I haven't been lost...just eatin' a whole lot!

I feel like I've let my readers (all two of you) down. I went the entire month of February with nary a post. I am sure some of you went back and re-read the book of Revelations in the Bible...just to make sure this wasn't one of the signs of the apocalypse. I assure you, it is not...at least I don't think it is. I remember something about the seven churches of asia...the false prophet...the beast...the whore of Babylon... Nope, no mention of the Great Food Junkie.

Speaking of "women of ill repute (not necessarily in Babylon), do you remember the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"? Do you know how long it took me to realize the people who printed the movie posters didn't misspell warehouse?  I'll admit, I have rarely been the brightest bulb in the pack.

However, I digress.

Anyway, we have a little catching up to do. I believe I ended my last post with some mention of taking a bite out of Bambi. That's exactly what I did. I had a coworker come up to me and mention that he had too much deer meet, and was wondering if I might like some roast. Well, I never cooked deer in my life. The benefit to that is that if I really screw it up, the family will think that's just how deer is supposed to taste, and I am without shame. The next day, the friend showed up with five deer roasts. Now I was looking at five hunks of meat, and I had no idea how to cook it. I figured it would be good cooked slowly in a slow cooker, but I wanted to grill it. After some research and recipe hunting, I decided to treat Bambi just like I treated my dear friend chuck in the previous blog post. I mixed up the same marinate, with perhaps a bit more brown sugar, and marinated two roasts. I then wrapped them in bacon, and threw them on the grill. The results were deeeeeelicious!

 The bacon did a great job of keeping the lean deer moist. The only problem was the roast on the right. Not having ever cooked deer before, when I pulled it out, I thought it was the most beautiful roast I had seen. I wasn't sure what the significance of it being labeled "neck" was, but I was sure it was something special. What is special about it is that friggin huge bone running right through the center of the roast, making it one beast to slice.

My next great adventure in cooking is a program called eMeals. This is a neat little program, and the perfect solution for the family that raises their utility bill by standing in front of an opened refrigerator for three years, wondering what to make for supper. The result is usually, ordering pizza. With eMeals you are emailed meal plans for the entire week. Depending on the subscription level you choose, you can either have just dinner plans emailed to you, or every meal of the day. Not only are you given a menu, but you are given a shopping list as well. To make things even easier, you can indicate what store you do most of your grocery shopping at, and Emeals with customize the meal plans to use ingredients known to be carried at that store.

After doing eMeals for a couple weeks, we decided our grocery bill was a little higher than it used to be. However, we figure that we are coming out better in the long run, because knowing each night what you are going to eat, significantly reduces the pizza orders, and trips to restaurants. Here are some of the things we have eaten.

This is a creamy cheddar cauliflower soup. I wasn't sure at first, how it would taste, but the whole family scarfed it up. One of the tricks I used, was using yellow cauliflower. It helped intensify the cheesy look to the soup.

This is dirty rice and peas. Okay, there is absolutely nothing special about the peas, but the dirty rice reminded me of the stuff I used to get with my chicken and biscuits at Bojangles. I know I'm dating myself by mentioning that restaurant.

 

This was one of the best meals by far. It is a crispy baked Parmesan chicken breast. What is it the teenage girls say? OMG! The recipe didn't call for buttermilk, but I did marinate the chicken breast in buttermilk all day, while I was at work. The crispy topping was absolutely to die for. I know, the chicken in the picture doesn't look very crispy. That's because there was a whole lotta juicy topping surrounding the chicken that I just couldn't let go to waste...unless it was going to my waste. The other miracle on the plate is the carrots. The main flavorings for the carrots were brown sugar, butter, and ginger. The miracle is that Joseph actually ate them. He ate cooked carrots! THAT is a sign of the apocalypse!

