Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Jalapeno Cornbread

Makes about 12 cornbread muffins.

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
2 T melted butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
canned jalapenos, chopped- amount to taste- I added about 2-3 T
1/2 box frozen broccoli (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Pour in muffin tins. Bake for about 12-15 minutes.

Chicken and Dumplings

1 onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
4 pieces of chicken- I used thighs for the dark meat
4 c. water
2 chicken bullion cubes
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 can cream of chicken
4 tsp. corn starch and water to thicken
3/4 c. frozen green peas
1 tsp. parsley

Dumplings:
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
about 3/4 c. iced water

Bring onion, celery, carrots, chicken, bullion cubes, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil in the 4 c. of water. Let simmer for about 30 minutes on medium low.

Meanwhile, make dumplings. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Add in water a little at a time mixing into dough with hands. Add water until dough has formed ball. Roll dough out on well floured surface to about 1/8 in. thick. Let rest for a few minutes while you do the next step.

After 30 minutes of simmering chicken, take it out and place it somewhere until it is cool enough to shred into pieces. Add cream of chicken into water mixture. Keep simmering for about 5-10 minutes. (If you would like to thicken your sauce up, now is the time to do it!) I mixed 4 tsp corn starch with some water in separate bowl. Add it into sauce mixture and let it thicken up for a few minutes. After it is to desired consistency, add shredded chicken, peas, and parsley to pot.

Back to dumplings, cut dough into 1 inch strips with knife. Break up strips when adding it to pot. DO NOT STIR dumplings in pot. Add desired amount of dumplings and put top on pot to let it steam the dumplings for about 8-10 minutes. Uncover and take off heat. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. You may want to add more salt and pepper to taste.