Thanksgiving leftovers?

My mom always made turkey dumplings after Thanksgiving with the leftover turkey and it is one of the things I look forward to the most. I don't know why but this isn't something that I make...except for after Thanksgiving. I had been eyeing this recipe for a while and finally got around to make it and I am so glad I did. It was perfect! Pretty quick to throw together and I LOVED the rosemary in the dumplings.

Chicken and Rosemary Dumplings

(Source: Cooking Light: Chicken)

Soup:

4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

3 cups water

1 pound chicken drumsticks, skinned

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I did not use the chicken drumsticks. I only used 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts.)

2 thyme sprigs (I used dried thyme.)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups diced carrot

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

1 cup diced onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dumplings:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon chopped freshe or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Remaining Ingredients:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup water

Freshly ground black pepper

1. To prepare soup, combine first 5 ingredients in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove pan from heat. Remove chicken pieces from broth; cool slightly. Strain broth through a sieve into a large bowl, discard solids. Remove chicken from bones. Discard bones; chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set chicken aside.

2. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, onion, and garlic; saute 6 minutes or until onion is tender. Add reserved broth mixture and 1/2 teaspoon salt, simmer 10 minutes. Keep warm.

3. To prepare dumplings, lightly spoon 1 1/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, rosemary, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine buttermilk and egg, stirring with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined.

4. Add chicken to broth mixture, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lightly spoon 1/4 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 cup water, stirring with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry. Add slurry to pan; simmer 3 minutes. Drop dumpling dough, 1 tablespoon per dumpling, into chicken mixture to form 12 dumplings. Cover and cook 7 minutes (do not let broth boil.) Sprinkle with pepper.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 dumplings and 1 1/3 cups soup).

It is a poker party!

Philip is having a poker party. A good excuse for him to play poker and me to make yummy munchy food! I love to entertain and while this isn't really me entertaining since I am sitting upstairs blogging and he is downstairs with his friends, I still got to plan the menu and make all the food. For me that is pretty much my favorite part of entertaining. The cleaning up afterwards is my least favorite...which is why this part is so great! I was still able to do the best part...and since it isn't MY party I don't have to clean it up! Oh the beauty of it....

The party menu consisted of (boy food):

Veggies & Dip

Ranch Pretzels

Baked Mini Corn Dogs

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Puppy Chow

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Beer!

I really wanted to blog the buffalo chicken dip since I have made it a million times and it is always a hit but I forgot to take a picture and they in the 30 minutes that they have been playing it has basically been devoured. So I will only do the ranch pretzels and the baked mini corn dogs (which were pretty darn good and so stinkin' cute!).

Baked Mini Corn Dogs

(Source: Food Network Magazine, June/July 2009)

1 cup reduced-fat milk

1 package active dry yeast

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1 cup fine yellow cornmeal

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and kneading

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika

9 reduced-fat hot dogs, halved crosswise

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon balck sesame seeds (optional)

1. Warm the milk to about 110 degrees in a saucepan; pour into a medium bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and let soften for about 2 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, brown sugar and cornmeal with a wooden spoon. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and cayenne pepper; stir to make a sticky dough.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, insert a wooden stick or small skewer into each hot dog half, about 1 inch deep; set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil a large baking sheet. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 18 pieces. With your palms, roll each piece into a 10-inch length. Wrap each piece around a hot dog half, tucking and pressing the edges to seal; place on the baking sheet.

4. Brush the dough-wrapped dogs with the beaten egg; sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake until golden, 15 minutes.

Ranch Pretzels (The same as the oyster crackers)

(Source: Me!)

Ingredients:

Pretzels (I use most of a bag.)

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 oz package of dry ranch seasoning mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and shake until pretzels are well coated. Spread out onto a baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until all of the oil is absorbed.

Taco Loco

The first time I had this I didn't think I would like it. I am not a huge fan of red meat and I really prefer my tacos with chicken, but this was soooo yummy and I knew I had to find a recipe. The meat is supposed to marinate for 24 hours...I forgot to get it ready the night before so ours only marinated for maybe 5 hours. I thought it had a decent amount of flavor and I really enjoyed the flavor it did have so I imagine it would be even better if it marinated for the full 24 hours. The recipe says to pound the meat to a 1/4" thick...I gave up and left it about an inch thick. I thought it was fine and we just sliced it super thin. Philip thinks we should cut it before we marinate it next time to get more flavor. The recipe says it serves twelve (I did pay attention to this until AFTER I started cooking). I don't think it would serve twelve...maybe four (but my steak was not quite 3 pounds). We had quite a bit leftover!

Lisa's Favorite Carne Asada Marinade
(Souce: allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup lime juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped canned chipotle pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
3 pounds flank steak

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the orange, lemon, and lime juice in a large glass or ceramic bowl along with the garlic, soy sauce, chipotle pepper, chili power, ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano, black pepper, and cilantro. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until marinade is well combined. Remove one cup of the marinade and place in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for use after the meat is cooked.
2. Place the flank steak between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound the steak with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/4 inch. After pounding, poke steak all over with a fork. Add the meat to the marinade in the large bowl, cover, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
4. Remove the steak from the marinade and grill to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Discard used marinade. Remove meat from heat and slice across the grain.
5. Pour the one cup of reserved, unused marinade over the hot meat and serve immediately.