Finally, this is cranberry chicken, with stuffing and sour cream green beans. The chicken, once again, was out of this world. the glaze is a combination of California French Dressing, Onion soup mix, and whole cranberry cranberry sauce. It is one of those recipes that you initially look at warily. Cranberry sauce and onion soup mix...really! Then, you are surprised with one of the best chicken dishes you have ever eaten. Unfortunately, I can't heap the same praise on the green beans. That is one of those recipes that looks great on paper, but reality is something completely different. You see sour cream, french cut green beans, and Parmesan cheese on the ingredient list, and think, "This has got to be a winner!" Guess what!?! You really can ruin a perfectly good batch of green beans.

My final adventure involved "Bring your favorite soup to work" day at ... that's right. Work! I had no idea what to bring. Then I went to Beverly's office. Whenever you are in doubt, just go to Beverly's office. She will tell you what to do...or where to go. I didn't want to make my world famous Jose O'Shea's Green Chili. We would have a chili cook off soon, and just like you can't wear the same prom dress twice, I certainly couldn't cook the same chili twice. In all honesty, if I were to really bring my favorite soup to work, it would be a package of chicken ramen. I wasn't sure how well that would go over with the other folks.

Well, Beverly, being the great and wise guru that she is, suggested I try to make the white bean chicken chili that is served at Ruby Tuesday's. That's exactly what I did, and it must have been a success. I barely had enough left for one bowl that the kids could share at home. Anyway, it has been a while since I've posted a recipe on my blog. Here is my recipe for White Bean Chicken Chili. Once I come up with a regular chili recipe that I think is a winner, I'll have all the colors of the Mexican flag.

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White Bean Chicken Chili

Ingredients
Six cups cooked and diced chicken.
Six cups chicken broth (boil a whole chicken with some veggies to get both your broth and the cooked chicken. It will be much better than any broth you buy at the store, AND you will save money.)  
2lb bag of Great Northern Beans (soaked according to directions on bag.)
2 medium onions chopped
2 roasted jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced.
1 large Chile Pasillo (or Poblano) roasted and diced
1 small bunch of cilantro
2 tsp ground Cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilis)

Directions
Roast the pasillo and jalepeno peppers by placing them on a baking sheet, and spraying them with cooking spray. Then put them under the broiler, and allow the skin to blister and char. Watch carefully. You want the peppers roasted, not burnt. You will need to turn the peppers, so all sides can get charred. Take the peppers out of the broiler, and immediately place in a plastic storage bag, or other air tight container. Allow to sweat and cool. When the peppers are cool enough to hold comfortably, the skin should peel off easily.

Place all of the ingredients, except the cilantro, in a slow cooker, and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours. Chop the cilantro, and add during the last hour of cooking. Towards the end, you will want to salt and pepper to taste. I like to add some adobo seasoning. Adobo seasoning is an all purpose seasoning blend most Mexican cooks have in their pantries. It adds a nice flavor to many things. If you want your chili to be a little thicker, take a couple cups of beans out in the last hour, and mash them. Stir the mashed beans back in with the rest of the chili.

Serve with a dollup of sour cream and a little bit of shredded cheddar, or other favorite cheese.

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I'll try not to stay away so long next time. I promise. St. Patrick's day is coming around the corner. It is one of my favorite times to celebrate. I found a good recipe for smoked corned beef. I might just give it a try...and write about it.

Smokey says, "Only you can prevent grill fires!"

So...let me explain that cryptic title. You might remember that with my last post I had just finished cooking ribs. One of the side effects of slow smoking ribs is very fatty and sugary drippings. Just keep that in mind.

The other day, we decided to have some leg and thigh quarters, cooked on the grill. Those were quickly becoming one of our favorite things to cook on the Sawtooth. For one thing, it just about takes an act of God (or stupidity) to dry out leg and thigh quarters. You are almost 100% guaranteed juicy chicken. Quarters are one of the absolute least expensive cuts of any type of meat you can purchase for grilling. I like to have the butcher season my quarters before purchasing. That allows the seasoning plenty of time to get into the meat. This last time, I had him use lemon pepper seasoning, and boy did he ever. I almost had to look twice to make sure there really was chicken under all of that seasoning.

