Old Fashioned Favorite Made New and Easy!

Growing up in the South, we often had chicken and dumplings for special occasions.  Chicking and dumplings in the South are not the puffy, biscuit-like dumplings, but a thinner, rolled and cut dumpling.  I remember my grand-ma, "Nanny Turner" making them, and later my mom.  I picture the kitchen and their faces covered in flour.  They were sooo yummy, but a pretty big undertaking. 



My Nanny Turner and my mom (yes, my mom...even though it looks exactly like me!)



Well, I am about to share with you a modern-day version of southern chicken and dumplings that you can make in less than half an hour that will knock people's socks off!  I make these for my family often, but have also served them for company.

Easy Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

Chicken (boiled, or from a grocery store rotissery)

Large can of cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth

8 fahita sized flour tortillas

salt and pepper



Boil your chicken.  It doesn't matter if it's breasts or other pieces.  Just boil it, cool it and tear it from the bone.  Or, buy a rotissery chicken and tear it from the bone.  If you boiled your chicken, skim the guck off the top, add the cream of chicken soup and the broth and return it to a boil.  If you didn't boil the chicken, then mix the cream of chicken soup with 1 can of water and the broth and bring to a boil.  Cut the tortillas into large squares.  I usually cut them into 3 strips, then into thirds (9 dumplings/tortilla).  After the soup is at a rolling boil, add a single layer of tortilla dumplings, salt and pepper the entire layer then stir.  Each time, when  soup returns to a boil, repeat tortilla layering and seasoning until all the tortilla piecses are used.  It is essential that you taste the broth frequently so that you get it seasoned enough, but not too much.  After all the tortilla dumplings are incorporated, return the chicken to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes or so.  I like to serve with some quick cornbread muffins, but Bob likes to eat his with saltine crackers.  You will NOT be sorry if you make these, and no one will know that you haven't slaved all day preparing them!! 

Stir-Fry Magic Plus Another Favorite

This morning I took out a big sirloin (I'm getting low on chicken) and put it in a ziploc bag with a splash of olive oil vinegarette, worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.  I marinated it all day and then cut it into bite-sized pieces against the grain.  I stir-fried it over high heat until it was done "medium" and then took it out of the pan.  I drained the pan, added a little more oil and then stir-fried some carrots, broccoli and half an onion.  I made 2 cups of beef broth from boullion, added 1/4 cup of soy, some hot sauce and 1 T. of corn starch and mixed it up.  When the veggies were crisp-tender I put the meat back in the pan and then added the sauce.  I simmered it all until the sauce thickened and served it over white rice.  D.C.M., my pickiest eater, ate so much, he asked me how much I was going to eat, so he could have more!

This time of year makes me want to start burning my apple cinnamon candles and making pumpkin bread.  I have the best ever pumpkin bread recipe.  It comes from an old cook book that my mom gave me from the Farm Credit Services of Southeast Missouri.  Here it is:



BEST EVER PUMPKIN BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant coconut cream pudding mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

5 eggs

2 cups canned pumpkin puree

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly

grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking

soda, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, stir the oil, eggs and

pumpkin until just blended.. Stir the flour mixture into the egg

mixture. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick

inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean (It is easy to

under bake this bread, so be sure to check for doneness.)

If the top begins to over-brown, you may need to cover lightly with

foil. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes and then remove

from pans and cool on wire rack.

　

FOR PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS:

Pour batter into muffin tins to make 24 muffins. Cream together 8 oz. softened cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar and an egg until smooth. Put 1 T. of cream cheese mixture onto the top of each unbaked muffin.

With a fork, mix together ¼ cup of brown sugar, 3 T. cold butter (chopped into small chunks) and ½ cup of chopped nuts. When this mixture resembles course meal, sprinkle on top of muffins. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean

　

As bread or muffins, this recipe is a huge hit whenever I make it.  It is incredibly rich and moist. 

HAPPY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

Right now, in the Bootheel of Missouri, the county fair is underway.  Growing up, late September in Kennett, Missouri and the surrounding area was a time we all looked forward to.  This was when the Delta Fair came to town.  The week of the Delta Fair began with the parade on Tuesday night and continued until the fair folk left on Saturday.  Every year until I left to go to college (and occasionally after) we went to the Delta Fair.  I loved watching the parade and all the elaborate toilet paper stuffed floats.  I even rode on a float once or twice—one year dressed as an elf with my brother, green tights and all.  My favorite part, by far, was the fair itself.  Walking round the circle of the fairway, looking for whatever boy I currently had a crush on.  I always entered something I baked into the FHA (Future Homemakers of America!) booth, although I don’t remember ever getting a blue ribbon.  One year, my brother won best in show in the baby picture contest and that was a big deal.  There were tons of local food vendors, most of whom we knew.  Barbecue, burgers and sliced green apples with melted caramel and chopped pecans on top are a few that I can remember.  My favorite, hands down, was the homemade corndogs.  It’s the one thing I got every year.  They even had a coffee can filled with mustard and ketchup that you could dip your corndog in to coat it for extra portability. 

