Recipes

I posted a while back about gift ideas.  I currently have 12 wedding invitations sitting on my desk and was reminded of my recipe album I made on shutterfly.  I started thinking how fun it would be to share our favorite, tried and true recipes that serve as family favorites at your house.  So I am going to include some of ours and would love to read yours.  If you post recipes on your blog, please leave a comment.  I think I read all of your blogs and check them daily but I may have missed a few so please let me know so I don't miss out.  We LOVE food around here!

Here are mine....

Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

Water

1 stick butter

6 chicken bouillon cubes

4 chicken breasts

salt and pepper

Boil your water and add butter, bouillon and chicken, salt and pepper.  Cook until chicken is finished.  Pull out chicken and shred it, returning it to the pot.  I usually let this cook for about 1 hour.

Dumplings

*there are 2 ways to make these in my opinion.  I grew up eating drop dumplings and still prefer them.  They are super easy.  You just make them with bisquick.  

2 1/4 cups of bisquick

2/3 cup milk

*the key is dropping them in the boiling broth and NEVER touching them.  Let them be or they will fall apart.  Once you drop them in, reduce heat and cook uncovered for 10 min and then cover and cook 1o min longer.

Now Bobby loves rolled dumplings.  They are more time intensive and dense but great too.  

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup of broth

Combine flour, baking powder, salt; cut shortening with a pastry blender (I use my Kitchen-Aid) until mixture is crumbly.  Add reserved 2/3 cup broth, stirring with fork until dry ingredients are moistened.  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface (I just a large cookie sheet so I don't have a mess on my counter) and knead lightly for 1 to 2 minutes.  Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness; cut dough into 2 inch squares.

drop dough into boiling broth one at a time.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 25-30 minutes.  

Homemade bread

A book I was reading one time that was set in the 20s had a quote that said, "All good Mamas make their babies homemade bread."  I remember thinking, that should still be true today!  I love bread with ALL my heart and my precious girl has inherited that love.  So I became determined to find the perfect homemade bread recipe.  I tried several great ones but this is my favorite base recipe.  I now bake a lot and try to have some baked goodies at least 1-2 times a week.  Now I have a bread machine.  It is fantastic and takes most of the muscle work out of the equation but if you don't have one, you knead where it says use bread machine.

1/2 cup water (70 to 80 degrees F)

1 cup warm milk (70-80 degrees)

2 T. butter, softened

2 T. sugar

1 1/2 t. salt

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 (.25 oz) packages of active dry yeast 

1 egg white, beaten

In bread machine pan, place ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer (mine is liquids last).  Select dough setting.

When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface (again I use my cookie sheet).  

Now here is the fun part.  You can do anything with this dough at this point.  I have done rolls, garlic bread, cinnamon rolls, and bread bowls.    So separate your dough according to what you want to make.  If it is rolls, divide into about 24 balls.  If it is garlic bread, I shaped it into 2 long loaves and after it baked, mixed melted butter and garlic powder and brushed all over the top.  For cinnamon rolls, divide into 2 and roll out dough.  Melt butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture and tightly roll up like a log.  Cut the log into 2-3 in. rounds and place in baking dish.  The bread bowls are my absolute favorite.  I make huge bowls so I just divide the dough into 2 and shape large balls.  I love it filled with creamy soups such as baked potato or broccoli cheddar.  You just core the bread (be careful not to pierce the bottom) and pull out inside (like you would a pumpkin) and fill with soup.  After you make whatever you desire, place on greased cookie sheet (or baking dish in the case of your cinnamon rolls).  Cover and let rise in a warm place (turn my oven on and set them on top) until doubled, about 30 minutes.  You can brush with egg whites to make your bread golden.  Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on wire racks.  

Fried Chicken

I get a zip-lock bag and put 2 cups of flour in it.  Then season it with lots of salt, pepper, garlic salt and cavendars greek seasoning.  I also season my chicken with the same seasonings before dropping it into the bag.  Just shake the bag until all the chicken is coated.  Then drop them into the fry daddy or hot oil (wait about 10 minutes) and take them out when the batter looks brown.  It is yummy!  Just a few little tips.  I use a LOT of seasoning.  You think you are over seasoning at first but so much is lost in the frying process.  I use boneless, skinless breasts (frozen Great Value bag) and thaw them in hot water (this helps the flour stick).  It took me lots of time to learn the art of perfect fried chicken.  It is SO good!

Party Potatoes

1 can cream of mushroom

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can sour cream

½ cup butter (softened)

½ t. salt

1 package frozen hashbrowns

 

Combine all ingredients and pour into greased baking dish.  Cook at 350 for 1 hour.

*great to serve with hamburgers!