CHICKEN WITH PARSLEY DUMPLINGS

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Cindy

If you love dumplings, you simply must make this recipe. I promise you will not be disappointed with this easy-to-fix cold weather dish.

Chicken

1 (5 lb) stewing chicken

1 branch celery

2 carrots, pared and sliced

1 onion, sliced

2 Tsp. salt

1 Qt. water

1 Cup milk

1/3 Cup flour

Place chicken, celery, carrots, onion, salt and water in Dutch oven. Simmer, covered, 2 ½ to 3 hours or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken from broth. Cool well. Remove meat from bones; cut in large pieces. Discard bones.

Strain broth and add enough water to make 3 cups. Return broth to Dutch oven. Combine milk and flour in small jar. Cover and shake until smooth. Slowly stir into hot broth. Cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Add chicken to gravy.

Prepare Parley Dumplings. Makes 8 servings.

Parsley Dumplings

2 Cups sifted flour

3 Tsp. baking powder

1 Tsp. salt

1/4 Cup minced fresh parsley

1 Cup milk

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into bowl. Mix parsley. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until it looks like coarse cornmeal. Add milk; stir to make a soft dough. (Do not over mix.)

Drop dumpling mixture by spoonfuls onto simmering chicken gravy. Simmer, uncovered 10 minutes. Cover and simmer 10 more minutes. Serve at once.

Meatloaf Brasciole: An Homage to Rachael Ray

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Laura S

When I was in college we had free cable and I was addicted to the food channels. Over the space of 3 years I taught myself to cook just by watching TV (I would have practiced but the dorms had no kitchens). Sadly, I saw lots of delicious recipes being made but didn’t think to write them down for when I could get somewhere to test them out. Instead I’d wait a few months and them create some terrifying amalgam of 12 different recipes I’d seen.

This started out as a recipe for Meatloaf Brasciole (that’s fancy for Meatloaf Roll-Up) that I saw on an episode of Rachael Ray, but got morphed to include the ingredients I had on hand. It’s as easy as a regular meatloaf, but with the rolled up core of prosciutto, cheese and spinach it looks super fancy and complex, plus the Italian flavors are WAY better than the version your mom used to make.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 small white onion, grated
3 tablespoons pine nuts, chopped
3 tablespoons grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano
1 cup baby spinach
6 slices prosciutto
6 slices deli sliced provolone
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients (except prosciutto, cheese, spinach and oil) like you are making a regular meat loaf. Flatten meat out on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet into a thin layer: 1/2-inch thick, 12 inches long by 6 to 8 inches wide. Cover meat with spinach, prosciutto slices and cheese then roll the meat, using the waxed paper to help roll up into a large log (like a giant Swiss Roll). Drizzle the log with extra-virgin olive oil to coat lightly. Roast meatroll 20 minutes. Cut into 1 inch servings.

For more awesome, easy dinner ideas try one of these great books:

Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook: 100 Can’t-miss Main Courses in Pictures

Just in Time! All-new 30-Minute Meals

Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book

Best Ever Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Laura S

There isn’t much I love in this world than the smell of a roasting chicken. Other than potatoes roasted in the same pan as said chicken that is. If you can use a mandolin slicer to cut your potatoes and onions nice and thin the prep time on this dish is about 5 minutes. I first time I made it in my new apartment my roommates were beyond impressed. By drying the chicken extra well you ensure a crisp and impressively colored skin.

Prep Time: 30 minutes, Cooking time: 50-60 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons butter
5-6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8-rounds
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
One 4-5 pound farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)
Unsalted butter

You will need:

Ovenproof frying pan or roasting pan
Kitchen knife
Cutting Board
Paper towels
Kitchen twine and scissors

Method:

1 Preheat the oven to 450°F. Thinly slice potatoes and onion.

2 Melt the butter in a large oven-proof frying pan or small roasting pan. Layer the potatoes all around the bottom of the pan, completely covering it. Scatter the onions over the potatoes. Set aside and prepare the chicken.

3 Rinse the chicken and then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird.

4 Next, salt the chicken very well. Season to taste with pepper and garlic powder.

5 Place the chicken on top of the potatoes and onions in the pan and put it in the oven. Don’t open oven. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are golden and a little crispy, about 50 to 60 minutes.