I was reminded that this was Fair week by my friends from Southeast Missouri on Facebook.  I was very envious reading all their postings about the parade and the fair.  I decided that instead of moping, I would bring a favorite part of the fair home to me and my family.  I made my own homemade corndogs! 

First you dip 'em......

Then you fry 'em!

I started by boiling the hotdogs.  It doesn’t call for this, but I like to do it, so that I only have to fry the corndogs until the coating is toasty brown.  If you have to worry about cooking the hotdog, too, you could burn the batter.  Here is the recipe.  It is from http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/

·         1 cup milk

·         2 medium eggs

·         1/4 cup oil

·         2 tablespoons sugar

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         2 teaspoons baking powder

·         1 1/3 cups corn meal

·         2/3 cup flour

·         8-12 hot dogs

·         flour for dusting (about 1/2 cup)

·         Hot oil for Deep Frying

·         Popscicle sticks

In a large bowl combine the milk, eggs, oil, sugar and salt. Mix it very well. Sprinkle in the baking powder, corn meal and flour. Stir it all up to make a slightly thick batter.  Take your hot dogs and dry them off on paper towels. Dust the hot dogs with flour, coating them completely. The cornmeal batter won’t stick to the hot dogs unless they are coated in flour. Push popscicle sticks into the flour hot dogs. Set the hot dogs aside.

While all of this is going on, it’s a good idea to get heat your oil.  You want the temperature to be about 375F. Allow the fat to preheat so it is almost smoking by the time you are ready to add the corn dogs.

Now, to coat the floured hot dogs with batter:  scoop some of your corn meal batter into a narrow jar or cup which is as tall as your hot dogs are long. Fill the jar or cup about 3/4 of the way full. Dip your hot dog into the batter while you hold onto the stick. Swirl the hot dog to coat it evenly.  Raise the hotdog above the cup and let any excess batter drip off. Quickly place the battered dog into the hot oil. The oil will bubble up and cook the outside of the batter.  Only fry a few corn dogs at a time. If the corn dogs crowd each other they don’t fry very well. I only fry 2 or 3 at a time. Turn the corn dogs when the bottom side is well browned. Use tongs to remove the cooked corn dogs from the oil. Allow them to drain on paper towels.

These were a big hit with the kids.  They even agreed that they were better than the store-bought ones they are used to!  Now if I only had a cotton candy machine……………..

Chief's Chili

Friday night and Saturday night were nights off from cooking for me, thanks to high school football Friday and college football Saturday!  Lucky me!  So today, it's professional football, namely our KC Chiefs, and I'm makin' chili!  My typical chili recipe is this:

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chili beans
1 packet of chili seasoning.

Mix together in soup pot, simmer for half an hour and serve.

Today, I had everything I needed to make a double recipe, except I had no chili seasoning.  So, in true Middle Class Magic style, I found a recipe online for bulk chili seasoning.  Here it is:

2 T. chili powder,
1 tsp. salt,
1 T. seasoned salt,
1 tsp. onion powder,
2 tsp. cumin,
1/2 tsp. garlic powder,
1 tsp. oregano.   
Mix all ingredients; store in a small airtight jar in a cool, dry place. Makes about 1/4 cup.  Use 1 T. of mix in place of 1 seasoning packet.

 

 
I mixed it up, used 2 T. in my double recipe of chili, and voila!

Thursday-Steak Night

Last night I actually remembered to take a big sirloin and a pack of ribeyes out of the freezer to thaw.  Really, that is one of my biggest hindrances to cooking each evening--I always forget to take something out to thaw!  I have learned to microwave defrost a lot of different meats, but not everything, and sometimes I just don't have that additional 20-30 minutes of defrost time.  Anyway, this morning I made a quick marinade out of 1/2 a bottle of italian salad dressing, a few shots of worcestershire sauce (or roostersour sauce, as my cousin Shannon calls it), and a small handful of brown sugar.  I put it all in a big ziploc bag, and let them sit in the fridge all day. 

