Chicken and dumplings

During the 'blizzard of 2011' I thought it would be a good time to make a stew, but a chicken stew as my daughter is not a fan of beef.  After some search on the internet I found this recipe and she had two helps so it must have been good.  It was so easy to make and the dumplings...well I should have made a double batch to put in.
Let me tell you there is nothing healthy about this recipe. You start with a whole lotta buttter!  But it makes it taste so good!!

 Start with 3 tablespoons of butter, let it melt down and had the following:

1 medium onion -cut into 1 inch pieces

5 medium carrots

1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

Cover and and let it simmer till the onion is soft (about 5 minutes)

Add 1/4 cup of flour (this is what will thicken the stew) and cook stirring for 30 seconds.

Add 1 box of chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and cook, stirring for 20 minutes.

While the stew is cooking, you will make the dumplings.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of fresh dill or 3/4 teaspoons of dill weed, 1 3/4 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  With a fork, gradually stir in 1/2 cup of Milk to form a moist and soft batter.  ( I found I had to had about 1/4 cup more then the recipe called for) 

It should be just a little thicker than pancake batter and should easily drop from the tip of a spoon.

Stir in 1 cup of frozen peas and/or corn into the stew.  Drop batter in simmering liquid in 10 heaping tablespoonfuls, keeping them spaced apart (dumplings will swell as they cook).

Cover, and simmer until chicken is tender and dumplings are firm, 20 minutes. Serve.

Cupcake collection

Cakes I have completed over the last couple of years.

Crockpot Beef Stew

My family loves this.  I love it because I can toss it together in the morning and by dinner time the house smells yummy.  Here is the recipe:

One package of stewing beef
1/4 cup flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive oil
1 small onion sliced
2 cloves of garlic

Take the stewing beef and put into a clean plastic bag.  Add flour, salt and pepper and shake.  In a frying pan heat up olive oil and add the onion and chopped garlic, cook till onions are tender and add beef in flour mixture.  Cook the beef  for 10-15 turning often to cook all sides but not throughly.

In your crockpot add:

Cooked stewing beef, onions and garlic and drippings from pan
Assorted root vegetables (We like potatoes clean with skins on, carrots, turnip and squash)
Half container of beef broth
Seasonings to taste, I usually add salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and a bay leaf (remove before serving)

If preparing in the morning, put your crockpot on low, if afternoon, put on high.

An hour before serving put crockpot on high so that it starts to boil.  Add a mixture of cornstarch and hot water to thicken juices into gravy.  Stir and your stew is ready.

You can make this a chicken or turkey stew but subsituting the beef broth for chicken broth and adding chicken or turkey.

Cake Release

When I do cakes for people they always ask how I get the cake out of the pan without ruining it.  My pans are not non-stick.  The trick and I use it for more then just cakes is Wilton Cake Release. 

Now you can use the old fashion oil and flour mixture, but if you have to have the right mix of both, to much oil and your cake is a soggy mess, to much flour and your chocolate cake could be white on the edges.  Cake release solves this issue with the perfect mixture of both in a bottle.  Just squeeze some into the pan and brush all over.  I use it for cakes, squares, and any other baking that I want to take out of the pan easily.

You can get it at Michaels with your 40% off coupon and it last quite awhile. 

Wilton Cake Release

Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

This cake was made for last Christmas dinner.  It was gone the next day.  Who knew dried dates could make such a wonderful dessert!

 It’s a British dessert, and it’s not actually pudding. Pudding literally just  means dessert. So this sticky toffee dessert is exactly what it sounds like!  This recipe is from the Joy Of Cooking 75th Anniversary edition cookbook. This would make a great holiday cake for Christmas or Thanksgiving! Its warm and comforting, and best of all it has butterscotch toffee sauce!

Sticky Toffee Pudding
8 servings
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour eight 6-ounce ramekins or a 9×2 inch square baking pan. (I used a fluted cake pan)

Combine in a small saucepan:

• 1 1/2 cups pitted dates, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups water

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in:

• 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda   ( i know this isn’t the greatest picture, but it just shows you how the mixture will puff up once you add the baking soda, it will be really airy and spongy.

Set aside. Whisk together in a small bowl:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Beat in large bowl on high speed until lightened in color and fluffy:

• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons  ( 3/4 stick) butter, unsalted, softened

Beat in one at a time:

• 3 large eggs

Beat in:

• 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Gradually add the flour mixture, beating on low just until mixed. Stir in the date mixture, until just combined. Pour into the prepared dish(es).

If using ramekins, put them on a baking sheet. Bake until the pudding is a deep golden brown and a skewer inserted in comes out moist but clean, 20-25 minutes. About 35 minutes for a single larger dish. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the dish(es), then turn out the pudding and invert onto the rack, right side up, to cool slightly. Serve warm, each serving covered generously with warm Butterscotch Sauce.

 Warm Butterscotch Sauce:

Cook, stirring over medium-low heat in a medium heavy saucepan:

• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter ( 1/2 stick)
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Stir to dissolve sugar. Increase heat to medium-high and without sitrring, boil until as thick as corn syrup. about 3 minutes. Let cool slightly. Add:

• 2/3 cup heavy cream

Allow sauce to thicken on the countertop at room temperature for a while before serving. It makes it nice and gooey and delicious!!

You can make this ahead of time.  When you are eating dinner stick the cake back in the oven to warm.  Just before serving, poke the cake and pour some of the sauce over it.  Use the remainder of the sauce to pour over individual pieces and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This has everything a baked potato has but its a great soup.  I first had this in Fonthill, Ontario at My Place.  A friend ordered it and I ended up finishing it off.  It was wonderful!  This is the recipe I use at home.  It does not last long.

Now if you find the soup gets to thick because of the starch in the potatos, just add more cream or milk when warm.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

• 8 ounces bacon, chopped
• 3 pounds russet potatoes
• 1 large onion, chopped  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T. all-purpose flour
• 4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1/4 t. dried thyme
• 2 c. shredded sharp cheese, plus additional for garnish
• 1 c. sour cream, plus additional for garnish t
• pepper & salt to taste
• 3 scallions, sliced thin

How to make it

• Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. While bacon is cooking, use vegetable peeler to remove wide strips of potato peel; reserve peels, Cut peeled potatoes into 3/4-inch pieces. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to plate lined with paper towels. Add reserved potato skins to bacon fat in pot and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer potato skins to plate with bacon.
• Add onion to fat remaining in pot and cook over medium heat until golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and flour and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth and cream, stir in thyme and potatoes (minus 2 cups), and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 7 minutes.
• Take the 2 cups of remaining potatos and cut them into bites size pieces.  Boil them in salted water.  When tender remove from heat and water and let cool.
• Puree soup in batches in blender until smooth. Return to pot and warm over medium-high heat. Off heat, stir in cheese until melted, then whisk in sour cream, Return reserved potatoes to pot and season soup with pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with bacon, fried potato skins, scallions, and sour cream.
• REHEATING LEFTOVERS: To reheat leftover portions of the Loaded Baked Potato Soup, gently warm the soup in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming. Do not let the soup boil, which will cause the sour cream to separate.