« My first meme | Home | Jump on the Alexa Redirect train! »
Guest Chef of the Week-Angie!
By Elizabeth | May 14, 2007
Please give a warm welcome to my very first Guest Chef of the Week, Angie from Suncoast Scribe! I asked her for a short bio:
I’m Angie, a 37-year-old single mom from Florida. I have several active blogs, but I try to keep the Florida-centric material over at Suncoast Scribe. Since I cast off my old career as a graphic designer so I could go back to school to get certified to teach exceptional education, I don’t have the time to cook elaborate meals the way I used to. Well, that and the fact that may daughter is four and appreciates a bowl of cereal as much or more than a perfectly seasoned herb and bourbon pork loin. *sigh*
I’m a foodie and an enthusiastic cook. I love to experiment and while I was married, I kept that man well-fed. I happen to know he misses some of my signature dishes. I have to believe there will come a time when more inventive cooking is appreciated, but in the meantime I’ve had to move to more quick and simple dishes, so I dug out some old favorites; dishes you can prepare and eat off of for days.
- Chicken and Dumplings
My Great-Grandmother Addie would buy a “stewing hen” (an old laying hen too tough for anything but long cooking). This was cooked and well salted. To the boiling broth of the hen she added ingredients known only to her –she was famous for this. We have settled on this recipe, as without her secrets, her dish could never be 100% duplicated.
1 large frying chicken (4 pounds or so)
celery tops
one small onion (diced)
1- 2 carrots
chicken bouillon for more flavor
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 Tablespoons shortening
1/4 cup chicken stock
2/3 cup buttermilk
Cook chicken with other celery, onion, and carrots gently, no boiling, for
an hour or so. Chicken should fall off bones. Separate chicken from broth,
removing meat from bones. Strain broth. You may chill the broth so that fat
rises to the top and can be skimmed off and thrown away.
Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Cut shortening into dry mixture with
fork until it forms a course meal. Stir in chicken stock and buttermilk to
make stiff dough. Knead 5 or 6 times. Wrap in plastic bag and chill.
Roll 1/8 inch thick. Use enough flour on surface so that dough does not stick. Cut into 4-inch by 1-inch squares.
Bring original chicken stock to simmer. Drop dough pieces into stock one at a time. Stir often to separate. Cook gently for 10-12 minutes until firm but tender. Add reserved chicken meat. Best if left to sit at least an hour before serving.
- Chicken and Fruit
It was one of those quiet Saturdays when I had the time to gather whatever was in the fridge and invent something yummy.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
4 ounces red or green seedless grapes, halved
4 ounces chopped green apple
2 ounces red currants
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
¼ cup dry sherry or chicken broth
¼ cup dry sherry or chicken broth
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter in skillet over medium-low heat. Add chicken and cook until juices run clear and meat is 170º (12 –14 minutes).
Remove chicken. Stir grapes, apple, currents, and cucumber in skillet for one minute. Add sherry (or broth) and cream. Cook on high until thick enough to lightly coat the chicken. Serve over chicken.
We have often tried this with a variety of other fruits, including: kiwi,
banana, and pears.
- Zucchini Soup
I got this recipe from a friend during one of my all-girl’s weekends out in New York City. It’simple, light and surprisingly full in flavor. The proportions are to my taste and can be altered to meet your own.
6 cups chicken broth
4 medium zucchini
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 medium onions
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup dry vermouth
Combine broth, unpeeled zucchini with top and bottom removed and chopped into 3 or 4 pieces, garlic cloves chopped coarsely, and onions cubed into fours in a soup pot. Cook on low heat for about a half an hour, or until solid ingredients are soft. Then, add the butter and vermouth and simmer for five minutes. Put the hot soup in a blender and liquefy. Serve immediately.
Makes approximately 6 servings.
Topics: Guest Chef |
Stumble it!
2 Responses to “Guest Chef of the Week-Angie!”
Comments
Comments protected by Lucia's Linky Love.
May 15th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Yummy! Those sound so good! Expecially the Zucchini Soup! I may have to try it!
May 21st, 2007 at 12:14 pm
jhjghghgc