Chicken 'n' Dumplings

Chicken 'n' Dumplings

2 lbs chicken breasts, uncooked, cubed
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup flour
10 cups chicken broth
2 cups sliced carrots
1tsp Thyme, dried


Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flour
1T baking powder
3/4 c buttermilk

Mix flour and powder. Add buttermilk and mix until a soft dough forms.

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In a large greased soup pot brown the chicken and onions. Add the celery and sautee for a few more minutes. Slowly stir in chicken broth, thyme and carrots. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat and cook until carrots are tender and chicken is cooked all the way through-about 20 minutes. Meanwhile mix up the dumplings and drop by spoonfuls on top of the soup. Cover and cook until dumplings are done-about 15 minutes. Enjoy!


**Note: I added 2 cups sliced potatoes and 1 cup green beans to my soup tonight. And next time I make it I'll be thickening the soup. It was a bit too thin for my liking, but the rest of the family loved it!**

Potato Soup

Potato Soup (with noodles)

Peel and cut up desired amount of potatoes. Put in stock pot and cover with water. Add chopped onion-or dehydrated. Cook until potatoes are done. While these are cooking make noodles:

Noodles:

2 1/3 cups white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 cup water
1 Tablespoon oil

Mix 2 cups flour and salt. Make a well in the middle. In a small bowl beat oil and water into the egg. Pour this into the well in the flour. Mix well. When a soft dough forms, turn out onto surface floured with the remaining 1/3 cup flour. Knead dough with this flour until smooth and elastic-about 8-10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out on floured surface to 1/8" thick round (or use a noodle machine!). Roll the round up (like cinnamon rolls). Cut in 1/4-1/2" strips. Unroll and lay out flat until ready to be used:


Potatoes and onions cooking in the water:


When the potatoes are done add the noodles-continue to boil until the noodles are tender (8-10 minutes). Add 2 cups chicken broth if desired-for flavor. This is also the time to add any other flavorings desired. For this batch I used some sage and oregano.

The final step-to be done just before serving-is to add either evaporated milk or heavy whipping cream until soup is the richness and consistency desired:


This soup is souper basic. And souper delicious! I grew up on this. Grandma would make huge pots of it, mom would make huge pots of it...and now I've finally made a successful, rather large, pot of it!

Kim's Herb Bread

This is hands-down the best bread recipe ever. I even tried it with peaches 'n' cream jam this evening, and it tasted grand. A little...different...but still great! The bead is delicious with cheese and meat, butter, or all on it's own. Delicious to pair with soup, too!

Kim's Herb Bread

2T yeast
3 cups warm water
4T sugar
1t salt
1T caraway seed
1t basil
1t oregano
1t garlic powder
2T dehydrated onions.

Mix the above ingredients and allow to stand until the watery mixture is bubbly and "raising" from the yeast.

Add 6+ cups of flour-enough to make a sticky dough.

Allow to raise. Punch down and form into 2 loaves on a greased cookie sheet. Can also make a braided loaf out of it. Allow to raise again, until it is double in size.

Bake in a 400F oven for 20 minutes.

It'll be fairly pale but will have a nice hollow sound to the crunchy crust when done. I always spread butter over the top of mine immediately after pulling it out of the oven!

ENJOY!

Yummy Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake!

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups finely grated carrot
1 cup oil
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350deg Farenheit. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans (I used 2 hexagon pans of some unknown size ). Mix the first four ingredients. Add carrot, oil and eggs. Mix until well blended. Divide evenly into both pans. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Layer the two cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and frost the entire cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting
6-8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
4-5 cups powdered sugar

Cream the butter, vanilla and cream cheese until fluffy. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until well blended. Add the remaining flour a little at a time until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.

***I used 1 cup oat flour, 1/2 cup white and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. I also decorated the cake with a sprinkling of nutmeg and cinnamon and stuck raisins to the sides of it for a pleasant look.***

Whew...this was entirely from memory (I've only made it this one time) and I even went back and grabbed my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook to double check...and I remembered everything correctly!!!

Cheddar Potato Soup

Makes 6 cups

1 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups skim milk
2-1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
4 cups baking potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

In a large saucepan coated with non-stick cooking spray, saute onions until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add flour, stir for 1 minute. Gradually pour in milk and broth, stirring to avoid lumps. Add potatoes. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted and mixed. Salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare and eat now: Serve when ready.
To freeze: Cool to room temperature. Transfer to freezer containers. Label and freeze. Suggested freezing time: up to 4 months.
To thaw and prepare later: Remove from freezer. Reheat in a non-stick saucepan or in the microwave (in a microwave-safe container).

Oat Flour Pancakes

2 c. oat flour
2 eggs
2 c. milk or water
1/2 c. oil
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt, optional
For waffle mix: Add 1 tsp. vanilla

Warm pan or griddle to medium with 1 teaspoon butter or oil. Add dry ingredients together and mix lightly. Next add milk and water; stir. Add oil and 1 egg at a time. Mix thoroughly. Pour 1/2 cup mix at a time.

***Now for my adaptations: I used ground flax seed in replacement of the eggs and oil:

1 egg=1 Tablespoon flax + 3 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon oil/butter/margarine=3 tablespoons flax


So I used a LOT of flax in these. In my opinion, I should have stopped at replacing the eggs and just used applesauce or oil...but live and learn, right? Kids and husband approved of them, so I guess they weren't too flaxed out!


I also added 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 teaspoon nutmeg just to give it some dimension. My family ate these with lightly sugared marionberries and whipped cream from a can (a rare treat!)

Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 36

6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluggy. Add the egg, mixing well.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to the sugar mixture, mixing. Add vanilla. Drop by teaspoonful onto a baking sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

**I used 1/3 cup whole wheat flour, 2/3 cup oat flour, and 1/3 cup white flour. I also added 1 cup rolled oats, 1 cup chocolate chips and 10 tablespoons flax seed (wow! That's a lot!) and they're great!**

To prepare and eat now: Eat when ready.
To freeze: Cool to room temperature and transfer to freezer zip-top bags, label and freeze. Recommended freezing time: up to 6 months.
To prepare after freezing: Defrost or enjoy eating frozen from the freezer.