Spicy Black Bean Dip

I was supposed to go to a potluck team meeting for the FRGs (family readiness group) in our battalion this week. I had planned on making this dip but then at the last minute I didn't end up going to the meeting. I figured since I had already bought everything I might as well make it and I am glad I did! It was very good and different than your typical bean dip.

Spicy Black Bean Dip

(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

4 cloves minced garlic, separated

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

4 oz cream cheese

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeds removed

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

S&P to taste

Cheese for topping (I used monterey jack)

1) Saute' corn and 2 cloves of garlic until the corn is slightly browned. Set aside to cool.

2) Add 2 cloves garlic, beans, cream cheese, jalapeno and the seasonings into a food processor and process until smooth.

3) Place 1/2 of bean mixture into bottom of serving dish, then 1/2 the corn; repeat with remaining beans and corn. Top with cheese, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

Fish are food, not friends

I don't like fish. Ever since having to cook for myself I have become much more experimental. I have grown to be able to eat mild fish. Philip loves fish. I decide that since we have been married for 2.5 years I could make him fish once. So I found this recipe that I thought I could handle and I really enjoyed it. I don't think he will have to wait another 2.5 years for it. I served this with a parmesan orzo that I have been making for a while. It is a quick, easy and pretty tasty side dish.

Panko-Breaded Tilapia

(Source: Penzey Spices Early Summer 2009 catalog)

Ingredients:

4-4 ounce tilapia filets

4 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise (1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper

1/4 teaspoon thyme (I omitted this because I don't really care for it.)

1/4 teaspoon Cracked Rosemary

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon pepper, thyme and cracked rosemary. Pour the panko breadcrumbs in a wide, shallow bowl. Heat the olive oil in a roomy pan over medium-high heat. Brush the tilapia fillets with the mayonnaise mixture, using a quarter of the mix per fillet, then dip in the breadcrumbs. Gently place in the hot pan and cook the fillets for 3-5 minutes per side, until nicely browned. It is important the oil is hot so the breading doesn't stick. Shake the pan gently every minute or so to keep the breading from sticking to the pan and getting left behind.

Parmesan Orzo

(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients:

1 cup orzo, uncooked

1 tablespoon of butter

1-14.5 ounce can of chicken broth

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions:

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add orzo and stir for 2-3 minutes until lightly toasted. Add broth, bring to a boil for 1 minute, turn heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes until broth is almost absorbed and orzo is soft. Add cheese and parsley and stir.

Pizza, Pizza

I found this recipe for pizza crust a long time ago but now that Philip is home he is the one that is always making the pizzas. He is more of a perfectionist about his pizza crusts than I am. His have to be perfectly round and he will spend forever making them that way. So he has been fiddling around with this recipe, trying different things with it each time and this time he nailed it! It was perfect...not too soft, not too crispy. Of course my Pampered Chef pizza stone helps a great deal! Seriously....homemade pizza is SOOO much better when it is made on this thing!

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust

(Source: adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar (Philip used 1 1/2 teaspoons)

1 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

*Philip added a very little bit of Penzey's Pizza Seasoning into the dough. Italian seasoning would work as well.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in wamr water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Almost Famous

Every issue of the Food Network magazine (which is a wonderful magazine and I highly recommend subscribing!) has a copycat recipe of a well known restaurant food. The June/July 2009 issue has Olive Garden salad and breadsticks. However, according to the article, the Olive Garden "staff" would not release their recipe for either of these so the Food Network Kitchens created recipes that are pretty darn close. We thought they were both wonderful and just like the restaurant. The breadsticks were not very good reheated the next day so I would definitely cut the recipe in half next time...unless I can find a use for 16 breadsticks.

That is my beautiful Longaberger bread basket. It was a parting gift when I moved out of my parents house...I'm not sure if my mom knows I took it. :)

Almost Famous Breadsticks

(Source: Food Network Magazine June/July 2009)

FOR THE DOUGH:

1 package active dry yeast

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon fine salt

FOR THE TOPPING:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Pinch of dried oregano

1. Make the dough: Place 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a mixer; sprinkle in the yeast and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, butter, sugar, fine salt and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water; mix with the paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough forms, 5 minutes.

2. Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface until very smooth and soft, 3 minutes. Roll into a 2-foot-long log; cut into 16-1 1/2 inch-long pieces. Knead each piece slightly and shape into a 7-inch-long breastick; arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth; let rise in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make the topping: Brush the breadsticks with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt with the garlic powder and oregano. Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the flavored salt.

Almost-Famous Garden Salad

(Source: Food Network Magazine June/July 2009)

FOR THE DRESSING:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons Miracle Whip

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

FOR THE SALAD:

1 10-ounce bag American salad blend

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

4 small pickled peppers, such as pepperoncini

1 small vine-ripened tomato, quartered

2 tablespoons sliced black olives

1/2 cup large croutons

1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

1. Combine all the dressing ingredients and 1 to 2 tablespoons water in a blender or food processor; puree until smooth.

2. Place the salad blend in a large bowl and top with the remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle with the dressing.