Open Source Cook

I’ve been kind of slacking on adding recipes, so I’m going to make up for it tonight. First up is Chicken Stew with Dumplings. Jesse, and a few others, had to work from 2pm-4am one night last week so it was requested that I make Chicken and Dumplings.

This recipe was really easy to make and I included all of the measurements, but I really didn’t use them.  I did for the tricky stuff like the herbs and liquid, but for all the veggies, there was no measurments going on.  In the original recipe, mushrooms and green peppers were included as well, but neither of us like mushrooms so those were never going to be included and Jesse didn’t want the green peppers.  Not sure why, but if you want to add them (and any other favorite veggies), you should be able to without any problems.  The one thing that I found nice, and have used multiple times while cooking, is that Meijer sells carrots and celery in a package together.  It’s not a lot, but it’s the perfect amount for cooking when you only need a little bit.

Jesse likes a lot of dumplings, so if you’re a fan of dumplings, you’ll want to double this recipe.  You can NOT triple this recipe and still have room in the slow cooker.  The entire top of the stew was covered with dumplings since I doubled the recipe.  It still was able to cook and everyone was able to get dumplings, so it worked out alright, I just wouldn’t triple it.  However, I did also send along biscuits to go with the stew since I wasn’t sure how long the dumplings were going to last.  I made the regular old Bisquick biscuits, but one thing I did do was to add all of the spices that were in the herbs.  So in essence, I ended up with the dumplings, but in biscuit form.  They turned out really well and this is a trick that I’ve been using a lot lately.  Adding spices to the biscuits seems to go over well and even Ian kept munching on them like they were candy.

From everything I heard, the chicken and dumplings were a success.  However, I rarely hear anything unless Jesse is told something.

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 cans (14oz each) of chicken broth
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breats, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 potato, unpeeled, diced
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 tsp dried basil leaves
3/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Herb Dumplings:
1 cup biscuit mix
1/4 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp dried tarragon
1/3 cup reduced fat (2%) milk

Directions:

1. Combine carrots, onion, and celery in slow cooker. Stir in chicken broth, reserving 1 cup broth. Cover and cook on low 2 hours.
2. Stir flour into remaining 1 cup broth until smooth. Stir into slow cooker. Add chicken, potato, peas, and herbs to slow cooker. Cover and cook 4 hours or until vegetables are tender and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in cream, salt, and black pepper.
3. For Herb Dumplings: combine biscuit mix and herbs in small bowl. Stir in milk to form soft dough. Spoon dumpling mixture on top of stew in 4 large spoonfuls. Cook, uncovered, 30 minutes. Cover and cook 30 to 45 minutes or until dumplings are firm and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve in shallow bowls.

Makes 4 servings.

I can’t remember if this recipe was given to us or if I found it on his website, but this courtesy of Dev_null, a friend of Jesse’s from #asp. This makes so much chili that I made it once for four and there was so much left over, we were still eating it a week later. This is one of those recipes where you make it for a pot luck or whenever you’re trying to feed a bunch of people. Don’t get me wrong, this chili is great, but it makes a LOT.

So why am I posting about chili during the beginning of summer? Well, Jesse was thinking about it the other day and he showed the recipe to some of his co-workers and the next thing I knew, it was being requested. The only problem is, neither Jesse or I drink beer. Well, I used to (and on some occasions will take a sip or two), so I have no idea what kind to use. Plus, what beer I did drink was imported and I’m not sure if Corona would taste all that great with it (I learned how to drink in Mexico, give me a break). When I made it before, I used chicken broth which was fine. However, I’m going to leave it up to the people who are going to be eating it. Do I use beer or chicken broth? If I use beer, what kind do I use? The plan is to make this in two weeks, so people have two weeks to give their input.  There is a poll in the sidebar, so go cast your vote.  I’ll be back in two weeks to give commentary on the recipe while I make it.

Ingredients:
3/4 of a lb of bacon
1 lb of chicken breasts
1 lb of stew beef
1 lb of sausage
1 can (24 oz) of chicken broth or beer
1 can (32 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (16oz) kidney beans
1 can (8oz) tomato paste
2/3 tsp black pepper
2 bouillon cubes
2-2/3 tsp ground cumin
1-1/3 tsp garlic powder
2-2/3 tsp mustard
2-2/3 tsp oregano
2 celery stalks
1 large green bell peppers
2 large onions
5 oz cornstarch (optional)
16 oz Salsa (garnish)
24 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese (garnish)
12 oz sour cream (garnish)
24 flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Chop the stew beef and brown. Add to crock.
2. Chop the bacon into small pieces. Fry bacon preserving grease. Fry the vegetables in the bacon pieces. Moisten mixture with beer. Add to crock.
3. Brown the sausage. Chop the chicken into small pieces. Fry the chicken in the sausage. Moisten mixture with beer. Drain fat from sausage/chicken mix. Add to crock.
4. Add diced tomatoes, bullion cubes, and spice (to taste) to crock. Add beer to keep mixture moist.
5. Simmer for 2-4 hours.
6. Add tomato paste and beans. Add beer as needed to keep moist. Add cornstarch if you added to much beer. Simmer more. (total 12-24 hours)
7. Serve with tortillas, salsa, cheese and sour cream. Substitute chicken broth for the beer when needed