Ultimate Comfort

With the storms that are passing through the east coast, its great to have a food made that brings comfort and warmth. Having chicken and dumplings takes me back to my childhood, and one of those foods that you didn't have often, but when you did, it was the best thing ever!

Since I had never made chicken and dumplings before, I wanted an easy recipe to follow, one that really just couldn't go wrong. I chose to go with this recipe, for which I am very glad. In the future, I might branch out and try to make the entire thing from scratch, but until then having this recipe will work out beautifully. The recipe was such a hit in the house that Staci actually went to the grocery on Friday after work to pick up enough supplies to be able to make the recipe again this weekend.

I'm boiling the chicken right now. I've made a small modification to include both white and dark meat chicken this time. I think that it will turn out great!

Try it! You might like it...or maybe you'll order pizza.

Hurried Curried Chicken.

Chicken Curry tonight!!! One of the dishes that I enjoy the most. the recipe came from the blog Soup and Dessert, a blog that I read regularly. The author of this blog posted the Chicken Curry recipe at the end of 2009, and I immediately added it to my "to be cooked" bookmarks. It was so easy to make, and actually turned out pretty good. I still have a long way to go to make more "authentic" Indian dishes, but this one came together pretty nicely.

I called this one my Hurried Curried Chicken, because I had Staci ask me several times when the food was going to be done. The aroma from the first spices in the oil is enough to get you salivating. I could barely wait for everything to be cooked. I'm sure that the sauce could have only improved if allowed to simmer for a few more minutes, but we both got to the point that we just couldn't wait any longer. I enjoyed this curry a great deal.

I'm sure that I'll make it again, maybe in the summer when tomatoes are fresh and warm from the garden. That could only add to the flavour of this dish!

Try it! You might like it...or maybe you'll order pizza.

Stew and Casserole

Yesterday was our day for Beef Stew cooked in the pressure cooker. Today was the Chicken Boudine. Neither were one of those "stand up and shout it" recipes, but both were filling, and most importantly very comforting foods. Both recipes made a lot of servings, so we'll probably be eating on both for a few days. I know the beef stew tastes even better the second day, I guess I'll find out tomorrow about the Boudine.

Update: The Boudine held up pretty well into the next day. If you want to know the truth of the matter, it was actually tastier on the 2nd day. The sharp cheddar seemed to be more married through the cream of mushroom base. I think if I made this again, I'd probably make it a day in advance and re-heat on the day I wanted to eat.

Try it! You might like it...or maybe you'll order pizza.

Shake-n-bake

Today has been one of those non-stop days. We worked on the banister for most of the morning. We stopped at lunch to cook (and take a nap). From mid-afternoon to this evening we've been cleaning the upstairs portion of the house, straightening the downstairs, and cooking dinner. I don't know about Staci, but I feel pooped. I'm excited with how the banister looks. I think we'll probably do another coat next weekend, and then seal it off. We'll have to do the second rail next weekend, as we just ran out of time this weekend.




For dinner tonight, at the request of Staci, I made a "traditional" Sunday dinner of fried chicken and potato salad. The potato salad was one that I've made before, and fell in love with it. It's an awesome vinaigrette version, as compared to the heavier mayo or sour cream based ones that I've made in the past. For chicken, I opted for an oven-baked fried chicken that I found while going through the recipes on Food Network's website. The whole time I was making it, I could only think of those Shake-n-Bake commericals from the 80's and 90's. It wasn't exactly like eating fried chicken, but it was a healthier alternative.

While I was at it, I also whipped up some egg salad to make sandwiches for the week. I found a good wrap-style sandwich on Food Network as well from Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger. I like her show a lot, and most of the items she makes are favourful and appetizing. I am changing the recipe up a bit by making the sammies in pita pockets rather than the wraps. They should be just as good, with hopefully not many more calories.

Now that I'm sitting and writing all of this out, I think I'll head to bed. It's been a productive, though exhausting weekend.

Try it! You might like it...or maybe you'll order pizza.

Late-night Snack

Staci worked really hard while I was at the grocery yesterday refinishing our banister. While I was at the grocery, I picked up one of her favourites, bing cherries. Last night, we both feasted on a bowl. To be the middle of winter, they were fantastic.

And today, for lunch we're having a warm bowl of chicken and rice soup. I gave the recipe for this soup before; it's a fast recipe, and a warm and refreshing meal on a day when it's still cold outside.