Quick Chicken and Dumplings

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, diced
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
2 tablespoons flour, a handful
1 quart chicken broth or stock, canned or paper container
1 batch of dumplings made with Bisquick (2 cups Bisquick + 2/3 cup of milk)
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3/4 cup frozen green peas
3/4 cup frozen corn

Dice tenders into bite size pieces and set aside. Wash hands.

Place a large pot* on stove over medium high heat. Add oil, butter, vegetables and bay leaf and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mixture with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir broth or stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.

Bisquick, milk and parsley. Drop tablespoonfuls of prepared mix into the pot, spacing dumplings evenly. Boil for 10 minues. !dd peas and corn, and stivery gently. Cover pot tightly and reduce heat to medium low. Steam dumplings 8 to 10 minutes. Serve in shallow bowls.

*A wide, low pot is better than a taller narrow pot. I used a tall narrow pot and the dumplings all clumped together.

Ginger Cookies

The hardest part of these cookies is finding the ginger preseves/jelly/jam, but so worth the find.

Ginger Cookie

From Food Network Kitchens

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 30 cookies
User Rating: 4 Stars

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
5 cracks freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
2 tablespoons ginger preserves (see Cook's note)

Whisk the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, mustard, salt and black pepper together in a medium bowl.

Beat the butter and the sugars with a hand mixer electric mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat on medium speed until just incorporated, about 20 seconds. Add the molasses and ginger preserves and continue beating until the batter is an even light brown color, 30 seconds more.

Add the dry ingredients all at once, beating slowly to make a soft, smooth dough. Use a rubber spatula to make sure all ingredients are combined. Then beat again for 20 seconds. Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate the dough until firm, about 25 minutes.

Put about 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. With a cookie scoop or a small ice cream scoop, portion the dough into a slightly heaping tablespoon for each cookie. Roll the dough, by hand, into balls. Roll the tops of the balls in the sugar, and space them 2 inches apart on a nonstick or lightly oiled cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 25 minutes. (The chilling is what gives this cookie a beautiful, crackly crunch on top, and a soft, chewy center.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake until the top is crackly, and the insides peeking out through are dark and moist but not raw, about 15 to 20 minutes. Briefly cool the cookies on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Serve or store in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 weeks.

Cook's Note: Ginger preserves give lots of flavor without the hard chunks of crystallized ginger. It is found in most grocery stores.

Copyright 2005 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
2 cups cooked pumpkin, or 1 can (15 oz) pureed pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

Directions:
Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
Pour into pie shell.
Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 50-60 minutes or until it's no longer "jiggly." Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups flour
3 tbspns sugar
1 tbspn baking powder
1 tspn salt
3/4 tspn baking soda
6 tlbspns butter
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 tbspn caraway seeds
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1. Grease a 2 qt. round casserole. Mix first 5 ingredients. With pastry blender or 2 knives used scissor fashion, cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds.

2. In small bowl with fork, beat eggs slightly, remove 1 tblspn. and reserve. Stir buttermilk into remaining egg; stir into flour mixture just until flour is moistened. (Dough will be sticky).

3. Turn dough onto well floured surface. With floured hands, knead about 10 strokes to mix. Shape dough into a ball. With sharp knife, cut a 1" cross about 1/4" deep. Brush dough with egg.

4. Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour 20 min.or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in casserole on wire rack 10 min.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

Someone passed this on to me, so I don't know where it's originally from. They are excellent!

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Squares

Makes 24; Prep time: 30 minutes; Total time: 2 1/2 hours
In addition to keeping the cake from sticking to the pan, lining the pan with foil makes it easy to lift it out after baking.


2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin purée
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin purée (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. (I actually ended up cooking them for about a60-70 minutes) Cool completely in pan.

4. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.



Note: If you can’t find pumpkin-pie spice, substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each allspice and cloves (all ground).

Too Hot to Cook!

I didn't forget about this. I just haven't cooked much in the last month or so. Too damn hot!

Cole Slaw

1 head green cabbage
salt

Dressing:
1/4 cup mayo
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
pepper

Core and shred the cabbage, and spread out on a clean surface. Salt generously. Let sit for 2-3 hours or longer. This will remove a lot of the "juice" and water from the caabbage, as well as flavor it. After 2-3 hours, gather cabbage by the handful and squeeze fistfuls of it over the sink, as if you're wringing it out. A LOT of water will come out of it. Rinse the cabbage in cold water for several minutes, then squeeze it again.

While the cabbage drains, mix the dressing, adjusting it to your taste. Do not salt it again.

Add the dressing and chill several hours before serving. Better if chilled overnight.

Avocado Corn Tomato Salad

2 medium or 3 small avocados, diced
1 can whole corn, drained
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
Juice of one lime
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Optional: Cilantro

Mix all ingredients and serve chilled

Pork Chops with Gravy

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless pork chops
olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk* (see below for substitute)

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.

*Buttermilk -- if you don't have any buttermilk, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to regular milk, and let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Based on a recipe by Tyler Florence

Baby Back Ribs (Crock pot)

2 slabs of baby back ribs

Rub:
8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika


BBQ sauce

Mix the dry ingredients and rub over ribs, which have been cut short enough to fit in your crock pot. Stand the ribs in the crock, meaty side out. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Pour your favorite BBQ sauce over the ribs, and cook on high for another 30 minutes.

Braised Leeks

Leeks look like scallions or green onions with a steriod problem, and although related, are much milder. Select leeks with a clean white slender bulb, at least two to three inches of white, and firm, tightly-rolled dark green tops. The base should be at least 1-/2 inch in diameter, although most are much larger, usually 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches. The younger the leek, the more delicate the flavor and texture is. Look for the slim, cylindrical ones rather than those that are large and bulbous. If the bottoms are beginning to round into bulb shapes, the leeks are a bit too mature, and can have a tough, woody center. If the leek is limp at all, pass it up.

