Chicken Noodle Soup (or Dumpling, if you like)

Here is my chicken soup recipe, a truly nourishing meal for keeping your health up. As before, read this broth information if you are interested. The stock recipe immediately below is from that link.

When I make soup, I start in the morning with the chicken stock and then by 5pm or so, the chicken is cooked, the broth is dark golden, and I am ready to assemble a soup. The soup recipe follows the stock recipe. As soon as you do it once, it is much easier to remember and make.

Chicken Stock:

1 whole free-range chicken or 2 to 3 pounds of bony chicken parts, such as necks, backs, breastbones and wings*
gizzards from one chicken (optional)
2-4 chicken feet (optional) I cannot find these anywhere, so I omit
4 quarts cold filtered water
2 tablespoons vinegar I use raw apple cider vinegar
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 bunch parsley

*Note: Farm-raised, free-range chickens give the best results. Many battery-raised chickens will not produce stock that gels.

If you are using a whole chicken, cut off the wings and remove the neck, fat glands and the gizzards from the cavity. Cut chicken parts into several pieces. (If you are using a whole chicken, remove the neck and wings and cut them into several pieces.) Place chicken or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel pot with water, vinegar and all vegetables except parsley. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bring to a boil, and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 hours. The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavorful it will be. About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will impart additional mineral ions to the broth.

Remove whole chicken or pieces with a slotted spoon. If you are using a whole chicken, let cool and remove chicken meat from the carcass. Reserve for other uses, such as chicken salads, enchiladas, sandwiches or curries. Strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in your refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and reserve the stock in covered containers in your refrigerator or freezer.

Chicken Noodle Soup:

chicken meat from 1/2 whole chicken, reserved from making chicken stock, shredded
reserved broth from making chicken stock
2-4 T. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly crosswise into rounds
4 celery stalks, sliced thinly crosswise
4 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

dumplings (or noodles, if you want to roll them out):
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 eggs
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Melt 2-4 T. butter in a stock pot. Add onion and saute until soft. Add all chicken stock and bring to a simmer. While heating up, add carrot, celery, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer over low heat for 30-60 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
2. Start making noodles/dumplings: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with your hands in a large mixing bowl, measure out flour and salt. Add eggs and oil and combine until dough forms. If making dumplings, stop here and spoon directly into soup (about 1/2 tsp. each--I use a small ice cream scoop). If making noodles, continue: On a lightly floured surface, knead for 10-12 minutes until dough is elastic. Roll out and cut into 2 inch strips. Add to soup pot.
3. Cook for about 30 minutes, until noodles/dumplings are cooked through. Serve with whole grain bread, sourdough if you can find or make it, toasted with butter. Can also sprinkle additional parsley on top.

Potato-Fennel Gratin

My mom's ward (the congregation I grew up in) is full of the most fabulous cooks. I had inklings of what people typically thought of Mormon cooking (think Garrison Keillor's descriptions of meals done by the Lutheran congregation at Lake Wobegon) when I heard disparaging remarks made about lime jello salads and funeral potatoes. But, I never tasted such cooking until I went away to college; the ladies I grew up around just didn't do things that way. As an adult, I always thought funeral potatoes were pretty tasty until I got this recipe that my mom's ward used in the last two Christmas parties they put on. This is my THE potato gratin/funeral potatoes dish.

Seriously, you'll never want funeral potatoes again...


Potato-Fennel Gratin
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

2 small fennel bulbs
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 T good olive oil
1 T unsalted butter
2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
2 C plus 2 T heavy cream
2 1/2 C grated Gruyere cheese (1/2 pound)
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter inside of a 10x5x2 (10 cup) baking dish. I just used a 9x13 pyrex.

Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. REmove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. SAute the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline. Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyere, salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed fennel and onion and mix well.

Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes. Combine the remiaining 2 T of cream and 1/2 c of Gruyere and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly. Check on this; I've had to cover the pan with foil with 15 minutes to a half hour to go to prevent the top from getting burned. Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.

Christmas Cinnamon Rolls

It just seems more like Christmas if you eat a delicious cinnamon roll, even if you have been eating cookies all week. I can say from recent personal experience that if you even try to eat more than one of these, you may risk heartburn!

I sneakily stole this recipe from someone two years ago, so it somehow makes them taste even better. The extra ingredient would seem to be Sneakiness. Oh wait, it is actually all that cinnamon. Or maybe that it takes one pound of butter to make a batch? You tell me.

Cinnamon Rolls

DOUGH:
2.5 teaspoons yeast (1 pkg.)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons wheat gluten
4 cups flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Mix 1 cup flour with yeast and wheat gluten in a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan and then add milk. Add sugar and salt until just dissolved. Heat through until warm and add to mixing bowl (the flour mixture).
3. Mix on high for 3 minutes. Add eggs and mix until blended. Add vanilla. Add flour gradually until dough is pliable and can be kneaded (you may need to add another cup or so of flour).
4. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 6-8 minutes, or until dough is elastic. Put into a large, greased plastic bowl and let rise until double, about 1 1/2-2 hours. Once dough has risen, roll out to the size (about) of a cookie sheet and about 1/8-1/4 inch thick (aim for 1/8 inch thickness).

