Baby, it's Cold Outside. Chicken 'n Dumplings Time

Oh Arctic air, how I wish you would stay in the Arctic.  But, as you are here for a few days, I thought I'd put up some tips on how to stay warm during this frigid blast.  So, this first week of 2014 is going to be dedicated to keeping warm, and staying inside...especially Minnesota and North Dakota where it apparently is cold enough to freeze your flesh in 5 minutes.

Time to make Chicken 'n Dumplings.  There are several different versions of what a dumpling is.  A dumpling, if you ask me is a plump, fluffy dough ball floating on top of a sea of golden broth, soaking in the flavor-y goodness.  Other places, it's more like a noodle.  We are making the fluffy dough ball kind of dumplings.

I was almost able to make this soup completely using items I had on hand, it all goes back to cooking intuitively.  Saves money and tastes good!

I quite often make enormous batches of protein and then force feed it to my family the rest of the week.  As you can imagine, we get tired of eating the same darn thing day after day.  I had four chicken breasts left after a week of eating them, and there they were, at the end of their life span, residing in the fridge, in the furthest corner, behind the cottage cheese and all the condiments that only were used once.  I'm not saying there was a conspiracy to hide the chicken from me, but....I'll let you decide.

So, after borrowing an onion from my sister, I scavenged the 4 or so ribs of limp celery and 5 pale carrots from my crisper drawer and decided, yeah, these'll do nicely (my family is so lucky!).  Sweated them out in a dutch oven with a dribble of oil, over medium heat until they were softened.  I simply diced up the already cooked chicken and tossed it in. Added enough water to cover the ingredients by an inch or two.  Some chicken base and seasonings later, and I had a half decent chicken soup.  And, I didn't waste a pile of chicken.  Double score! And, my family ate this soup like it was the best thing on earth...except my baby, who hates yummy things.  Thank you, week old chicken.

Boil, Boil, Toil and Trouble...

I threw the turmeric in because it is good for inflammation and gives a nice yellow-y color to dishes.  Remember to give your soup a taste and make sure it has enough salt.  Season accordingly.

And then dumpling time!

Sorry for the kind of creepy looking picture. It was dark.  And the pot was steaming.  I promise, they taste good and look pretty in real life. :)

This recipe is one my mother has used for my entire life. And maybe the one her mother used for her entire life.  I don't know.  All I know is, thank you Betty Crocker.

Dumplings
adapted from Betty Crocker Please click here for a link to Betty Crocker's page and this recipe I love
I don't know why my font changed, but I couldn't get it back to normal.  Sorry, I'll work on it.

1 1/2 C. All Purpose Flour
A dash of dried parsley   (not really for flavor so much as prettiness)
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
3 Tbl. Shortening (one of my favorite cooking ingredients...I know it is evil.  It is like, the worst of the worst, except for maybe high fructose corn syrup...but I love it.)
3/4 C. milk (use at least 2%, nobody wants a weak dumpling)

From here it's simple.  You're going to mix these up like a biscuit recipe.  Combine the dry ingredients (including the parsley, because let's face it, that herb is seriously dry and maybe a touch dusty as it was sitting in the back of the spice cabinet, on it's side.)

Cut in the shortening.  You can just use your fingers or a pastry cutter.  Add the milk and stir until it just comes together.  This is a sticky dough.

This recipe will make approximately 10 dumplings.

Over your simmering pot of soup, you are going to gently spoon in the dumplings (try not to burn yourself, the broth is boiling, after all, so use some common sense when adding it to the pot).  The dough balls might sink momentarily, but they should float up to the surface.  Try and space them evenly through the soup.  Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.  Pop a lid on and simmer for 10 more.  Done.

You should have perfectly steamed dumplings that are light and fluffy and a pleasure to eat, perfect for a freaking cold winter evening.  Stay warm America....except Alaska which is tropically warm right now.  35 F.

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Heather

Head to Tail Dining Hearth-Style

The other night, I was having a conversation about head to tail dining. And decided, if I lived under different circumstances, for example, on a rural farm in the middle of Scandinavia, I would be the type of person to eat head to tail.  This means, you use EVERYTHING.  I love this idea of waste not want not and making something good out of the gross parts.

For the record, I don't live in rural Scandinavia. I do not have access to pig entrails, chicken feet or assorted critter parts... I guess I could find them if I looked, but that would take some serious work.  So, I don't eat head to tail, but I do attempt to use what I've got to the best of my abilities.

Like many people out there, we had ham for Easter and there was a lot left over, including the ham bone.  So, in my house the only thing to do after ham dinner is make ham and beans soup.

