Chicken and Dumplings with Chef Seth

It's not everyday that you get to have a chef assist you in the kitchen.  I am fortunate enough to have one who lives in my very own house. Seth (my adorable almost four year old) is obsessed with all things "costume".  When he's not in the kitchen helping me whip up some delicious food, he can be found disguised as various animals, super heroes or scary monsters.

When the weather turned cold last week, I craved some comfort food.  Nothing screams cold weather food like homemade chicken and dumplings.  I've made chicken and dumplings almost every way imaginable.  With veggies. No veggies. Pre-made biscuits. Bisquick dumplings.  You name it.  However, much to my surprise, I had never made dumplings from a dough. 

My history with dough is not a pretty one. I love making dough. I love eating dough.  (Confession, I sometimes make a bit of raw dough just to snack on. Is that weird??) But the look and consistency of my dough are not always perfect. Not even close to perfect. So, imagine my hesitation.
But with my eager little chef by my side, I was ready to attempt it. 

I found a basic dumpling recipe on Pinterest and went from there.

Chef Seth mixed the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) in a large bowl.  To that add the melted butter, milk and chicken broth and combine.  This is where the "perfect" consistency is important.  If the dough seems crumbly and dry, add more liquid.  If it seems too wet and sticky, add more flour.

Once the dough is at its perfect "not-too-sticky/not-too-dry" state, it is ready to be rolled.  Make sure the surface and rolling pin are dusted with enough flour as the dough might stick.  (Plus, the extra flour helps thicken the dish.) Place the dough on the floured surface and begin to roll out like you would if you were making a pie crust. 

When the dough is rolled, it is time to cut.  Chef Seth found it easiest to use a pizza cutter to cut the dumplings, until his arm tired out and I had to take over.  Cut the dumplings into similarly sized shapes to ensure an even cooking time. (To protect our countertops, I slid a cutting board under the dough.)

One day prior to this, I had poached five pounds of delicious, local chicken breast tenders.  When I was ready to cook the chicken and dumplings, I cubed about one pound of the cooked meat. It was placed in a pot of broth and allowed to come to a gentle boil while my little chef and I made the dumplings. (Sorry, I didn't write down the exact amount of broth.  If I were guessing it was about 6-8 cups. It was actually my poaching liquid from the day before.)

The dumplings were then put into the boiling broth carefully, one at a time.  Once they were all in, a lid was placed on top and they simmered for about 15 minutes.  And, viola!  It's done!

Normally, I would put some fresh parsley on the top to break up the bland color scheme going on, but there was none to be found.
 

I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!

Chicken and Dumplings

2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for flouring surface and rolling pin)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 TBSP melted butter
½ cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth

1 pound pre-cooked chicken
6-8 cups chicken broth

Combine dry ingredients.  Add butter, milk and broth and mix until consistency of pie dough.  Generously flour surface and rolling pin.  Roll dough as you would a pie crust.  Cut into dumpling shapes. 

Add the dumplings one by one to gently boiling broth and chicken chunks. Cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. 

Three Ingredient Cup of Yum

I used to be a Dr. Pepper-aholic. As a mom of three little boys, it was difficult to get through a day without that sweet, carbonated beverage (or two, or three). I decided it would probably be better for my health to stop indulging daily or end up in a sugar-induced coma. I knew there would be no way to completely cut caffeine out of my day, so I took up drinking coffee and unsweetened tea.

Drinking black coffee is not for me. Too strong and bitter. I wanted something more Starbucks-ish. (Is that a word?) Maybe I should say I love coffee flavored cream. Ha!

My friend recently told me she uses canned coconut milk (found in the Asian aisle at the grocery store) in her coffee. I decided to give it a whirl. It was pretty good, but was a little bland even with a bit of sugar added. Enter Nutella.

I mean, anything's better with Nutella, right? I figured coffee and chocolate are perfect companions. Mix in a little bit of the creamy coconut milk, and it's like drinking a Mounds candy bar. OH MY!

Seriously, it couldn't be simpler.

The three ingredients

1. Hot cup of coffee

2. Canned coconut milk

3. Nutella

Plop in as much (or as little) Nutella as you like.

The Nutella melts better if the coffee is super hot.

Stir until mixed well.

Next, pour in desired amount of coconut milk.

Make sure to shake the milk thoroughly, as coconut milk separates.

