Chicken and Dumplings (Easy)

A very easy recipe to make; much easier than making homemade chicken noodle soup and just as tasty and quick.   I added an ingredient the recipe did not call for and it gave the soup that added boost in flavor; it is called Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base(picture down below) and I found it sold at Walmart by the soups.  I love using it in my homemade chicken noodle soup as well.   My family of 4 ate this entire pot gone. It says it serves 6, I don't know about that.  One note: do not add salt, this meal is salted enough with the bouillon base; if you do not add the bouillon base then add 1/2 teaspoon of salt for sure, it will need it.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Easy-Chicken-and-Dumplings

Ingredients

• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 cup sliced fresh carrots
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast (I boiled 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, then cut them into cubes)
• 1-2/3 cups reduced-fat biscuit/baking mix
• 2/3 cup fat-free milk

Directions

• In a Dutch oven or a soup pot drizzle some olive oil, saute celery and carrots for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, poultry seasoning and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered. Add chicken.
• For dumplings, combine biscuit mix and milk. Drop by tablespoonfuls into simmering broth. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering). Yield: 6 servings.

3 stalks of celery and 4 small to medium sized carrots.

I used this entire box.

Seasonings and the bouillon base I used for extra flavoring.

The equivalent of 1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts boiled.

Cubed chicken breast ready to go in pot.

The biscuit mix I used.

I used two tablespoons as seen here, one to scoop up the mix and the other to help it off the spoon into the boiling pot of soup. It has to be boiling so they start to cook instantly once they hit the hot broth.

The entire mix of biscuits added in the boiling broth and now I will cover it for 15 minutes to simmer. Do not uncover during this process. Set the timer and walk away or clean up the kitchen while you wait.

A close up of my bowl for dinner.

Green Chile Stew (Easy)

A great Fall time of the year dinner.  Hatch chile comes from Hatch, New Mexico, the Chile Capital of the World.  When I used to live in New Mexico, I shopped at this one Albuquerque Wal-Mart on Coors.  There was this one man who worked in the produce department; his name was Ed.  He is the one who told me about this green chile and he gave me the recipe to make this stew.  I no longer live in New Mexico and I used to be able to purchase the hot frozen Hatch chile from that Wal-Mart, now I live in Houston; it is not carried here, at least not that I have seen anywhere.  I have to settle for another brand, at least it is Hatch.  I prefer the hot and the frozen kind for this recipe, this one is mild but it will do. This recipe is a slow cooker recipe,  takes approximately 6 hours in the crock pot on low, serve with warmed flour tortillas on the side for dipping in your stew.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin cut up in bite-size pieces
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tsp. salt or to taste and wait until the end because potatoes absorb salt
• 1-13 oz. frozen green chile, thawed or 1-27 oz can Hatch chile, drained and cut up bite-size
• 2 to 2 ½ cups chicken broth, use your own judgment, just enough to not cover the contents of the crock pot

Directions:

1. Heat oil in frying pan and fry pork until browned. 
2. Add onion and diced potatoes next and brown slightly, about 5 minutes. 
3. Transfer browned ingredients to crock pot including garlic, green chile and chicken broth and cook on low for approximately 6 hours. 
4. Add salt at end according to taste. 
5. Serve with warmed flour tortillas on the side for dipping into stew. 

This stew also freezes well for leftovers at a later date.

I used the entire pork tenderloin.

I purchased these on the aisle at Wal-Mart where all the Spanish foods are sold.

The start of the browning process of the pork tenderloin, diced potatoes, and chopped onions.

The entire contents of the Hatch green chile emptied out before being cut up in small pieces.

The pork, potatoes, onions, garlic, and diced green chiles added to the slow cooker before adding chicken broth and stirring.

This pot took 2 1/2 cups of water and you see how it does not come over the top of the contents? Just enough to almost cover the contents. Too much chicken broth will weaken the flavor in the end.

After the 6 hours of cooking on low.

Served with warmed flour tortilla on the side to dip in your bowl.

Chicken Soup with homemade noodles (Intermediate)

My sister taught me how to make this meal and it is a great soup for the winter. Nothing says love and care like a homemade pot of chicken noodle soup! Homemade noodles included! The reason I say this recipe is intermediate instead of easy is because of the challenge of making the noodles. It takes patience for sure! There have been many times I have not done as great of a job. If you want to make this soup and do not want to take the time to make the noodles from scratch then by all means just purchase a bag or box and add them instead. Once you make homemade you will not want to have store-bought noodles again for this meal.

CHICKEN SOUP AND HOMEMADE NOODLES

1 whole chicken boiled

2 cartons chicken broth, 48 oz in size

6 celery stalks, diced

6 carrots,sliced

1 lg. onion, diced

1 tsp. salt/pepper (optional on the salt)

Chicken soup base to your liking, usually sold by the bouillon cubes, adds a lot of flavor, I definitely recommend! I, myself, do not use bouillon cubes, too salty.

Save most of the broth from the boiled chicken and add the cartons of the chicken broth or the large cans/cartons by Swanson’s or whomever. Pick the chicken clean and put back in the broth along with the celery, carrots, onions and chicken soup base. Add what you think tastes right with the chicken soup base. Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are soft. Add salt/pepper at the end or leave it out and let people salt it to their own liking: but definitely add the pepper. Add the raw noodles the last 5 minutes of cooking time. The noodles cook almost instantly as soon as added to the boiling soup.

Noodles

1 cup flour

2 eggs

½ tsp salt

Make a hole in the center of bowl in the flour and add eggs. Mix with fork and roll out with rolling pin on a floured surface. Cut with pizza cutter to desired size. 5 minutes to cook in boiling water. I usually make a double batch because the noodles are so yummy and we end up having this soup the next day as leftovers with some bread on the side. Remember you can vary the flavor of the noodles by adding seasonings to them while the ingredients are still dry. Think of the possibilities, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, if you like hot foods, some cayenne pepper, I wonder how adding Parmesan cheese would turn out? 

I started out with a ball of dough, I then cut about a 1/2 inch thick piece and place it in the roller on the pasta machine.

The 1/2 inch piece being placed in the roller for the first roll.

This is what the dough looks like after it has been rolled once after I have cut the 1/2 inch thick piece.

I folded the dough in half and then rolled it many times more, this is the second roll after the initial.

After the dough was first put in the roller once, then folded in half, then rolled through again.

The dough being rolled out, just the beginning process.

The dough getting thinner and longer as I continue to place it through the roller on a thinner and thinner number.

The dough drying out a bit before it gets cut up into 5x6 inch squares to be cut into noodles. I ran out of counter space, there were many more than what you see, 3 more large pieces, which yield about 4 squares each.

About a 5x6 inch sheet of pasta getting ready to be cut in the pasta machine. I like shorter, bite-sized noodles, easier to eat.

Noodles being rolled out and cut by the pasta machine.

Home made noodles and chicken soup, still hot on the stove top.