When I got home, I made some quick mashed potatoes, salad, green beans and grilled the steaks.  The real middle class magic, though, took place when it came time to make some gravy for the mashed potatoes.  You see, Bob, doesn't believe in mashed potatoes without gravy, and pre-challenge, I probably would have run through the store and bought a jar of gravy or a gravy packet from the seasoning section. But since I'm not shopping, I was stalled for a minute as to what to do for gravy.  I didn't have any grease to make it from, like you would at breakfast with sausage or bacon, since I had cooked the steaks on the grill.  But I always have butter and flour, and any liquid will do.....so here's what  I did:  I melted 2 Tbs. butter in a skillet, then whisked in 1/4 cup of flour.  I cooked this roux over medium heat while I prepared the liquid part of my gravy.  What liquid you might ask?  Milk?  No.  Broth?  No.  I used a packet of onion soup mix!  I always have this on hand to make dip, or season a crock pot roast, but I'd never used it to make gravy before!  Anyway, I reconstituted it with 2 cups of hot water, then added it to my roux, whisking the whole time.  After all the lumps were gone, I turned the heat down and simmered it til it was thick.  It was so flavorful! 

I feel so good about this challenge I've given myself!  After just 2 weeks, I am almost $300 ahead in my checking account, just from not buying groceries that I don't need!  Would it be bad to spend some of that on shoes???

D.C.M's plate.....He was hungry after football practice!

 

Wednesday Night-A real stretch--that worked!

Tonight R.F.M II (14 y/o son) has a football game and I have to work the concession stand, so we won't be home until after 8.  I ran home from work long enough to put this together.......it's a stretch, and I wasn't sure how it'd turn out, but by 9pm it was ALL GONE! 

I dug in the still-overflowing-pantry and pulled out 2 packets of Knorr seasoned rice.  I had 3 previously grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts in the freezer, so I partially defrosted them in the microwave really quickly.  I mixed the rice packets with the water and butter called for on the package, sliced up the chicken into fahita-sized pieces and put it all in the crock pot.  I turned it on low and ran out the door.  Fast-forward 3 hours, and........a home-cooked meal, that didn't cost me a penny! 

Now, I know some of what I prepare may not sound really healthy, but what I don't always share on Middle Class Magic, is that I always serve a veg and/or fruit along with whatever ghetto fabulous entree I put on the table.  The pre-packaged stuff does have a lot of sodium, so I wouldn't recommend doing it all the time.  But, in a pinch, like last night, they are invaluable!

I was reading over a post from last week and thought I'd go ahead and share with you my recipe for slow-roasted pork butt.  Now, I'm from the South, and in the South, we call this cut of meat a "butt".  Specifically, a Boston Butt.  Here in Kansas City, I see it called a pork shoulder roast more often.  It is usually around $1.99/lb and I try to by a 7-8 lb one, but, right now, --hot tip!!--it is only .99 cents/lb at Hyvee........so go stock up.  (Of course, I don't need to because I already have 2 in the freezer. )  Here's the simple, crowd-pleasing recipe:

Slow Roasted Pork Butt (Shoulder)

1. Turn oven to 400 degrees
2. Rub pork with seasoning (lawry’s, salt/pepper/garlic powder, barb-q rub, etc)
3. Place in roasting pan and cover tightly with foil or lid.
4. Place in oven and immediately turn oven down to 250 degrees.
5. Bake for 45 minutes per pound or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees,

　

I like to shred it with 2 forks for barb-q sandwiches for a couple of meals and then use the remaining meat for other recipes.  It also does well frozen.  YUM!

Tuesday-Brown Bananas.........

D.C.M (10 y/o son) had a football game at 5:30.  They won and he had a great game.  I had planned on making breakfast for dinner..........a common favorite among many families, I know.........but not one with mine.  Bob just does not like to have breakfast for dinner.  And I was going to make pancakes and everything.  So, I said "FINE." and proceeded to drive to Taco Bell. 

I did make something really yummy, though, straight out of the pantry. 



Almost gone by 9:30 this morning!

 It's a moist, sweet banana cake.  I had these 3 over-ripe bananas calling my name the last few days, but I didn't feel like starting anything from scratch.  So I took a yellow cake mix and added the ingredients called for on the box-except I only put in 1 cup of water instead of 1 1/4.  I smushed up the bananas, added them, along with a 1tsp. of vanilla.  Mixed it all really well with my wire whisk and baked it in a 9 x 13 pan for 30 minutes.  After it cooled, I drizzled it with a little canned vanilla frosting (always doctored up with more real vanilla) left over from another project and some chopped pecans.  It was a big hit at work, as you can see! 

Monday-Week 2 of the Big Challenge

Tonight’s dinner is one of those odd combinations of foods that end up really work together! It is sort of a melding of 2 big food cultures that aren’t often seen together.