6 Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with any juices from the pan and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Like making chicken? Try these titles:

150 Things to Make with a Roast Chicken and 5o Ways to Roast it by Tony Rosenfeld

The Best Chicken Recipes by Cook’s Illustrated

The New York Times Chicken Cookbook edited by Linda Amster

Recipe adapted from Thomas Keller via Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Jambalaya

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Laura

I was watching an episode of Emeril Lagasse’s show, on the Food Network, the weekend prior to Mardi Gras. The episode featured classic recipes from New Orleans, and this episode inspired me to surprise my husband on Mardi Gras with Jambalaya and Bread Pudding. I am a huge fan of Jambalaya. The reason is that the recipe can be altered to your particular taste. If you look in cookbooks or on the Internet you will find many variations of this classic dish. I encourage you to find one that appeals to you and your family. The recipe I use comes from the classic cookbook, “The Joy of Cooking”. I make a couple modifications to suit my own taste, so if you have “The Joy of Cooking” you will see that my recipe is a little different. This recipe made enough for 3 meals. We enjoyed it on Mardi Gras and had it for lunch a couple of days later. I even froze a portion that will be supper in a couple of weeks. The meal was a huge hit, and Tim said it was the best Jambalaya I’ve ever made (so I will be sticking to this recipe!) The Bread Pudding topped off the meal perfectly.
See you next month, meet me in the kitchen!
Lisa Breithaupt, The Gourmet Librarian

Recipe
Jambalaya
Ingredients:
2 pounds of chicken
2 cups of cubed ham
Salt and pepper
2 T of vegetable oil
1 pound of Italian sausage
1 cup of chopped onion
1 medium green pepper chopped
2 stalks of celery
Minced garlic that equals 1 clove
2 cups of rice
2 T of tomato paste
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 cups of hot water
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 T parsley
¼ t. thyme
1/8 t pepper
1 bay leaf
Hot sauce to taste
2 T Worcestershire sauce
3 packets of Sweetener (or sugar ) to taste.

Directions:
Heat the chicken, cut in bite size pieces, in a large skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken for about 10 minutes until brown. Add ham and sausage and cook until brown. Remove meat to a plate. Add onion, bell pepper, celery (referred to by chefs as the holy trinity of Cajun and Creole cooking) and garlic. Cook 2 minutes until the veggies are clear. Add rice, tomato paste and red pepper. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Return the chicken, sausage, and ham to the pot. Cook covered over medium-low heat until the water is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens, 5 – 8 minutes.

Although this recipe has a lot of ingredients don’t let it intimidate you. It’s easy to put together and the dish is absolutely delicious. If, when you add the rice there doesn’t appear to be enough liquid, add some chicken broth. Be careful towards the end of cooking stirring frequently to ensure that your rice isn’t sticking. The sauce should be thick and the rice moist. Some other side dish suggestions would be creamed spinach, a baked sweet potato, greens, corn on the cob, okra and tomatoes – and don’t forget the cornbread!

Sweet Tomato Chicken

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Laura

During the month of February we often think of love, and the people we love, and how we can demonstrate to them how much we love them. I often cook for people to let them know how much I care. There’s nothing more satisfying than sitting down with friends and cooking things that you know they like; favorite meats, veggies, desserts and seeing their satisfaction. I’m going to share a delicious crock pot dish I discovered a couple of years ago. Sweet Tomato Chicken. The ingredients sound a bit unusual but let me assure you that when they are combined and simmered together for hours in a crock pot, the sauce is delectable and you will have your guests guessing as to the content.

See you Next Month, Meet me in the Kitchen !
Lisa Breithaupt, The Gourmet Librarian

Recipe
Sweet Tomato Chicken

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 onion chopped
1 package of mushrooms, sliced

Directions:
Mix tomatoes, condensed milk, onion and mushrooms. Place ½ of the tomato mixture in crock pot. Place the chicken breasts in crock pot on top of mixture. Cover the breasts with the rest of the tomato mixture. Cook for 5 to 6 hours on high.

I serve this on top of pasta with a green salad and bread. A great dessert and you have a dinner for guests ready. I would also serve this on top of rice !

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Laura

In this between time between Thanksgiving and Christmas we entertain a lot of family and friends and I’m always on the search for a good recipe that’s easy and delicious. I’m sure I’ve found one that you will enjoy for many years to come. It’s the perfect recipe to serve to guests when you are short on time but want to serve an elegant dish. From the first time I tried it I knew it would be ending up in my “favorites” recipe book. I hadn’t made it for awhile but recently made it for my parents and my mother in law. My mom and mother in law are both excellent cooks and they enjoyed it tremendously.

See you next month. Meet me in the kitchen.

Lisa Breithaupt, The Gourmet Librarian

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

Ingredients:

6 boneless pork chops (I put 8 in my huge casserole dish, pork chops with bones also work fine)

1 T. oil

21 oz can apple pie filling

6 oz package of stuffing mix prepared

Directions: Brown the chops in oil. Grease a casserole dish (9 X 13 is recommended). Spread the canned apples in the bottom of the dish. Place the chops on top of the apples. Prepare the stuffing according to the box directions. Spoon the stuffing over the chops. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more.