One of my fondest memories of childhood was my Grandpa's barbecued chicken. His chicken was not covered in a sloppy sweet barbecue sauce. Instead, it was really grilled chicken that he would baste with a special sauce that contained lemon, butter, and other ingredients. I say, "other ingredients" because I truly don't know what the other ingredients were. I have learned to make my own baste, using a stick of margarine, a whole lemon (or a quarter cup lemon juice), a quarter cup red wine vinegar, a couple tablespoons of light soy sauce, some Greek seasoning, and a cup of water. I let all of it come to a boil, then remove it from the heat.

So...back to my story. I took the chicken and placed it on the grill, skin side down, and basted it. All was looking good.

About 15-20 minutes later, I checked the chicken again, and rebasted. That's when things fell apart. I went into the kitchen and started having a pleasant conversation with the wife. (They really do seem to pop up a lot in stories of male goof-ups, and they usually end up looking much smarter.) Well, it just so happened to be one of those rare golden moments when the kids were in the living room...actually getting along...and we were getting deeper and deeper into our conversation. Then I sniffed the air. Hmmm. I shouldn't be smelling that type of odor. That does not smell like chicken slowly cooking on a "non-flare-up" wood pellet grill. I looked out the back door. To my wondering eyes appeared a thick envelope of smoke with bright orange flames just to the right. I ran outside, and...well...let's just say I did not have one of my more glorious moments of self control. The bad news is that a whole lotta Hail Mary's are going to be needed to fully recover. The good news is that my creative side came up with a whole slew of new adjectives to properly describe how I was feeling at the moment. Anyway, after this rather embarrassing moment ended with a pitcher of water tossed on the grill, I was left with the following result.

Chicken, anyone?

I guess it "no flare-ups" only applies if you change the foil after cooking greasy, sugary ribs on your grill. Who knew? Anyway, we did actually have chicken that night. With the fire extinguished, I continued to grill and baste the chicken. Remember, earlier I told you it just about takes an act of God to dry out leg and thigh quarters. Fortunately, He took pity on me. After removing the burned skin, there was actually some very tasty chicken underneath. I even managed to pull one more triumph from the jaws of this disaster. A few nights later, I took the three uneaten quarters, and turned them into one of the best tasting chicken gumbos to have ever passed between my lips!

Yes, Virginia! Miracles do happen...even for grown men who make stupid mistakes at the grill.

Update: I really should read my own blog more often. Apparently, I never did write a blog about my ribs...I just ate 'em and left it at that!

What do you get when you cross a proper Brit with a Rajun Cajun?

You get Yorkshire Jambalaya Pie.

Now, let me explain. I was visiting one of my favorite websites the other day: www.irishamericanmom.com. This website has some of the best Irish recipes. I found one that I was wanting to give a try. Yorkshire Pudding. At the same time, I have had a craving for some of the foods that are considered more cool weather comfort foods, such as chili and chicken pot pie. The recipe for the yokshire pudding called for it to be made in muffin tins. However, it mentioned that it was originally baked in a single dish. The picture associated with this recipe showed some super fluffy, muffin type morsels. I thought to myself, this looks like it would make a good light and fluffy top to a chicken pot pie.

So...the plans were to make a Yorkshire Pot Pie. When I am making a new creation, I sometimes go on a tangent that takes me down a completely different path. I pulled some chicken breasts out of the freezer, and saw a smoked sausage. I thought to myself, "That sausage looks like it would be really tastey, cubbed up and placed in my pot pie. I got some flour, salt, pepper, and thyme and mixed it all up. I then poured my flour mixture in a gallon freezer bag, and tossed cubed chicken breast in it. While doing this, I thought about the veggies that would go in my pot pie. I had all sorts of dried veggies, and I started thinking that I would like to use those in my pie, instead of just opening a can or two of veg-all. While I was frying my chicken and sausage in one pan. I was boiling dried carrots, green and red peppers, onions, and diced tomatoes in another pan with some of my home made turkey stock.

