Homemade Chicken & Dumplings

Chicken & Dumplings is the quintessential comfort food.  At least in Oklahoma and the Southern states it is.  Every year I cannot wait for fall and cooler weather to get here so I can make a big pot for Sunday supper.  It's so cozy to have a pot on the stove simmering a whole chicken with lots of yummy veggies and spices. I usually start my Chicken & Dumplings the same way I start my Chicken Noodle Soup, a big pot of flavorful broth slow simmering all afternoon.  We've enjoyed Chicken & Dumplings in our family as long as I can remember.  My Grandmother Mary (famous for Sunday Suppers and Strawberry Cake) made this often.  My cousin Lindsey, Mom, Attorney, Writer and Blogger extraordinaire makes Grandmother Mary's version.  You know I can rarely follow a recipe, so my version has evolved from the family original over the years.  Lindsey loves to make this right before Thanksgiving so the family can get together and relax before the hectic holiday season starts.  It's a simple process with just a few steps, but the end result is wonderful.  We eat the leftovers for days.  Enjoy!

The perfect comfort food.

Cooked chicken and tender dumplings
in a flavorful broth.

So cozy...

Grab a spoon and dig in!

Homemade Chicken & Dumplings

1 whole chicken (about 3-5 pounds)
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 large yellow onions, chopped
4-6 large carrots (I leave a couple whole--leaves and all and peel and finely dice the rest)
4-6 large stalks celery (I leave a couple whole--leaves and all and peel and finely dice the rest)
1-2 fresh whole jalapenos, roughly chopped (seed or use less if you want mild C&D)
6 whole cloves garlic, peeled
4 bay leaves
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream

Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold water, and remove any innards.  Pat dry with paper towels and season generously with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Place in a large stock pot over medium high heat.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, jalapenos, garlic, bay leaves and thyme sprigs.  Add enough water to cover the hen with about 3 inches over.  Re-season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the meat begins to fall off of the bones.  This will take approximately 2 hours.  Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool slightly.  Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into another pot or container.  Reserve 1 cup of the cooked diced vegetables and set aside.  Remove the meat from the chicken, discarding the skin and bones.  Chop into smaller pieces.  Return the strained broth to the pot and add in the chicken pieces.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in the shortening with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles course crumbs.  Mash the reserved 1 cup of cooked vegetables with a fork and add to the flour mixture.  Add the milk to the flour mixture, stirring well.  Dough will be sticky.  Set aside.  Heat the broth and chicken over medium heat until you have a gentle boil.  Add the 1/4 cup heavy cream.  Gently drop the dumplings into the broth.  ( I use my small cookie scoop, but two spoons work great also.)  Cook 30 minutes until the dumplings are cooked through, stirring very gently, occasionally.

Prep Time:  Approximately 20 minutes     Cook Time:  Approximately 3 hours

Rest-Relax-Revive Gift

Recently we celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday.  She's a huge country music fan and attends a lot of concerts  I almost always give her chunky turquoise jewelry or boot socks or some other kind of concert-worthy fashion statement.  She just had a new granddaughter, so she's been helping out with the new baby as well as watching her three-year old grandson.  This time I thought I'd make her a little treat so she could relax after the grand babies go home.  I found a beautiful cobalt blue mug and the gift came together around that.  I tried to think of the things I like when I'm enjoying some time to myself.  A comforting drink, a magazine.  Some nice hand lotion (because you have to wash your hands around new babies a million times a day) and of course:  Chocolate!  This is the perfect gift for anyone in need of a pick me up.  Birthdays, Get-well Soon, Administrative Assistant's Day, New Moms....Everyone deserves to enjoy a moment to themselves now and then.  A much appreciated gift for any occasion.

The ideal treat for anyone who needs a little quiet time...

Rest. Relax. Revive.  With chocolate of course!

Just add a little card encouraging some down time!

This works for all ages and any occasion...
Just adapt the beverage and magazine to suit their taste.
Add a lip gloss or nail polish too!
The possibilities are endless...

