Susans's Brisket, mac and cheese, chicken enchiladas and more:)

King Ranch Casserole

King Ranch Casserole

**Wibby got knocked in the chin recently as he was working the momma cows in the chutes... he couldn't eat anything hard as he'd almost bitten through his tongue and his black and blue chin refused any hard chewing... so.... King Ranch Casserole was a perfect Sunday lunch choice... along with PopT's great brownies cooked in individual tins for extra crispy edges!)

Ingredients: 1 cooked 2 1/2 pound fryer (cooked with carrots, onion, celery and garlic) shredded 10 corn tortillas (we love the homemade Texas ones!) 1 onion, chopped (make sure it is organic... probably a 10/14 onion best) 1 green and 1 red bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced (or half and half) 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese (I add enough to be sure there is at least a 1/2" layer on top) 1 can of cream of mushroom soup 1 can of cream of chicken soup 1 cup of chicken broth (organic please) 1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes (or any chopped stewed tomato of your choice) 1 tsp. of chili powder How you cook and serve it: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Combine soups, broth, Ro-Tel tomatoes and chili powder; blend until smooth. 3. Place a layer of chicken in a greased casserole dish. 4. Add layers of tortillas, onion, bell peppers, cheese and sauce. 5. Repeat layers, ending with cheese (again... we love cheese... so we use a bunch) 6. Bake uncovered for half an hour or until brown and bubbling. serve with sour cream and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper or chili powder for color... and finish with a sprig of cilantro......voila......a TEXAS favorite!

Chicken and Dumplings X 2 + suggestions

Chicken and Dumplings

*tonight was probably the last cold cold night of 2009 so we took the opportunity for one of the

ultimate Texas comfort food!

Pressure Cooker method...

*fill pot with cut up chicken (I prefer to use some with skin, but most unskinned pieces)

*add 2 handfuls of baby carrots

*2-4 stalks celery cut into pieces

*1 cut up onion

*garlic (I use 7-10 cloves)

*salt/pepper/curry powder to taste

*fill with water to 1-2inches below top of cooker

*put lid on cooker and turn heat to medium

*after the cooker begins to steam from top, cook for 15-20 minutes

(do not let cooker steam dry!! pay attention!)

*remove from heat... DO NOT TAKE OFF LID!!!

*let pressure die down until you can wiggle little top and no steam comes out

*remove lid and let the stew cool
*after cooled... put into refrigerator to let fat harden to be removed before you add dumplings
(thanks Kyle for reminding me!! GREAT easy way to remove fat from broth!!)

Dumplings:
*canned biscuits (organic store have these now) I used Pillsbury dinner rolls to make the dumplings for this batch

*after you skim fat,

*remove bones from chicken (be sure to get the little ones!!)
*put back onto stove and bring to boil
*divide rolls into thirds and roll into balls for dumplings

*drop balls into the boiling broth... they will swell up, but just keep adding (I used 2 cans)

*use spoon to push the new dumplings under the broth

*after you add all dumplings... let it simmer on low for another 20-30 minutes.. stir down a couple of times...make sure all dumplings get cooked through

ENJOY on a cold day with lots of family!!!

makes great leftovers!

below the pictureof our last cold 2009 day,

is Cindy Solomon's grannies recipe... Thanks Cindy for another version

Sue Bradley's Chicken and Dumplings

*cut up a whole chicken and cook till it falls off the bone

*debone and add 1 stick of butter

dumplings

2cups flour

1/2 c salt

1/4 c butter

water to make a stiff dough

Mix all ingredients adding water last

when dough forms a ball, dust counter with flour

pour dough onto flour and dust with flour to work dough

roll out like working a pie crust

cut into strips (you don't want your dough too thin)

have broth of chicken boiling

drop dumplings into broth

after all dumplings are in broth boil for 20 minutes low heat

when done, salt and pepper to taste

yields 4 servings

(Sue always tripled the recipe)