A couple of months ago, Bob went to our nephew Patrick’s house to watch pay-per-view boxing and while he was there, had Italian sausage wrapped in a warm flour tortilla with pico de gallo on top. He LOVED it! Then a few weeks later at the Guardian Angel’s ice cream social (the parish where Bob grew up) we had them again.

Kansas City has some great sources for Italian sausage, and this time I used Scimeca’s, a well known Kansas City brand. Bob grilled them, I warmed the tortillas and made some quick pico…….1 diced tomato (seeds removed); 1/3 of a red onion, diced; 1 T. chopped cilantro and garlic salt. It was quick, easy and very good!

Baby girl isn't sure if she's going to like italian sausage in a tortilla!

Sunday Night Hodge Podge

Tonight I had to make a funeral casserole for church, so I made extra bow-tie noodles. E.M.M. (darling Daughter) had noodles with butter and parmesan. The boys had a big frozen pizza and noodles and Bob……….um………I can’t remember. Maybe some leftovers or something. R.F. M. (14 y/o son) is going through confirmation, so we didn’t get home til 7. So, it was a laid-back, lazy Sunday night doing homework and making lunches for tomorrow.

No food pic's tonight......just a sweet little doggie named Maddie

Saturday-Making 2 Desserts-With NO Shopping!

Tomorrow night is a fundraising party for our kids Catholic school.  I volunteered to make a couple of desserts a couple of weeks ago, before the big challenge was underway.  So....I want to make something easy to eat, while people are standing around socializing.  I also, of course, have to make something that I already have the ingredients for here at home.  Okay, so that's not really that difficult for me, as my pantry is always packed with all kinds of baking supplies........

 (Understand the challenge even better, now?)

                                              
I decided to go with an old stand-by and a new favorite.  First I made Gooey Butter Cake, only I made it in muffin tins, so that they were individual.  Here's that recipe

Ingredients
crust:
1Cake mix, yellow
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla

topping:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 egg
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar (1 box)
1 tsp. vanilla
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix crust ingredients until moistened and press into bottom of 9" x 13" pan.  (or press into 24 lightly greased muffin tins).  Mix topping ingredients well and pour over crust mixture.  Bake 40 minutes.  Topping should be set, but slightly jiggly in the middle. 

These are buttery and sweet.  Very Decadent!

                                    

Next, Ellie and I made cake pops.  These are yummy little bon bons of cake on a stick.  You bake a cake, following the directions on  the box, cool, crumble and mix with 3/4 of a can of frosting.  Roll into balls, chill and then dip in almond bark or candy melts.  I saw them on another of my favorite blogs http://www.bakerella.com/.  She even has a new cookbook out about all different kinds of cake pops.  Ellie loves looking at it, but we have yet to make any more complicated than these:
                                     




Roll the cake/frosting mixture into balls, then chill.

Dip in melted almond bark and sprinkle!!

They turned out really cute and are a total chocolate hit.  It felt really good to be able to make 2 cute, yummy desserts and not have to spend a penny! 

Day 4-Quick Crispy Taquitos

One of my favorite things to order in a Mexican restaurant is Flautas.  I love that they are appetizer-y, that you can dip them in guacamole, salsa and sour cream.  My kids like the ones from the freezer section, the skinny ones called taquitos.  The first time I made them at home, from scratch, they were good, but greasy and the house smelled like grease from having to fry them. 

Recently, while browsing one of my favorite food blogs http://www.ourbestbites.com/ I ran across a recipe for crispy BAKED taquitos.  I was skeptical.  I was sure they would be flavorful, as all their recipes are, but crispy?  Well, I made them and they were awesome--crispy, yummy, easy AND my house didn't smell like grease!  I usually use, in my middle class magic style, some kind of leftover meat in the middle of the taquitos.  This time I had pulled pork frozen from a couple of weeks ago when I slow roasted a pork butt in the oven.  We ate barbecue sandwiches for a couple of meals, then I froze the rest. 

Ingredients:
flour tortillas, fahita size
meat
taco seasoning
cheese
cooking spray
kosher salt

Warm your meat (ground beef, chicken, beef, pork, etc) and season with taco seasoning using the directions on the back of the packet.  Or season it however you'd like.  It doesn't really have to have anything but salt an pepper, these are so good.  Spread about 1/4 cup of meat down the center of the tortilla.  Sprinkle with cheese (I like to use that crumble white mexican cheese by cacique) and roll the tortilla up into a tube.  Lay the tortillas on a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Bake at 350 degrees until crispy an lightly browned.  Serve with guacomole, sour cream and salsa!

These are soooo good and are even good microwaved the next day!  enjoy!

