Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch

When I was a kid, I can remember a couple of my friends' mothers making chicken and dumplings regularly. I still remember Mrs. Altizer whipping together a batch in no time at all one Sunday after church. Mrs. Kerschner made dumplings to serve with mashed potatoes on a week night!

The first time I ever made chicken and dumplings was after I'd been married for about five years. I used a recipe called "Chicken Fricassee and Dumplings" from a Betty Crocker cookbook that was a gift when I first got married in 1983. The ex-husband didn't like them because the chicken was still on the bones. I didn't like them because the dumplings were like biscuits - they weren't like the slippery dumplings I remember from my youth.

For years, the slippery (noodle-like) dumplings eluded me. I would occasionally make the drop dumplings, but I never found a recipe that told me what I was doing wrong. I had to satisfy that slippery-dumpling-craving with occasional visits to Cracker Barrel.

When I saw the picture for this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had found the dumplings of my memories. The recipe, from the Tasty Kitchen, is easy to follow and a bit different from standard noodles. When I make homemade noodles, the dough is very stiff. I mistakenly used the food processor the first time I made these dumplings but it wasn't necessary. I used the pastry cutter (sorry Alton Brown) to blend the butter into the dry ingredients and it's easy to stir the milk in with a silicon spatula.

The dough will be very soft and you need to use a lot of flour with this recipe to keep it from sticking to the work surface. Someday, when I'm all grown up, I'll remember to buy a pastry mat. Just a few light strokes with the rolling pin and I had a uniform thickness of about 1/8". Uniformity is NOT required when you cut the dumplings with a knife or rolling pizza cutter. Useless trivia: Cracker Barrel uses a special tool to insure uniform dumplings. The prep cook uses a sugar packet to size the cuts.

This day happened to be "Harry's making homemade chicken stock" day. I pulled about four cups from the huge, simmering stock pot and poured it into the smaller pot, added 4 cups of water and about one pound of cooked chicken.

Once the stock and meat was at a strong simmer, I added the dumplings. Go ahead and add the leftover flour from the table - it will help thicken the stock or broth into a nice stew-ish consistency. Simmer for about 20 minutes, taste checking the broth and dumplings.

I forgot and added my black pepper before I took the picture. I love lots of black pepper on anything creamy, so adjust accordingly.

You can use leftover chicken or maybe a deli-rotisserie chicken, along with packaged broth or chicken stock to speed up the process. Because we already had our chicken stock and picked meat, these homemade chicken and dumplings took me about 40 minutes to make.

Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch - serves 6

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup of milk (you might need a little less)
2 quarts chicken broth OR 1 quart of chicken stock and 1 quart of water
1 pound cooked, boneless chicken

While you are mixing the dumplings, bring the broth to a strong simmer over medium heat.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, pair of knives, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently stir in 3/4 cup of milk. The dough should be very soft, like biscuits, so add the remaining milk until you have the proper consistency. It will be sticky!

Spread a generous amount of all-purpose flour on your work surface and dust your rolling pin liberally with flour. Pour/scrape the dumpling dough onto the flour. Use light strokes to roll the dough into a uniform thickness, about 1/8". You might have to dust your rolling pin with flour more than once.

Using a knife or a pizza roller (my choice because it was so fast!), cut the dough into square-ish shapes about 2 inches by 2 inches. Don't worry about perfection - the dumplings will change shape while they are cooking and won't be the same size no matter what you do!

I use a slotted spatula to transfer the dumplings from the table into the simmering broth. You want to add most of the flour you have left-over from the rolling to thicken the broth. Stir the dumplings gently and add the chicken meat.

Continue to simmer the dumplings for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Usually, I add a few chopped veggies to our chicken and dumplings. Diced carrots and celery add a great flavor. Simply saute them in a splash of extra virgin olive oil or canola oil in the bottom of the stock pot before you add the broth. I like to saute the carrots and celery just until they start to color to add more flavor to the broth. They will finish cooking as you simmer the dumplings.

Harry's Mom's Meatloaf

For some people, meatloaf is boring but for many households, it's a fairly easy go-to dinner when time is tight. We we make meatloaf, it's always two loaves - Harry loves sandwiches and sometimes, we don't even eat it for dinner but make it specifically for meatloaf sammies.

I love my mom's meatloaf - when she makes it. Mine never turned out the same for some reason. I failed HUGE with a meatloaf recipe in 1984 that caused my then-husband to turn green at the slightest mention of meatloaf for dinner. OK, ok, the sausage wasn't quite as thawed as it should have been and that was long before I learned the joys of a digital thermometer. When Harry and I started The Wright Taste, my ex-mother-in-law - more than 20 years after the fact - chirped "You can't even make a meatloaf and you expect people to buy food from you?"