You have to plan ahead when you make this recipe because you need to pre-soak your beans the night before.  Simple enough.  Take a bag of dry white beans, I used Great Northern, throw them in a dutch oven, sort through them to make sure there aren't any bits of rock or dirt, cover well with water and let soak while you sleep. (Or do the quick-soak method listed on the package)

This recipe takes 2 to 3 hours to cook, so, well in advance of dinner time, drain your beans and put back in your dutch oven.  Cover the beans with 1 quart of chicken stock and enough clean water the liquid covers the beans by two inches.  I did not have any chicken stock, so I used water and some bouillon cubes.

Dice up an onion and about 5 stalks of celery.  I didn't use carrots, but you could and it would be delicious.  Throw veggies in the water.  Season with some pepper, I would hold off on salt at this point because the ham is salty and the chicken stock/ bouillon cubes may be enough.

Toss in your ham bone, but not the leftover meat.  I don't think boiled to death ham is delicious, so I add it at the very end. I typically will turn the ham bone periodically as it simmers to ensure all the hammy goodness enters the soup.

Bring pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Top with a lid, slightly ajar, and let simmer for a couple of hours until the beans are nice and soft.  This has taken me as little as two hours and as long as 3 hours. It all depends on your beans, so that's why I say give yourself plenty of time.

When your beans are done remove the bone (be careful, it's bloody hot) and chop up the reserved ham. The best part about doing this yourself is you get to make sure none of the gristly bits go back in.  Shudder.  Even though I like the idea of head to tail, I'm still not going to eat gristle.

This soup only gets more flavorful as it sits in your fridge and will last you a few meals.  We have eaten this for two days straight and The Mister has taken it for lunch as well, and I still have enough for me to have lunch for a couple more days. Quite often, because it makes so much, I throw half the soup in a freezer bag so we can eat it a few months later. This way my kids don't get tired of the leftovers.  If you like a touch of spice, sprinkle on a dash of chilli powder in your individual bowl. You can also eat it like my parents, throw a fresh slice of home-baked bread on a plate and cover it with the soup.

Enjoy eating waste not want not style!

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Cook a bunch...Save it for later!

Remember this soup...I call it OMG Beef and Vegetable Soup and it really is amazing. It uses a bunch of veggies and heart healthy grains and beans and lentils and my entire family actually eats it...even My Youngest who isn't a very good eater.  The only problem, is that it is time consuming.  It's not hard, but you do have to chop a bunch of vegetables and you have to let it simmer for a couple of hours so...you are making a bit of a commitment when you make it.

So, the next time I made it...I made a big a big improvement on my method...I made a double batch.  One to eat that night and the other to freeze and eat at a later date.  I did have to wash two giant pots and had to chop twice the amount of veggies...but once you're going it really doesn't take very much more time than doing a single batch.

I actually did more than just cook a double batch of  soup, I also browned up a couple of pounds of ground beef with onion and salt and pepper to freeze as well.  The nice thing about having some already browned ground beef ready to go...is you can turn it into so many things on the quick.  Tacos.  Chili.  Spaghetti Sauce.  Loose Meat Sandwiches.  It is a great thing to have on hand.

Here's what I did.  To start, I bought a 4 lb. package of ground beef.  I got out my two giant pots, you see above, put a splash of oil in each, heated them up over medium high heat and placed two lbs of ground beef in each.  I let them brown up nicely, then added a diced onion to each pot and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Once the meat was browned, I took the meat from one of the pots, let it cool then placed it in a zip top bag and popped it in the freezer.  The other pot I split the cooked ground beef evenly between the two pans and then commenced making a double batch of soup.

So, in one evening I had dinner.  Soup for another time and two lbs of ground beef to use at a later time.  This is something I encourage everyone to do.  If you are cooking something that is easy to make multiples of...do it.  It will save you time another day and make you a happier homemaker.

Oh by the way...
Mrs. Hines is back at the Cafe to show us how to tackle those big home organizing projects. You don't want to miss this if your desk and crafting area look anything like mine!!!

Head on over to the Cafe...

This project shared Here:
Coastal Charm
Adventures of a DIY MOM
Nap-Time Creations
My Uncommon slice of suburbia
Sugar Bee Crafts
Crafty Confessions
Lady bug Blessings

Thanks for reading!

Heather

The Most Wonderful Soup of the Year!

I am working hard on becoming more of an intuitive cook.  This practice lends itself well to the making of soup.  I mean, what is soup but whatever you have on hand and water?  I know my Great Grandmothers wouldn't have given the making of soup a second thought, they would've just done it, dang it. They were hardy women who knew how to feed and clothe eight kids on a miner's pay. Warshed their clothes on a warshboard ever' day. The work they done was hard, at night they'd sleep cause they were... tard...

Oh wait, that's somebody else's story, but you get the drift.  I shouldn't have to give soup as much thought as I do.  So, instead of googling a recipe, I did what felt right. And dang was it good!

