Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

 Hi everybody 

I know my little smiley face is missing, I'm not in a smiley face mood today. Sometimes, I feel like I'm just moving around on autopilot. Losing Jennifer, around the same time and the same reason I lost my mom eight years ago, still have me on this emotional roller-coaster...

I been sharing some of my favorite comfort foods, baking breads and cookies, because it seems to help me to stay focus. So let's get it started...

I'm making another one of my favorite comfort foods, Chicken and Dumplings. What makes this recipe sooooo easy is that Roastisire chicken, purchase at the deli/cafe, store-brought broth, and canned biscuits are use, so the majority of the work in making this is done!

Easy Chicken and Dumplings adapted My Recipes America's Favorite Food

Ingredients:

1 (32-oz.) container low-sodium chicken broth {used 2 (14.5-oz.) cans + Better Than Bouillon Beef Base, reduced sodium & enough water to make 32 oz.}   
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 1 1/2 lb.)
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning 
1 (10.2-oz.) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits (I used 4 biscuits, rolled flat, and squared)
2 carrots, diced
3 celery ribs, diced

Directions:

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; return to a low boil.

Place biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat each biscuit to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. (I cut the biscuits into squares)

(I sprinkled Mrs Dash Onion & Herb Seasoning on the biscuits)
Drop strips, 1 at a time, into boiling broth mixture. 

 (Most of the seasoning came off the dumplings.)
Add carrots and celery. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking. Note: One roasted chicken yields about 3 cups of meat.

 (I added 2 tablespoon cornstarch with 1/4 cup water to thicken, 3 minutes before it's done, along with 3 green onions)

What I Did and/or Think:

The  changes I made are in Purple & Italic.



With the leftover biscuit and straps, I made biscuit  "crackers."  Just roll out biscuit as in the picture above, seasoned with Mrs. Dash.  Cut out with cookie cutter; I used a leaf cutter. Place on a lightly greased sheet pan in a 350 degree oven for about 6 min or until edges are lightly brown, watch carefully.

Biscuit "Crackers"

The Taste: I LOVE the taste of this. If you're looking for a quick and easy chicken and dumpling without all the "work" in making it, than look no further. THIS IS IT! REPEAT.




















ENJOY! Come again...

Linked  to:

Kathe With an E You're Gonna Love It  
Show Me What You Got Tuesday's at ODH 
Trick or Treat Tuesday: Inside BruCrew Life
Tasty Tuesday (Food Only) @ Naptime Creation  
33 Shades of Green-Tasty Tuesday  
The Winthrop Chronicles Link Party
Take-a-Look Tuesday Sugar Bee Crafts 
Show Me What Ya Got  #99
Tuesday's Table: Time for the Holidays!

Carrot Cake Cookies

Carrot Cake Cookies

Hi everybody :)

I did a double-take when I first saw these cookies. I knew I would be making them very soon.  It starts with my favorite obsession; CARROT CAKE!  It's made with a cake mix, plus you don't even have to wait for the butter to softened because you melt it! Super easy, huh? 

Then, I saw the recipe on the back of the cake box. It too look super delicious, with another one of my favorites; Oatmeal! I decided, I gotta do, what I gotta do...I combined the two!

So let's get it started... 

Carrot Cake Cookies adapted from Inside BruCrew & Duncan Hines Classic Decadent Box

Ingredients

 

1 carrot cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Classic Carrot Decadent)
1 teaspoon cinnamon1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup Kraft caramel bits
1 cup oatmeal (I used 1/2 cup roll & 1/2 cup quick) not shown
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Raisin & Carrots, reconstituted (from the box)
1/2  cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

Reconstitute the raisins and carrots as directed on the box, if using Duncan Hines Classic Decadent. 

  In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, oatmeal, cinnamon, white chips, caramel bits, sit aside.  

   Add the raisins and carrots to the cake mixture along with the walnuts.

   In a small bowl, mix the  butter, eggs, vanilla.  Add to cake mixture.  

   Stir by hand until combined or a stand mixer on low speed, mixture will be stiff.  

 Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Form dough into 1- 1 1/2 inch balls, place  on baking sheet, and flatten with damp hands.

