2021 January ~ A New Year ~ A New Day ~

I thawed the last of my 'prime' ribeye steaks......it's a gorgeous 75° with a little breeze outside today so it was a perfect 'charcoal grill' day. I don't think beef gets any better than when it's cooked over charcoal. The asparagus was teeny tiny but still tasted pretty good.

Wish I had made some chocolate mocha cookies for dessert........

((sigh))

For some reason which I can't explain, I took down a 1963 McCall's cookbook and started turning the pages from the start and came across some really interesting stuff. At about page 80, there was a couple pages on dumplings and thought I'd post one here since they were under discussion. This is one I am going to try sometime because it is one I have not tried before and might be a good one.

Fluffy Egg Dumplings Makes about 10 dumplings

1 1/2 C. sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, well beaten
2 Tablespoons melted shortening or salad oil
1 C. milk

Sift flour with baking powder and salt into medium mixing bowl.

2. In small bowl, combine eats, shortening, and milk until well combined. Pour, all at once, into flour mixture, mixing only until dry ingredients are moistened.

3. Drop batter, by rounded tablespoonfuls, onto gently boiling stew in large Dutch oven or heavy skillet. Cook, uncovered, over low heat, 10 minutes. Cover tightly; cook 10 minutes longer.

4. Remove dumplings’ keep wart while thickening stew. Serve dumplings along with stew.

variations

Curry Dumplings to fluffy egg dumplings, add 1/2 tsp. curry powder to flour. mixture.

Sage Dumplings: add 1/2 tsp rubbed sage to the flour mixture.

Sounds good, Norm. That recipe is the kind of dumplings I grew up eating.

We had the dumplings with beef stew most often, although I think Mom liked them best cooked atop a big pan of stewed tomatoes. We never, to my memory, had them with a thick chicken stew.

After moving to Florida (the South) I found a completely different kind of dumpling, one I consider a fat, slippery noodle, almost exclusively with chicken. People raved about them and when I first tasted the 'Southern Chicken and Dumplings' I was really surprised. To my taste the flat noodles were almost like the dough had not cooked completely. I've since come to appreciate the difference in the cultural differences of the dumplings.

At one time I used a Tyler Florence recipe for the lightest dumplings. It was the first time I added chopped parsley to my dumplings and I remember thinking the addition really added 'something nice' to the recipe. Of course, I can no longer find the recipe...... As I remember, they were made with buttermilk, baking soda and baking powder and an important step was to let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for a while so the buttermilk & soda could make the batter rise before being added to the simmering stew and then the baking powder made them rise even more. There were specific instructions to not lift the lid during the cooking period.

I haven't had egg dumplings before so I want to try them. I have had the noodle dumplings that people rave about but i don't see what is so wonderful about them. I don't think potato dumplings would go with Southern chicken stew and dumplings though.

That dough sounds just like a Spaetzle dough. Spaetzle are also sometimes classified as a dumpling.

Cookin Lore wrote:That sounds awfully painful!  Hope you feel better soon.  

Thanks Lore. .

I didn't know what to cook for tonight so I made the best decision I could think of.....



I ordered from Mission BBQ ~ let someone else do the cooking! I made a bowl of slaw to have with our meals. I got the beef brisket, comes with a piece of cornbread and we split an order of their 'fresh' fries. Dane got the half smoked chicken, his favorite.

Last year, while at the Asian market, I picked up a couple of Cornish hens. They were frozen and it was hard to make see the wording but I could make out "New York Dressed" which I took to mean they were seasoned. When I thawed them today and took them out of their bags, they still had their heads and feet attached. They still had their insides too. I took a closer look at the label and found out I'd gotten squab. I cooked them like Cornish hens. They were all dark meat and tougher than Cornish hens. I made an orange sauce for them, some parsnips which I cooked in butter, then steamed a little bit, some corn that was in a bag and some rice.

Heads, feet & innards.........

Ahhhh, I think I would have ordered carryout.


You're a brave one, my friend!

Squab is a pidgeon, right? When we moved to our farm in1975, hubby built a barn and a pidfeon coop at the top.  he loved to see them, and actually I did too.  He used to say that we should eat them.  I said "You kill, pluck the feathers etc., and I'll cook them."  He never did, and eventually he got tired of the mess, and there were soooo many of them.  He ended up going into the coop pretty well daily, taking the eggs out, dropping them on the driveway for the dogs to eat, and no more babies.

PS. Now if it's all dark meat, that would be a bonus for me. I bought some quail a few years ago. Dark meat also, but not much meat on them, so I'll never buy them any more that's for sure.

