Thursday, October 29, 2009

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

This is super fast and easy and much healthier than regular alfredo - esp. if you use the low-fat cream of mushroom.

1/2 of 16 oz pkg linguine
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli florets
2 TB butter
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup parmesan
s/p

1. Prepare linguine according to package directions. Add broccoli during last 4 min. of cooking time. Drain well.

2. Heat butter in 10" skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often.

3. Stir soup, milk, cheese, s/p and linguine & broccoli into skillet. Cook until mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve with additional parmesan cheese.

Source: CampbellsKitchen.com

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Chicken Roll-ups

It's good b/c its butter, but its not like you are eating this every week, so give it a try.


Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2 eggs
4 ounces smoked mozzarella, cut into 6 pieces about 2 inches long
6 boneless, skinless, thin-sliced chicken breasts (about 4 ounces each), pounded out to 1/4-inch thickness
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used apple juice)
3/4 pound dried angel hair pasta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°. Coat a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place flour and bread crumbs in separate shallow plates. Beat eggs in a medium-size bowl.
3. Place a piece of mozzarella on one short end of each chicken breast and roll up tightly. Tuck loose ends in.
4. Coat each chicken roll with flour, dip in the egg and roll in the bread crumbs. Place seam-side down in prepared dish. (I had to use toothpicks to hold it together)
5. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in parsley, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Pour mixture over the chicken rolls. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Pour wine over the chicken and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare angel hair pasta following package directions. Drain and place in large serving bowl.
7. Remove chicken from baking dish and place on serving platter. Season with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Pour butter-and-wine mixture from baking dish over pasta and toss with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Source: Family Circle November 2009, page 182

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Double-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

1/2 cup small shell pasta
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
Four 8- to 10-ounce chicken breasts
3 cups store-bought marinara sauce


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta for 4 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a bowl and add the mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan and 1/4 cup parsley; season with salt.


2. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs. Place the breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl.


3.Stuff the pasta-cheese mixture under the skin of each chicken breast. Dip the stuffed chicken breasts in the eggs, roll in the breadcrumbs, then place skin side up on the prepared pan.



4.Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the breast registers 165°, about 50 minutes.


5.Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the marinara sauce. Serve each breast on a bed of sauce, topped with 1 tablespoon parsley.



I used skinless chicken. I think next time I would leave out the pasta, didn't really add much since it didn't really taste like anything, just filler.



Source: Every Day with Rachael Ray October 2009 page 110

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Chicken Tacos with Spicy Grape Salsa

I wasn't sure about this one, but I tried it anyway and even the kids ate it. Justin added hot sauce and we added some sour cream between the chicken and the salsa to hold it all together and give it some extra moisture.


3 cups seedless red grapes (about 1 1/2 pounds), chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 to 2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper
One 12-count package taco shells
One 2 1/2-pound rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine the grapes, onion, jalapeño, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
2.Place the taco shells on a baking sheet and heat in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Place the chicken in a medium bowl and microwave at high power until warmed through, about 30 seconds; stir in 1/2 cup grape salsa.
3. Divide the chicken mixture among the 12 taco shells and top with more grape salsa.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Chicken Tips

My little brother, who went to a (real) culinary school and works in a fancy restaurant, gave me an excellent tip when I was complaining about how I hate shredding chicken one day. So that is where this post comes from and I'll get to the tip later...

I wanted to use his tip and save myself some time/effort when its time to make dinner b/c 5:00 is the worst time to be making dinner b/c the kids are whiny and hungry and you're trying to get dinner on the table. It seems like I'm always defrosting chicken and chopping it up last minute or boiling it and tediously shredding it.

So I went to Sam's Club, and bought two 6 lb packages of fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.97/lb which is pretty good. I'll be honest, it did sit in my fridge for 3 days before I got to it, but now that its done I feel so accomplished and domestic and prepared for about 15 dinners!

I trimmed and cubed the chicken from one package and put it in Ziploc freezer bags - 1 lb per bag since most recipes seem to call for 1 lb of chicken. Label it, date it, and put it in the freezer. Even though the package said 6 lbs, I only got five 1 lb bags out of it...so either my scale is off or theirs is. ? Oh well, that's chicken ready to go in the skillet for 5 meals!

