One Pan Dumpling Dinner

 I've told you before, I'm all about girl dinner.  I don't just mean truffle fries and champagne.  Although I am not opposed to that dinner anytime, anywhere.  To me, girl dinner is eating all of the things I never get to enjoy that my husband doesn't like.  Typically that is any recipe that contains either sesame oil or cilantro or both.  Two ingredients he cannot stand, which happen to be two ingredients I love.  It's baseball season, so he's at a lot of games in the evenings which is fine by me.  Elli the dog and I snuggle on the couch and I usually have some kind of needlework project going on.  Several actually.  I almost always make my Asian Chicken Chopped Salad when he's away from home, because it has sesame oil and cilantro in it.  Another favorite of mine is my Asian Dumpling Salad.  It is a tasty salad tossed with cooked dumplings.  This simple one pan meal is kind of a take on that dumpling salad.  It features frozen pot stickers in a delicious thick and sticky sauce.  The hot and heartier version of the salad.  And, I used sesame oil of course.  I was out of cilantro or I would have added some of that for garnish at the end too. 

One Pan, zero mess to clean up.
The perfect girl dinner.

Don't worry about the amount of ingredients.
Almost everything gets stirred together
into one bowl.

Arrange the frozen dumplings into an oven-safe
dish that has been greased with sesame oil.

Pour the sauce mixture over and bake.

Add the cornstarch slurry.

Return to the oven and cook until the sauce
has thickened.

Garnish with sliced green onion,
chopped cilantro and/or sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

ONE PAN DUMPLING DINNER

1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 bag frozen potstickers (your favorite flavor, I used chicken)
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
green onions, cilantro, and/or sesame seeds for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease an oven-safe skillet or baking dish with the sesame oil.  Arrange the frozen dumplings in a single layer in the pan or baking dish.  (I bought a very small bag that had only 9 dumplings in it.  Look for a slightly larger serving bag.) In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and the 1/2 cup water.  Pour this mixture over the dumplings.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Whisk together the cornstarch with the remaining 2 tablespoons of water.  When the dumplings have baked for 20 minutes, remove from oven and pour the cornstarch mixture into the pan and stir in to the sauce.  Return the pan to the oven, uncovered and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.  Garnish with sliced green onion, chopped cilantro and sesame seeds before serving.

 

Crawfish Etouffee - It's National Crawfish Day!

It's National Crawfish Day, and if you've never enjoyed a crawfish boil you have been missing out.  The Devilish Nephew used to live in Houston, and that was my first real experience with a boil.  Houston has an amazing take on Cajun cuisine because they also have the Vietnamese flavors, not to mention the Texas philosophy of "make everything bigger and spicier."  There is a huge debate between Louisiana and Texas over who has the best crawfish technique, and I don't want to start a war.  I love both, but that Tex-Orleans style has my heart.  We typically have crawfish shipped here overnight at least once or twice per season and do a boil in our backyard.  What to put in a crawfish boil is as heavily debated as how to make chili.  Everyone has their own techniques and secrets and everyone staunchly believes theirs is the best.  That's the fun of cooking, especially something as regional as crawfish or Cajun food.  While you can't get fresh crawfish out of season for a boil, you can get packaged crawfish tail meat year round.  That's when we love to make Crawfish Etouffee.  It's a thick, rich gravy-like stew featuring the "trinity" of Cajun Cuisine: celery, bell peppers and onions.  You can use crawfish or shrimp and it is served over rice.  The main difference between gumbo and etouffee is the color of the roux.  Gumbo is known for its rich dark roux while etouffee uses a lighter "peanut butter" roux.  If you're not familiar with making a roux, then this recipe is great for beginners.  You simply cook your flour in melted butter until it has the look and almost consistency of peanut butter.  After that everything goes in one pot like soup or stew.  It really is simple, but oh so flavorful cooking!

Everyone has their own version of Etouffee,
just like their own way to boil crawfish.
This is one of our favorites!

We actually made this for Fat Tuesday.
Can you believe I didn't even get a 
picture of the roux?  I was too busy making
all of the other things while Mr. Devilish Dish
made the Etouffee.  It's so simple,
you won't miss the step by step pictures.

