Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings

Now sure, this may not look pretty.  But if you've ever had chicken and dumplings, it never is.  I tried this dish at the Cracker Barrel and thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  Where had this dish been all my life?  So I started doing my research and realized everyone has their own version.  The difference I repeatedly found was people saying "real" chicken and dumplings use crisco (vs. butter).  It's the secret ingredient!  I also read you can use chicken fat instead and it's healthier and even more flavorful.  You'll need to make the chicken a day ahead though so the fat hardens on top of the broth.  This tasted just like the Cracker Barrel's.  Yummmm-O!  Recipe off www.backtothecuttingboard.com.

Chicken:

• 1 large fryer chicken (4-5 lbs.), neck and gizzards removed
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut in half
• 3 carrots, cut into large pieces
• 3 stalks of celery, cut into large pieces
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Dumplings:

• 3 cups cake flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 4 1/2 tbsp. shortening
• 1 cup milk

Process

1. Place the chicken, onions, carrots, and celery in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so water maintains a gentle simmer. Cook chicken for 1 hour or until cooked through (about 165 degrees). About 30 minutes after you start cooking the chicken you can skip to Step 4 and start making the dumplings or you can wait until the chicken is fully cooked.
2. Once chicken is done, remove from the broth and let cool. Remove chicken from the bone (this shouldn’t be hard, it should be falling off pretty easily at this point) and shred into medium-sized pieces, discarding bones and skin.
3. Pour the chicken broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth (I improvised and used a coffee filter), discarding vegetables. Reserve 6 cups of the broth for the dumplings. Refrigerate or freeze the rest to use in for another recipe. It’s much more flavorful than the chicken broth you buy at the grocery store.
4. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Cut shortening into flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles small peas.
5. Add milk — 1/4 cup at a time, you may not need a full cup — and stir until a ball of dough just begins to form, being careful not to over-mix.
6. Roll out the dough onto floured surface that you don’t mind cutting on. Roll about ¼ inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into rectangles about 1 inch wide by 3 inches long. Place strips on wax paper and allow to harden up a bit, about 30 minutes.
7. In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat, bring broth to a gentle simmer and drop in dumplings. Cover and allow to cook for 6-7 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to low and add chicken. Allow to cook until thickened, approximately 15-20 minutes, or longer. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

This recipe is seriously the best carrot cake I have ever eaten.  The pioneer woman is a culinary genius.  This recipe is off www.thepioneerwoman.com.  Love her stuff.  She describes it as "eat...faint...repeat as needed".  Yeah, pretty much.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

• FOR CAKE:
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 4 whole Eggs
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 2 cups Grated Carrots
• _____
• For Icing
• 1 stick Regular Butter, Softened
• 1 package (8 Oz) Cream Cheese
• 1 pound Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 1 cup Pecans, Chopped Finely

Preparation Instructions

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350F
Mix together the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl. In another bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to first mixture and combine. Then add carrots and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured (Baker’s Joyed) pan (bundt, sheet cake, 9 x 13 pyrex) and bake at 350F until done, 25 (sheet cake) to 50 (Bundt pan) minutes, depending on the pan you use.
Cool completely.
Icing:
In larger bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla and blend, then mix in the nuts. Spread on cooled carrot cake.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

I found this recipe on www.pink-parsley.com because I was looking for something out of the norm to make (vs. cupcakes or bars).  Plus, I'd never attempted to make fudge before.  The recipe was fairly easy and didn't take long.  The entire plate vanished amidst my coworkers.  The one mistake I made which I learned was a critical step! was to cool fudge SLOOoooooowly.  I thought the recipe was just written by a slacker.  Nope, it must be cooled gradually or else the sugar will precipitate out and form an entirely different consistency (think grainy rather than smooth fudge).  But it was tasty nevertheless and I will definitely try my hand at fudge again.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

• 1 3/4 c. sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1 Tbs corn syrup
• 3/4 tsp  kosher salt
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spray an 8x8 inch  baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the sugars, cream, milk, corn syrup and salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 242 degrees (ie the soft-ball stage).  Remove from heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, and flour.

Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish, and allow to cool until it reaches 110 degrees, 10 to 20 minutes.

Use a large spoon to scrape the mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat at medium speed until the fudge thickens and holds its shape, 3 to 5 minutes.  Transfer the fudge to the prepared 8x8 inch dish and smooth the top with a spatula.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top, pressing them lightly into the fudge.

Allow to set at least 2 hours.  Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.

Award Winning Apricot Habanero Salsa

I've never made salsa before.  Ever.  So when I heard we were having a salsa contest at work, I started frantically experimenting!  Went through about 6 different kinds.  But as soon as I tasted this one, I knew it was the one.  And indeed it was!  First place winner at the contest!  It has a fruity sweetness, and you can add more or less Habanero sauce depending on degree of heat desired.  Just keep in mind the heat will intensify over time!  I found the original recipe as a barbecue sauce on www.great-salsa.com, but then added tomatoes to thicken it up and give it more of a salsa taste and consistency.  The chips are just flour tortilla cut up and pan fried.  So good.  Without the tomatoes you could use this as a basting sauce on fish, chicken, or pork.

Apricot-Habanero Salsa

• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• corn or canola oil
• 1 yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and seeded
• 2/3 cup (150 g) dried apricots
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vineger
• 3 tablespoons (1/2 dl) brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups (3 dl) water
• 1 tablespoon Colmans powdered mustard
• 4 tablespoon habanero hot sauce
• salt
• 4 tomatoes, peeled and diced

In a pan, sauté the onion and garlic in a little oil until soft. Add the remaining ingredients, except the mustard powder, habanero, and tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the apricots are soft. Pour into a food processor.  Add tomatoes (1 at a time) and season with mustard powder, habanero, and salt while processing to a smooth sauce. 

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Oh my goodness.  These were to die for.  About 3 minutes out of the oven perfect.  Otherwise, just like the website said, rest the cookie atop a steamy cup of tea for 15 or so seconds and the caramel just softens up beautifully.  Recipe off www.scrambledhenfruit.blogspot.com.

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups all purpose flour

1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)
• In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
• With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.
• Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)
• When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. 
• Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)
• Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
• Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.
• Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Muffins

These were sooooo yummy!  Found this recipe on www.pinchofyum.com.  The cake is moist and sweet and the maple glaze compliments them perfectly.  I will definitely turn to this again and again.  Fantastic fall treat!

Pumpkin Muffins

• 3 1/2 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups solid pack pumpkin (not pie filling)
• 1 cup of oil
• 2 cups of sugar
• 3 eggs

1. Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately.
2. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture.
3. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
4. Glaze and enjoy!

Maple Glaze

• 1/3 stick of butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1-3 tbs. water
• 1 tbs. maple syrup

1. Melt butter in saucepan.
2. Add sugar and vanilla.
3. Add water until desired consistency is reached.
4. Stir in maple syrup.

Tangerine-Maple Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

Tangerine-Maple Glazed Chicken Drumsticks by Bobby Flay

Since finding this recipe on www.alyssastwobites.blogspot.com, I've made it three times!  And that was only about a month ago.  These drumsticks turned out so good!  Even after glazing them on the grill I like to pour some of the glaze on my plate and mop it up!  I couldn't find the orange-tangerine juice so used an orange-peach-mango juice, about half the carton, but it'll boil down.  Highly recommended!!!

Tangerine-Maple Glazed Chicken Drumsticks 
Bobby Flay

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons canola oil
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
1 quart tangerine juice or orange-tangerine juice, not from concentrate
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tangerine or orange zested
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
8 chicken drumsticks (I only cooked drumsticks)
8 chicken thighs
Salt
2 green onions, sliced for garnish
Grilled oranges or tangerinces, for garnish

Directions:

Heat the grill to medium high.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat, add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the juice and thyme, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to approximately 1/2 cup, 25 to 30 minutes.

Strain the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the syrup, soy sauce, and black pepper and let cool to room temperature. Can be made 2 days in advance and brought to room temperature before using.

Brush chicken on both sides with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through. Begin brushing with the glaze during the last 5 minutes of grilling. Remove to a platter and sprinkle with the green onion. Garnish with the grilled citrus.