Thick Stock Chicken and Dumplings

Last week while visiting family for a Covid Xmas, homemade chicken and dumplings were requested. When I showed the pictures of Grandma's Chicken and Dumplings made last December a piece of the missing puzzle was found. Grandma's chicken and dumplings were thicker in stock, less soup broth, more dumpling starch. Well, hot dog! Let me make them right now. Luckily said family member always has several family packs of chicken thighs in the freezer. So with eight chicken thighs, I set to the task of creating a thick stock based chicken and dumpling.

Modifications Made:

Using the same chicken and dumpling recipe as a base start, chicken thighs and one finely diced yellow onion were cooked in heavily salted water along with pepper to taste. Once broth was cooled, thighs were deboned and meat left in fairly large chunks allowing for any shredding to happen in a naturel process during dumpling cooking. The dumplings were liberally, as in one cannot have too much, coated in flour. After all dumplings were added to pot, the thickness was assessed. Two tablespoons of water mixed in half cup was water was added. Ten minutes were allowed to pass and thickness was assessed again. This time, two tablespoons of flour were mixed in half cup low fat milk and then added. Ten minutes more were allowed to pass and a final two tablespoons of flour mixed with half cup of water was added. Once the dumplings were done, the pot was covered and set to rest for an hour before served. This allowed the flour to lose its floury taste, the gravy to thicken even more, and the dumplings to cool down to an edible temperature.

Scaled for Likability: Great
These were good, really really good the day they were served. They were absolutely perfect the next day. Sure reheating on the stove took some time and patience so the bottom did not burn, but man was it worth the time and effort. This is what everybody remembered grandma's chicken and dumplings tasting like. It was the thick rib sticking gravy that did the trick.

Papas a La Mexicana (Ranchera)

It is a crying shame that there are six hens and not a egg in sight. What am I supposed to do with homemade ranchero sauce? Thankfully with a few quick searches of the internet a recipe from my hometown newspaper was discovered: Papas Ranchera . Not once in the thirty years I lived in my hometown did I ever eat at a local food joint serving papas rancheras. No time like the present to remedy this cultural dish. Because this recipe is hidden behind a paywall (grrr...) I have included it here for you: Servings: 4-6 Ingredients: 1 pound potatoes, diced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 large onion 1 1/2 medium tomatoes 3 jalapenos 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup juice from canned tomatoes Instructions: Fry potatoes in vegetable oil until lightly browned (about 4-6 minutes). Saute onions, tomatoes, jalapenos until soft. Add garlic powder and salt. Add tomato juice until vegetables are covered (may need to add water). Bring to a boil and then add po...

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup. Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too. Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes omitted, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one cup celery, three cups diced potatoes, one can tomato sauce, two beef and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water. Once onions were softened, carrots/celery/potatoes/juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almos...

Sour Cream & Chive Scalloped Potatoes

Can't believe the Month of the Potato is over. There are so many more potato recipes saved. Guess I will have to work them into another month. Last week's scalloped potatoes were one of the best new recipes during the month of potatoes. With today being the last day in the Month of Potatoes, I decided to go out with a bang by cooking another batch of scalloped potatoes but this time sour cream and chive. The Best Scalloped Potatoes , or so they said. Modifications Made: Recipe was reduced by half. Mayo was omitted and one entire package of chives were chopped and added to sauce before pouring onto layers. Scaled for Likability: Good Betty Crocker Sour Cream and Chive Box Scalloped Potatoes were the standard for this recipe. These were a family favorite for years but have long since been discounted. Bummer. Trying to replicate this seemed easy enough. Alas, it was not. These had a nice texture but were too oily from the cheese ...

Eating Waffles

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