Mr. Devilish Dish's company is headquartered
in New Orleans.  They ship us an authentic
King Cake every year.  We enjoyed quite the
feast on Fat Tuesday.  He got the baby in his
slice of cake which means he has to provide
the King Cake next year.

CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 stalked celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 pound crawfish tails
1/2 cup sliced green onions
cooked white rice

Heat a heavy-bottom pot over medium heat.  Melt the butter and whisk in flour.  Continue whisking until mixture is smooth, thick, and the color of peanut butter.  Stir in celery, bell peppers, and onions.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Stir in minced garlic, bay leaves, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion power, Worcestershire sauce and parsley.  Stir in tomato sauce and 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes.  If sauce seems too thick, thin out with a little more water or chicken stock.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Add crawfish tails and cook approximately 3-5 minutes or until they are heated through.  Remove bay leaves and stir in the green onions.  Serve with rice and hot sauce.

HOW TO: Poach Chicken Breasts

Mr. Devilish Dish loves to grill.  If the weather permits, I can just about count on him to cook our protein outside almost any night of the week.  But when the weather crummy or he is not home to help with dinner then the stove top it is.  Especially if he isn't home for dinner, I will almost always prepare myself some kind of Asian salad, with some shredded chicken inside.  This preparation is simple to do, and perfect for salads, enchilada and taquito filling, or a protein bowl where you just want a pile of juicy chicken.  Ideal to have on had to add to casseroles and soups too.  It's also a great method if you enjoy doing meal prep, because you can poach a large batch of chicken on the weekend and have chicken ready to go for any meal of your choice.  

This is my favorite method for 
preparing chicken breasts for
 a large variety of recipes.

HOW TO POACH CHICKEN BREASTS FOR VARIOUS PREPARATIONS

1-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt

Additional aromatics optional include:

smashed garlic cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, sliced fresh ginger, fresh herbs, sliced onion, white wine...the ideas are endless, just choose flavors that compliment what you are planning to use the cooked chicken with)  You don't have to add these, I typically just use the salt method, but if you enjoy chicken on a regular basis the variety of flavors in the poaching liquid would be a nice change of pace.

Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer in the bottom of a large pot.  Sprinkle with salt (and any additional aromatics you want to add.) If using wine add it now.  Pour in enough cold water to cover the chicken breasts by an inch.

Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat.  It will start to develop a white scummy-looking foam, which you can skim off if desired.  It is fine to leave it as it does not affect the chicken cooking or flavor.

As soon as the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid and let the chicken simmer.  Begin checking the chicken with a thermometer after 8 minutes of simmer time.  The thickest part of the meat should read 165 degrees F.  If it is not done, the chicken will typically reach temperature within 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat.

Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid to a clean cutting board.  Poached chicken can be served, hot or cold.  It can be served whole, sliced, diced or shredded per your recipe.  

Ham & Swiss Sliders

 A while back we went to visit my Devilish Nephew and family.  We had quite the fun get-together.  There were 8 adults and 4 children present.  We had folks arriving at several times throughout the day.  Errands to run, a doctor's appointment, a big party planned for the next day.  All the men gathered around a giant brisket on the smoker.  I knew lunch would be need to be simple, with everyone in and out of the house all day.  I decided to make a couple of batches of slider sandwiches.  These are easy to eat, delicious hot or cold and made a hearty little lunch served with a couple of store bought chips and dips.  I managed to whip up two kinds of sliders, a batch of my Pumpkin Spice Pretzels, Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats, Apple Cider Donut Muffins, along with a big batch of side dishes for a football watch party.  All this, AND quality time with the Littlest Devils.  That should tell you how quick and easy these are to whip up.  A total crowd pleaser, these would be ideal for a tailgate or sports watch party, OR an easy meal on a busy day during the upcoming holiday season!

The best little hot ham and cheese sandwich.

Cut the rolls in half horizontally.

Place the roll bottoms in to the pan.

Top with ham.

Top with cheese.
I did two layers of each.

Cover with the roll tops.

Pour butter mixture of tops of rolls.

Ready to go into the oven.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for an 
additional 10 minutes until browned

Cut into 12 sandwiches and enjoy.