The first time I went to visit my daughter who was going to the University of Victoria (BC) the university grounds had a big problem with rabbits.  I think someone had released a couple or more of domesticated rabbits, and they, you know, multiplied like rabbits. LOL  It was dangerous to walk on any of the grassy areas because the rabbits had dug so many tunnels.  I don't know how they got rid of them, but I remember telling Cindy that if they put out a notice that people could come and get them there would be a flurry of rabbit catchers there at night.

https://www.google.com/search?q=university+of+victoria+rabbit+problem&rlz=1C1GGRV_enCA751CA751&oq=University+of+Victoria+rabbit&aqs=chrome.2.0j69i57j0i22i30.17876j1j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

PS. I thought they had gotten rid of them, apparently not!

I made an Indian recipe, Lamb with peas from my new Indian cooking book yesterday.  It was sooooo good.  Will send  a picture.  TIA


"Tonight. I made the first Indian dinner from my new cookbook. Lamb with peas. It is soooo good. Lots of spices, but actually quite mild.  I didn’t know before that garam masala was just a spice mix and regions and families all have their own mix.  I made up a batch of the mix used in this dish, so that I have it on hand."

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:My grandfather, used to get all dressed up, and go to the park with a paper bag. and a pocket full of dry corn kernel's. He would feed the pigeons then grab two and broke their necks to put them to sleep, for good.
In the bag, he would carry them home to prepare to clean, cook, and eat.
YUK!

In Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, he mentioned doing that when he lived in Paris.

Cookin Lore wrote:Squab is a pidgeon, right? When we moved to our farm in1975, hubby built a barn and a pidfeon coop at the top.  he loved to see them, and actually I did too.  He used to say that we should eat them.  I said "You kill, pluck the feathers etc., and I'll cook them."  He never did, and eventually he got tired of the mess, and there were soooo many of them.  He ended up going into the coop pretty well daily, taking the eggs out, dropping them on the driveway for the dogs to eat, and no more babies.

PS.  Now if it's all dark meat, that would be a bonus for me.  I bought some quail a few years ago.  Dark meat also, but not much meat on them, so I'll never buy them any more  that's for sure.

Squab is pidgeon and it is all dark meat.

Leftovers tonight......whatever each of us wants ~ clean out the refrigerator

I made a batch of loaded baked potato soup. Whether anyone will eat it is another matter. I wish I could freeze it but I read where it doesn't freeze well. I took a small amount and put it in the freezer and tomorrow I will defrost it and see how it looks.

I had goulash, home fries and red cabbage last night. Wednesday is my day of cooking for the couple here in the building, they were thrilled to see the home fries and red cabbage. They are not really big on vegetables, so the fact that they both love red cabbage was a bonus. I used a whole head of cabbage, so some has gone into the freezer for future. Today is kitchen cleaning day. Browning meat on the stove makes such a mess! Any hints on trying to keep the floor clean? Or less greasy? I have ceramic tile and will have to use my steam floor cleaner!

Cookin Lore wrote:I had goulash, home fries and red cabbage last night.  Wednesday is my day of cooking for the couple here in the building, they were thrilled to see the home fries and red cabbage. They are not really big on vegetables, so the fact that they both love red cabbage was a bonus.  I used a whole head of cabbage, so some has gone into the freezer for future.   Today is kitchen cleaning day.   Browning meat on the stove makes such a mess!  Any hints on trying to keep the floor clean? Or less greasy?  I have ceramic tile and will have to use my steam floor cleaner!

I think it was Michelle who showed the spatter 'collar' she used.  It's a silicone spatter guard that makes it easier to keep the spatters from landing on the stovetop & floor.  I found an image of a different one on Amazon that maybe you can use to start a search.  It's light, yet sturdy, doesn't get hot, works better than a 'spatter screen' and isn't terribly expensive.  And since it's made of silicone it can be cleaned in the dishwasher or hot soapy water and folds for easy storage.

Whoops! I forgot to add the link to the picture:

https://www.amazon.com/Frywall-12-Large-Black-Splatter/dp/B01LYH57K3

Thanks, I guess it would help, but it looks awkward for stirring in the pan. I have a splatter screen, but that also only does a part job! Oh well, I have time. Lots of it. Just having leftovers today just to keep the kitchen clean. I have an afghan that I crocheted, it's done except for the fringes. That will keep me busy! LOL

I have been reading about Costco's new bakery brownies and bought a tray when I was in there. They are awful and will go in the trash. They are like half-baked brownies. Raw. The taste is bad fake chocolate. BLECH! I don't know how anyone could rave about them.

It's a repeat meal from recently.......but the peapods were ready to be picked. I ended up with a quart container after cleaning.....leftovers in the refrigerator.