Chicks and Dumplins'

Chicken and Dumplings has got to be one of the yahoo's favorites (well, the girl yahoos, anyway!) It's a perfect crock pot meal for our family on the go!

Here's what it takes:

Start by spraying the crock pot with some non-stick spray, and plop in a few chicken breasts - since I always have a mega-sized bag of these in the freezer, this a fantastic meal to make with them - and they can go in frozen!

Toss in some chopped onions....

and a couple of cans of soup in any combination of Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken and Cream of Celery...


You can also add some seasonings here - poultry seasoning mixes, salt, pepper, oregano, sage, thyme, garlic...whatever floats your boat!

Let this cook for a few hours (around 4 or so) on high...and it will start to look something like this...


Now it's time to shred the chicken...this will work wonderfully with just a few forks - plant them into the chicken and pull....and when you're done (and really, this should not take more than a few minutes...your chicken is going to be so tender and juicy!) add a bag of frozen veggies and mix them in.

Now comes some personal preferences...I've made this several ways....adding nothing...adding water...or adding chicken stock/broth. Add about one soup can's worth or so...the veggies will add some liquid to the mix, so the more liquid you add, the soupier your meal will be.


And the easiest dumplings every made - refridgerated biscuits! Just pop open a can and cut each one up into small chunks and just drop them right on top of your mixture. One can of "Grands" sized biscuits or two cans of the smaller ones will do the trick.

Let these cook, covered for a bit (at least an hour or so). Notice how nicely they've gone all "Ball Park Frank" on you and 'plumped while you cooked 'em'!

If you want dumplings that are more 'noodle-like', you can go back and stir them into the mixture after they've plumped a little bit. If you like them more like biscuits, simply let them continue to cook on top, and they'll eventually end up with a nice, brown baked look to them.


After a grand total cooking time of about 6 hours - 4 before adding veggies and dumplings, and 2 after...you're delicious Chicken and Dumplings are ready to eat!

Lettuce celebrate...

...a birthday dinner choice! Asian Lettuce Rolls
This recipe is a variation of a Pampered Chef one...and while I make a very simplified version of it, which is still good, there are several ways it could be altered that would make it GREAT!

The Yahoos LOVE this meal - it is requested frequently, and you can tell it's level of popularity because it was chosen as a "Birthday Dinner" entree - the one they pick above all else to enjoy on their birthday!

So here it is: SO SIMPLE -

Ingredients :
Leaf Lettuce

Chicken (I've made this now with chicken chunks or tenderloins, or cut up breasts, or rotisserie chicken from the store...whatever you have handy)

Onion - usually I used green onions

Ramen Noodles (recipe calls for the "Oriental" flavoring, I usually use Chicken because that's what I buy by the millions at Sams Club)

The original recipe also calls for the addition of other vegetables, cut in small enough slices or strips to add to the rolls - carrots, cucumbers, etc.

You can cook the chicken plain, or which some soy sauce or teriyaki, or do some sort of Asian-inspired marinade (we have a great orange-ginger one that I think would be fabulous!).

Cook up the noodles and drain and then add your seasoning. I usually add some soy sauce to the 'included' ramen seasoning. Throw in the onions and mix it up.

If your chicken is 'chunked' you can mix it with the noodles, too. We most often do that. Last night, since we were using tenderloin strips, we just layered our rolls instead of having all the ingredients mixed together.

Then throw it on the table - Lettuce, Chicken and Noodles.


And then layer your rolls that same way! The Yahoos and Druggy sprinkle theirs with Frank's Red Hot and then roll and enjoy. I pour a little Sweet and Sour sauce on mine. Delicious!!

kid dinners vs. not

For many years, Druggy's work hours dictated our dinner time....and by our, I mean his and mine....not for the yahoos...as they were typically in bed when Druggy returned home from work. Thus was born "kid dinners" - dinners we made for the kids that are kid foods. Hot dogs, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and ramen noodles are staples on our kid dinners menu.

With Druggy's new job, family dinners were born. The kids LOVE when I'm gone for the weekend and they are treated to Druggy's cooking - kid dinners. And sometimes, Druggy and I long for the days for kid-less dinners.

This meal is one of those meals, which we 'treat' ourselves to a couple times a month.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip and Buffalo Wings

Here's how my dip starts - and I have to say, it has never been made the same way twice, but it always tastes great (well, except the one time that I forgot the garlic - OMG - THE HORROR!)
Anyway - fresh spinach, sour cream, mayo (NOT to be confused with Miracle Whip), garlic and then the most variable items are the cheese - I shoot for both parm and mozzerlla if I have them both....if not, I use what I have!

Chop the spinach to get ready to cook. Why the fresh vs. frozen? Because. That's why.
Throw the chopped spinach into a microwave safe bowl with a tablespoon or two of water and throw (well, not literally) into the microwave for 2 -3 minutes. I use about a 1/2 pound of spinach per batch of dip.

While the spinach is cooking, chop the artichokes. I buy a can of marniated artichoke hearts - one can makes two dip batches...so I fridge or freeze the remainder for the next batch.


Once the spinach is cooked, drain out the water and then throw in the rest of the ingredients. About 3/4 cups of sour cream and 1/2 cup of mayo, a couple cloves of the garlic, some good shakes of the parm cheese and a 1/2 cup or so of mozz cheese. One of my favorite kitchen tools, by far, is my Pampered Chef garlic press. A MUST have for any fresh garlic lover. MUST.

Mix.

Put into a baking dish. I use the Pampered Chef small oval baker - I love the size not only for the portion, but also because it fits into my toaster oven!


So toss it into the toaster oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so - when it's nice and toasty, bubbling with a bit of brown.

Now on to the Buffalo Wings. I get the family pack of wings which makes enough for one dinner for Druggy and I together, and leftovers for Druggy later in the week (sometimes the very next day...Druggy could eat wings 5 nights a week. And, in fact, has on occasion. But I digress).

Druggy makes the buffalo wings. Always. I do not make wings. Ever.

Here's what he does (I think). Cut the wings to separate the flats from the drumettes. He cooks them on a foil covered cookie sheet that has been liberally sprayed with cooking spray (he also sprays the tops of the wings to protect them from sticking after their mid-baking flip).
They cook for 40 minutes (in 15 minute intervals for flipping - well, the last one is only 10 minutes) at 400 degrees. In the meantime, he starts the sauce, which is one stick of real butter, melted slowly on the stove with the 'right' amount of Frank's Red Hot added. As a general rule, the taste of the Red Hot concoction on the stove is always hotter/spicier than what it tastes like in combo with the wings...so when you think it's just right, add more.

Druggy lovingly dunks each flat and drumette into the sauce and places in the bowl, and then pours the remaining sauce over top. I will not describe the grotesque consumption of the half-congealed sauce from the bowl following the very diligent wing consumption. The man can pick those bones cleaner than a buzzard does a carcass.

Then dinner is served.


We don't often have the celery and ranch with the wings (neither of us care for blue cheese all that much) . We serve the dip with just about anything we have in the house - pita chips, tortilla chips, bagel chips (I'm sensing a theme), Triscuits...sometimes all of the above.


Enjoy this adult meal while watching your newly arrived Netflix selection because you're never able to escape the yahoos long enough to eat this dinner in a restaurant and enjoy a movie in a theater. Then you'll be just like us.