4 leeks
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock
pinch thyme

Cut the green and root ends of the leeks off, leaving just the white. You should be left with a piece 4 to 5 inches long. Slice this in half long ways, and then into quarters. Rinse very well, making sure to get water in between -- a lot of dirt gets in there as they're growing.

In a pan, melt butter with the oil over medium heat, then add the clean leeks along with salt and pepper. Cook about 20 minutes until the leeks are soft and begin to slightly brown. Add the chicken stock, and thyme, and raise the heat to high. Cook until stock is reduced and leeks just about begin to caramelize.

Creamy Chicken and Black Beans -- Crockpot recipe

1 lb chicken frozen chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
1 15.5 ounce can black beans, drained
1 10 ounce bag of frozen corn
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (Muir Glen organic makes these, otherwise you can just chop some fresh tomatoes, or half of a can of whole tomatoes)
half of a medium onion, chopped small
1 jalapeno pepper, or a few rings of jarred jalapeno, diced (use more or less to taste)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 8 ounce package cream cheese

Combine everything except the cream cheese in the crockpot and cook on high 4-5 hours. When it's just about done, shred the chicken in the pot using 2 forks, then add the package cream cheese. Cook for 30 more minutes on low. Stir well to mix the cream cheese in. Serve over rice.

Lemon Garlic Monkfish

2 lemons
2 cloves garlic
2 lbs. monkfish (aka "poor man's lobster")
2 tablespoons oilive oil
Cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

Peel the grayish membrane from the monkfish and place in baking dish. Squeeze the juice from one lemon and set aside. Slice the other lemon into thin slices. Cut garlic into thin slivers. Make small slices in the fish, and stuff with the garlic slices. Sprinkle with half of the lemon juice, cayenne, salt and pepper, drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil, then cover with the lemon slices. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, pour off all the accumulated liquid in the pan. Lower oven to 350, pour the remaining lemon juice and olive oil over fish, continue baking for 20-30 minutes, until it is done.

Glazed Ham Steak

1 Ham Steak (about 1 lb.)
2 tbsp. prepared spicy mustard
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. Rose's lime juice
1 tsp. ground cloves

Heat oven to 450, and mix mustard, brown sugar, lime juice and cloves to form a paste, and spread over the top of the ham steak. The ham will give off a lot of juice during cooking, so be sure to cook in a pan that's at least an inch deep. Cook for 20-30 minutes, until heated through.

Sauteed Spinach

2 Tablespoons Olive oil
Baby spinach leaves, cleaned and rinsed
salt and pepper
1 clove of garlic and/or 1 shallot, chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes
Splash of chicken stock (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a pan, throw in the spinach, salt and pepper, the chopped garlic and/or shallots, red pepper flakes. Keep it moving until it's all cooked down. The chicken stock is optional, but can be added for a bit of taste and it gives it a little "creaminess."

Crock Pot Pot Roast

1 boneless check roast (or any cut labeld for pot roast) 3-4 lbs
1 lb. carrots, cut in chunks
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1.5 cups beef stock
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
nutmeg

(I use a crock pot liner in my pot. It's a heavy duty plastic bag that doesnt' melt while cooking. You can see it in the image.)

Cut the carrots and onion and place half in the bottom of crock pot. smash 2 garlic cloves and throw in the pot. Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Lightly salt and pepper everything. Put the roast on top, and put all the rest of the carrots, onions, and smashed garlic in, some of them on top of the roast. Add the beef stock, the other tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Cook on low 8 hours.

Pork Chops with Lemon Rosemary Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pork chops, 1.5 inches thick
1 shallot, chopped
1.5 cups chicken stock
1 sprig fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons well-chilled unsalted butter, cut in 3 pieces
Salt and pepper

Salt and pepper the pork chops. Heat a sautee pan on high and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil shimmers, place pork chops in pan, sautee for 5 minutes then lower heat to medium and turn. Cook pork chops until internal temp reaches 145. Remove from pan and tent with aluminum foil.

Turn heat back to high, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When oil is hot, add shallot. Stir and cook until translucent. Pour chicken stock in and add rosemary. If using a fresh sprig, do not remove the leaves from the stem. Put the whole sprig in the pan. Cook on high until stock is reduced to about 2/3 cup. Add lemon juice. Whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over sliced chops.

Fresh Salsa

Tomatoes, chopped well (good fresh if you can get them, or canned whole will do)
Garlic, minced fine
1/2 red onion, chopped fine (I don't always use onion)
handful of cilantro chopped -- about 3 tbsp
Chopped pickled (jarred) jalapenos
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Sometimes I also add a chopped dried ancho chile for a smokey sweet layer

Open "Stuffed" Snapper

You can use any light, white, flakey fish that you like for this -- snapper, tilapia, cod, etc.

4 snapper filets
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers
4 Tbs butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

Crush the crackers to small crumbs. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, except the filets. Salt and pepper the filets, and spread crumb mixture on them and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350, or until done. Put under broiler for a minute or two to toast the crumb topping.

Garlic Horseradish Crusted Beef Tenderloin

1 beef tenderloin, 2-3 lbs.
3 Tbs prepared horseradish
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 Tbs fresh ground black pepper
3 Tbs olive oil

Let beef tenderloin come to room temperature, about 30-45 minutes before cooking.

Mix remaining ingredients, and spread over the tenderloin. Roast on a rack to desired done-ness.