Chicken Pot Pie Stew

In an effort to re-imagine some of our favorite old recipes, I've once again called upon SkinnyTaste.com for help.  I took the veggies from my Chicken Stew & Dumplings recipe, the soup base from SkinnyTaste's Chicken Pot Pie Soup, and replaced the dumplings with Bisquick's garlic-cheddar biscuits. What resulted was very similar to my original, but definitely tastier. Just an enhancement, really.

Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes

These are too delicious not to share!  The ingredients are very simple and not unlike other mashed potatoes recipes I've followed. But the difference is the method of preparation. I made these the night before Thanksgiving and heated them up in the oven 30 minutes before the big turkey dinner.  But they're just as delicious when eaten straight out of the pot!
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks (by Ree Drummond).

(photo from blog NinjaBread)

Ingredients

• 5 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes
• 1-½ stick butter (plus a few extra pats)
  
• 1 package (8 oz.) organic cream cheese, softened
• ½ cups (to 3/4 cups) light whipping cream
  
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon  black pepper

Directions

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes (more or less depending on size of pieces). When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.
   
   
2. Drain the potatoes in a large colander.
   
   
3. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. 
4. Mash the potatoes (with a hand masher, NOT an electric mixer) over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape.
5. Turn off the stove and add 1-½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of whipping cream. Mash away!
   
   
6. Next, add seasoning salt and black pepper. Stir well. Taste and season more as needed.
   
7. Serve now OR place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.
   
   Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Pittsburgh Pierogies!

I got a pasta maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer for Christmas and, of course, I couldn't wait to make homemade pierogies! Pierogies have been one of my favorite foods since I was a kid - I'd literally eat them by the dozen when I was a teenager. We'd eat them on Fridays during Lent, serve them for Steelers parties, and sautee some whenever we got the craving. I first convinced Bill to try them when we were at Fathead's in Pittsburgh with my parents, after a Pens game. He was hooked, too. Shamefully, I have only made frozen, storebought pierogies until now; so it's time to challenge myself to make the real thing.

Here is a recipe I found on Pittsburgh.about.com:

Homemade Potato & Cheddar Pierogies
Note: I doubled the recipe below so that I would have some to freeze for later. For a double recipe, I used a total of 8 large russet potatoes. I definitely have a lot of potato mixture left over, too.

Yield will depend on how thin you roll the dough out and what size you make. I was able to make 3 dozen with a double recipe.

Potato, Cheese & Onion Filling
Ingredients

• 5-6 large potatoes
• 1/2 large onion
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• butter for sauteeing onion
  

Directions

1. Peel and boil potatoes until soft.
   
   
2. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop onion and saute in butter until soft and translucent. [I prefer to skip the onions in the mixture, just using potatoes and cheese]
3. Mash the potatoes with the sauted onions and cheese, adding salt and pepper to taste.
   
   
   
4. You can also add some fresh parsley, bacon bits, or other enhancements if you desire.
5. Let the potato mixture cool and then form into 1" balls.

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Pierogi Dough
Ingredients

• 2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
• 1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
  
  
• butter and onions for sauteing
• filling of your choice (potato & cheese filling recipe below)

Directions

1. Mix together the flour and salt.
2. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture.
3. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat.
   
   
4. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
   
   

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Pierogi Preparation

1. Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick.**I used my Kitchenaid Pasta Roller tool, starting at setting 1 and working up to setting 4:
   
   
   
   
2. Cut circles of dough (2" for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2" for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. **I used a large plastic tumbler**
   
   
3. Place a small ball of filling on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle.
   
   
4. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.**I tried this but ended up pressing the edges together with my fingers, like you do to decorate a pie crust.**
   
   
5. Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes).
   
6. Rinse in cool water and let dry.
7. Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft.
   
   
8. Add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy.
   
   

Serve with a side of sour cream for a true Pittsburgh pierogi meal.

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Homemade Pierogi Tips

1. If you are having a hard time getting the edges to stick together, you may have too much flour in the dough. Add a little water to help get a good seal.
2. If you don't want to cook all of the pierogies right away, you can refrigerate them (uncooked) for several days or freeze them for up to several months.
3. You can fill pierogies with pretty much anything you want, though potato and cheese is the most common.
   

Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes

So my first comment has to be that I do not know how to follow a recipe!! ;-)

I found this recipe on RecipeZaar.com. It calls for 1 cup of cheddar and then 1/2 cup grated Parm on top. Somehow, I read this as 2 cups of cheddar! So that's what I used and thought it felt a little thick when stirring, but I went with it.

Because of how much thicker the sauce turned out with the extra cheese, I poured a little more light cream on top and stirred it in with the sauce.........then after it had baked for about 40 minutes, I felt the sauce was still too thick - though quite tasty! - so I added another 1 cup of skim milk and mixed it up, then put it back in for the last 20 minutes.

The recipe below has the total amount of milk/cream added at the beginning, to correct my "mistake".

Also, I skipped the Parmesan topper because I wasn't necessarily going for ultra-cheesy potatoes.


So here is my inadvertently modified version of Scalloped Potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes (I used my Cuisinart food processor, which sliced the potatoes thin-ish, but I heard using a mandolin is better. Have to get me one of those!)
• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk (I used 1-3/4 cups skim milk and 1-1/4 cups light cream)
• 1 teaspoon Nature's Seasons seasoning salt
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used 1/2 cup sharp cheddar and 1-1/2 cups "taco blend" because it's what I had!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.
3. Let sit for a minute.
4. Add cold milk/cream, stirring with a whisk.
   
5. Add seasoning salt and cayenne.
6. Cook sauce on medium until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
7. Reduce heat and stir in cheese.
8. Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased casserole dish **I sprinkled with black pepper and some dried minced onion**.
9. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
10. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
11. Top with some paprika for color, if desired (I skipped this because of the seasonings in the taco blend cheese).
12. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour (or until potatoes are soft and sauce is bubbly and brown.

Bill thought this dish was paired very well with my Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken (shown below)

Roasted Cajun Potatoes

This recipe makes a great substitute for French fries or mashed potatoes.



This is a very spicy potato! Feel free to cut down on the paprika, cayenne pepper, onion, and garlic. We liked them this way though :)

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil (I used Gazebo Lite Greek Dressing)
  
• 1 tbsp minced onion
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 tsp salt (I used Nature's Seasons)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Cut each potato lengthwise into eight wedges (cut each one in half, if desired). In a large bowl, combine the oil, onion, garlic, salt, paprika, cayenne and pepper; add potatoes and toss to coat well.
3. Pour out onto foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until tender and golden brown, turning every 10 minutes ***I added a few drizzles of olive oil half way through**. Sprinkle with parsley when done.

Chicken Stew and Dumplings

My beef and dumplings recipes both came from my grandma. I recently tweaked the recipe to make it chicken-friendly.

My grandma used to make the beef version all the time when I was a kid and she shared the recipe with me a few years ago. Only it wasn't a recipe like the one below, it was more like, "You add some of this, and just enough of that, and boil it until it looks done...." :)

After a few attempts, I feel I've perfected it ... at least the way that Bill and I like it. It's one of those meals I always just "make" - just like Grandma does. I finally forced myself to write down some ingredients and instructions, although I don't think I'll ever actually follow this recipe exactly.

Try it out and taste as you go - make it perfect for you. I use green beans, carrots, corn, and potatoes, but you can use any veggies you like.




Now for the chicken version of my stew:

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed and trimmed of fat
• Black pepper to taste (you can add other seasonings, if desired)
  
• 1 tbsp minced onion (I used dried)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (dried or fresh)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes (this is optional, but I love the extra chickeny flavor)
• 2 large potatoes - peeled and cubed
• 1 cup chopped carrots (I use baby carrots cut in half)
• 1 small can of yellow corn (I prefer the no-salt-added kind), WITH juices
  
• 1 small can of cut green beans, WITH juices
• 1 cup water
• 1 packet McCormick's chicken gravy mix
  
• 2 cups Bisquick (I use the Heart Smart kind)
• 2/3 cup milk
• margarine

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil over med-high heat. Add chicken. Season with black pepper (and other seasonings if desired). Add minced onion and garlic. Cook until browned.
2. Add chicken broth, bouillon, potatoes and carrots. Let simmer on medium heat until potatoes and carrots are soft (I let mine simmer about 20 minutes).
3. Add canned veggies (with their juices) and let simmer another 15 minutes. **I keep tasting the broth to see if any other seasonings are needed**
4. In a separate sauce pan, mix gravy packet and water (according to directions on packet).
   