While I was doing that, I had the chicken from the other package boiling in some water on the stove. I also trimmed the extra fat off those breasts before throwing them in. Once they were cooked through I took them out of the water with tongs (don't pour the water down the drain!) and let them cool on a plate for about 10 minutes. And here is my brother's tip: Instead of shredding them with a fork or your fingers, which takes FOREVER, put them in your Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment and turn it on low speed! So much easier! I hate shredding chicken! I wish I had known this a long time ago or been taught it at my (not quite real) culinary school. Anyway, so then I packaged the shredded chicken in freezer bags - 2 cups per bag. And now I have shredded chicken ready to go for another 5 meals!

Those cans and boxes of chicken stock/broth aren't very cheap - so don't throw out the water from boiling your chicken! I supplemented mine with a couple tsp. of chicken bouillion powder, let it cool, then strained it into a pitcher. Once it was cool enough, I measured put 2 cups for each freezer bag and put those in the freezer too. So now I have chicken broth for 5 meals!

Yes, this was a little time consuming, but it will save me time and mess later when the kids are whining and hungry. Flatten out the contents of the bags before freezing them so they will defrost faster (and fit better in your freezer). And if you can find chicken for a really good price, this is a great way to stock up!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

I thought I posted about this last year, but I guess I didn't b/c I can't find the post! Spaghetti squash is in season this time of year and that means its cheap! And its easy too. And healthier than regular noodles. And if you've never tried it, you should. The hardest part is cutting the squash in half, so be careful and use a good, sharp knife!

Cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and stringy stuff. Place face-down on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. (I overbaked this time and the squash was more like mush than spaghetti noodles, so watch it) It will be soft and pull apart like spaghetti noodles when its done.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool a little bit, then scrape out the insides with a fork. It should look like spaghetti noodles... Place in a bowl and season with a little s/p.

Serve with your favorite spaghetti sauce - homemade or out of a jar, whatever you like!

I get mine out of a jar, but I brown about a pound of ground beef along with some chopped green peppers, then drain off the fat and stir in the sauce.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Carrot Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 package (14 ounces) pumpkin quick bread and muffin mix (such as Pillsbury)
1 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup raisins (no thanks, I left these out...)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons butter, softened


1. Heat oven to 350°. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.


2. In a medium-size bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 egg, sugar and lemon juice until smooth.


3. Set aside 1/2 cup of muffin mix for topping. Place rest of mix in large bowl. Add remaining egg, carrots, milk, raisins and oil. Stir until well blended.


4. Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup of batter. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of cream cheese mixture over top of each muffin.


5. In a small bowl, combine reserved muffin mix, pecans and butter. Mix with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the cream cheese in each muffin cup.


6. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool muffins in pan for 15 minutes. Gently lift muffins out of pan and cool completely.


Source: Family Circle June 2009 page 228

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Inside-out Stuffed Cabbage Meatballs

The original recipe said to stuff some of the cabbage inside the meatballs, but that seemed like an unnecessary hassle, so here's the recipe with that step taken out and modified:



3 tablespoons butter
2 pounds green cabbage, shredded
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork and veal)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
One 16-ounce can whole-berry cranberry sauce




1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage and 1/4 cup water and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup and 1 teaspoon caraway seeds; season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer cabbage to a bowl.


2. Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine the meatloaf mix, breadcrumbs, egg, allspice and remaining 2 teaspoons caraway seeds. Form into meatballs, ping-pong ball or golf ball size, and place in skillet you cooked the cabbage in over med-high heat. Brown meatballs on all sides.