HAM & CHEESE SLIDERS

1 package (12) Hawaiian dinner rolls

1 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1 pound sliced Swiss cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoons dried minced onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.  Cut the rolls in half horizontally and place the roll bottoms in to the pan.  Top the bottoms with the ham.  Place the cheese slices on top of the ham.  Cover with the roll tops.  Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds and dried minced onion.  Pour the mixture over the tops of the rolls.  Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and return the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes uncovered.  Cool slightly, cut in to 12 slider-sized sandwiches and serve.

Chicken Saltimbocca

My kids love to cook.  Both Little Devil and the Devilish Nephew share our love for the kitchen.  I'm so glad, because it makes family gatherings even more fun and special.  One thing we've been trying to get across to Devilish Nephew is some of the best recipes in the world are super simple.  Just a handful of ingredients.  Thomas Keller's recipe for simple roasted chicken is literally: chicken, salt, fresh thyme and butter.  Sometimes the nephew gets grandiose ideas and chooses a mile long recipe with a mile long ingredient list.  Don't get me wrong, those recipes can be fun to prepare too, but when you're cooking for a crowd, or hosting a dinner party - sometimes a tried and true simple recipe is the way to go.  Chicken Saltimbocca checks all of the boxes.  It takes very few ingredients and a simple pan sauce for a dish that is impressive enough for any crowd.  We just returned from a visit to Colorado to see the nephew, where Mr. Devilish Dish made this for a dinner for 8 adults.  The prosciutto gives the chicken this little boost of salty flavor that is ideal atop a simple nest of angel hair pasta.  It's a classic dish, traditionally made from veal, but the chicken is also a classic combination that comes together quickly and easily in one pan, making it ideal for serving guests.  Delicious and impressive, with only a few ingredients.

This is such a simple, but delicious recipe.
It is perfect for a dinner party.
Easy to prepare but so impressive.

Once the chicken breasts are browned,
set aside on a plate while you prepare 
the sauce.

First add butter to the pan drippings,
and then deglaze with white wine.  Once 
the wine has reduced, add a sprig of fresh sage
and chicken or vegetable stock and allow to
reduce.  Return the chicken to the pan to finish
cooking, prosciutto side up.

Place the chicken atop fresh angel hair pasta 
and pour sauce over chicken and serve.

CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 6 ounces each

salt & pepper
fresh sage 

4 slices fresh prosciutto

all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Fresh cooked angel hair pasta (or mashed potatoes)

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Place one or two sage leaves on top of each chicken breast.  Top with a slice of prosciutto, trimming to fit if necessary.  Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound slightly with a meat hammer.  This will help the prosciutto bond to the chicken. Place some all-purpose flour onto a plate or shallow dish.  Lightly dust both sides of the chicken with flour.  Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large skillet and place the chicken breasts prosciutto side down.  Cook approximately 3 minutes of fairly high heat, until the chicken is brown and done almost all of the way.  Turn the chicken over and brown the other side.  When the chicken is brown, remove from the pan onto a plate and set aside.  Leaving the drippings in the skillet, add the butter to the pan.  When it is melted, add the white wine to the pan to deglaze.  Scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan and cook until the wine is reduced by half, approximately 2 minutes.  Place a sprig of fresh sage in the pan, and add the chicken or vegetable stock to the pan and bring to a boil.  Cook until the stock mixture has reduced by half.  This should take 3-4 minutes.  Return the chicken to the skittle, prosciutto side up and simmer until the chicken is reheated and cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place chicken breasts top a nest of freshly cooked angel hair pasta, or a serving of mashed potatoes.  Pour the sauce over the top and serve.

Barbecue Beef & Cheddar Sliders

We're getting into that hectic time of year.  Holiday cooking, decorating and shopping, football games and tailgates.  The sun sets earlier and makes the day feel shorter, but there's even more to do in what feels like less time.  Totally the time of year for easy meals that feed a crowd without a lot of effort.  This recipe checks all of those boxes!  It's hearty enough for lunch or dinner, and the slider size makes it great for an appetizer party or hearty snack.  Whether you have guests coming to visit for the holidays, or your favorite football team still has a few games left, these Barbecue Beef and Cheddar Sliders will satisfy an entire crowd.  Simply toss deli-sliced roast beef in your favorite barbecue sauce, add some sliced cheddar cheese and bake for a warm and cozy sandwich treat.