I actually open the can and pour it into a small container to keep in the fridge.

Mix well.

Finally, enjoy!

Obviously, you can make this to suit your own taste. Personally, I don't think it needs any sugar. Because, who am I kidding, Nutella has enough. :)

Way back in November.....

As a mother of three young sons, I love reading about fun, family-friendly activities. One of my go to magazines is Metro Family Magazine. Reading through the October 2011 edition, I noticed a recipe contest. The contest asked readers to submit a favorite, traditional holiday recipe with a twist. I had the perfect recipe! I quickly submitted my recipe for Sweet Potato and Banana Puree and crossed my fingers for a win! The prize was a good one. Not only would my recipe be published in the upcoming edition, but a Latin inspired cookbook and a $100 gift certificate from the Cooking Girl to spend on premade meals or (what I really wanted, cooking classes)!

About a week later I was contacted by the magazine. I HAD WON!!! I was beyond excited! I made plans to pick up my cookbook and began to research what cooking classes I wanted to attend. When the edition came out, I hurried to the library to snag a copy or two. I won't lie, it was pretty cool to see my name in print.

A couple months later, and I am finally planning on going to the cooking classes. It's been a little difficult trying to find a time that my husband would be home to watch the boys.

Below is the "prize winning" recipe. :) I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does. Thanks again, MetroFamily and Cooking Girl!

Sweet Potato and Banana Puree

Ingredients

3 pounds sweet potatoes

1 ripe banana (skin on)

2 TBSP unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup maple syrup

1 TBSP ground cinnamon .

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

¼ tsp salt

½ pound pecan, chopped

3 TBSP butte

r 1 tsp salt

1 TBSP brown sugar

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Poke sweet potatoes several times with fork. Bake on cookie sheet for 45 minutes. Remove cookie sheet from oven, and place the entire banana on the cookie sheet. Return sweet potatoes and banana to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool. At that time, peel the sweet potatoes and banana and place in food processor or mixing bowl. Mix until the potatoes are chunky. Add the softened butter and syrup, and puree until smooth. Add cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt, and mix to combine. Pour mixture to a baking dish and smooth out. While the potatoes and banana are baking, melt the remaining butter in a skillet over low heat. Add pecans and salt, and sauté for approximately five minutes, stirring frequently. Drain pecans on paper towels. Layer the nuts on top of the sweet potato mixture and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 20 minutes at 300 degrees.

*This recipe can also be made ahead and refrigerated. After putting the potato mixture in the casserole dish, it can be covered and refrigerated one day ahead of serving. On the day of serving, remove from refrigerator and sauté pecans. Increase baking time to 30 minutes to insure it is warmed through. I have actually used a couple bananas too.

What in the heck do you do with neck bones?!?

Earlier this month my husband and I went in with some friends and bought a cow. Our share was 1/8th of this massive, locally raised hunk of meat. When my friend told me it was about 100 pounds of beef, I had trouble imagining just how much it would be. Wowza! Good thing we have a deep freeze, otherwise we would have nowhere to store this gigantic haul of meat.

I was excited to have different kinds of steaks and roasts. Ground beef was plentiful (44 pounds plentiful). There were two things in the box I was clueless on what to do. 1. Livers 2. Neck bones. Gross and Grosser. My husband quickly claimed the livers as catfish bait. I was not one to object. As I started to ponder what to do with these dinosaur sized bovine vertebrae, my mind automatically went to stock. I have made chicken stock several times with the leftover bones from chickens, and I thought surely you could do the same with these neck bones.

After a quick Google search, I learned that you most definitely CAN make beef stock from neck bones. I scoured several recipes/methods for using the bones. I decided I could wing it with items I had on hand.

I can't exactly tell you how many pounds of neck bones I had, but it looked like at least three vertebrae that had been halved (and much to my relief, no spinal cord. For some reason, I was dreading locating a spinal cord.) I quartered one onion, peeled three cloves of garlic, rough chopped two ribs of celery, and threw in about 10 baby carrots I had left in the bag. I placed all the vegetables and bones in a roasting pan and plopped about half of a small can of tomato paste on top. Next, I seasoned with salt and pepper and stirred to coat.

This roasted in a 450 degree oven for about 45 minutes. A delicious smell filled the house and made me almost go "Cousin Eddie" on the neck bones when they came out of the oven.

