Paula Deen's Chicken and Dumplins

Chicken:
1 (2 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery or cream of chicken soup

Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Ice water

To start the chicken: Place the chicken, celery, onion, bay leaves, bouillon, and House Seasoning in a large pot. Add 4 quarts of water and in water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer the chicken until it is tender and the thigh juices run clear, about 40 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and, when it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and separate the meat from the bones. Return the chicken meat to the pot. Keep warm over low heat.

To prepare the dumplings: Mix the flour with the salt and mound together in a mixing bowl. Beginning at the center of the mound, drizzle a small amount of ice water over the flour. Using your fingers, and moving from the center to the sides of the bowl, gradually incorporate about 3/4 cup of ice water. Knead the dough and form it into ball.

Dust a good amount of flour onto a clean work surface. Roll out the dough (it will be firm), working from center to 1/8-inch thick. Let the dough relax for several minutes.

Add the cream of celery soup to the pot with the chicken and simmer gently over medium-low heat.

Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Pull a piece in half and drop the halves into the simmering soup. Repeat. Do not stir the chicken once the dumplings have been added. Gently move the pot in a circular motion so the dumplings become submerged and cook evenly. Cook until the dumplings float and are no longer doughy, 3 to 4 minutes.

To serve, ladle chicken, gravy, and dumplings into warm bowls.

Cook's Note: If the chicken stew is too thin it can be thickened before the dumplings are added. Simply mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water then whisk this mixture into the stew.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Paula Deen's Hushpuppies

6 cups peanut oil
1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Using a deep pot, preheat oil for frying to 350 degrees F.

Using a mixing bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the onion. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and egg. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Drop the batter, 1 teaspoon at a time, into the oil. Dip the spoon in a glass of water after each hushpuppy is dropped in the oil. Fry until golden brown, turning the hushpuppies during the cooking process.

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

• 1-1/2 T olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 t curry powder
• 1/2 c plain yogurt
• 3/4 c heavy cream
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 rotisserie chicken
• 2 c cooked rice
• 1/4 c cilantro, roughly chopped

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Sprinkle with the curry power and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the yogurt and cream and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper and tomatoes. Remove from heat. Slice or shred chicken. Divide the rice and chicken among individual bowls, spoon the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with cilantro.

I made a little extra of the sauce part and skipped the cilantro (I don't like it and we didn't have any anyway). Anyway, it was super easy and really good! I assume you could use some lower fat versions of the yogurt and cream if you wanted to make it a bit more healthy. But who wants that?!

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen Show: Paula's Home Cooking Episode: Slow Cookin'

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups) 4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces 2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese 3 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup sour cream 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup whole milk 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Fantastic quote...

"A woman's love is like the dew — it's just as apt to fall on a horse turd as it is a rose."

Quick and Dirty Tips

This site looks like it has lots of useful info. Grammar Girl was on Oprah yesterday.

Banana Pudding

I'm waiting for my mom to send me her recipe, but in the meantime, I don't want to lose this one. It looks pretty good.

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Banana Pudding

• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk (whole or 2%)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter (not margarine)
• 4 egg yolks (large eggs or better)
• box of Vanilla wafers
• 4-5 ripe bananas

Meringue:

• 4 egg whites, at room temperature
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Baking Tip
The size and shape of the baking dish are important.

If you don't have a 9" x 9" baking dish, you really should. It's a handy size to have. You can get this baking dish from Amazon by clicking here. I've made this banana pudding in a round casserole dish, and it just doesn't turn out as well.

Related articles:
Banana cakes and pies
Recipe: Molasses banana bread

Line the bottom of a 9" x 9" baking dish with a layer of vanilla wafers. This recipe will not use the whole box, so you may snack, but don't get carried away.

Peel the bananas and slice into 3/8-inch rounds; use a ruler (I'm kidding). Cover the banana slices with plastic wrap to keep them from darkening and quickly make your pudding.

Combine the sugar, flour and salt in a bowl, and stir well to mix. Mash out any flour lumps with the back of your spoon. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, beat the egg yolks well (just use a fork or whisk, but beat them well). Over medium heat, add the flour mixture to the egg yolks, alternately with the milk and vanilla, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil and, when the mixture begins to thicken, add the butter, continuing to stir. Keep boiling and stirring until mixture reaches a nice pudding consistency. [Note: If you're working with an electric cooktop, adjust the heat so that it's hot enough to boil, but not so hot that the pudding scorches.] Remove from heat.

Place a layer of banana slices in the baking dish on top of the vanilla wafers. Don't stint and put one slice of banana per wafer. Line those banana slices up edge-to-edge. Pour, spreading as necessary, half of the pudding over the banana layer. Put down another layer of vanilla wafers, another layer of banana slices, and cover with the remaining pudding.

Beat the egg whites at high speed until they form soft peaks. Add the cream of tartar. At high speed, gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the vanilla into the meringue, and spread the meringue over the pudding, sealing it at the sides of the dish.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until meringue browns, 12 to 15 minutes, depending upon your oven.

The size and shape of the baking dish are important. If you don't have a 9" x 9" baking dish, you really should. It's a handy size to have. You can get this baking dish from Amazon by clicking here. I've made this banana pudding in a round casserole dish, and it just doesn't turn out as well. Another thing to wonder about.

This recipe makes 6 or 8 servings, and you can count on people asking for seconds. Any leftovers should be covered and refrigerated. And, yes, it's hard to cover anything with a meringue top and anyway, banana pudding is not as attractive after it has been refrigerated. But it's still just as delicious.

Give this old favorite a try.