Once the meat was thoroughly cooked through, I poured in the reconstituted veggies and stock. I then added milk, and a couple heaping tablespoons of Greek yogurt. I also added some Tony Cachere's creole seasoning, garlic powder, and just a little salt and pepper. Once thickened, I poured into my lasagna pan and covered with the yorkshire pudding batter. It baked at 425 for thirty minutes, then got brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with kosher salt and cracked black pepper, and tossed under the broiler until golden brown. The result came out looking pretty spectacular.

This was no ordinary chicken pot pie. It definitely had a Louisiana flavor to it. Thus the Yorkshire Jambalaya Pie was born. The way that pan was left without a scrap in sight, I have a funny feeling this pie is going to reborn multiple times. Who knew a Brit and a Cajun could make such a beautiful child?  ;-)

Finally! It's Time For Some Grillin' And Some Chillin'!

I know! I hear you loud and clear! Grillin' and Chillin' time started waaaaay before the middle of August. The problem is that I'm lazy. There. I said it. I'm lazy. My gas grill burners and flavorizors rusted out a while back. On top of that, my propane ran out. What can I say? It was going to cost almost as much to replace the parts as it would to buy a new basic gas grill. I haven't been totally without a grill. I have my Chargriller Super Smoker Pro. However, that sucker is big, and kind of a pain to get going just to do a quick dinner for four. Now the other day, I had eight leg and thigh quarters to cook. The Chargriller was perfect for that. I had enough space to cook the quarters, and enough space for a cool zone, in case of flare-ups. In addition, it is perfect for smoking turkeys, ribs, and pork shoulders. After all, that is why I got it.

However, I was really beginning to miss going out on the back deck and cranking up the grill for a nice easy dinner. I have to be honest. Laziness wasn't the only reason for not replacing the gas grill. The other was that a gas grill wasn't what I was really wanting. My brother had been trying to talk me into getting a wood pellet grill. They aren't cheap, though. Finally, the right set of circumstances fell in place, and I was ready to get one. Of course, this long wait had given me the opportunity to do a lot of research on wood pellet grills. For looks, there are two basic types of wood pellet grills. You have your barrel grills, like Traegers,
Brinkmanns, and some Louisiana grills, and you have the style that looks more like your typical gas grill. Looks (as well as space) were important to me, since this grill would be on display on my deck. I heard one main complaint about the barrel grills. They all seemed to have a hard time getting to the high 450 degree and above temperatures needed for searing foods. Another problem was build quality. Apparently, Traeger recently moved production of their grills to China, and quality seems to have suffered. I don't know where the Brinkmann wood pellet grill is made, but I was seeing reviews for it that were so-so at best. The Louisiana grills do seem to have a devoted following, but I decided I wanted a look more modern.

If you go with the modern look you have choices between such brands as Mak, Yoder, and Memphis Grills. All are excellent quality brands, with prices to match (I'm talking thousands of dollars. Yikes!!!!!) Then, one day, I ran across a brand I had never heard before. Sawtooth Pellet Grills. I emailed the company, and got a reply from Doug. Poor Doug. I doubt he ever got bombarded by so may question filled emails about the products he sells. To make a long story short (in case some of you readers are still awake at this point) I found out the following. Sawtooth pellet grills are made in Star, Idaho. This is a definite plus for those looking to buy American. Another plus is that is is made of 16 gauge steel. This is important, because the thicker the gauge of steel, the easier it will be to retain and regulate the heat in the grill. 16 gauge was the highest I found of any grills. The Sawtooth grills use the same controls as the Louisiana grills. This control is a nice compromise between the simple controls with Low/Medium/High settings, and those that are digitally controlled. While the Sawtooth controls don't give quite the precision of a digital control, it does have nineteen different steps between Low/Smoke and High. It also has a Prime button, which is great for adding a little more fuel to the fire to make recovery from opening the lid faster.

