When I first heard of the term "semi-homemade" from Sandra Lee on The Food Network, I thought it was brilliant. And an accurate description of how I roll. As much as I adore trying new recipes from scratch, the opportunities for hours to play around in the kitchen are rare (i.e. non-existent). And so, over the years I have become a master at creating tasty dishes that involve shortcuts - a la Sandra Lee. I was searching for a doable Chicken and Dumplings recipe for this weekend and came across this one by Southern Plate - homemade chicken + ready-made biscuits = score! I also love to combine different recipes and pull the best of each to create my own version. I'm thinking that I'll pull in some of the steps and ingredients from this Southern Living recipe since I'm really liking the seasonings listed. I'll serve it with a crisp cucumber salad to cut the richness of the main dish. Have a lovely weekend. Chicken and Dumplings by Christy Jordan's Southern Plate Ingredients 3 or 4 chicken breasts 32 oz Chicken Broth (feel free to use water with bouillon cubes added) 1 can cream of chicken soup 1-10 count can Pilsbury layers biscuits salt and pepper to taste flour Instructions Cook chicken breasts in approx. 4 c. of water until fork tender, about 45 minutes. Place broth in medium to large sized pot. Stir cream of chicken soup into gently boiling broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pull biscuits apart into three layers. Dip each layer into flour and then tear each layer into three pieces and drop into gently boiling broth mixture. Do not stir biscuits a lot, or they will cook up, only gently push dumplings down into broth as they float to the top. Cook about ten minutes after last dumplings are added. Add shredded chicken and turn on low until ready to serve. added, Tear up chicken, add to broth mixture.Turn to low until ready to serve. ************** Classic Chicken and Dumplings by Southern Living Ingredients 1 (3 3/4-lb.) whole chicken 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided 3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules 3 cups self-rising flour 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning 1/3 cup shortening 2 teaspoons bacon drippings* 1 cup milk Garnish: chopped fresh parsley Preparation 1. Bring chicken, water to cover, garlic powder, thyme, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken; reserve broth. 2. Cool chicken 30 minutes; skin, bone, and shred chicken. Skim fat from broth. Add chicken, bouillon, and remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper to broth. Return to a simmer. 3. Combine flour and poultry seasoning in a bowl. Cut in shortening and bacon drippings with a pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in milk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1-inch … [Read more...] about Sunday Dinner Diaries: Chicken & Dumplings Mashup
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Home Is Where Sunday Dinner Is
Each time we go home to Miami to visit, it becomes increasingly harder to come back to Maryland. All three sets of our kids grandparents live there and it's where Hubby grew up. Since his paternal grandparents had...wait for it...TWELVE children, my Hubby and his sisters have no less than 34 first cousins. With a family of that size, there's never a shortage of crazy stories, funny anecdotes and entertaining antics; it also means, there's a palpable feeling of love, tight-knittedness and a strong sense of family. I've been going to gatherings at his grandparent's house ever since we first started dating 14 years ago and it was such a treat for me. I literally felt like I was living in the movie "Soul Food." I did grow up with a mini-version of the Sunday gatherings at my own granny's house in Montreal with my cousins and I choreographing dance routines and building army bases out of the pillows on my grandparent's "Chesterfield" but nothing of the magnitude that my husband's family is used to by sheer virtue of their family's size. Naturally, they have the usual Southern Soul Food items - greens, mac and cheese, baked and fried chicken and every single kind of cake or pie you can imagine - but, because of their Bahamian heritage AND proximity to the ocean, there's a definite Caribbean twist to their menu. Every Friday evening, for example, one of his aunts sells Conch Fritters and Fried Fish directly from their grandparent's house where the family congregates Friday through Sunday. Neighbors hip to the game come from far and wide to get their fill. What's makes it even more special is that the Conch Fritter recipe is a secret one passed down from his grandmother who passed away several years ago. Only a select few in the family know the recipe and they are NOT going to share it (trust me, I tried). Also, they are a family of fisherman and so almost all of the fish that they eat is fish that they have caught themselves off of the Florida Keys or in the Bahamas... We spent a week in Miami for Spring Break this month and his family had a Seafood Fest on Good Friday. There was so much food - everything from fried Grouper to Garlic Crabs to Shrimp Kebabs and Lobster Tails on the grill all accompanied by ridiculously good sides, including homemade Johnny Cake. It's impossible to watch what you eat down there. Now that we're back in the DC Metro area, everyone's going through a little bit of a withdrawal - Chatterbox misses her cousins terribly; Giggles misses the endless supply of kisses and spoiling from her Grandmas; L'il Buddy misses playing sports with his boy cousins; Hubby misses the regular saltwater fishing outings with his uncles; and me? I miss the Sunday dinners. … [Read more...] about Home Is Where Sunday Dinner Is
This Sunday for Dinner: Trinidadian Pelau ~ A Taste of Home