Harry wasn't, in general, a fan of his mother's cooking. We both have memories of the same general meals and these days, I'm not a fan of the way my mom cooked a lot of things when I was a kid. I still loved them - the only place I'll eat Ragu on my spaghetti is when Mom makes it - it's kind of hard to explain. And I STILL can't get my Boiled Dinner (corned beef and cabbage) to come out the same way Mom does, even if we buy the same brand of corned beef at the same time!

But Harry did like his mom's meatloaf and the first time he showed me the recipe, I thought "ICK!" But, this is the best meatloaf recipe I've ever tried. It's never dry and it's the perfect sandwich meatloaf - it doesn't get crumbly when you slice it and it also freezes beautifully.

This is the "normal" recipe - plenty for dinner for six plus leftover for sandwiches. Save yourself a little time and double the recipe. Freeze one loaf whole to heat for another dinner or freeze it in slices for sandwiches later. I don't know where Mrs. W got the recipe but since Harry was eating this as a kid in the late 50's, early 60s, I don't stand a chance of tracking down the original source.

Harry's Mom's Meatloaf

2 pounds ground chuck
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 can evaporated milk
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon Frank's Red Hot
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the evaporated milk, ketchup, dried minced onion, eggs, granulated garlic, Frank's and salt. Mix it well and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck with the bread crumbs - take your time to work all the crumbs into the meat.

Now is when it will get really messy: Have Harry pour the liquid mixture into the ground beef mixture. As you squeeze the liquid into the meat, it will originally appear to be very soupy. Mix it with your hands until the liquid and meat are well-combined, then allow to rest for five minutes. The resting time will give the bread crumbs time to absorb the moisture, so it's possible to form it into loaves.

Add the cooled melted butter and mix well. Now it's time to shape your meat loaf. Only shape it into two loaves if you have doubled the recipe.

This is where I deviate from Harry's mom's recipe: I love ketchup baked onto my meatloaf. Harry's mom always covered it with American cheese slices - the choice is yours.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about an hour. I check the temp and try to keep it between 170 and 180 degrees inside.

Remove from oven and let rest for five minutes. Then, remove to a serving platter (to get it out of the grease), cover with foil and allow to stand for another 10 minutes - this will help the meatloaf "stiffen up" so that it's easier to cut without crumbling.

I want soup...

Shout out to squidonius at sxc.hu

No - I didn't make that soup or take the pic. A quick perusal through my food porn files found no acceptable soup pics. I have one of a sausage and corn chowder that I posted with an article back in the AC days that drew a comment of "ooohhh...what's the purple - is it onion?"

No - it was taken with a point and shoot that was awesome back in the NOLA days but doesn't work well inside. The "purple" was actually sausage. sigh.

Harry & I really do a decent job of keeping the pantry ready for soup any night of the week. It's fast and we honestly eat a bowl of some sort 3 or 4 times a week through the winter. The speed might be the reason I rarely remember to take pictures of soup in progress - especially on nights that Harry is working.

I threw together a pot of tortellini soup the other night - as promised - and my "work" was done in less than 15 minutes. I had a container of Harry's homemade chicken stock in the fridge and I diced the onions and garlic while the sausage was browning. I did a few dishes while the tortellini was cooking and it was time to eat.

That's why I don't understand complaints of "we're just too busy" when parents say they don't have time to cook but they have time to stop at the drive-thru. In the same amount of time you drive-thru and wait for your order, then get it home and it's no longer hot, you could have a fast pot of soup simmering on your stove. /end rant - sorry.

I've seen Facebook posts from all over the country talking about the current deep freeze. My friend Angie in Savannah lost her pepper plants and banana tree last night - even under a blanket.

It won't be much warmer today than it was yesterday - I think tonight will be beef and barley soup!

What is your favorite type of soup to make at home? No rules - it can be a chili-type, a chowder, hearty, creamy, thin? I'll admit soup is something I always want to hear new ideas!

With four black thumbs, why would we try to grow a garden?

We tried to make a go of The Wright Taste this year, but Harry's work schedule is more important. I can't possibly ask him to roll out those cinnamon rolls after he's been inside that hot factory all day. That doesn't mean we still won't support our local farmers markets. After all, there's a much larger variety than what we could ever hope to produce.

I guess we aren't complete black thumbs. We have managed to grow a few tomatoes and last year's cucumbers were a huge success. We can easily search the net and ask more experienced gardeners for advice. But, there are several reasons we want this garden to be successful.