Sold!

Sawtooth grills come in two models, SPG-400 and SPG-600. The number in the model denotes the approximate amount of grill surface. The SPG-400 has 440 square inches of grilling surface. Each size is sold in two packages. The basic package is the grill only. The Extra package includes front and side shelves, and a grill cover. I chose the basic package. I can add shelves later, if I really need them, and I can get a good grill cover at the local hardware store. After waiting on pins and needles, my baby (Excuse me, Dear. Our baby) arrived. Two hours after I got home, with the help of my son and Christina's boyfriend, I had the handsome beast below.

In case you are wondering, that giant black box with the glowing blue light is the wood pellet hopper. Instead of propane or charcoal, this grill uses pellets made of compressed hardwoods. Don't let the extension cord fool you into thinking this is just an electric grill. It actually uses very little power. The grill has an auger that turns and feeds the wood pellets into a small burn pot. It then electrically ignites the wood pellets, starting a small, but intense fire. From that point on, the only power used is what is needed to turn the auger, and a small fan that keeps the fire fed with oxygen, and also helps keep the electronics from overheating. The grill regulates the temperature by adjusting how fast the wood pellets are fed into the burn pot.

Choosing wood pellets can be almost as confusing as choosing a grill. Some wood pellets are simply oak or alder that is treated with "flavoring" oils. This does help keep the cost of the pellets down, but it also imparts very little wood flavor into the food, and leaves more ash residue to clean up. After all, the oil adds moisture to the pellets. Some pellets are made from 100% of the wood it claims to be, such as hickory, mesquite, cherry, or maple. This is great for imparting that authentic taste, but it also adds somewhat to the cost of the pellets, and gives the griller more to remember when grilling. Different woods burn at different rates and temperatures. I chose pellets from CookingPellets.com. These folks only sell two types of wood pellets. You can choose from 100% hickory pellets, or their Perfect Mix. The Perfect Mix is a blend of hickory, cherry, hard maple, and apple. They claim it provides the perfectly balanced smoke flavor. I am certainly going to have fun testing that claim.

It was almost 8pm before we finished building the grill. If I was going to christen it that evening, I was going to have to choose something fairly quick cooking. Smoked sausages! I'll tell you a little secret. Kroger sells there Kroger Value smoked sausages in packs of sixteen for the same price the other brands are selling packs of five. Before you wrinkle your nose, consider this. They are massive compared to most other brands, and they are made for Kroger by John Morrell. Trust me, when I tell you that you won't be disappointed. We certainly weren't.

Take note of the cooking grates. They are flat stainless steel grates with slits cut out. The jury is still out on these. I have a feeling they are not going to be good for leaving grill marks on things like steaks. However, the next night's meal proved that they are ideal for grilling thin vegetables without the usual sacrificial pieces.

Friday night was special for Neva and I. Joseph left for a troop campout, and Christina and Justin (her boyfriend) were at the drag races. I was determined that we were going to have a special super. Trust me. I will be finding many reasons to grill and justify this purchase. I went to Kroger and picked up a bundle of fresh asparagus, two baking potatoes, and some southwestern stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in bacon. The chicken breasts were stuffed with roasted red sweet peppers, a very small amount of chipotles , and Monterey Jack & Cheddar cheeses.

I cooked the potatoes and stuffed chicken breasts on the grill at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. While they were cooking, I took the asparagus and snapped off the tough ends. I then mixed 1/4 cup olive oil, the zest and juice of one lemon, and three cloves of minced garlic. I then poured the mixture over the asparagus, sprinkled with kosher salt, and tossed until all of the spears were well coated.

During the last fifteen minutes of grilling, I put the asparagus on the grill, turning it halfway through the cooking. The resulting dinner is displayed below.

I love this grill!

