J’s Chicken and Dumplings

Posted on by aurorameyer

Just like with the Chicken Pot Pie, J and his cousin have spent several years perfecting a replica of their grandmother’s famous Chicken and Dumplings. While the made from scratch noodle recipe is lost, they successfully recreated the rest of it. Here’s their recipe.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Or to be more traditional you can use a whole chicken) boiled and shredded
2 cans cream of chicken soup
32 ounces chicken stock
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
8 flour tortillas, cut into strips
2 hard-boiled eggs, cut into strips or diced

Directions:
If the chicken isn’t cooked, boil it. Once it’s cooked, shred it using two forks. Then combine the rest of the ingredients, except the tortillas and eggs, in a large pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a slow boil over medium high heat. Turn to low, add the tortillas and eggs. Cover and let simmer at least 20 minutes.

My opinion:
This is the perfect dish to have right after a taco night or fajita night when you have left over tortillas and don’t want them to go to waste. You can also make this in the slow cooker, so dinner is ready when you get home in the evening.

Butternut Squash with Gruyère

Posted on by aurorameyer

You might have noticed I’ve been on quite a squash kick lately. I’m trying all kinds of different squash types and squash recipes and recently fell in love with this side dish from Shape.com with a few modifications. It’s super easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash (about 11/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup grated Gruyère (our grater was in the dishwasher so I just sliced it. Trust me, it’s better grated!)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350°F. Prepare the squash: Cut off and discard the stem of squash. Divide squash into two pieces by slicing through it horizontally (use a really sharp knife. It makes it easier). Peel each half with a peeler. Using a spoon (if you have a grapefruit spoon use that), scoop out seeds. Then cut squash into ¾-inch pieces. Place squash slices in a large saucepan, cover them with chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes, then drain. Pour a thin layer of chicken stock on the bottom of a 9″ x 12″ baking dish and alternate layers of squash and Gruyère, saving some cheese for the top. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with the remaining chicken stock and bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and add remaining cheese. Continue baking until cheese melts and slightly browns, about 10 minutes.

My opinion:
So yummy! I’ve made this several times and each time it gets better.

Pumpkin Soup

Posted on by aurorameyer


In addition to the pumpkin ravioli we made for Halloween, we saved enough pumpkin to also make this delicious pumpkin soup, modified from this Food.com recipe. It was easy, filling and perfect for a chilly fall evening.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 celery ribs, diced
1 onion, chopped well
1 tablespoon flour1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon nutmeg3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 lbs diced pumpkin, roasted and peeled
1 cup half-and-halfchopped green onion

Directions:

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery and onion and saute until onion is browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken stock and cubed pumpkin. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add to blender one cup at a time and blend until smooth. Add half and half and blend. Serve hot with green onion garnish.
My opinion:
Tasted closer to butternut squash soup than pumpkin, but still delicious. Next time we’ll increase the spices a bit more and use fresh ginger.

Copycat Luby’s Tortilla Soup

Posted on by aurorameyer

Copycat Luby's Tortilla Soup by Dispatches from the Castle

The best tortilla soup is either at Luby’s in San Antonio or Magnolia’s in Austin. Seeing as how I no longer live in Texas, it was high time I learned to make this amazingly tasty, wonderful, cold winter night meal.

Copycat Luby's Tortilla Soup by Dispatches from the Castle

Copycat Luby's Tortilla Soup

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
  • 1 poblano pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves we were out, it is winter after all!
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 avocado diced
  • tortilla chips broken

Instructions
 

  • In a large heavy pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, salt, cumin, and coriander for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice, and stir well. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Notes

We modified and put everything in the crockpot minus the tortilla chips and avocado. Let it cook on medium for about 6 hours. In the future, we’ll up the spices and use more jalapenos. It was very close to Luby’s version.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Don’t forget! #cookchat this Thursday, January 20 at noon! Hope to see you there!