steak here…

Kris…I’ve never made it but have had it out.  Sounds good.

Tracey…I found a recipe for it a few years ago. (I’d never made it either, but mom requested it one night.)  in my Better Homes red and white cookbook and I’ve never looked back.  lol.  I cheat and use cube steaks because it takes less time using them.  lol

Kris…I have the trusty red and white cookbook.  I’m going to try the Swiss steak one of these days.

Tracey…I’ve never hunted for a different recipe because everyone (mom, Jeremy, and even Harry, lol!) liked it as it was - only thing I do differently is use tomato sauce instead of canned diced tomatoes since neither Jer or Harry care for canned diced tomatoes.  Me, I could eat them straight out of the can.

Kris…Good to know.  I’m not fond of chunks of cooked tomatoes either, though I love fresh ones.  I use sauce instead of diced or stewed  almost always.

Tracey…I also skip thyme because Jeremy hates time so I sub a little oregano instead.

Kris…Haha on the thyme!  Weber does’t like oregano, and that is a hard one to leave out of some recipes.  You know, these are crazy conversations that might make useful blog material.  We can title it “Parsley, Sage , Oregano, and Thyme” or “Husbands, The Spice of Life…Or Not!”

There is a glimpse into how we get things done here at Pictures, Plates, and Lols!.  Sometimes our methods work well for us, and other times…not so much.  No matter the scenario though, we are firm believers in "the laughing out loud" part of our title.  We are able to share the funny stuff with one another, but also our struggles and downright failures.  Somehow the funny things in life are much funnier when you have a friend to laugh along with you and the struggles don’t seem so bad when you know that you have a friend at your side!

Food Friday: Chicken and Dumplings Duel

by Tracey G

Kris and I were wanting to do another "how do you make your (fill in the blank)?" post, and actually this one came up pretty easily. And even better was the fact that we do the different dumplings - a win-win because I've been wanting a noodle-style dumpling recipe for years and have never found one I really like so I'm pretty excited about this one!!

Mine came together from a few sources, I can't even remember anymore where all I pulled from. My "dumplings" happen to be my favorite biscuit recipe - so it can be chicken and biscuits if you don't want to cook them on top of the chicken "stew" part, lol. But it's a very easy recipe, I use as many shortcuts as I can, so it's not a super-time consuming endeavor, lol. Now this is pretty true comfort food - not a low-cal version by any means, lol. I have been known to scale the butter amount back - depends on my mood I suppose, lol.

I have used a few sources of chicken - I've cooked up a few boneless skinless chicken breasts when I've had them to use, I've used a couple large cans of canned chicken and as in this version pictured, I bought a deli rotisserie chicken to use. I usually buy a large 32 ounce carton of broth/stock and one 14 oz can and that usually works out just right for the "5 cups of stock" the recipe calls for. I do mine on the stove and finish it in the oven, but I imagine you could do the whole thing on top of the stove from start to finish.

Here's the recipe - and it would also make a great pot pie filling as well, just use pastry and finish it that way!

Chicken and Dumplings (or Biscuits)

Cooked Chicken: 3 cooked chicken breasts, chopped; or meat from one rotisserie chicken, or 2 large cans of canned chicken

1 pkg frozen peas and carrots or mixed vegetables works well too (can also use canned vegetables as well!)

5 c chicken stock

2 chicken bouillon  cubes, or 2 tsp granulated/powdered bouillon

12 tbsp butter (1 1/2 sticks)

2 c chopped onion, about 2 onions

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c flour

1/4 c heavy cream

1/4 tsp pepper

Dumpling dough (recipe to follow)

1) Preheat oven to 400°F

2) In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions, over medium-low     

heat, until translucent. Add the garlic, cook and stir a couple minutes more.

3) Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the  bouillon. Simmer over low heat, stirring until thick.

4)  Add 1/2 tsp pepper, heavy cream, chicken and vegetables.