Apple Butter Cupcakes {with Browned Butter Cinnamon Frosting}

You know we are big college football fans around here.  If it's a home game, we tailgate and if we don't go to the away games there are usually watch parties to attend.  Occasionally we have no plans and Mr. Devilish Dish and I like to use that opportunity to try out new recipe ideas for future game days.  The annual OU/Texas Game (aka The Red River Rivalry) is a big deal.  It's played in the Cotton Bowl at the Texas State Fair.  Almost the perfect mid point between Norman, OK and Austin, TX.  Normally we make the trip down to Dallas but this year we decided to watch from the comfort of our couch.  The game is almost always at 11:00 am, so all week I imagined a "tailgate brunch menu."  When I saw these Apple Butter Muffins from Dan and Scott over at Platter Talk: Food, Wine and Friends, I just knew the would be the ideal fall treat for our football menu.  My husband loves apple butter, and when we lived in Nebraska, we used to pick our own apples at a nearby orchard and I would can my own apple butter as holiday gifts.  Then Mr. Devilish gave my brunch idea the ax because quote, "I don't want to graze on breakfast food all day."  So what do you do when you already have the apple butter to make Apple Butter Muffins?  You add a butter cream frosting and call them Apple Butter Cupcakes.  These are perfectly marvelous, packed full of fall flavor.  The muffins are sprinkled with a streusel topping before baking.  I saved my streusel for garnish.  These are some of the prettiest and tastiest cupcakes I've made in a long time, and I'm really happy with the way they turned out.  Thank you Dan and Scott for the fabulous inspiration!

A Taste of Fall...
These are divine!

Oodles of Browned Butter Cinnamon Frosting
and a streusel topping...

You can't beat Apple Butter as a
flavor for an Autumn Cupcake.

Apple Butter Cupcakes with Browned Butter Cinnamon Frosting

inspired by: Platter Talk: Food, Wine and FriendsFor the Cupcakes:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cinnamon (I always use a Vietnamese Cinnamon, so much flavor!)
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup apple butter

For the Frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups (or more) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons apple butter
2 tablespoons cinnamon (or to taste)
1-3 tablespoons milk

For the Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup whole oats
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.  In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves and set aside.  With an electric mixer cream together the unsalted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth.  Add the eggs and vanilla.  Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk a little at a time, beginning and ending with flour.  Stir in the apple butter.  Place the batter in the lined muffin tin.  (I filled these pretty full, actually more full than I do a regular cupcake.  They rose up beautifully, but not too high to frost.)  Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooking, in a small pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter.  Once the butter is melted, continue to cook until the butter starts to brown.  The butter will turn a golden brown color and develop a nutty aroma.  Watch carefully so it does not burn.  Stir up any browned bits and pour into a bowl.  Place in the refrigerator and allow the butter to set back up.  After the butter is solid again, with an electric mixture whip it until soft and fluffy.  Add in the powdered sugar a little bit at a time.  It's okay if it appears dry and crumbly, it will become more frosting-like in texture when you add the wet ingredients.  My jar of apple butter was approximately 10 ounces, so there was just a small amount left.  I added it to the frosting for extra flavor, but still needed some milk to further moisten the mixture.  Add in the cinnamon.  And beat until fluffy.  At this point it's really a matter of taste and the consistency of frosting you desire.  I don't have any set measurements, when I make frosting, I just keep adding powdered sugar or milk until I get the consistency I need to put in a piping bag.  That part is up to you!

Combine the ingredients for the streusel topping in a small bowl.  Use a pastry cutter (or even better: your fingers) to combine the mixture until it is crumbly and grainy.  Since I did not use the streusel on the actual batter before baking, and only for garnish I had quite a bit left.  You can either cut back on the amount you make, sprinkle some on top of the batter before baking or save the remaining streusel topping for another use.  (Mine is in the refrigerator, I'm planning on making a coffee cake or something this week.)

When the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost them with the Browned Butter Cinnamon Frosting and garnish with the streusel topping.  Enjoy a taste of fall!