Next up, smoked turkey. Y'all come back soon!

Eat Pizza and Promote Peace!

It is my firm belief that if God had given the Israelites pizza every day while they were wandering around for forty years (There's a good argument for GPS, if there ever was one), they would not have rebelled quite so often. After all, what one food item can easily present members of all food groups in a delicious, easy to hold form factor? Perhaps, if Moses had come down from the mountain top with some pizzas to feast on whilst reading the stone tablets, God's chosen people would have taken the time to actually comprehend the message he was delivering. I bet the whole Israeli/Palestinian conflict could be ended tomorrow, if the leaders would just sit down and hold a "Pizza Summit".

This pepperoni is divine! You can have Gaza.

Now! One might get the impression that I am ever so slightly partial to the culinary delight that is Pizza. I'm not really sure what would ever give one that impression, but he/she would be...

...correct.

What is there not to love about hot gooey cheese, tomato sauce and a crunchy crust. Even the act of cooking pizza is bliss itself. Would you consider visions of a hot bubbly meatloaf sitting in the oven romantic? How about a pot of brussels sprouts boiling on the stove top? That certainly gets the emotions going. However, they are NOT the emotions of romance and desire. But, then you imagine a pizza baking in a wood fired oven...

If that doesn't get you going, you are one cold hearted person!

Let's get something straight right now. Everyone thinks of pizza as Italian. What we eat over here, in the great US of A, is NOT Italian. The pizza we all grew up with is American through and through. I've been to Italy. I've had Italian pizza. I'm sure it tastes wonderful...to Italians. Yes, you can get a pepperoni pizza in Italy. But, that is really just an Italian selling you American pizza. That's the beauty of pizza, though. No matter where you go, you will probably find pizza. In each place, it will be different. Pizza is such a universal dish, yet completely customizable to the culture. The closest most of us will come to a true Italian pizza is a Pizza Margherita. This is pizza in one of it's simplest, yet most delicious forms. Tomato sauce, crust, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil.

Everybody has their favorite local pizza joint. Pizza is one of those dishes that stirs up the passions. Everyone thinks they know where the best pizza is made, and all of you non-believers can just shut up, and go to...I think you get the picture. I'm like everyone else. I have my favorites too. None of those favorites include the three national pizza chains. Don't get me wrong. They aren't bad, just not great.

When I am looking for a place to go and relax with friends, while enjoying some of the best pizza, the family and I head over to Pietro Pizza and Subs. This place is run by a mother/daughter duo, two of the nicest people you will ever meet. Pictured below, is one of our favorite pizzas from Pietro...the Meatza pizza!

Pietro uses a fairly thin crust that puffs up nice and plump around the edges. It is not exactly like, but very similar to, a New York style pizza. If we are feeling especially sinful, we will order a stuffed Meatza. That sucker is a Meatza pizza with an additional crust put on top. that Top crust is covered in butter(I think), Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasonings. Very good, and very messy. If you are in the mood for something good, but not necessarily pizza, I can certainly recommend the strombili (definitely large enough for two people), or the Italian salad. If there is one complaint I have, it is that Pietro uses canned mushrooms on the pizzas and salads. Fresh would be much nicer, especially on the salads. However, if mushrooms are the only problem, I'll just shut up and keep chompin'.

A coworker of mine recently introduced me to my second favorite source for pizza. That would be Papa Murphy's. Papa Murphy's is the fifth largest pizza chain in the country, with over 1200 stores in 37 states. The interesting thing about Papa Murphy's is that you don't eat there. In fact, our local store has just one little bench. They don't even cook the pizzas for you. They simply build them, and hand them over...with instructions. While they may not cook their pizza's, they certainly do build some of the best pizzas you will ever bake. Do you want a pizza that tastes better than delivery? Go to Papa Murphy's. Don't let those DiGiorno people fool you. They make frozen pizza. It may be glorified frozen pizza, but it is still frozen pizza. I have yet to buy one that "tastes like delivery". Papa Murphy's is more expensive than frozen pizza, but definitely comparable to, if not better than, the national chains in price.

