Chicken & Dumplings

1 large chicken-stewed  

I have used chicken breasts with skin on but you get a lot more flavor for the broth from stewing a whole chicken.

Cook chicken until tender in boiling water with salt & pepper added to taste.

Skin & bone chicken & tear meat into chunks (you choose what size you like).

Dumplings 

(I usually do another half recipe so there are plenty of dumplings) I cook for large numbers when doing this though  ;-) )

2 c. flour                                                    

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp. salt   

¼ c. Crisco or lard (I know, I know)*        

1 egg beaten                                                

½ c. plus 1 Tbsp. milk

Cut Crisco into flour, salt & baking powder. Blend egg with milk & stir into dry mixture. Turn dough out on well-floured board. (I use a clean counter top)  Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness & cut in strips. (I learned to use a pizza cutter) I like dumplings about ½” wide & 2” or so long.

Drop dumplings into boiling broth & cook until tender.  (sorry, no time frame here because I haven’t made them in so long, seems like it’s about 12 minutes or more). When dumplings are tender add the chicken chunks, stir & heat through.

Thicken the broth with a cornstarch & water slurry. I apologize again. I don’t have amounts here. I make it up every time.  If I have made a larger quantity of dumplings I make more broth so it requires more thickening.  I’m just guessing but it seems like it’s about 1/3 – ½ cup cornstarch then add cool water to make a slurry then STIR the broth as you add the cornstarch or at least stir it quickly after you add it otherwise it can clump pretty badly in your broth.

That’s it. So basic & simple & lip smacking good but I cook by ear when I make it.

Have FUN!!

*You can try butter instead of shortening or lard. A good quality, organic, grass fed lard will work better than butter. It just makes a different consistency to the dumpling. I don’t make this often enough to fret about using Crisco once a year or less J  I don’t eat all the dumplings either so I’m not getting much if I eat it on this rare occasion.

"Wendy's" Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 - 14.5 Oz. can tomato sauce
1 - 14.5 Oz. can kidney beans (with liquid)
1 - 14.5 Oz. can pinto beans (with liquid)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green chilies
1/4 cup diced celery
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup water

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain off the fat.
2. Using a fork, crumble the cooked beef into pea-size pieces.
3. In a large pot, combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients,
and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes,
for 2 to 3 hours.

Makes about 12 servings.

Mushroom-Barley Burgers With Sage

4 large Portobello mushrooms (about 1 1/2 pounds with stems), stems removed and caps chopped into 1/2-inch pieces 1 cup cooked pearl barley (prepare as directed on package) 1 egg 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried 1 tablespoon sherry 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split These burgers are easily made in a food processor. If you do not have one, simply mash ingredients together in a large bowl. To make 1 cup cooked barley (as called for here), boil 1/3 cup barley in enough water to cover for 45 minutes, until tender. Drain. Set a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute 5 minutes, until tender and liquid evaporates. Transfer mushrooms to a food processor fitted with the metal blade and add remaining ingredients except buns. Pulse on and off until well blended. Shape mixture into 4 equal patties. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Preheat grill or broiler. Grill or broil burgers (if broiling, use a baking sheet) 5 minutes per side, until browned on the outside and cooked through. Place on buns and serve. Vegetarian Nutritional Information Calories 216 Carbs 35 g Protein 9.7 g Fat Total 4 g Saturated Fat 1 g

Pizza Margherita

Crust:
1 (16-oz.) package pizza dough (room temperature)
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings:
1/4 cup tomato sauce, unsweetened
1 cup sliced low-fat mozzarella cheese
1 tomato, sliced
1/4 cup whole basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. On a nonstick pizza pan, stretch the dough to form the pizza crust, drizzle two teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil on it, and spread the oil with a pastry brush to the edges. Spread tomato sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a quarter-inch border. Layer with mozzarella and tomatoes. Rip leaves of basil and sprinkle on top. Serves 6.
Bake pizza for 15 to 18 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15–18 minutes

Nutritional Information
Calories 270
Carbs 34 g Protein 11 g
Fat Total 11 g Fiber 0 g
Saturated Fat 3 g

Impossibly Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Impossibly Easy Chicken Pot Pie
This pot pie couldn't be easier. It’s loaded with chicken and vegetables in a creamy sauce and baked under an impossibly easy crust.
1 2/3 cups Green Giant® frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup cut-up cooked chicken
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg



1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in ungreased glass pie plate, 9x1 1/4 inches.
2. Stir together remaining ingredients with fork until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.


High Altitude (3500-6500 ft)
Heat oven to 425ºF.

TRIPLE-CHEESE MAC ATTACK

Makes 6 servings
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
Garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1 (7-ounce) package elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, egg, salt, garlic salt, and black pepper. Add cheddar and Swiss cheeses and blend well. Cook macaroni as directed on package and drain well.
Add cooked macaroni to cheese mixture and blend until well coated. Add macaroni mixture to a greased 2- or 2½-quart baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes.