Makes 12 standard-sized cupcakes

Prep Time:  Approximately 1 hour total                Cook Time:  Approximately 30 minutes

Cilantro Chicken Curry

We love curry dishes around here.  Anything with a lot of spice and flavor.  I make Butter Chicken a lot, and I've been experimenting with some Korma dishes using the sous vide technique.  I'm not a huge fan of coconut milk, or curries with a sweeter flavor so I tend to lean more toward Indian cuisine rather than Indonesian or Thai recipes (although Mr. DD and the Little Devil LOVE Thai food!)  I saw this recipe for Cilantro Chicken on Divya's Culinary Journey and I knew right away it was a recipe the entire family could agree on.  Divya shares recipes from a variety of cuisines on her blog, but my favorite are the ones with authentic Indian flavor.  Of course when I started making this recipe I realized I was out of a couple of the ingredients, so as usual I just started adapting things my way.  My result may not be truly authentic but the flavor was amazing.  Shout out to Divya for the inspiration!

Cilantro Chicken Curry
Very easy and so much flavor.

Serve over Basmati Rice, with fresh cooked Naan Bread
and garnish with yogurt and fresh cilantro.

Cilantro Chicken Curry

Inspired by Divya's Culinary Journey

1 pound chicken breasts, cubed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
1 teaspoon cumin powder, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 large onion, chopped and divided
1 large tomato, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or the kind in the squeeze bottle is soooo handy!)

In a small food processor combine the cilantro, 1/4 cup of the chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, garlic and ginger.  Process until you have a fragrant paste.  Set aside.

In a pan over medium-high heat add the vegetable oil and let it get hot.  Saute the remaining chopped onion until it is translucent.  Season with 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and add the chopped tomato.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add in the cilantro paste and cook, stirring constantly until the raw smell is gone. It will be very fragrant and smell delicious at this point.  Season the chicken cubes generously with salt and pepper and add to the pan.  Let simmer approximately 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  Serve over Basmati Rice with freshly toasted Naan Bread and garnish with fresh yogurt and cilantro if desired.

Prep Time:  Approximately 10 minutes     Cook Time:  Approximately 25 minutes

California Chicken and Rice

My dad and his twin brother came from a family of ten children.  Little country boys in rural Oklahoma born in the late 1930's.  As you can imagine, they didn't have a lot of money growing up and big sacks of rice go a long way to feed 10 hungry kids.  They had rice for lots of meals.  As adults they did not care for it.  We rarely had rice when I was growing up.  My aunt used to make chicken and rice for lunch and it was one of my favorite meals.  It was always a treat because it was something that was never on our menu.  Thankfully, everyone at my house is okay with rice.  We enjoy chicken and rice now and then, but I've found something we like even better.  California Chicken and Rice is a sophisticated twist on an ordinary favorite.  With the addition of mushrooms, artichokes and white wine, everyone will love this dish.

An elegant upgrade to a family favorite.

Serve over rice, with crusty bread and
a glass of white wine.

Here's those sweet little country boys
I was telling you about...

Blueberry Dumplings

A la mode translates to "topped with ice cream."  Isn't everything better topped with ice cream?  I love hot, bubbly desserts served with a big, cold scoop of ice cream.  Like my Homemade Peach Cobbler, this is one of our favorite "homey" desserts.  It's super easy too because it all goes in one pot.  I had this many years ago at a cooking class when I was still working and it's always a hit whenever I make it.  A big scoop of vanilla ice cream is a must!

Blueberry Dumplings A La Mode
Yum!

Baked Blue Cheese Olive Bites

Fall is here and in addition to participating in the Fall Edition of #FreakyFriday that means football is here.  And if you've followed The Devilish Dish for any amount of time you know how much I love football season.  I was super excited to be invited to participate in #FreakyFriday for Fall, because I just love fall flavors and finding new recipes I can use for tailgating and watch parties.  If you aren't familiar with #FreakyFriday, each person in the group is assigned a blog to remake a recipe from.  All of this is kept a secret and today is the day we reveal our creations.  Not only with all of you, but with each other.  It's tons of fun to see who had what blog, and what recipes were chosen.  The bonus for all of you is not only do you get a collection of new recipe ideas, you are introduced to some talented new food bloggers as well. 