3. Add the cabbage back to the skillet; nestle the meatballs in the cabbage. Add 1 cup water to the to the skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover and cook, turning the meatballs once, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the meatballs on the cabbage, along with the cranberry sauce. (I also served with mashed potatoes)



Source: original recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2009 page 112

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup


2 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
s/p
3 carrots, sliced crosswise
1/2 cup long grain rice, rinsed
16 oz pkg frozen black-eyed peas, thawed
32 oz (4 cups) chicken broth
9 oz pkg frozen creamed spinach, thawed

1. In large pot heat the olive oil over med-high heat. Season the chicken with s/p. Add to the pot and cook, stirring, until golden 6-8 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add carrots, rice and beans, scraping up any browned bits, for 1 minute, then stir in chicken broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer until rice and beans are tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, shred the chicken. Add to the soup along with the creamed spinach and cook for 5 minutes; season with s/p. Serve with baguette, rolls, or bread.

Cut calories by using chicken breasts instead of thighs and plain frozen spinach instead of creamed.

Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2009

What I did: I did use chicken breasts and I grilled them on the George Foreman instead of cooking them in the pan and then shredded them. So you can use whatever shredded chicken - however you like to do it, and just start out with the carrots and beans and rice in the pot. It seems like anytime I try to cook it in a pan like that it just gets burned on the outside and still raw in the middle, so for me this was simpler. Justin is not really a fan of soups, but he complimented me on this one. And it's pretty hearty, not too soup-y.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Cauliflower Mac n' Cheese

No, you don't have to steam and puree any cauliflower for this recipe. It's really easy. And its from Hungry Girl (www.hungry-girl.com), who takes unhealthy recipes and makes them healthier.

Ingredients:
1 package Green Giant Family Size Cauliflower & Three Cheese Sauce (freezer aisle)
2 cups uncooked Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Rotini Pasta (or another whole-wheat or whole-wheat-blend pasta)
3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese
Optional: salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions: Prepare pasta according to the instructions on the box, and then drain well and set aside. While pasta is cooking, place contents of the cauliflower & sauce package in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 12 - 16 minutes, until sauce has melted and cauliflower is hot.
Once the bowl is cool enough to handle, remove it from the microwave and add cooked pasta. Set aside. Unwrap cheese wedges and place in a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, and then add to the bowl.
Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the Laughing Cow cheese is evenly distributed and the pasta and cauliflower are coated in cheese sauce. If you like, season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1 cup Calories: 202 Fat: 4.5g Sodium: 825mg Carbs: 36g Fiber: 5g Sugars: 6g Protein: 8.5g
POINTS® value 4*

Friday, April 10, 2009

Meals for the week

Here are the new recipes for this week

Grilled Mexican Chicken Burgers (recipe here)
Spinach Pasta Caesar Salad & breadsticks (recipe here)
Edamame & Mushroom Risotto (recipe below)
Spaghetti

Edamame and Mushroom Risotto

2 TB olive oil
8 oz button mushrooms, trimmed & sliced
1 pound frozen edamame
3 cups vegetable broth mixed with 1 1/2 cups water
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/3 cups arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine (or veg broth)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1. Heat 1 TB olive oil in large nonstick skillet over med-hi heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside

2. Cook edamame, following package directions. Drain, cool and remove beans from shells. Add beans to mushrooms in skillet, discard shells.

3. Place broth and water in med-size saucepan and bring to a simmer

4. In large saucepan, heat remaining TB oil over med heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice and stir until rice is coated with oil. Cook for 1 minutes, stirring.
Add wine and cook until wine is absorbed - about 1 minute.

5. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth mixture. Cook over med-low heat, stirring until broth is absorbed. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time., cooking in the same manner. This should take about 30 minutes.

6.Gently heat mushroooms and edamame. Stir into rice and remove from heat. Stir in the pepper and 1/4 cup of the cheese.

7. Divide among 4 bowls and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese

Source: Family Circle Magazine, 4/1/09, pg 105

Friday, April 3, 2009

April 3-10

Sorry about last week, here are the new recipes I used last week:

Fish Topped Au Gratin Potatoes (not bad, but not that great, so I'm not posting recipe)
Stromboli Recipe here
Chicken Tetrazzini (made with leftovers from storebought rotisserie chicken) Recipe below

The plan for this week:

We still haven't gotten to the frozen lasagna and the pork tacos, so they are still on the list, new items are

Barbecue chicken with mashed potatoes and corn
Creamy chicken and Vegetables with Noodles Recipe here
Chicken Ranch Tacos Recipe here
Honey-sesame Chicken and fried Rice (use Sun Bird brand seasoning packet, look for it near the Asian foods and follow directions)
Spaghetti Sandwiches (recipe below)

I guess we are all about chicken this week!