 Bake at 350 for 10-11 minutes. Let cool on pan 2-3 minutes. Gently remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely. Store in air tight container. Use a metal spatula to remove the cookies from the baking sheet. The caramel will start to stick to the pan if you leave it cool too much.  (I used parchment paper)

What I Think:
I think the combination of the two recipes were GREAT. Thick and Chewy. Definitely Another REPEAT!

For  Tropical Carrot Cake Cookies:
Omitted the caramel bits, and add about 2 tablespoons each, chopped dried Pineapple (reconstituted) & Coconut to the Raisin & Carrots mixture and proceed as directed.

And following the carrot cake tradition, I drizzle a Cream Cheese Glaze on top of the cookies, optional. 

For the Cream Cheese Glaze recipe found here.

 














ENJOY! Come again....

Linked to: 
Melt In Your Mouth Monday # 90 @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms 
The Girl Creative: Just Something I whipped Up  
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks
Mop Up Mondays - I Should be Mopping the Floor    
Flour Me With Love: Mix it up Monday! 
An original Belle: Make It Yourself Monday
2012 Cookie Exchange: The Tumbleweed Contessa 
Crazy Sweet Tuesday Crazy for Crust

Freezer Buttermilk Biscuits: Breakfast Is Served

Freezer Buttermilk Biscuits: Breakfast Is Served

 Freezer Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Cinnamon Butter

Hi everybody :)

I'm still rearing in an emotional turmoil from the lost last week, but I know my my heart Jennifer would want me to move on. 

With that in mind, I like to welcome you to another Breakfast Is Served Sunday. If you're just tuning in to my blog, every Sunday I post a Breakfast Is Served. To catch up, last week Breakfast Is Served Sunday's post is found here.

This week recipe is from my cookbooks collection. I'm always on the look-out for large quantity cooking or baking that can be made-ahead and frozen, this recipe is just that. These buttermilk yeast biscuits are perfect for my small family too. I can take out how many biscuits I want to bake, whenever I want.

Freezer Biscuits adapted Calling All Cooks Three

INGREDIENTS

5 cups flour ( I used 3 cups all-purpose flour & 2 cups whole wheat flour)
1/4 cup sugar (not shown in picture)
1 tablespoon baking powder       
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt 
1 cup shortening
1 envelope dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup melted butter

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into bowl.  Cut in shortening until crumbly.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix with buttermilk. (I mixed the water & buttermilk together, heated it until it reached 110 degrees. Mix in the yeast, and let set for 5 minutes.)
 Add to flour mixture; mix well. ( After mixing, I refrigerated the dough for about 1 hour.)

Roll to desired thickness on floured surface; cut with biscuit cutter. ( I divided the dough into 3 parts, patted the dough down into shape, and used a 3 inches circular cutter to cut.)

 Place on baking sheet. Freeze until firm. Store in airtight container in freezer.  This recipe will make enough biscuits for 4 people for 6 meals.

Dip desired number of biscuits in melted butter; place on baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees until brown. (Unfrozen, about 15 minutes; frozen about 15-2o minutes.)  

Yield: 24 servings. (I got 28 biscuits)

What I did and/or Think:  

The changes I did are in Purple and Italic.

The Taste: The biscuits were tender, flaky, and delicious. I think this is a great base recipe to expand on to suit whatever taste you're going for, like if you want Cinnamon Raisins Biscuit, you can add cinnamon and raisin to the dough before shaping; or Bacon and Cheese Biscuit, or Garlic and Herbs Biscuits, etc, etc.  This recipe is definitely a REPEAT! I served it with Honey Cinnamon Butter, which was amazing delicious too; recipe below.

Honey Cinnamon Butter:
1 part butter, softened
1 part honey, your favorite brand
Cinnamon to taste

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. You can also use this with the honey added.









































ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to: 
YeastSpotting! @ wildyeast 
BYOB @ girlichef: BYOB - Bake Your Own Bread 
Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party @ Addicted Recipes 
Blissful And Domestic Sunday Blog Hop  
Nifty Thrifty Sunday  
Everyday Moms Meals  
Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes Get Your Party On
Sunday Sweet Confessions: Mommy's Sweet Confessions  
Mommy Archive