 

For the Fall Edition of #FreakyFriday I was assigned A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.  Christie, who a self-proclaimed Kitchen Hoor (This is what her friends call her, it cracks me up) has a great blog full of fabulous recipes.  Bonus, a lot of them are healthy and low fat. Christie has been cooking since she was tall enough to see over the counter.  I've been cooking since I was knee-high to a stand mixer so we have a lot in common.  In one of of her most recent posts for Oven Fried Fish Sliders, Christie discusses her love for football and tailgate-friendly recipes.  See?  I told you we had a lot in common!  While perusing her blog, I also found a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala.  In addition to football, we share a love for Indian food!  I'm definitely making this one soon. I can't wait to try Christie's Green Chile & Cheddar Baked Cornbread Donuts.  You already know my weakness for anything that includes green chiles.    Christie also makes the most beautiful and creative macarons you've ever seen.  I've never attempted macarons but after seeing her Fluffernutter Macarons I'm definitely inspired to give them a try.

Now you all know I am a Sooner Girl.  Sooner Born and Sooner Bred.  (When I die I'll be Sooner Dead.)  Oklahoma had their first football game of the season this past Saturday.  (I do not want to discuss the outcome of said football game.) Now we tailgate on campus at all of the home games, but for away games, I like to use the opportunity to test out new recipes for future tailgates and watch parties.  When I saw the Baked Blue Cheese Olive Bites on Christie's blog, I immediately knew they would be an addition to our party menu.  When I was a kid my mom made Stuffed Olive Balls for every occasion that came around.  (Without revealing my age let's just say these were the Appetizer of the 70's decade.)  Mom's version was a pimento-stuffed green olive, surrounded by a cheddar cheese/Bisquick dough.  Baked until golden brown.  While still tasty and never really out of style, for some reason I never make them because these little gems remind me of that electric warming tray in the sweet Carol Brady-floral print:

Yes my mom had this thing.  I saw one at an estate sale recently.  Wouldn't that be a hoot for tailgating?  Christie's updated version using blue cheese and blue cheese-stuffed olives just seemed so much more hip.  And boy were they tasty.  Tangy blue cheese-stuffed olives surrounded by golden, flaky baked blue-cheesy goodness?  So good. 

Check out that perfectly golden brown dough with the little bite of blue cheese goodness in the center!  Now my hubs and I are definitely fans of blue cheese.  He makes a mean Blue Cheese Dressing that is killer with hot wings.  If you don't happen to love blue cheese as much as we do, then Christie suggests using your favorite combination of cheese and olives with this recipe.  Who knew there were so many kinds of stuffed olives?  You can get them stuffed with garlic or even jalapeno!  Try that with some spicy pepper jack cheese!  Oooohhhh the culinary wheels are turning.  Man I'm really regretting not buying that swanky warming tray now. 

I really hope you'll hop on over to A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and check out all of the great recipes and ideas that Christie has to offer.  She says in her blog post she's never actually attended a tailgate.  Who knows?  Maybe I can convince her to visit Oklahoma someday and tailgate Sooner-Style.  Then we can whip up a whole slew of tailgating treats for you!

Baked Blue Cheese Olive Bites

By: A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup melted butter
6 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
20-25  blue cheese stuffed olives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Combine the flour with butter, blue cheese and spices.  Stir well to combine, using your hands if needed to mix the ingredients together.  Drain the olives and place on paper towels to dry them thoroughly.  Roll a tablespoon of dough into a ball and flatten it out in the palm of your hand.  Place an olive in the center and carefully wrap the dough around the olive.  Gently roll the dough coated olive in your hand until the seam in almost invisible.  Place on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  Repeat with remaining dough and olives.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from heat and serve warm or at room temperature. 

For those of you local to the Oklahoma area, you can find these
tasty Made in Oklahoma Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives at the international pantry,
and you can also order them online at: intlpantry.com