If you don't have some of the ingredients I used, figure something else out.  It's okay, I promise.  Lets be pioneer women... errr.... you know, the old school kind. Not the super-fancy blogger who takes pictures of every blooming step.  I'm just saying, I think we can pull up our big girl panties and just follow directions. Sorry. Sometimes I think we don't need pictures of every single step. 

Moving on.

The quantities I give here are what I used, but don't fret them too much.  It's okay to use more or less of something.

Pepper chunks. For flavor.

The soup mix I used.  It was awesome.  Imagine all the beans, lentils, barley and GROATS. It's got all of the things.

See! Looks good, huh?

Really Good Beef and Vegetable Soup

1 1/4 lb. Chuck cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 C. Seasoned flour.  I used some garlic salt and pepper for seasoning
1 onion, diced
5 medium sized carrots, cut into coins
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 8 oz can tomato sauce, mine was seasoned with basil, garlic and oregano
Few dashes Worcestershire Sauce. Don't go crazy here.
Chicken Base, about 2 Tbl.  You could use bouillon cubes if that's what you've got
Parmesan rind (I was seriously being fancy.  But, I love that my grocery store sells what is basically garbage. And I bought it and loved it!)
1/2 Anaheim Pepper cut into large pieces. I happened to have 1/2 of an Anaheim pepper, but absolutely loved the flavor it imparted to the soup.  I didn't want to actually eat pieces of pepper, I just wanted the essence.  That's the reason for the big chunks, you're going to fish them out at the end.
1 1/2 Cups Mixed beans and grains Soup mix (not seasoned, just the beans and grains)
Water. A bunch of it. You'll have to use your judgement on this one.  You want to have your pot filled about 2 inches from the top.
salt and pepper
Oil

In a large pot heat up several tablespoons of oil over medium high heat.  I would say 4 Tbls. probably.  When the pan is good and hot, take your beef cubes that you have rolled around in your seasoned flour, a piece at a time, and shake off the excess flour.  Then put them in the oil. Don't crowd the beef.  You want to cook the beef in batches, the reason for this, is you want your beef to brown and get awesome, not steam it which is what you'll do if you put the entire batch in at once.  Brown each piece, more or less, on all sides.  When browned, remove to a plate.  Finish browning all the beef.  If you have to add a touch more oil to the pan, go ahead. 

Notice all the browned goodness in the bottom? This is flavor.  Add some water to the bottom of your pan to prevent the browned stuff from burning.  Start filling the pot with ingredients.  Add the onion, carrots, celery, and browned meat.  Throw in a couple pieces of Parmesan rind. This is going to add some serious flavor and thicken the soup a bit.  You'll pull these out when cooking is done. Throw in your pieces of pepper and  your beans and grains mix.  Add your tomato sauce and a few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce.  Now fill up the pot with the rest of the water.  Leave about 2 inches up at the top.  I would say, don't really season it with salt at this point.  Let it simmer for a bit and then taste it.  You don't want your soup to be too salty!!

Bring to a boil.  Then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer with the lid on and slightly ajar for about 2 1/2 hours, or until your beans are nice and tender. The bean package told me 1 1/2 hours...apparently I like my beans more tender than they do.  Make sure to check the seasoning level.  You don't want bland soup, but at the same time, you don't want soup that's too salty.  You want it just right.

Devour the tastiest soup ever!  Serve with The Best Drop Biscuits and you will be in bliss.  My husband swore his eternal devotion to me again last night over this supper.  It's always good to wield your power...but only for good!!!   Although, I would like to have a brand new sewing machine...  hmmmm... no, no.  Power for good, not evil.

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Taco Soup Baby...

If you're somewhere cold...like November's supposed to be...not 70 degrees.

Really, this couldn't be easier.  It's a one pot dish and my kids both really enjoy it.  So, if you maybe have picky kids....I'm not saying My Youngest is a picky eater...no, that's exactly what I'm saying.  She struggles to eat chili, but will gobble this right up.  So give this a try next time you want to make soup.

Let me just say, in advance that I'm not giving all ingredients in exact measurements.  For me, cooking oftentimes is using what I've got on hand.  I may not always have something.  So, if you don't want to go to the store...improvise.  It's really easy to do with soup.  And, just pay attention to it.  If you don't think it looks like it has enough liquid.  Add some water or more tomatoes.  Also, taste it.  Decide if it tastes good. 

Ingredients
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 package corn
1 64 oz. bottle V8...or bottled tomatoes of a different variety
1 can crushed tomatoes
3 or 4 cans canned beans, drained
2 packages taco seasoning

Saute the onion in medium saucepan until softened.  Add the ground beef and cook until browned.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatoes, corn, beans and taco seasoning.  Bring to a boil, then let simmer for a couple of hours...if you have the time.  If not, it doesn't need a couple of hours but the flavor sure gets better.

When you serve, make sure you have shredded cheese, maybe some sour cream and Frito's or corn chips.  Delicious!  Corn bread makes a great side dish for this one.