Chicken Tetrazzini
7 oz spaghetti or linguine noodles
2 cups chicken or turkey broth
2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 cups cut up or shredded chicken or turkey
1 cup sliced olives or mushrooms
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat oven to 350. Cook and drain noodles - undercook them a little so they aren't mushy (they will cook in the oven too)
2. Mix broth, milk, flour, butter, S & P, in 3 qt sauce pan. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.
3. Stir in cooked noodles, chicken, olives/mushrooms. Spread in ungreased 2 qt casserole. Sprinkle with cheese.
4. Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let stand a few minutes before serving.


Spaghetti Sandwiches
my mom used to make these with leftover spaghetti sauce. They sound a little weird, but they're good!

Bread
Mozzarella cheese (sliced or shredded)
eggs
milk
spaghetti sauce

1. Mix up eggs and milk just like you would for french toast, but without the cinnamon & vanilla, etc.

2. Dip one side of a piece of bread in the egg mixture, place on hot griddle egg-side down. Top with mozzarella. Dip another piece of bread and place it on top of the mozzarella, egg-side up. Flip the sandwich when one side is cooked and cheese is starting to melt. Cook other side until golden brown and cheese is melted.

3. Serve with hot spaghetti sauce on top.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Dinners March 21-28

Last week I did not get to the frozen lasagna and the lasagna skillet, so those are up again for this week.

New meals:
-Pork Tacos from my freezer (recipe)
-Sausage, Broccoli & Noodles (recipe below)
-Rotisserie Chicken (from the store) and potatoes
-Wanchai Ferry Sweet and Sour Chicken ($1.10 off coupon at www.coupons.com) I suggest adding an extra 1/2 cup of rice and 1 cup of water. Also, pick up some green pepper to add in)



Sausage, Broccoli & Noodles

3 pkgs ramen noodles, chicken flavor
1/4 cup lite sour cream
1 TB cornstarch
3 links Italian turkey sausage, casings removed (I think I will just get regular bulk sausage instead of removing casings)
3 cups broccoli flowerets (thawed, if from freezer)

1. Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles 2 minutes, reserving seasoning packets for later. Drain and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and cornstarch. Set aside

2. Cook sausage in larget skillet over med. heat, breaking up with a spoon, for 5 minutes or until cooked through.

3. Add broccoli, 1 cup water and 1 1/2 tsp of the ramen seasoning to skillet. Cover and simmer over med heat for 3 minutes or until broccoli is cooked through.

4. Remove cover and stir sour cream mixture into skillet. Cook for 1 minute or until sauce has thickened. Add noodles to skillet and toss to coat with sauce. Serve immediately

Sourece: Family Circle Magazine April 17, 2009 page 101

Friday, March 13, 2009

Dinners for March 14-20

I'm trying a new approach at this. Check it out over on the right "About this Blog"

Vegetable Lasagna - frozen from Costco
South of the Border Enchiladas - get recipe here from BettyCrocker.com
Chicken Tamale Casserole - get recipe here from CookingLight.com
Reuben Sandwich Slices - recipe from Pillsbury.com (I might just make regular reubens, depending on price of the Pillsbury dough - you print a coupon here too)
Lasagna Skillet - recipe from Pillsbury.com
Weeknight Stroganoff - recipe from Pillsbury.com

Good luck! I should also mention that I'm not very good about planning sides and I just make those last minute. So you're on your own there. I usually just do salad or some veggies from the freezer: dump in a bowl, put a plate upside-down on top and microwave for a couple of minutes to steam them. Or like, with the vegetable lasagna I might do garlic bread - we save those garlic-butter packets that come with pizza and just brush them on some leftover hot dog or hamburger buns out of the freezer and then toast them in the oven. And I just realized I have 2 lasagna-type things, maybe I'll save the frozen one for another week b/c we will probably have leftovers of other stuff anyway.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Shortcut Chicken Cordon Bleu

