Chicken Stew and Biscuits

Have you ever noticed how cold weather makes you want warm food? Like soup or casseroles, or warm brownies. Well on one especially cold day, when I happened to have extra parsley and carrots in my fridge, I decided that I really wanted chicken and biscuits (I don't like dumplings, they taste like raw mush to me). So after searching, I found a recipe by Barefoot Contessa. I altered it a little bit, and it turned out delicious! So I present...

Chicken Stew and Biscuits
Prep time: about 1 - 1 1/2 hours

3 chicken breasts

5 cups chicken stock

1 ½ tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp celery salt

1 tsp dried parsley

12 Tbsp butter

2 c yellow onion, diced (about 2 onions)

¾ c flour

¼ c milk

2 c diced carrots (about 4-5 carrots)

2 c frozen peas

½ c fresh parsley, minced

2 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper

Biscuit Ingredients

2 c flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

½ c butter

¾ c milk

½ c fresh parsley, minced

1 egg

1 Tbsp water

Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces. Heat chicken stock over low heat and add onion powder, garlic powder, ½ tsp salt, celery seed, and dried parsley. In a large pot, melt butter and sauté onions for 10-15 minutes until translucent. Add flour and cook over low for 2 minutes. Add hot stock and simmer for 1 minute. Add 2 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper. And ¼ c milk. Add chicken, carrots, peas, and ½ c fresh parsley. Mix well. Pour into large glass pan (at least 10x 13 but larger is better). Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. While baking, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In mixer with paddle attachment, add butter to flour mix and stir on low until butter is almost pea size. Add milk and parsley until just mixed. Roll our 3/8” thick. Cut into 2 ½” rounds. Put biscuits on top and brush with egg and water. Bake for 25 minutes at 375. If biscuits are not brown, turn oven to high broil and leave in oven for 1-2 minutes until biscuits are lightly browned.

*If prepared ahead and stew is refrigerated before cooking, bake stew for 25 minutes before adding biscuits to top.

Best Banana Bread

This is possibly one of my very best recipes. It always goes fast, and turns out not only delicious but pretty! It's perfect fresh out of the oven, and even better the next day (if it lasts that long)

Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs, beaten

1 ½ cups mashed ripe banana (about 5 or 6 medium bananas)

1 cup sugar

½ cup applesauce

¼ cup chopped pecans

1 recipe Streusel-Nut topping (optional, but highly recommended)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease baking pan(s).

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, banana, sugar, and applesauce.

Add wet mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter will still be lumpy) Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). If desired, sprinkle Streusel-Nut topping over batter in pan(s).

Bake until toothpick comes out clean. (Most large bread pans will be around and hour. Smaller loaf pans, a half hour, and muffins 15 minutes. Watch carefully the first time using your pans) Watch and make sure not to burn. Cool pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Using a plate, remove loaf from pan, and return to wire rack. Enjoy!

Streusel-Nut Topping

In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup packed brown sugar and 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender (or two knives cutting in an X), cut in 2 Tbsp butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped pecans.

Tip: I like to double the recipe for the topping to ensure proper coverage of the bread. 

Pan de Muertos

In Mexico and many Latin American countries, people celebrate dia de los muertos, or day of the dead. One of the traditional foods for the day (November 2nd) is pan de muertos or bread of the dead. I don't know how this compares to original pan de muertos, but it turned out pretty good!

Pan de Muertos
1/4 c margarine
1/4 c milk
1/4 c warm water (about 110 F)
3 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp anise seed
1/4 c sugar, white
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp orange zest
Topping
1/4 c sugar, white
1/4 c orange juice
1 Tbsp orange zest
1-2 Tbsp sugar

Heat margarine and milk in saucepan until margarine melts. Remove from heat and add warm water. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine 1 c flour, yeast, salt, anise seed, and 1/4 c sugar. Beat in butter/milk mixture until well combined. Add flour 1/2 c at a time until dough is soft. Knead until elastic.

Place in lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic. Let raise about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Remove about 1/4 of dough. With remaining dough, make into a ball and place on greased cookie sheet. Split the remaining dough into 3 chunks. With two of the dough chunks, roll until they are long and place on top of round loaf in an "x". With remaining dough, roll into ball and place in middle of "x". Bake in preheated 350F oven for 25  minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven.

In saucepan, combine 1/4 c sugar, orange juice, orange zest and bring to boil. Let boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a pastry brush, cover baked bread with glaze. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp sugar across bread. Best when served hot!

Snickerdoodles

I have always loved snickerdoodles. But they have to be just right for me to eat them. Chewy, but done. Not crunchy and hard. Slight bit of tang but not too much. After some searching and many recipes tried, I found this one and now use it every time I make them. When making them in my KitchenAid I like to double the recipe and freeze some cookies.

Snickerdoodles
Yield: 3 dozen (if using 1 1/2 Tbsp scoop)
1 c butter flavored Crisco
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F. Cream shortening and 1 1/2 c sugar. Stir in eggs. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar until well mixed. Combine mixtures together until smooth dough forms. Set dough aside. Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar together in a small bowl. Roll dough into balls (about 1 1/2 Tbsp of dough per ball), then roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture until completely covered. Place 2" apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on pan at least 5 minutes before removing.

Easy Frittata

I'm all about having a good but healthy breakfast. Because of this, I'm always looking for quick and easy recipes that are filling without many calories. Today I went back to an old favorite: vegetable frittata. I don't use cheese, but most people like it better that way.

Vegetable Frittata

Yield: 6 servings

6 eggs

1 russet potato

1 large tomato

1-2 Tbsp dried minced onion 

1/4 c shredded cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Crack 6 eggs into a bowl. Wash russet potato and cut into cubes about 1/2" x 1/2". Dice tomato. Add potato pieces and chopped tomato into eggs. Add 1-2 Tbsp dried minced onion (more if you like onions, less if you don't). If desired, stir in shredded cheese. Spray pie pan with non-stick spray. Poor in egg mixture. Put in oven for 30-35 minutes until mixture is set and top is just beginning to brown. Cut into 6 pieces. Let cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

No Bake Cookies

I usually don't like no bake cookies. When my husband wants them, I even sometimes suggest something else. Well today I had a hankering for some no bakes. Found this recipe in a family cookbook and decided to try it. Let me just say, best no bakes I've ever had. These may even make me a fan of no bakes. I used almond coconut milk for the ones I made which makes them each about 118 calories. Not bad at all if you ask me.

No Bake Cookies

Yield: about 30 cookies

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 c milk

1/2 c butter or margarine

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 c coconut

3 cups old fashioned oats (uncooked)

In saucepan, add sugar, salt and cocoa. Stir until mixed. Add milk and butter and stir. Turn on burner to medium-high heat and stir frequently until boiling. Once at a boil, let boil for 2 minutes without stirring. Remove  from heat. Add vanilla and peanut butter, and stir until well mixed. Add coconut. Stir in 3 cups of oatmeal. Spoon about 2 Tbsp scoops onto wax paper (over a cookie sheet). Cool in refrigerator. Try not to eat them all at once

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

These are pretty much totally delicious. The recipe is adjusted for the elevation in Broomfield, CO so if you live at a lower elevation, you don't need quite as much flour...

3/4 c Butter Flavor Crisco
1 1/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbs milk
1 Tbs vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 c + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c pecan pieces

Heat oven to 375. Cream Butter Flavor Crisco, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Blend until creamy. Blend in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture, gradually. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies and 11-13 minutes for chewy cookies (I did them about 9 1/2 minutes). Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen 3-inch cookies.