My Youngest was a Rainbow Butterfly Princess.  She came up with this all on her own.  I did the face paint.  Love her creativity. She is such a girly girl.

My Oldest putting on her "brave" face.  She is my drama queen.  We had her sleep in braids so she'd have curly hair.  Looks so pretty in that dark teal dress.  The real reason she wanted to be Merida from brave...is because of the bow and arrow set that I let her have with it.  Now we know the truth. 

Thanks for reading everyone!

Heather

Don't panic...it's just soup

First off, yay!  I got my pin-cushion from the pin-cushion swap I was involved in.

It was made by Heather from Olive and Ollie http://www.oliveandollie.com/...totally cute stuff.  I love the fabric.  My Youngest has claimed it as her own tiny pillow, and keeps asking me if Mama sewed it.  Nope...Mama didn't sew this one.  Thanks Heather (sweet name by the way).

Back to business at hand...soup.

It is just soup, but look, let's face facts.  If you don't know proportions or what tastes good in soup, or how long to cook it...then it can be a little intimidating.  And I'll be honest, it's not an exact science for me.  It's a little of this and a dab of that and maybe a smidge more of something else...you gotta taste it as you go along.  So be like me and play like the chef's in Top Chef and have little tasting spoons that you can have a bite and then throw in the sink to wash later so that you continually check the flavors.  Or you could be really hard core and just dip your fingers in...gross.  I'll just wash a bunch of spoons, thank you.

I can't even give you an exact recipe, I can just give you the basics for making your own recipe.  Let me start by saying though to start early with soup.  It is best to pre-chop and pre-make certain items before you need supper in an hour, as it's a little time consuming to make soup.

I made Vegetable Beef and Barley Soup.  So at lunch time today I got out the skillet and I put a little oil in the bottom, I finely chopped an onion and an Anaheim pepper.  And I diced a celery into crescent moons, somewhere between 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch thick.  Started sauteing these over medium heat.  Then I added 1.5 lbs ground round 85 % lean, and browned until done, add salt and pepper as you feel is tasty.  Set aside when done.  In fact, do this the night before and just toss it in the fridge.

Start chopping your veg.  Again, you gotta go with what you like.  Carrots, potatoes, green beans, cabbage and zucchini for me.  I grabbed a medium-sized bowl and started chopping, aiming to fill it up.  I chopped approx: 6 carrots into half moons, several hand-fulls of green beans chopped into 2 inch pieces (please chop off the ends...they're kind of scratchy going down), 1 potato into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch dice, 1/2 of a small head of cabbage chopped into 1 inch square pieces. and 1 zucchini quartered and then chopped approx the size of the carrots.  Set aside.  If you want, do this the night before or after breakfast even.  But give yourself enough time!  I wouldn't chop the zucchini or the potato ahead though.  Nasty brown potatoes are not delicious.

Prepare your barley if you're going to use it as early as you like as well.  If you want to use noodles, then obviously you don't have to prepare these in advance as they will cook in your boiling broth.  Just follow the instructions and set aside.

Now it's broth time.  I got my biggest pot as I knew this was an enormous amount of soup.  I dumped my chopped veg in the soup, minus the zucchini as it's a quick cooker.  I took the bowl the veg was in before and I filled it with water, twice, and dumped it in the pot.  Then I used beef bouillon base and just guessed how much to put in, but several good spoonfuls.  I added several dashes of Worcestershire Sauce and 2 large spoonfuls of tomato paste.  Taste.  Add salt and pepper and a bay leaf.  Turn on heat and bring to boil. 

Boil approximately 15 minutes.  You want the veg to be tender...it is not nice to take a bite of soup and have some under-cooked veg.  Gross.  Give yourself time to get them nice and soft.  Add the meat.   Add the barley.  Decide that maybe it isn't soupy enough and add another cup of water.  Looks good!  Slap on the lid, reduce heat to simmer and let it be.  Taste.  Add more salt, or another dash or two of Worcestershire.  Toss spoon into the sink.  Simmer for an hour or so.  Add the zucchini.  Taste.  Throw spoon into sink.  Slap lid on and let it go on very very low until dinner time.  Yay and yum!  Soup.

My Oldest declared this the BEST soup she has ever eaten.  And as a matter of fact,she actually ate her entire bowl...a zucchini included I do believe.  And the Youngest who is terribly picky, gobbled hers up as well.  I served it with bread that I buttered and then layered Pecorino Romano cheese on and broiled for a couple of minutes until nice and toasty and melted.  Dessert was fresh strawberries with a dollop of whipped cream.  So good.  So try soup.  It's not so hard.  Just use what you like and use common sense regarding the ingredients.  If it looks like there's not enough water, add some.  If it looks too watery, you can take it out!  If you love rutabaga, put it in!