The best little sandwiches for tailgate, tv watching
or the upcoming busy season!

Cut your rolls into half horizontally.

Place the bottoms of the rolls into a 
baking pan.

Combine the roast beef with your 
favorite barbecue sauce.

Place the roast beef mixture on top of 
the roll bottoms.  Top the roast beef with
slices of cheddar cheese and place the tops
of the rolls on top of the cheese.

Combine the melted butter with the
brown sugar, Dijon mustard, 
Worcestershire sauce and poppy seeds.

Pour this mixture over the
tops of the sandwiches.

I made this away from home with the wrong-sized
pan.  It's okay, it still turned out great.

Ready to bake!

Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes
until the top browns and starts to crisp.

Cool slightly and cut into
12 slider style sandwiches.

Enjoy!

BARBECUE BEEF & CHEDDAR SLIDERS

1 package (12) Hawaiian dinner rolls
1 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
8 sliced cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, toss together the roast beef and barbecue sauce.
Cut the dinner rolls in half horizontally, and place the bottoms of the rolls into a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan.  Top the bottoms of the rolls with the roast beef/barbecue sauce mixture.  Place the sliced cheese on top of the roast beef.  Place the roll tops on on top of the cheese.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter and stir in brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and poppy seeds, and then pour over the tops of the sandwiches.  Cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes until the tops of the sandwiches begin to get brown and crispy.  Cool slightly and then cut into 12 slider-sized sandwiches.

Smoked Bologna - AKA "Oklahoma Prime Rib"

I've loved to cook since I was about 11-years old.  Just like my bio says, "I've been cooking since I was knee-high to a stand mixer, and when my mom only used garlic salt, I was riding my bike to the store for fresh garlic."  Heck I've even made a croquembouche once.  That's a big French word for a cone-shaped tower make of profiteroles (cream puffs).  So yes, sometimes I am fancy.  Other times I run straight back to my Oklahoma roots at enjoy a good fish fry or some smoked bologna now and then.  I don't know why, but you'll see smoked bologna at almost every true Okie Christmas get-together.  Maybe that's where the Prime Rib nickname came to be.  It's fancy and revered enough we only bring it out for the holidays.  Right up there with a Fried Bologna Sandwich.  Which is deep-diving into my Oklahoma childhood.  Everyone I know around here appreciates a good smoked bologna.  Whether they admit it or not.  A couple of years ago I made a "redneck charcuterie board" for a friend's birthday party.  A big ol gathering of friends that grew up in Oklahoma and Texas.  I added Easy Cheese and Crackers, Fritos Chips and Bean Dip, Twinkies, Honey Buns, etc... All of the stereo-typical redneck treats.  The star of the platter was smoked bologna and it was literally gone in a flash.  You just know everyone at that party remembers having a delicious smoked bologna when they were younger.  When we recently had a Fish Fry to celebrate my dad's 88th birthday, I asked Mr. Devilish to smoke a bologna.  There is absolutely no reason to save this for the holidays.  It's such a tasty treat.  You can slice it and eat it hot off the plate, thin slice it for a sandwich or even cube it up like an appetizer.  It is truly a nostalgic Oklahoma treat, and I'm all for bringing it back in style!  I'll share Mr. DD's method so you can enjoy our version of "prime rib" - just don't wait for the holidays!

A true southern treat.

You'll need a full chub of whole bologna,
 yellow mustard for a binder, and your favorite 
barbecue seasoning.

Unwrap the bologna.

Score diagonally with a knife.

Rub with a light coating of yellow
mustard and sprinkle generously
with your favorite barbecue seasoning.

Place in your smoker at 250 degrees
and smoke at least 2 hours.

Now you can stop here and eat it, dice it up as 
an appetizer or slice and enjoy.
OR you can take it a step further:

Place on a lightly oiled griddle or hot skillet and
fry on both sides until lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Oklahoma Prime Rib at his finest!

Here's our Redneck Charcuterie Board.
Check out that Chopped Smoked 
Bologna there on the left.