5. Once ready, pour gravy into stew mixture. Let simmer about 5 minutes, to thicken. **Here is when I take my last taste and add whatever I feel it needs**
6. In a small bowl, mix the Bisquick with milk (Sometimes I add some garlic powder and oregano to the dough).
7. Drop by spoonfuls into the bubbling stew. The dumplings should rise to the surface. Cover each dumpling with a small sliver of butter.
8. Place lid on the pot and let simmer on medium for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid in this time, or the dumplings might not raise properly!! If it sounds like it's boiling too hard, turn the heat down to medium-low after about 6 minutes.
9. Remove lid and serve!
   

To repeat my notes from the Beef version:

I haven't found a side dish that goes well with this meal, because it already has everything in it! This is a great cold-weather, lazy Sunday meal. We like to make it early in the day and chomp on it for both lunch and dinner.

My only complaint is that the dumplings themselves don't re-heat well (they get a little "grainy"). We try to eat all of the dumplings in one day (lunch and dinner) and then just add more dumpling mix to the left over stew the next day.

Feel free to add some water or chicken broth to the leftovers, depending on what you have left.

Beef Stew and Dumplings

This is a meal that I actually switch up between chicken and beef, depending on our mood and what we have in the freezer! I'll be posting the chicken version, as well.



Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 lb beef, cubed and trimmed of fat
• Black pepper to taste (you can add other seasonings, if desired)
  
• 1 tbsp minced onion (I used dried)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (dried or fresh)
• 4 cups beef broth
• 3 beef bouillon cubes (this is optional, but I love the extra beefy flavor)
• 2 large potatoes - peeled and cubed
• 1 cup chopped carrots (I use baby carrots cut in half)
• 1 small can of yellow corn (I prefer the no-salt-added kind), WITH juices
  
• 1 small can of cut green beans, WITH juices
• 1 cup water
• 1 packet McCormick's brown gravy mix
  
• 2 cups Bisquick (I use the Heart Smart kind)
• 2/3 cup milk
• margarine

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil over med-high heat. Add beef. Season with black pepper (and other seasonings if desired). Add minced onion and garlic. Cook until browned.
2. Add beef broth, bouillon, potatoes and carrots. Let simmer on medium heat until potatoes and carrots are soft (I let mine simmer about 20 minutes).
3. Add canned veggies (with their juices) and let simmer another 15 minutes. **I keep tasting the broth to see if any other seasonings are needed**
4. In a separate sauce pan, mix gravy packet and water (according to directions on packet).
   
5. Once ready, pour gravy into stew mixture. Let simmer about 5 minutes, to thicken. **Here is when I take my last taste and add whatever I feel it needs**
6. In a small bowl, mix the Bisquick with milk (Sometimes I add some garlic powder and oregano to the dough).
7. Drop by spoonfuls into the bubbling stew. The dumplings should rise to the surface. Cover each dumpling with a small sliver of butter.
8. Place lid on the pot and let simmer on medium for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid in this time, or the dumplings might not raise properly!! If it sounds like it's boiling too hard, turn the heat down to medium-low after about 6 minutes.
9. Remove lid and serve!

I haven't found a side dish that goes well with this meal, because it already has everything in it! This is a great cold-weather, lazy Sunday meal. We like to make it early in the day and chomp on it for both lunch and dinner.

My only complaint is that the dumplings themselves don't re-heat well (they get a little "grainy"). We try to eat all of the dumplings in one day (lunch and dinner) and then just add more dumpling mix to the left over stew the next day.

Feel free to add some water or beef broth to the leftovers, depending on what you have left.

Pesto Mashed Potatoes

I wanted a twist on traditional mashed potatoes, so I thought adding pesto could be tasty.

They were pretty good under beef tips and gravy - you be the judge!


Ingredients:

• 6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash pepper
• 1 tablespoon prepared pesto
  

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil; cook for 20-25 minutes or until very tender.
   
2. Drain well.
   
3. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper; mash (or mix with hand mixer) until light, fluffy, and free of lumps.
4. Add pesto and swirl in with a wooden spoon.