Serve by using a spatula to scoop out a chop with both a generous serving of apples underneath and the stuffing on top. I usually serve with green beans or asparagus and a salad. To cut preparation time I do not prepare the stuffing on the stove. I use very hot tap water and mix it up in a bowl. It will cook during the baking process. I also stir a cup of Craisins in the stuffing as I prepare it. The Craisins give an additional sweetness and makes the dish look festive for the holidays. Enjoy !!

Crockpot Lasagne

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Laura

Lasagna has always been one of my favorite foods. Although the dish is generally believed to have originated in Italy the word “lasagna” comes from the Greek lasanon meaning “trivet or stand for a pot”, “chamber pot”. The Romans borrowed the word as “lasanum”, in Latin, meaning “cooking pot”. The Italians used the word to refer to the dish in which lasagna is made. It wasn’t long before the name of the food took on the name of the serving dish.

In the comic strip GARFIELD, lasagna is said to be the favorite food of Garfield an orange tabby cat who enjoys eating, but especially loves lasagna.

The greatest, food find I have made this month is Crockpot Lasagna. You really aren’t going to believe this one. I have always been a huge fan of lasagna, but truth be told, I haven’t made it very often. I’ve been looking for economical meals ever since my husband was laid off from his job 9 weeks ago. I discovered this recipe on the Internet, and couldn’t believe it would work. I decided to give it a try and my husband and I both agreed that this was some of the best lasagna either of us had ever tasted. The good thing about it is that you don’t have to pre-cook the pasta noodles. Just put everything in the crockpot and 4 hours later you have some delicious, authentic-tasting lasagna. Salad and garlic bread completes the meal. Serve some delicious cannoli from a local bakery, and you have an Italian dinner to please.

See You Next Month! Meet Me In The Kitchen!

Lisa, The Gourmet Librarian

Crockpot Lasagna

Ingredients:

2, 26 oz. jars of spaghetti sauce
1/2 pound of cooked ground beef (optional)
15 oz tub of ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1 egg beaten
2 tsp Italian seasoning
Any vegetable you want to add (I used a bag of frozen spinach, thawed and drained well)
Uncooked lasagna noodles (regular, NOT the no-cook kind)

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl combine egg, ricotta, 1-cup mozzarella, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and vegetable.

Combine the meat and the sauce.

Cover the bottom of your slow cooker with 1/4 of the sauce mixture. Add a layer of noodles. You’ll need to break the noodles to fill in some of the spaces. Spread a layer of the cheese mixture over the noodles, and then cover with the second layer of sauce. Continue making layers, ending with the sauce. Make sure that the top layer of noodles is well covered with sauce.

Cook on low until the noodles are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. It took my slow cooker 4 hours. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cup of mozzarella and cover just until it melts.

This recipe makes a LOT of lasagna. It fed my family of 4 for two meals and I also got a couple of lunch portions out of it. Mangia!

Pork Chops

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Laura

One of my favorite TV cooks, Emeril Lagasse makes no secret of his love of pork. Another favorite of mine, Paula Deen, cooks some variation of pork chops about once a week. Pork is delicious, nutritious and economical which is a plus in these economic times. I am always looking for easy, delicious, economical recipes to cook for my own family, and I came across this one a few weeks ago. At first I was a little leery but as I was making it I was thrilled to see how easy it was. I had this recipe ready to put in the oven in a matter of minutes. When my husband took a first bite he immediately asked when I was planning on making it again. I made it for a friend who recently had a baby and her whole family enjoyed it. I also shared it with another friend of mine, and it was a hit at her house. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Pork Chop and Wild Rice Bake

Ingredients:

1 package (6 ounces) seasoned long grain and wild rice mix (I used Uncle Ben’s brand)
2 cups of water
1 1/3 cups French’s French Fried Onions, divided
1 package (10 ounces) frozen cut green beans, thawed and drained
1/4 cup orange juice
1 t. grated orange peel
4 boneless pork chops (I put 6 in the casserole dish)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine rice mix and seasoning packet, water, 2/3 cup of the French Fried Onions, green beans, orange juice, and orange peel in casserole dish. Arrange pork chops on top. Bake uncovered, 40 minutes or until pork chops are no longer pink near center. Sprinkle chops with remaining French Fried Onions and bake five more minutes or until onions are golden.

Note:

I decided to try a variation and it also turned out delicious. I love the Zataran’s Caribbean rice mix. I used that instead of the Long Grain and Wild Rice mix, and I also added a can of chunk pineapple. Instead of the orange juice, I used the pineapple juice that was in the can. I sprinkled the chops with a little curry powder and some Mrs. Dash. This variation proved to be delicious, and I now have two ways to prepare these pork chops.