MIDDLE STUFF:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 Tablespoons cinnamon

1. Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl and set aside. Spread butter evenly on dough and then sprinkle with sugar mixture. (You can leave one end plain--about 1/2 inch edge--to make the log stick together.) Roll dough into a log and cut every 2-3 inches. You can use a serrated knife or dental floss to avoid smashing the log.
2. Place on cookie sheets 1-2 inches apart (they will grow a lot in the oven!) Let rise on cookie sheets for about 1 hour. Bake at 335 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove when tops begin to brown (to avoid dryness).

FROSTING:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon lemon flavor

1. Cream butter and cream cheese together at low speed for 6 minutes. Switch to whisk attachment and whisk on high for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup sugar on low speed, and then go back to high speed for another 3 minutes. Add vanilla, lemon, and remaining sugar on low and then return to high speed for another 3 minutes, or until creamy.
2. Keep leftover frosting in fridge. Store extra rolls at room temperature, covered. Don't ice the rolls until just before serving.

(*note: when I made these, I kept my oven at a low temperature (around 150 degrees) while the dough was rising. Then I put the bowls (when the dough ball was rising) and the cookie sheets (when the rolls were rising) on top of the oven to make sure they were warm enough to rise properly. It worked like a charm!)

(If it is really cold in your house, heat up the oven and then turn it off, putting the dough to rise inside the warm oven. Put a ceramic bowl of boiling or very hot water in the oven as well, to keep the air moist.)

Cookie Baking Extravaganza 2009: Classic Sugar Cookies

This is a recipe from my MIL, who makes excellent sugar cookies. They have lemon extract in the dough and icing, which is probably why I am so partial to this particular recipe. I have not made a different recipe than this for a few years now. I love it! It also works well with whole wheat pastry flour.

(Later next week I am going to try it with sprouted flour, whole cane sugar, coconut oil, etc. for a healthy version. I will post my results!)

Classic Sugar Cookies
from k's MIL, modified

4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. lemon extract
3/4 cup milk (I use whole)

Icing:
powdered sugar
milk
lemon extract

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer on medium with the paddle attachment until pale and fluffy. Add egg and lemon extract. Gradually add flour and milk, alternating by switching 3 times or so. Mix until just combined.
3. Divide in thirds, flatten into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
5. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on lightly floured board. Cut out shapes and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
   
6. Bake 10-12 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer to cooking rack and let cool completely before decorating.
7. Make icing. Use a few cups of sugar, add about 1 tsp. of lemon extract, and then stir in milk until desired consistency is reached. You can also add food coloring to the icing at this point. Decorate cookies and let dry until icing is hardened.
   

Cookie Baking Extravaganza 2009: Gingerbread Cookies

Today I made a classic, and I love this version with pepper in addition to the usual gingerbready spices. I made mine into different shapes, and also am not going to make the royal icing. I made sugar cookies today as well, so I will just use that icing for both recipes. Look at the sugar cookie post for the recipe. Enjoy! (I got the recipe for these cookies from M*rtha Stewart.)

Gingerbread Cookies

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses
Royal Icing
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into snowflakes with a 7- inch snowflake-shape cookie cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
4. Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
5. Put icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #7). Pipe designs on snowflakes; immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand 5 minutes; tap off excess sugar. Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Store cookies between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.

Cookie Baking Extravaganza 2009: Chocolate Lump Cookies

I love these simple almond-milk chocolate ball cookies, since I was a little k.

Chocolate Lump Cookies

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 ½ cups sifted flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 bars (5 oz. each) Cadbury “Dairy Milk” chocolate bars, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and blend completely. Add flour, salt, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Combine. Add chopped chocolate bars and mix by hand with a wooden spoon.
2. Scoop out by the tablespoon and roll into 1 inch balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely brown on the bottom. Do not over bake.

Cookie Baking Extravaganza 2009: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These cookies are a satisfying blend of chocolate and peanut butter, even better than those peanut butter cookies with kisses in my opinion! Here is the original recipe, exactly the same as below but linked to give credit where credit is due.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

from Martha Stewart

½ cup creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling out the dough
36 mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped and chilled

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture in two batches.
3. Scoop off the dough in tablespoons; roll into balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate; roll balls in sugar, coating completely. Place two inches apart on a parchment-lined nonstick insulated baking sheet.
4. Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Press one peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie. Return to the oven; continue baking until cookies are golden brown and chocolate has begun to melt, about 6 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to a rack to cool completely.