Day Three-A Night Off!

I knew I wouldn’t be cooking tonight-I love those nights off! Our football game got rained out, but we still headed down to mid-town for my sweet little niece M.J.M.’s 1^st birthday party!

We had pizza and spaghetti and had a good time with the kids.

Tomorrow night’s dinner—my popular (with my family, anyway) crispy baked taquitos using pulled pork from the freezer!

Day 2!

I'm not sure if I should call tonight Middle Class Magic or Ghetto Fabulous!  I made some mean dishes tonight with just a few ingredients and A LOT of creativity. 

First, remember the Crock Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles from Sunday night?  Well, I took the leftovers, added 2 cups of chicken stock (made from boullion) and heated it through.  It morphed from a noodle dish to a totally awesome chicken noodle soup!! 

Next, I took the leftover meatballs and sauce from last night's meatball subs.  I boiled some spaghetti noodles, folded it into the warmed (in the microwave) sauce and put it in a pie pan.  I added pepperoni and shredded cheese and baked it in a 350 degree oven with some garlic toast (ala almost stale hamburger buns). 

Now, I realize I am revealing my deepest, darkest kitchen secrets to you.  Is it a little embarassing to use hamburger buns to make garlic toast?  yes.  Am I hoping that most of you have done it too? yes!  Am I also hoping to inspire some of you to make some of your own middle class magic?  Absolutely! 

I love not wasting food and not spending any money, but still feeding my family flavorful, home cooked meals!  My next big endeavor will be Thursday night when I come up with 2 desserts to take to a party Saturday night--solely from the stuff in my pantry!  Stay Tuned!!

Dinner- Day One

Tonight the Chiefs play on Monday Night Football, so I wanted something that would be good football watchin' food.  I also worked til 6, which is really late for me, so I was looking for something quick and easy.  I had a big bag of frozen meatballs (turkey meatballs, even!) in the freezer and a jar of spaghetti sauce in the pantry.  I bought hoagie rolls yesterday before I started on my challenge, so we were all set for meatball grinders.  I warmed the meatballs and sauce in a pan while I preheated the oven to 350.  Next I filled the rolls with meatballs and sauce and topped them with shredded cheese.  I baked them in the oven for about 8 minutes til they were crispy and the cheese was melted.  The kids LOVED them.  And so did Bob.  I guess day one was a success.  Have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but I have plenty of stock, so I'm sure it will be good!

A Little Pre-Challenge Kick Off

Last night I guess I was sort of getting in the mood for my big challenge when I came up with this dinner. E.M.M. (darling 10 y/o daughter) had volleyball games at 3 and 5, which sort of limited me on time to prepare anything. So, around 2, before we left for the game, I made this little bit of slow-cooker magic:



SLOW COOKER CREAMY CHICKEN AND NOODLES

Ingredients:

Pasta, 1 bag of dry, wide egg noodles

butter, 1/2 cup (1 stick)

Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1 can

Cream of Chicken Soup, 1 can

Cream of Celery Soup, 1 can

Chicken broth, 1 can

Chicken breast, 5 boneless skinless

salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste



Spray inside of crock pot with non-stick spray. Pour dried noodles into crock pot. Mix together melted butter, 3 cans of soup and broth. Pour 2/3 of soup mixture over noodles, stir. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder and lay on top of noodles. Pour the rest of the soup mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Add another can of water to crock pot if needed to bring liquid level to top of noodles. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.



This is pretty "country" but was soooo flavorful. All 3 kids gobbled it up.

Day One-The Challenge

Ok. So yesterday I ran through the grocery store, spent $107, which isn't bad for my family of 5 and had a rude awakening when I went to put them all away...........There was NO ROOM. My pantry is full, my freezer is full, my garage freezer is full--you get the picture. I started to berate myself (it's bad how we automatically do that) for spending too much money, blah blah blah, when instead I came up with a great idea. Starting today, Monday, September 13, 2010, I am going to feed my family of 5 for one month on THE FOOD THAT IS ALREADY IN MY OVERFLOWING KITCHEN!! It is going to take some creativity, some ingenuity by me and some tolerance by my family, but I think it can be done and done well. So, here are the rules I have come up with for myself'

1. I must use the food (meat, pantry staples, sweets, snacks, etc) that are already in the house.
2. I am allowed $30/week for milk, bread and produce.
3. We will only eat out 1/week. (this is pretty typical for us, and is often necessary with games, practices, etc.)
4. I will blog/facebook about the middle class magic I create each day to hopefully inspire some of you to get creative in your own kitchens.

I will post later today with my first attempt at a little magic. Stay tuned.