Chicken & Dumplings

This recipe is a hybrid of busy day--meets--chicken soup and old world dumplings. Want to know how to make them?

Suz's Chicken & Dumplings
Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Ground Thyme (optional)
6-8 Pieces of frozen chicken tenders (un-breaded)
2-4 C water (It's soup, so to taste.)
1 packet Chicken of Lipton "Noodle" soup
1-2 Cans Green Beans (1 if you want it more like stew)
2-3 T Chicken bouillon

In a large soup pan (the stock pot) add 1 T olive oil, 2-3 grinds of black pepper and the chicken to brown. When the chicken is done remove to a plate and cut into bite sizes. Add the chicken back to the pan and add some water (about 1/2 C) to deglaze the pan. Add the green beans (with the juice from the can), the remaining water, the soup packet and bouillon (to taste). Add 2 shakes of ground Thyme, simmer and move on to the dumplings!

While cooking I noticed a pink glow coming from the windows. You're looking at the Oquirrh Mountains at sunset.

Does the photo-cropping help make it look less "processed?" Drat! You can still see the boxes.

Bisquick Dumplings
2 1/4 C Original Bisquick
2/3 C milk

Stir together...

If the dough looks like this, add a "splash" or two of milk until the dry is mixed with the wet. (A "splash" being approximately 2-4 T of milk at a time). Bring the soup to a boil.

Woah there Tex! That's some perfectly good soup! What are you droppin' in there? Don't panic! Drop the dough by spoonfuls into the soup (careful not to splash - use 2 spoons like with drop cookies). When the dough sinks a little once added to the soup keep the faith. Do not stir the soup.

Once all of the dumplings have been added reduce the heat to medium. Cook uncovered 10 minutes, then cover and cook for 10 more minutes.

These are freshly cooked dumplings.

Here's what they look like when they are cut open and you add butter. Now they look edible. It's just another way to get your carbs. Serve with butter. Really. And Kosher salt. Yum!

Happy Halloween!

Suz

Light Holiday Reading...

In this issue of the "Food Network Magazine" they're featuring a pumpkin mousse, which is something I usually make this time of year--they've "kicked it up a notch" with a ginger snap crust. In "Bon Appetit" magazine there's a friendly "Halloween Bark" that looks like a lot of fun to make with peanut butter cups, orange and yellow M&M's, and buttery toffee!

In the "spirit" of the Halloween season, I wanted to share a funny little book that I found at Barnes & Noble called "Horrorscopes: A Little Book of Misfortunes." It's one of those books you can pick up, thumb to any page, and read something funny. Here's today's "horrorscope:"

October 3
"Possessing a tempting blend of literary and culinary abilities, you should find success by authoring cookbooks. But use caution when editing your work. Accidentally calling for half a cup of arsenic instead of Asiago could leave many readers with a bad taste in their mouths."

Hope you're enjoying the Harvest/Halloween season!

Suz

Busy Day Soup

You know those days when you have a lot going on? Well I suppose that's everyday. Hmm. Let me try again. Autumn's arrived with tired sunflowers, changing leaves and cool mornings; all clues that Nancy Drew would have been sure to connect-the-dots on to conclude: it's time to start making Busy Day Soup again.  I'm sure Hannah would have made this for Nancy and her dad if only she had the recipe! This soup is a family favorite and it's easy to make. I hope you like it too.

Speaking of Miss Drew, as the new TV season is rolling out, you may be interested to know that you can watch both Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys on Netflix. 

Busy Day Soup
1/2 lb. hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can bean and  bacon soup
1 can alphabet soup
1 can tomato soup
1 small can nibblets corn
2 cans water
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Brown together hamburger and onion, then add bean and bacon, alphabet and tomato soup. Add corn,  cans of water and chili powder. Simmer until hot. (Served above with homemade croutons)

Recipe Source: Jacque Jensen, Table Scraps pg. 18, and I posted it at eaglescoutscarves.com too.

Peanut Butter Crackers

I wanted to share a lawn-mowing-day treat with you. My Dad taught me how to mow the lawn, I would try to make patterns in the grass; checker-boards and diagonal lines just to change things up a bit. (You know, make the backyard look like a golf course?) He also taught me how to make these little crackers. Don't turn away because of the simplicity of the snack. Read on and squirrel this vital information away for later. The next time you're spending the day outside working on the yard and you need a little energy, head inside to get hydrated and have some peanut butter crackers.

Peanut butter crackers were always part of our Saturday gardening ritual. After we'd been out in the garden mowing the lawn, edging, weeding, et al he'd send me into the house to make us some peanut butter crackers and get some sodas. (May I pause and comment on the water droplets on my thumb? I was not trying to get the "dew drop" effect... but hey, clean hands right?)

Peanut Butter Crackers

Jar of Peanut Butter

Ritz Crackers 

Create sandwich "cookies" by spreading peanut butter on one cracker and stick another cracker to the peanut butter. Simple. (Much better than the pre-made packaged crackers.)

Recipe Source: Dad

I've got my energy back now so I'm heading back to the garden. :)

Suz

Mini Pain au Chocolat

This summer we took a road trip to Minnesota and decided to take along homemade, not-so-processed snacks. My daughter pitched in and we prepped: cheese & jalapeno stuffed cherry tomatoes, cherries, puff-pastry parmesan pretzels, and ginger snaps.

Road trip snacks: cherries, cookies, pretzels, cheese stuffed cherry tomatoes

For a quick breakfast on the road? Pain au Chocolat.

Mini Pain au Chocolat

These mini stuffed croissants are just as good as they look! My daughter made them while I was packing. (I snuck one fresh from the oven the night before we left. Had to! Warm chocolate? Seriously heaven!) I worked at a French bakery when I was in high school where I was first introduced to stuffed croissants which are amazing; like ham and swiss, or the classic Pain au Chocolat--simply divine!

Easy Mini Pain au Chocolat

1 tube of freezer, crescent roll dough
1-2 Hershey bars

Unroll the dough and cut dough into rectangles. Place a piece of the chocolate bar on the dough and roll the crescent dough up around it. Bake at temperature on the dough package (probably around 350) about 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Source: If you've ever made mini pigs-in-a-blanket with Little Smokies, you already know what I'm talking about here. Only sweet instead of savory. :)

To quote Mr. Bingley in Pride & Prejudice "Enjoy the day!"

Suz
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