Country Chicken and Dumplings

Comfort food.  Enough said.

Country Chicken and Dumplings

2 T. Vegetable oil
4 large chicken breasts, shredded or cubed
4 cloves crushed garlic
3/4 c. peas
1 - 1/2 c. frozen pearl onions
2 - 3 stalks chopped celery
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
8 c. chicken broth
2 c. bisquick
2/3 c. milk

Saute carrots and celery in a bit of butter.

In a pot, cook chicken in oil.  Add garlic, onions, mushrooms.  Cook 5 minutes until veggies are tender.  Transfer to a separate bowl.

In the same pan, melt butter.  Add flour.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Stir until mix is a golden brown.  Add the chicken broth.  Cook about 10 minutes stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.  Add veggies and chicken and bring to a boil.

Mix the bisquick and milk.  Drop the mix in dumpling blobs in the pot.  Boil for 10 minutes uncovered and covered for an additional 10 minutes until cooked.

Enjoy!

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T = tablespoon
c  = cup


Alternative:  instead of making your own dumplings, buy frozen potato dumplings

Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

Here is a good old-fashioned meat and potatoes kind of meal.  I had about 1 pound of chuck roast so I cut this recipe in 1/3 and it was really tender.   Would definitely make again with a larger cut of meat! Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and even make gravy out of the juice left in the crock!

Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

3-4 lb. chuck roast
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 envelope of French Onion Soup Mix
2 t. ground pepper
Beef broth or water

Combine soy sauce and dry onion mix in the slow cooker. Mix well.
Add the chuck roast.

Pour enough beef broth or water ofer the top of the roast until about 1/2 inch of roast is not covered.

Sprinkle the ground pepper over the top.

Cook on low for about 8 hours.

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c = cup
lb = pound
t = teaspoon

Cole Slaw

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law years ago.  She didn't follow recipes all that much--just the way I like to cook.  It is a solid go-to whenever cole slaw is in order and goes great with pulled pork sandwiches!

Cole Slaw

1 head of cabbage shredded

Dressing:
Equal parts mayo and sour cream
A spoonful of vinegar
A spoonful of sugar

Uncomfortable with vague recipes?  Try this if you have a large head of cabbage, start with about 1/3 c. of mayo and 1/3 c. of sour cream and 1 t. vinegar and 1 t. sugar and see if it is enough.   It's really about personal taste.

Combine the dressing with the cabbage.

Don't overdue it on the dressing.  Once it gets combined with the cabbage, everything softens up a bit.  You can always add more dressing after it sits for a bit if you need to.

Top with paprika for presentation.

Zucchini 'Spaghetti Alfredo'

Looking to shed a few pounds?  Here is a decent alternative to pasta alfredo.  Does it taste like it?  Nope.  But, it is 'good enough'.  And you can eat a lot of it!  1/2 of this recipe is about 250 calories. It's a BIG serving.

I bought a spiralizer from Bed Bath and Beyond for under $10 and it works great on the zucchini noodles!

Zucchini 'Spaghetti Alfredo'

About 1 1/2 lbs. or so zucchini cut into thin strips or use a spiralizer to make it into spaghetti strings
4 c. cauliflower florets cut in smaller sizes
1/4 - 1/3 c. grated parmesan
2 t. chopped garlic
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 - 1 t. red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 - 3/4 c. milk.  (more if you need to thin out the 'sauce')

Spiralize your zucchini into spaghetti strings.  Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray or use a bit of olive oil to coat bottom.  Cook zucchini noodles for about 3 minutes to slightly soften them. (not too much!)  Transfer the noodles to a colander to drain any liquid.

Cook the cauliflower and about 1/4 c. of water for 5-7 minutes in the microwave until soft. Drain.

In a food processor or blender, combine the cauliflower, parm, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes.  And blend until smooth.  Add the milk and blend to finish off the sauce.

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

I found this recipe from 12 Tomatoes on Facebook and modified it a bit for my own taste.  Recipes are just a guideline!

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

4 lbs. vidalia, sweet or yellow onions, sliced
1 stick butter
2 T. olive oil
10 c. beef broth
1 T. chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
1 t. thyme
1/4 c flour
2 T. worcestershire sauce
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. red wine (I used a cabernet sauvignon)
sliced french bread, toasted
1 1/2 c. gruyere or swiss, grated or sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter and add olive oil and sliced onions.  Cook until onions are carmelized.

Put onions in slow cooker and add broth, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.

Whisk together the flour, worcestershire, balsamic and red wine.  Add it to the slow cooker and stir to combine all ingredients.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Ladle into oven safe crocks.  Float toasted bread and top with cheese.  Broil to brown cheese and serve.

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c = cup
t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon

Mixed Greens with Pear, Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Walnuts

This is my new favorite salad!  You decide how much you want of each ingredient.  It's not that hard!

Mixed Greens with Pear, Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Walnuts

Salad
50/50 Spring Greens and Spinach
Pear, sliced thin or diced
Honey infused Goat Cheese, crumbled
Dried Cranberries
Candied Walnuts, chopped up (or pecans!  I like these better.)

Dressing
1/3 part cinnamon pear flavored balsamic vinegar ( I used about 2 T.)
2/3 parts olive oil (I used about 1/4 c.)
1 t. honey or more if you are making a larger batch of dressing
1/2 t. dijon or more if you are making a larger batch of dressing
salt and pepper

Alternate Dressing

Don't have cinnamon pear flavored balsamic?  Try this dressing.  I actually like it better than the above!

3 T. apple cider vinegar

2 T. olive oil

1 T. honey

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. dijon mustard

1/8 t. salt

Layer all ingredients in a bowl.  I like using a low, wide bowl--better distribution and presentation!

Drizzle your desired amount of dressing on the top or serve it on the side.

YUM!

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I used Trader Joe's dried cranberries and Trader Joe's candied walnuts.
I have found honey infused goat cheese at Trader Joe's and our local grocery store, Mariano's.
I get the cinnamon pear balsamic from our local olive oil emporium

Chicken and Sausage Flatbread

We went to Schlafly's Brewery in St. Louis last weekend and had this great appetizer.  I duplicated it at home with ingredients we like.

Chicken and Sausage Flatbread

1 thin pizza crust
2/3 c. or so of jarred alfredo sauce
2/3 c. diced cajun flavored chicken breast. diced
1 chipotle & jack fully-cooked chicken sausage, sliced thin
crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 c. or so shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated parm cheese

Spread alfredo sauce on crust.  Add the diced chicken and sliced chicken sausage.  Sprinkle on some crushed red pepper flakes.   Combine the mozzarella cheese and parm cheese.  Sprinkle over the top of the pizza.

Cook at 450 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.  If you have a convection oven, turn the fan on the last couple of minutes to get nicely toasted cheese top.

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I used Paul Newman's Alfredo Sauce.  Garlic Alfredo Sauce would be good, too!
I used Johnsonville fully cooked chicken sausage