This definitely is not fancy, but its quick & easy & my kids eat it.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup ham, small cubes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup or more milk
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
egg noodles, cooked & drained

1. cut chicken breasts in small chunks and cook in a skillet. Remove from pan & set aside.
2. Put cream of chicken soup in skillet over med-high heat and whisk in milk until desired consistency. Simmer 5 min. Stir in cheese, chicken breasts & ham.
3. Serve over egg noodles

What I do: you can use leftover ham or I get 2 slices from the deli, cut thick and then I chop it up. I also add some peas.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Crunchy Asian-style Pasta Salad

1 box Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad classic pasta mix
1 package oriental ramen
3 TB sugar
3 TB vegetable oil
2 TB white vinegar
2 TB water
1 TB soy sauce
3 cups cole slaw mix
1 cup snow pea pods, strings removed
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 15 oz can mandarin orange slices, drained


1. Cook pasta from pasta mix (w/o the seasoning packet). Drain, rinse, set aside

2. In large bowl, stir together seasoning mixes from pasta salad mix and ramen, sugar, oil, vinegar, water & soy sauce. Add pasta, coleslaw mix, pea pods, almonds and oranges; toss to combine.

3. Just before serving, coarsely crush dry noodles from ramen package and stir into pasta mixture. Serve immediately or refrigerate



What I did: you could probably use a little less oil. I used snap peas instead of snow peas and left out the almonds. I also added some shredded chicken.



Source: http://www.bettycrocker.com/

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Turkey Meatball Subs

This is another of my old stand-bys

Prep: 40 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

whole-grain sub rolls
1 pound extra-lean ground white turkey breast
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 egg
1 egg white
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 14.5 ounce can Italian Style tomatoes
1/4 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese
**1 jar spaghetti sauce

Using a food processor, process one sub roll into fine bread crumbs. Measure out one cup of crumbs. (or just use 1 cup prepared breadcrumbs, like Progresso)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, garlic, eggs, oregano and crumbs. Shape into meatballs. Add meatballs to a skillet and brown on all sides. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until slices are limp and just starting to turn brown.

Add tomatoes and stir to coat.( ** I felt like it needed more sauce so I added about half a jar of spaghetti sauce)

Allow mixture to come to a slight boil, then reduce heat and cook for twenty minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.

Split remaining rolls in half lengthwise and fill with meatballs and sauce. Top with shredded cheese.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Chicken and Dumplings

The dumplings in this chicken soup are rolled out and cut in strips like noodles instead of shaped like a ball. Don't be intimidated though, it's really easy and sooo good!

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Dumplings:
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
2 TB canola oil
1 cup plus 2 TB water
salt & pepper
chopped parsley for garnish

1. Place chicken, onion, celery and carrots in 5 quart pot. Add chicken stock, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam.

2. Reduce heat to low and cover tightly. Simmer, occasionally skimming the broth, until chicken is tender, about 50 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Place flour, salt, and oil in a medium bowl and gradually stir in the water to make a stiff dough (I only ended up using about 1/2 the water, so add it slowly!). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into 1x3 inch strips.

4. Skim off any fat from the surface of the soup. Season with s & p.

5. Add the dough strips into the simmering soup without stacking or crowding them. (you will also need to increase the heat for a few minutes to keep it simmering). Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the dumplings are cooked through and tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve from the pot, breaking up the dumplings as needed.

What I did: I used about half chicken thighs & half breasts. Trim off as much fat as possible and cut the meat in large chunks b/c it will shrink and larger chunks will hold more moisture = tastes better. I also used chicken broth from a can instead of actual stock. 3 cans & 2 cups water. The dumplings don't take very long to make, so you can wait till toward the end of the soup cooking. I used some wheat flour for the dumplings and added dried parsley about halfway through cooking instead of fresh parsley at the end. We had it with a loaf of Rhodes bread. So good!

Source: Art Smith, O at Home Winter 2008