I transferred the caramelized yum to a large stock pot and then covered with water. To the pan I also added about a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of whole peppercorns, three bay leaves, and a tablespoon of herbes de provence (since I had no fresh herbs on hand). This simmered on medium-low for four hours.

The stock was poured through a strainer to collect the large chunks of vegetables. The stock rested on the counter top for about 30 minutes. At that point, I was able to skim most of the fat from the top.

At this point the stock is finished. You could easily store it in a sealed container in your refrigerator or freezer.

Or do what I did, throw together a quick vegetable beef soup using half the stock and freeze the remainder.

Enjoy!

Back into the swing of things!

I was very eager to begin my journey in food blogging. My ideas were countless. Enter fried computer. Scorched is not a word you want associated with your food, and it is not one you want in the same breath as hard drive either. Ugh.

Five months later, I'm sitting in front of a new PC with the same aspirations for this blog. :)

Stay tuned!

Summer Yummers!

There is nothing better in the summer time than fresh produce. The vegetable choices are at their peak. Whether you harvest from your own backyard, find at a farmer's market, or swing through the produce aisle, summer veggies are a quick go to for a meal. One of the easiest and yummiest way I cook up my garden finds is to saute them and serve over pasta. And of of the best things about this dish, you can easily make it your own. Rarely do I serve it the same way. Use whatever you have on hand! Below, is what I happened to have on this particular day.

Angel Hair with Summer Veggie Saute

2 TBSP olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

dash red pepper flakes (if you like a little kick)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 meduim zuchinni, chopped

1 medium squash, chopped

1 cup diced tomato (can also substitue with a can)

1 cup baby spinach

Angel hair, cooked according to package directions

How to:

Over medium heat, saute the garlic and red pepper flakes. There are few things as good as fresh garlic cooking up!

Next, add in the onion and saute a few minutes. The squash and zuchinni are next in the pan. Allow the veggies to cook and soften a bit before adding in the tomatoes. Cook for another minute or two. Turn off the heat and fold in the spinach. The heat of the vegetables will help wilt the greens.

Now that the vegetables are finished, serve them over the pasta. On this particular night, I had some shrimp I needed to use. So, I seared them with a little lemon juice, butter and cajun seasonining.

This dish is very simple and good. I have even served it as a side. Like I said above, this is really just a method. Throw in any vegetable you enjoy! I love cooking with eggplant and mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Restaurant Review 1: Steak and Catfish Barn

I'm a sucker for tv, especially shows about food. Food Network and the Cooking Channel are at the top of my list. Travel Channel also has their fair share of great food shows, one of which being Man v. Food. I love learning about great places to eat in cities that I would love to visit. Although it may also be that Adam Richman, the show's host, looks a lot like a grown up Kevin Arnold. ;) Wouldn't you know it, Adam (and the show) visited Oklahoma. I had to go check it out.

A few weeks ago, my family visited the zoo and worked up quite an appetite. We weren't too far away from an eatery where the show filmed. The Steak and Catfish Barn it was!

I admit, driving up to the place wasn't the most exciting. It truly does look like a truck stop off the busy interstate. The inside stayed with that theme. It was a little dark and seemed like it hadn't been decorated in about 15 years. That didn't bother us. It was clean, and honestly some of the best eats come from hole in the wall establishments.

The waitstaff was very friendly and attentive. Our boys enjoyed looking at all the decorations covering the walls. The menu was large enough, mostly with fried foods. But after all, that's what The Travel Channel came for, and so did we! My husband and I both ordered the catfish dinner. It came with hush puppies and our choice of two sides. I chose the green beans and okra. He chose a side salad and fries. I also ordered a side of the green tomato relish. Our oldest chose his favorite, popcorn shrimp. Boy #2 opted for the catfish. The baby was happy with Cheerio's.

The food was good. I won't say spectacular. Honestly, I prefer my catfish a little more thinly cut. My husband enjoyed the catfish and had no complaints. I will say, the green tomato relish was delicious! Eating it with the hush puppies, catfish, or straight....YUM! (mental note for a recipe search....) The boys each enjoyed their meals as well. The food was very fairly priced, and the service was great. It was easy place to eat with the children as well. If we are up on the north side of Oklahoma City again, we may head back.

And a shot of Adam for the road.....