5) While this is coming up to a simmer, make the biscuits. Once the filling is simmering steady, drop the dumplings onto the hot chicken mixture by tablespoons. Cover the pot and bake for about 30 minutes or until the tops of the dumplings are dry - then remove the lid to cook a while longer to lightly brown the tops if desired. Let stand a few minutes and then serve.

Dumpling/Biscuit Dough: 

(this is the original amount recipe, for my Dutch oven, I usually  make a double batch, then just bake off the rest of the dough that might not make it on top of the chicken mixture, if baking them by themselves, drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet and bake off at 450°F for 10-12 minutes.)

2 c flour

1 tbsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (I've made it without before when I didn't have any around and it was fine)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c shortening or butter

1 c milk

In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Cut in shortening or butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center; add milk all at once. Stir just until dough clings together. 


from Kris B.

Despite the fact that chicken and dumplings is a regional favorite in Delaware, where my parents grew up, it was not a meal that showed up on our dinner table when I was a child.  I only came to appreciate the soothing nature this comfort food as an adult.  

And here is an important question related to that discovery.  Which came first, the chicken or the dumpling?  For me, it was the dumpling.

I began my love affair with dumplings by eating lima beans and dumplings in chicken broth.  The only dumplings I knew were slippery dumplings because that is what my grandmother made.  Lima beans and dumplings were a summertime favorite.  I made my way to chicken and dumplings when I wanted a wintertime vehicle for those delicious dumplings.  I polled various family members (not my mother) and began experimenting with various recipes and combinations thereof.  Really, they weren’t that different from one another.  

I was surprised to see chicken and dumplings show up on restaurant menus in Texas.  In a moment of weakness one day, I decided to order them while eating out though I knew deep in my heart they couldn't possibly be as good as the homemade kind.  When my meal arrived, I was a little surprised to see my bowl topped with biscuits.  Little did I know that in addition to slippery dumplings, there were also something called fluffy dumplings.  They looked like biscuits.  I like biscuits, but in my mind, what I was looking at was not chicken and dumplings!.  It seemed strange to find them on top of my chicken.  Over time I have relaxed my definition of chicken and dumplings and have an appreciation for the fluffy dumplings because, well, biscuits are good.  Admittedly though, I still prefer slippery dumplings.

I got a good chuckle when Tracey and I started talking about this post and she said that she made her chicken and dumplings with "fluffy" dumplings.   And, since I was late getting my act together this weekend, I chuckled even more when I read her post as I was adding this to the bottom.  Though we do talk a lot about what to make and so on, we don’t know exactly what each other is going to write in the narrative.  At least she says up front that she is making biscuits.  Lol!!!

INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1 TBS chicken bouillon granules 

Salt and pepper to taste

For the dumplings:

2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 TBS shortening

^enough hot broth to make the dough feel “right”

To a large stew pot or dutch oven, add the celery, onion and chicken.  Cover the chicken with water.  Add the poultry season, bouillon, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat.  Cook until the chicken is falling off the bone.  A good rule of thumb is twenty minutes for every pound of chicken.  Once the chicken is done, remove it from the broth and set the chicken aside.  Remove one cup of broth to be used in the dumplings.

To make the dumplings, in a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in the shortening using two knives or a pastry cutter.  Then, “add enough of the reserved broth to make the dough feel right.”  (This is the way the recipe was given to me.)  What that means is that the dough will feel slightly sticky but can be handled and rolled.  On a floured board, roll out the dough to 1/16” thickness.  Then cut dumplings into 2” squares.

Bring the remaining broth to a boil.  (If you want more broth, more water can be added.)  Drop the dumplings into the broth one at a time until all are added.  Cook them for fifteen minutes in the boiling broth. 

In the meantime, de-bone the chicken and cut it into bite sized pieces.  Once the dumplings are thoroughly cooked, add the chicken back to the broth.  Gently combine.

Enjoy!

This is another of those recipes that tastes much better than it photographs.  LOL!