Ask Giggles, my 6-year old, what her favorite food is and she'll say - without blinking an eyelash - TACOS! Where did I go wrong? Not that there's anything wrong with tacos. Who doesn't love tacos? It's just that, as someone who identifies so strongly with her Caribbean heritage her choice of foods rings false; traitorous, even. Pose exactly the same question to my sister and I and the answer will invariably be: Roti Poutine Canadian Chinese Food And, ok, maybe, Lobster with Freshly Drawn Butter (am I right, Lisa?) Admittedly, not all Caribbean foods - but mostly ones that are clearly reminiscent of our heritage and upbringing, being raised in a Trinidadian-Bajan-Guyanese family in Montreal, Quebec. I mean, at least our taste buds have some sense of identity! My kids' tastebuds, however, are lost and confused. They are men without a country. <cue the violins> Because I have led them astray. I never really tried to replicate the dishes that scream "home" to me on any regular basis when cooking for my family. Sure, I make curry chicken or shrimp from time to time, but who doesn't? What I want for my kids is for them to be eating pelau or fricassee chicken or saltfish as often as they do spaghetti or BBQ chicken or TACOS. To crave the sounds of Soca or Reggae as opposed to Taylor Swift or Bieber. I had the opportunity to live in Trinidad as a baby; to visit my grandparents there and to grown up eating my (Bajan) Granny's Guyanese Garlic Pork (that she made for my Guyanese Grandpa) on Christmas. Now that my children are 3rd generation Caribbean, it's my job to carry the torch and to keep them grounded in their roots even though we live thousands of miles away from grandparents, coconut trees or sugarcane. That Hubby's family is Bahamian is exciting because his extended family proudly celebrates their Bahamian roots and make the music, cuisine and customs a regular part of their lives. Our kids went to The Bahamas last year and to a Junkanoo celebration last Christmas in Miami and know their Bahamian flag colors and have fallen in love with Johnny Cake Bread. It's a start. So this Sunday for dinner, we are having Trinidadian Pelau with sweet plantains... It helps that Grandma will be in town to supervise the kitchen olympics. See a pictorial step-by-step guide to the recipe, courtesy of Tastes Like Home, HERE. … [Read more...] about This Sunday for Dinner: Trinidadian Pelau ~ A Taste of Home
This Sunday for Dinner: Chocolate Cola Cake
I have a confession to make. I have absolutely no idea what we are having for dinner this Sunday other than the fact that we are going to have this very fabulous dessert that I found on Pinterest: Chocolate Cola Cake After hearing May's description of the cake, I could really care less if we eat tuna fish sandwiches for dinner because clearly, it's going to be ALL ABOUT THE DESSERT. Chocolate Cola Cake Recipe via MayFlaum.com preheat oven to 350, and grease up (I like Crisco) a 9×13 (or so) pan. mix: 2cups flour 2cups sugar 1/2tsp salt 1tsp baking soda** 1/2tsp cinnamon ** note: I have made this with baking powder or soda – Either way works. “powder” is what was listed in the recipe I got it from, but soda is slightly better results. in a saucepan over medium high heat stir this up good until it boils: 1 cup butter 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup coca-cola (from bottle is my preference!) 1/2 cup buttermilk now take off heat and add that to the flour mix & whisk until combined. Then add: 2 eggs 1tsp vanilla extract mix, put in pan, bake it for about 30minutes. Yes, it’s a quick bake. Don’t over-bake it! when cake is nearly done make the glaze by mixing in saucepan: 1/2cup butter 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup coca cola once that boils, remove and slowly stir in 4cups of confectioners’ sugar until nice and smooth. Then add in about a cup of chopped pecans, and give it a stir. once cake is done and out of oven (toothpick should come out clean), pour this warm glaze right over the top of the hot cake! wait. let it set… let it cool for a few minutes at least… enjoy warm or cold. (next day/etc. feel free to microwave for a few seconds to warm it up… so good) Enjoy the weekend! … [Read more...] about This Sunday for Dinner: Chocolate Cola Cake
This Sunday’s Dinner: Pseudo-Southern Chicken and Waffles
This weekend I'm bringing it back home. Last week I tried to be all super-exotic and gourmet-y with the crab bread pudding. And while the dish was a beauty to behold: It definitely looked better than it tasted. To me, anyway! Chatterbox gobbled hers up and asked for seconds. She's a crab-fiend. For this Sunday's dinner, I have a hankering for some solid Southern food (keeping in mind that I am Canadian and the most Southern thing about me is...my husband, ahem). Here's what it's gonna be: Rosemary Fried Chicken Buttermilk Waffles Collard Greens Red Velvet Cupcakes Rosemary Fried Chicken recipe courtesy of MarthaStewart.com Ingredients 8 chicken legs and 8 chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 pounds total) 2 cups low-fat buttermilk Coarse salt and ground pepper 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sweet paprika 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 4 sprigs 2 cups vegetable oil, such as safflower Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line one large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; place a wire rack over a second rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine chicken, buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside (or refrigerate up to 2 days). In another large bowl, whisk together flour, paprika, chopped rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Lift chicken from buttermilk, a few pieces at a time (allowing excess to drip off), and dredge in flour mixture (shaking off excess); transfer to foil-lined sheet. Dredge chicken in flour mixture a second time; return to sheet. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or a 5-quart Dutch oven), heat oil and rosemary sprigs over medium-high. When rosemary sizzles rapidly, remove and discard. In three batches, fry chicken until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side; transfer to prepared rack. (If chicken browns too quickly, reduce heat.) Remove foil; set a rack on that baking sheet. Transfer half the chicken to this empty rack. Bake chicken on both racks until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh registers 165, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Cook's Note You don't need a thermometer for the oil -- once the rosemary sprigs are hissing, it's time to add the chicken. Frying time is cut in half by finishing the chicken in the oven. Enjoy the weekend!! … [Read more...] about This Sunday’s Dinner: Pseudo-Southern Chicken and Waffles