Last night, I went to Papa Murphy's. I got a Parmesan Chicken deLite, and a Stuffed Meat pizza. After tax, it was $26.50. Considering how big the pizzas were (The Parmesan Chicken was 14" and the Stuffed Meats was 16"), it was a very reasonable price. Straight out of the store, these pizzas had me salivating.

The Parmesan Chicken deLite had a thin crust, fresh tomatoes, chicken, and spinach, covered with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. The Stuffed meats had pepperoni, ham, bacon, and sausage on the inside with mozzarella cheese. Then they topped the top crust with beef and a cheese blend. After they wrapped the pizzas in plastic wrap ( with their own convenient paper baking trays) I headed down to the local Home Depot and rented a giant winch to lift those bad boys up, and get them in the car. (Ok, I made the last part up.) I called home, and told my indentured servant (also referred to as a daughter) to put the oven on 425. When I arrived home, both pizzas went in the oven, and 40 minute later, we were eating the type of food that has the power to resolve any conflict.

Admit it! That looks good!

The crust on the deLite was crunchy on the outside, but soft enough underneath to fold the pizza. The crust on the Stuffed Meat...let's just say that I had to get a ladder to see over the edge of that thing.


So! Where's your favorite place to eat pizza? I bet it's not as good as mine. What are your favorite toppings? Have I made you hungry yet? Go ahead. You know you want some. Go pick up a pizza or two, and help promote world peace.

Chicken and Dumplings! Thank the Lord it's Fall!

 I absolutely love the fall. I think some of the best foods that scream comfort are introduced in the fall. One of those foods is chicken and dumplings. If there is any food that demands that you hold it in a big bowl while sitting in front of a crackling fireplace, it is chicken and dumplings. I have super fond memories of one particular chicken and dumpling recipe. There was a lady at our church in Ellendale, TN, named Inez Mayo. Each Wednesday we would have a potluck meal and prayer service at church. I absolutely loved her chicken and dumplings. It had huge pieces of shredded (not cut!) chicken, and these velvety smooth dumplings. Fortunately for me, her husband, Mr. Fred, loved my mother's spaghetti. Of course, I became the beneficiary of Mr. Fred's passion. My mom would make him spaghetti, and in return, Mrs. Mayo would make me chicken and dumplings. I don't really know if that is how it went, but that's what I remember, and I'm sticking to it.

Unfortunately, I have never been able to find a recipe for chicken and dumplings like Mrs. Mayo's. I have found many good ones, but none that evoked the same memories. Well...yesterday I got a hankering for some chicken and dumplings. But, how could I get a good recipe that would knock my socks off? when in doubt head on over to the Food Network website. With a little effort, I found a recipe from Emeril Lagasse. There was also one by Paula Deen. It had four stars. But! Emeril got five stars. Now, if his recipe can get more stars than one from the queen of southern comfort food, it had to be good! I was not disappointed. Oh my stars! Mrs. Mayo, I do humbly apologize, but you are now in second place! (When I get to heaven she is going to be waiting for me, and there is certainly going to be H-E-double-hockey-sticks to pay.) The link to the recipe is below. I think the secret to such luscious goodness is frying the chicken first, instead of just boiling it. This certainly brings out all of the hidden goodness that is in the chicken. The only changes I made were out of convenience. I had two bags of mirepoix (celery, onions, and carrots) that I used instead of cutting up veggies like he did. I also did not have any bay leaves or thyme. I used Italian herbs and celery leaf for the seasoning. I also forgot the peas at the end. Still! This chicken and dumplings will be made again...and again...and again. I also guarantee there will be a fire in the fireplace. Now, where is that number for the chimney sweep? I feel a hankering for some more chicken and dumplings coming on already.

Chicken and Dumplings on the Food Network