In our advanced years, we've been embracing more sustainable food sources. We've also become rather snobby when it comes to the produce to be found in the middle of winter. After my success with processing tomatoes for the freezer last year, we were reminded in the middle of winter how good a spaghetti sauce can taste when it's made from home-grown tomatoes.

Freezing takes some time, but I can do it without adding salt. If our tomatoes grow properly, I won't have to buy a single can of tomatoes ever again. The cost savings will add up, and it's one more thing that we will do to reduce our carbon footprint.

C is for Chowder...

It's raining and that makes me think of Chowder - well, that and the fact that today is "C" day in the A to Z Blogging Challenge. When it's cool and icky outside, I love a warming chowder.

We don't draw the line at clam chowder. A chowder is thick and creamy and filled with chunks of good stuff like protein, veggies and sometimes potatoes. OK, in our kitchen, our chowders always have potatoes. I will admit to cheating when I do make clam chowder. I buy the canned things because I've never actually cooked a real clam. Remember - I live in central Ohio. Truly "fresh" seafood is a luxury item. Oh, except for that guy in Jelloway that goes to Maine every couple of weeks to catch live lobsters and brings them back here to sell very cheap!

If I'm making a chowder involving seafood or fish such as mussels, clams, cod or any firm white-flesh fish, I start sauteing the veggies. And no - I'm doing this off the top of my head so I don't have any pretty pictures. Celery, carrots and onion - and the diced potatoes. We tried this with some kind of stew late last fall and I was amazed at the new depth of flavor that was added by lightly sauteing the potatoes before adding the liquid.

Chowder liquid. I've not had any success making fish stock because all my fishing expeditions end in hamburgers. Homemade vegetable stock is a good option and plain ol' water works well. I always take care to just cover the veggies because I know I'm going to be adding cream or half and half.

The protein in a chowder doesn't have to be from the sea. I love to make chowders featuring ground Italian sausage and I've eaten some heavenly corn chowders. I add the clams or other fish just as the liquid has come to a simmer - don't want to cook them until they're too tough!

My cousin Freddie makes the most beautiful fish chowder I've ever had. Filled with whatever catch his son brought in off the boat that morning and a light, barely-creamy broth. I haven't eaten it since the fall of 2001 because he lives in New Brunswick but I can still taste it.

No recipes, no pix, no links...just warm and fuzzy thoughts.

Soups and Chilis and Stews...oh my!

The weather is turning cooler, the nights are frosty and the days have the chill of approaching winter months. For many that signals the end of grill season; the barbecue is stored, patio furniture covered and neatly stacked and the last vestiges of summer going into hibernation. It’s about time!

Four pounds of meat!

Now is when the kitchen really heats up. As the temperature drops day by day and the white crystallized water starts to accumulate, comfort food is needed to help sustain your sanity. This is the time to open your cookbook and let the winter Big Dogs out to play. I am talking about Soups and Chili and Stews oh my.

Some of the goodies that go into Harry's award-winning chili!

There are countless recipes for each easily accessible on the internet, ranging from the simple “Thirty Minute” variety to the more rewarding and tasting “Evening Event.” Or if you feel lucky “Well, do you, cook?” create your own to suit your particular tastes. The is a wide array of protein, produce, and spices to create a dish that will simply make you happy and content, at least until you have to go out and shovel snow.

Debbie and I started the season with Beef Stew, our own design of course, and now this night my never to be famous (because I will not give out the recipe) Chili with a bit of a Cajun twist. Debbie might give you a hint or two about the recipe if you ask nicely. This is one of those evening events. It takes about three hours from prep to table if you work fast but the result is worth every minute. We always try to make enough for a second meal (it is even better the second day) but alas it seems no matter how much we make someone sneaks in and eats it during the night.

The magic drawer is an absolute requirement to cooking from scratch!

I hope you experiment with your own recipes for the Big Dogs of winter and let us know how it turns out, if you have a question I am sure Debbie will be happy to help.

Good Cooking

P.S. Remember to always cook with wine, and sometimes use it in the food.

Scalloped Potatoes for Thanksgiving? Three recipes

Are you gravy challenged? I'm 45 years old and have finally gotten comfortably with my "gravy-ness" within the last few years. Wondra WAS my life-saver, but now I can use flour, cornstarch, a roux that Harry rocks and get yummy gravy no matter what I started with. Oh, and a few lumps are perfectly acceptable!

I like scalloped potatoes because you don't have to make gravy. Have you ever read the label on one of those jars? Even worse, one of the packaged mixes???? AAAGH! More multi-syllable words than you can shake a stick at.

