Chicken and dumplings

When people talk about comfort food they always talk about chicken and dumplings. I never thought that! For a couple reasons. I never ate it before and It seemed like such a mainland food. When I decided to make this I looked up a couple recipes and they all use stuff like condensed cream of celery or cream of chicken soup, and Bisquick batter. The thought of chicken soaked in canned soup topped with pancake batter made me sick. I thought chicken and dumplings were old school food? Before processed food was even made? So I came across an old recipe tweaked it and came out with an awesome dish. This is a little time consuming for people now days. I have no life so I can stay home all day and cook. To make this faster you could use chicken thighs and store bought broth. But i wouldn't :)

Ingredients:

1 roasting chicken about 5 to 6 pounds

1 large onion chopped, (for the stock)

3 bay leaves

6 tablespoon butter

6 tablespoon flour

3 teaspoons fresh thyme

2 tablespoon cooking sherry

4 celery stalks cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large onion quartered

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Ingredients for Dumplings:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tbsp butter, melted

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup minced herbs (parsley, sage, and thyme) or whatever floats your boat. Make sure you use fresh herbs not dried.

Directions:

First things first, We need to cut up this bird. Cut off legs, thighs and breasts, remove the skin and set aside. Next we need to hack up whats left over into 2 inch pieces for the stock.

Heat some olive oil in a heavy bottom pot on medium high heat. Add hacked up chicken pieces (back, neck, and wings) and onion. Cook until onions soften and chicken pieces brown, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to low, cover and continue to cook for about 20 minutes. In a tea kettle or separate pot, boil 6 cups of water. Add boiling water to chicken pan and turn heat to medium high.

Add chicken , 3 bay leaves, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt to the stock and bring up to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is  just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken legs, thighs, and breasts from the pan and set aside. When chicken is cool enough to handle, debone the chicken pieces. Shred and cut into bite size pieces.

Next you need to strain the broth and discard all the solids and bay leaves. Skim off any fat from the broth and reserve 5 cups for the dish. Freeze any left overs for later use.

For the dumpling batter. sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add herbs. Add melted butter and milk to the dry ingredients. Gently mix with a spoon until mixture just comes together. Making sure not to over mix or you batter will be too dense. Set aside.

Next; heat 6 tablespoons butter in the pan you used to make the stock over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and thyme, whisking constantly until flour turns golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add sherry, then slowly add the 5 cups stock, cook until mixture slightly thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, and onions; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and cream; return to a strong simmer. Season with salt and pepper and cover to cook 5 minutes.

After the 5 minutes drop the dumpling batter into the stew by heaping teaspoonfuls, over the surface of the stew. Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes. (I know its tempting but make sure you don't uncover the pot! The dumplings need steam to cook) Check the dumplings in 15 minutes. If there still not done cover and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

When dumplings are done take them out and put them on a plate. Stir in the peas and parsley and warm them through.

Scoop stew into bowls and add dumplings on top.

Lovin me some white honey!

I have a new favorite thing! White organic Ohia Lehua honey. This stuff is the bomb! It tastes so good with Fage yogurt. Its not like regular honey where you can pour over your food. You need to scoop it out, Its thick and grainy and has such a great taste. They have hives all over the Island and different variety's too. Lance liked the macadamia nut blossom. Check out there website for more information. http://www.bigislandbees.com/index.php

Coq Au Vin

Once you have this dish you will definitely feel like such a grown up. The flavors are so rich and heavy you wont need a big plate. My kids were not so fond of it, they said it tasted "To Winey" I served this with steamed potatoes but next time will pour over egg noodles. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 4 – 5 pound chicken cut into 8 parts (skin removed)

8 Cups Dry Red Wine (I used Burgundy)

2 large onions quartered

3 medium carrots, peeled and quartered

2 cloves garlic smashed

1 bouquet garni (1 sprig each parsley and thyme, bay leaf, and 1 celery stalk, Tied in a square of cheesecloth)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large piece pancetta (equal to one full slice of thick cut bacon)

1/2 Cup cognac

1 lb white mushrooms cleaned and sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved into 2 tablespoons cold water

Directions:

Place chicken, wine, vegetables, garlic and bouquet garni in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours

Remove chicken from the marinade (reserve marinade)and pat dry. Brown chicken in olive oil using a large casserole on medium high heat. Remove the vegetables from the marinade add them to the dutch oven (still reserving marinade) and add the salt pork. Cover and warm through for 10 minutes. Add the cognac and carefully light. Once the flames go away, add the mushrooms, marinade, salt and pepper and simmer for 2 hours.

Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pot, place in a casserole dish covered to keep warm.

Degrease the broth, bring to a boil and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Reduce until desired thickness about 45 minutes or so, you want a think gravy. Add the chicken and vegetables and warm through.

Chick Pizzas

          So we had pizza night. Lance always decides what goes on the pizzas! Not lastnight, I made chick pizzas! If there is such a thing? Were always stuck with Lances 20 ingredient pizzas. His puts so much meat on it we have mini heart attacks after dinner. Well let me share the perfect "chick Pizzas" that even your hubby will love.

The first one was a simple feta and spinach, Make some pizza dough and roll it out. Top it with some tomato sauce (not too much) add thinly sliced Swiss cheese, yes i said Swiss, believe me! Then add a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves, top with 5 oz of crumbled feta. Place the pizza in the middle of the oven and bake at 450 for 20-30 minutes.

 The second Pizza:

Make a pizza dough and roll it out, top with tomato sauce (again not to much), shredded mozzarella cheese, precooked Italian sausage, small handfuls of each spinach and basil, sliced mushrooms (like 2), and handful of grape tomatoes. These are the ones from Costco. Its a mixed medley, so yummy :)

Again bake at 450 for 20-35 minutes.

Pizza is so easy to make at home, there's no excuse! Make sure you don't pile your ingredients to high. We learned this the hard way. We added so much veggies and meat that it took an hour to cook. Less is more people! Although Lance still makes his pizzas this way. Hes a dork!

Asian Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

3 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon very hot water

1 tablespoon  sugar

2 - 3 cups thinly sliced red and green cabbage

1/2 -1 cup sliced mini sweet peppers

1/3 cup sliced green onions

Cooked chicken ( I used the breaded chicken from Costco, Baked)

Directions:

Put ginger, garlic, cilantro, peanut butter, lemon juice, peanut oil, soy sauce, hot water, and sugar in food processor or blender. Pulse about one minute, until ingredients are well combined. Taste to see if you want more peanut butter.

Combine vegetables and dressing in a bowl and toss. Add chicken on top or you can mix it in. Top with chopped cilantro and peanuts.

Roasted Whole Chicken

Ingredients:

3-4lb Whole Chicken

1 Onion quartered

1 Lemon

4 garlic cloves sliced in half

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

4 tablespoons Parsley, sage, and rosemary chopped (usually I would use thyme but parsley is what I had on hand)

Directions:

Clean and dry your chicken. This will help to insure a nice crust on your chicken once it’s finished. Stuff you chicken ;) With your onion, lemon and garlic. Don't worry about chopping them good, there in there for the flavor. You'll be taking them out before serving.

In a small bowl add your chopped herbs, olive oil, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper.

Rub down your chicken with the herb mix. Place in 450 degree oven for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes until golden brown.

Once the chicken is roasted, let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

*One of our favorite things to have with roast chicken is fried potatoes. Add a couple tablespoons of shortening or butter to a hot pan and let it melt, add one sliced onion and cook for one minute. Add about 8 chopped red potatoes and fry for about 15 minutes. Season and serve.