Quick Skillet 57

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups hot water
1 can (16-ounces) tomatoes cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup Heinz 57 Sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Dash pepper
4 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni (about 1 cup)

Directions: Brown beef and onion in oil. Drain excess fat. Stir in water and next 5 ingredients. Add macaroni; mix well. Bring mixture to boil, and then reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until macaroni is tender. Garnish with minced parsley, if desired.
Makes 5 servings (about 5-1/2 cups)

Pork Tenderloin with Orange Marmalade

1 pork tenderloin (1 pound)
Pinch of fresh black pepper
1 ½ Tbsp. grainy, course, prepared mustard
1/4 cup low sugar orange marmalade
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup water
1/4 tsp. Fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock


1. Make a cut lengthwise down the center about halfway through the pork tenderloin.
2. In a small bowl mix together mustard, garlic, rosemary, and black pepper. Spread mixture along the cut surface of the tenderloin. Reshape and tie in several places. Place on rack above roasting pan. Brush with 2 Tbsps marmalade. Add water to pan.
3. Bake in 400-degree oven for about 40-50 minutes or until internal temperature of meat reaches 160 degrees.
4. Mix together remaining orange marmalade and chicken stock in a small saucepan. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes until thickened. Spoon sauce over sliced tenderloin and serve immediately.


Makes 4 servings
Per serving: 160 calories, 74 mg. Cholesterol, 0 dietary fiber,
3 g. fat, 175 mg. sodium

Chile Verde (complicated but the BEST)

Ingredients
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
• 5 garlic cloves, not peeled
• 2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 2 Anaheim or Poblano chiles (optional)
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped
• 3 1/2 to 4 pounds pork shoulder (also called pork butt), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• 2 yellow onions
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp of chopped fresh oregano or 1 Tbsp of dried oregano
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• Pinch of ground cloves
Method




1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down, along with 5 unpeeled garlic cloves, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin. Remove from oven, let cool enough to handle.
If you want the additional flavor of chiles other than jalapenos, you can add a couple Anaheim or poblano chiles. Either use canned green chiles or roast fresh chilies over a gas flame or under the broiler until blackened all around. Let cool in a bag, remove the skin, seeds, and stem.

2 Place tomatillos, skins included, into blender. Remove the now roasted garlic cloves from their skins, add them to the blender. Add chopped Jalapeño peppers, other chilies (if you are using them), and cilantro to the blender. Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.


3 Season the pork cubes generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat and brown pork chunks well on all sides. Work in batches so that the pork is not crowded in the pan and has a better chance to brown well. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, lift pork out of pan and place in bowl, set aside.


4 Pour off excess fat, anything beyond a tablespoon, and place the onions and garlic in the same skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until limp, about 5 minutes. If your skillet is large enough to cook the entire batch of chile verde, with the sauce and meat, then add the pork back to the pan. If not, get a large soup pot and add the onion mixture and the pork to it. Add the oregano to the pan. Add the tomatillo chile verde sauce to the pork and onions. Add the chicken stock (enough to cover the meat). Add a pinch of ground cloves. Add a little salt and pepper. (Not too much as the chile verde will continue to cook down and concentrate a bit.)

5 Bring to a boil and reduce to a slight simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork tender.
Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with Spanish rice and warmed flour tortillas or freshly made corn tortillas.
Serves 8.

Taco Salad

Hamburger meat
Frito’s
Pinto Beans (cooked)
Lettuce
Tomato
Onion
Grated cheese
Enchilada sauce
Olives, chopped
Sour Cream
Guacamole or chopped avocados

Brown meat & season, add to cooked beans (season)

Serve buffet style. Frito’s on bottom, meat & bean mixture the top with cheese, lettuce tomatoes, etc.

Jiffy Hamburger Stew

1 lb. ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 c. diced pared potatoes
1 can (1lb) tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Snipped parsley

In large skillet, cook and stir ground beef, onion and potatoes until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper; heat to boiling.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Garnish with parsley.

4 servings

Variations

Bean Burger Hash: omit tomatoes; stir in 1 can (15 ½ oz) kidney beans (with liquid) and 2 t. chili powder with the salt and pepper. If necessary, add 1 to 2 Tbsp. water.

Bean Burger Stew: Stir in 1 can (15 ½ oz ) kidney beans (with liquid) and 2 tsp chili powder with the canned tomatoes.

Quick Sloppy Joes

1-2 lbs ground beef
Flour
1 can onion soup (Campbell’s) undiluted
Salt and pepper to taste
Buns

Brown beef, drain fat, stir in a few t. flour and onion soup. Heat through and serve over buns

Turkey Creole

My FAVORITE thing to do with leftover Turkey.



1 medium-large onion, thinly sliced
1 green or red pepper, thinly sliced into narrow strips
2-3 stalks celery, thinly sliced (I prefer to mince these to bits in my VitaMix, or a food processor)
~2 T. veg oil, olive oil or butter
 1-2 14.5 oz cans of stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce (can't remember size, but bigger than 8oz)
2-3 t. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2- 2 1/2 c. cooked turkey, chopped
Hot cooked rice or spaghetti  (I prefer rice)

In a large skillet, cook and stir onion, pepper and celery in oil until veggies are tender, about 5 mins.  Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder and salt: simmer uncovered about 10 mins.  Stir in turkey.  Cover and simmer until turkey is hot, about 5 mins.  Serve over rice or spaghetti.

(I vary the recipe according to how many people I'm serving... serves anywhere between 4-8 depending)