Thanksgiving Dinner doesn't have to include mashed potatoes and gravy. Repeat after me: "Thanksgiving Dinner doesn't have to include mashed potatoes and gravy." Repeat again.

Yes, I dream of the Thanksgiving dinners of my childhood with the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy...on and on and on. But, why torture yourself or settle for a jar of gravy when you can change up the menu to include scalloped potatoes? Oh, and scalloped potatoes always seem to reheat easier than mashed potatoes.

Don't you feel better already? You rebel, you.

By the way - I LOVE cooking with Granite Ware! I have 3 oval roasting pans in different sizes, plus a huge Granite Ware pan for lasagna. No matter what sticky (scalloped potatoes), messy (scalloped potatoes) semi-burned on sometimes (scalloped potatoes) casserole I cook, it's so easy to clean.

Scalloped potatoes can also be cooked in a slow cooker, eliminating the need for a stovetop burner or space in the oven. I have adapted my family's scalloped potatoes recipe for the slow cooker. Please keep in mind, when using a slow cooker it is necessary to allow plenty of cooking time. Starting the scalloped potatoes the night before your Thanksgiving dinner will allow sufficient time to cook, and alleviate preparation on the day of your dinner.

Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes - Serves 8-10

3 pounds russet potatoes, well- scrubbed, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

1 14 oz. can evaporated milk

1 15 oz. can creamed corn

4 tablespoons butter, diced

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

sea salt to taste

additional heavy cream, whole milk or half and half, if desired

Spray the inside of a 3 ½ quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker, except the additional cream. Cover and cook at Low heat for 8-10 hours. Remove cover 30 minutes before serving to allow sauce to thicken, if necessary. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with additional cream. If your slow cooker has a "warm" setting, scalloped potatoes will hold very well.

Traditional Scalloped Potatoes - Serves 6

3 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, diced

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 ½ cups milk (not skim), warmed

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a heavy medium saucepan, sauté onion in butter over low heat until onion begins to soften. Add flour and cook, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Using a wire whisk, slowly add milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Increase heat to medium, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and begins to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and continue to stir for 1 minute. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Grease a 9-inch square baking dish or shallow 2-quart casserole. Place a single layer of potato slices on the bottom of dish and cover with ½ of the white sauce. Repeat the layers. Cover the dish and bake for 1 hour. Remove the cover and bake for 30 minutes, until potatoes are soft and top is lightly browned.

Allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving so that sauce will thicken.

While traditional scalloped potatoes are made with a creamy white sauce, in my area many people enjoy a cheesy potato casserole instead. Starting with frozen cubed potatoes, the preparation is very quick and is another dish that can easily be made in a slow cooker.

Cheesy Potato Casserole - Serves 10-12

1 32-oz. bag frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed

 1 4-cup bag shredded cheddar cheese

1 10 ¾ oz cream of chicken soup

1 10 ¾ oz cream of mushroom soup

1 medium onion, diced

1 8 oz. container sour cream

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

½ teaspoons sea salt

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Spray the inside of a 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook, covered, at High heat for 4-5 hours. Remove cover during last 30-45 minutes of cooking to allow mixture to thicken.

The Weatherman Says It's Soup Season!

I love autumn - fall - whatever you want to call it! The colors, the cool nights and the beckoning of my soup pot.

Harry does most of the cooking in the summer and we don't put away the grill in the winter. When the weather turns cool, it's my time to take over again.

We eat some form of "bowl food" at least three nights a week from October through June! Some soups are more hearty - I love a great bowl of fish chowder and someday when I'm all grown up, I'll be able to make it as good as my cousin Freddie in New Brunswick. Of course, he does have the advantage of living much closer to the ocean and being able to buy better fish.

Through the winter, we make our own stock - vegetable, chicken, turkey and beef. When we find a great price on whole chickens or I can find some meaty beef bones, it's time to fill the freezer! Having our own stock in the freezer makes it easier to whip up a pot of soup for dinner.

Chowder, for me, almost always includes corn and potatoes and some sort of creaminess. Sometimes I thicken it with a little slurry.

For the beginning of soup season, I have two very simple recipes adapted with store-ingredients. Most of these items should be in your pantry; if not: stock up when the prices are good and you'll be able to quickly make a pot of soup no matter how busy you might be. Both are made with ground Italian hot sausage - one of our favorites - but you can use mild sausage.

Sausage & Corn Chowder and Tortellini Soup

It's not the prettiest picture but this sausage and corn chowder is REALLY yummy!