Chicken and dumplings

In spite of the fact that even at 11 pm, it's still 90 degrees in mid-September in this balmy oasis, I was in the mood for comfort food last night.  I've made this twice already, and it's so quick and easy, creamy and yummy.  It's basically Rachel Ray's recipe - I think I changed a few minor things, but don't remember what they were.  I know I left out the frozen peas - those have no business in chicken and dumplings, in my opinion.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-and-dumplings-recipe.html

Here goes:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb chicken (breast, thighs, tenders... whatever you like)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (1 turn of the pan)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3 small or one baking-size russet potato, peeled and cubed
• 3 Medium carrots, peeled and cubed or sliced
• 1 Medium onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning (1/3 palm full)
• 2 Tbsp flour (a handful)
• 1 quart chicken broth or stock, canned or paper container
• 2 Cups biscuit mix
• 2/3 Cup Milk
• 2 Handfuls flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Dice chicken into bite size pieces and set aside. Wash hands.
2. Place a large pot on stove over medium high heat. Add oil, butter, vegetables, one handful chopped parsley and bay leaves 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 into the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.
3. Place biscuit mix in a bowl. Combine with 2/3 cup milk and remaining handful chopped parsley. Drop large tablespoonfuls of prepared mix into the pot, spacing dumplings evenly. Reduce heat to medium low and cook uncovered 10 minutes. Cover pot tightly and steam dumplings 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir chicken and dumplings to thicken sauce a bit. Remove from heat, garnish with chopped parsley and serve in shallow bowls.

And, it goes great with a cold glass of rose on a plastic TV tray!

Chicken Souvlicious... OPA!!

I have always been a a huge fan of Greek food... I mean what's not to love about hummus, the amazing spicy meat, the tabbouleh... delish! have been honing my gyro-creating skills over a few iterations now and I think I finally have a great, simple recipe that you can throw together on those nights where you want to eat healthy but don't have the energy to make it into a "big thing". Most of these things I'm sure you'll find stocked in your fridge already. And the rest... well suck it up and drive 5 min to the grocery store!!!! ... heh, sorry - that was my attempt at being a pushy Greek aunt who also wants you to eat more... or is it a pushy Italian aunt? ANYWAYS, enjoy and OPA!!


Chicken Souvlaki
(makes 4-5 gyro style sandwiches)

INGREDIENTS
Chicken Marinade
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
juice of one lemon wedge
1 teaspoon oregano
4-5 healthy grinds of fresh black pepper

Tzaziki Sauce
8 oz non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
juice of one lemon wedge
splash of red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic

Souvlaki
1 lb chicken breast
2 roma tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 cups hearts of romaine, chopped into chunks
small red onion, thinly sliced
Italian flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)
4 oz crumbled feta
4-5 flatbread pita rounds (not the weird crumbly kind with pockets, get the good stuff that is more like flatbread -- Whole Foods is my go-to for this)
Extra-virgin olive oil for pitas

DIRECTIONS

• Slice chicken thinly and place in medium bowl. Coat chicken with all marinade ingredients and marinate for 30 min to an hour (or more if you'd like) but that's all the time I personally have patience for.
• In the meantime make your tzaziki sauce. I like to use my magic bullet but you can also make the sauce in a food processor. Place all ingredients in the processor and blend until smooth. Place in fridge. 
• Pre-heat oven to 350. Lightly brush olive oil on each side of pita bread rounds and cover stack of rounds in foil. Bake in oven for 10 min. 
• Once the chicken is ready to go place in a skillet and pan fry on medium heat until cooked through, draining any excessive juices.
• Now, to build your gyro, lay a piece of flatbread on each plate. Arrange pieces of chicken, romaine, tomato and red onion on top. Sprinkle a little feta and drizzle with tzaziki. Garnish with fresh ground pepper and parsley sprigs. Eat as is with knife and fork or fold in half to eat like a taco!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

We're doing it! This is the first official post of K&L's recipe-sharing blog. We're always exchanging our favorite recipes across the miles so what better than to create an official archive. Maybe one day when we're old and gray we can even make this into a book...? Awwww, Cinnamon and Gravy! 

This first recipe is one that my Mom sent me the other day. Now that they are back in Kazakhstan she was wistful about good ole fashioned Tejas cooking so she made tortilla soup, an old fav and a great comfort food for those chilly winter days. Thought it was an appropriate start to our little collection. Bon Appetit y'all!

Taste of Home Chicken Tortilla Soup

(sent from Mom, she can even make it in Kazakhstan!)

Ingredients:

1 pound cooked, shredded chicken

1 (15 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed

1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce (optional)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers (or fresh)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 (14.5) oz can chicken broth

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 (10 oz) package frozen corn (or canned, drained)

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)

2-3 dashes of Tabasco

2-3 dashes of chili flakes

Soup Directions:

Place all the ingredients above in a large pot and put on the stove and cook on a medium heat for about 2-3 hours (stirring often).

Topping:

7 corn tortillas

Vegetable oil

Grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 deg F, lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil.

Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet. Bake in oven until crisp, 10-15 minutes.  Salt while hot. To serve sprinkle tortillas over soup.

Garnish with grated cheese.