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The recipe looked easy, simple, and quick–and it was–but, boy, was I anxious about how these would turn out. I think it’s because I expected something a bit more involved and was caught off guard when the work was finished in less than five minutes.

Dumplings in chicken soup.
In the end, they tasted great and were one of the easiest meals I have made. Not all my dumplings were picture-perfect, but they sure tasted great.

Why did it cause me problems? Well, click through to find out.

I was flying blind. Not only had I never made dumplings before, but I could also not remember ever having them before. I had no idea how they were supposed to cook or what they were supposed to look like. I was still tired and a bit under the weather, so I skipped my usual research for new recipes. I just chose the recipe from How to Cook Everything that was next to the chicken soup.

They were fine, it turns out I can follow instructions.

Chicken dumplings in soup.
Butter and Herb Chicken Dumplings

Ingredients
6 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons butter (half a stick) (softened)
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/3 fresh parsley
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Bring the 6 cups chicken stock to a simmer.
In a mixing bowl, mash the butter with a fork until soft and creamy. Add the eggs and mix until combined (it’s fine if it doesn’t get completely incorporated).
Add the rest of the ingredients (salt and pepper to your liking). Add any other herbs you like (I added about 1/2 teaspoon of Herbs en Provence). The dough will still be creamy, don’t worry, it’s fine.
Measure out about teaspoon sized amounts and, using another spoon or your fingers, scoop it out into the simmering broth. Try to keep the dough together or you will end up with some oddly shaped dumplings, as I did.
Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with chicken soup.

Finished Chicken Stock

Once you make your own, you’ll realize that it is much better than any of the dozen or so of the brands offered at the supermarket. Sure, one or two may be serviceable, but making it yourself is truly stunning.

Interested in making the simplest chicken stock? Click through to find out how.

This recipe comes courtesy of Mark Bittmann’s How To Cook Everything. There are several variations on chicken stock and broths, and this is one of the easiest I have come accross. I do keep parts of cut up chickens in my freezer to roast and and make a rich stock, but this time I took the easy way out. Just boiling a whole chicken with some vegtables got the flavor I was looking for to help me feel better.

Just add water and boil to get stock!

Ingredients

1 whole (3-4 lb) chicken
1 quartered onion
2 chopped carrots
1 chopped celery rib
1 pinch thyme (or fresh rosmary)
3-5 springs of fresh parsley
1 teaspoon or less salt
about 14 cups of water (or enough to cover everything thoroughly)

Directions

1. Put the whole chicken and the vegtables into a large pot. Add the water.
2. Bring to a boil, cover partially, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 45-60 minutes.
3. Strain the broth and press on the vegtables to extract as much liquid as possible.
4. Refridgerate, then skim off the fat that hardens on the surface.

The stock will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge. It will last longer if you boil it every couple of days. It can be frozen for much longer.

I should probably add a tip of what to do with that whole cooked chicken you now have. Lot’s of choices: sandwiches, salads, shred/dice it and put it in chicken soup with the broth, shred it and mix with barbeque sauce, put in a pasta dish, make chicken wraps, use to stuff vegtables…

A hot toddy in the making.

A couple of these and you will be set for a night of sleep. Check after the jump for the recipe and more pics.

Ingredients:
Shot of Whiskey (about 1.5 oz)
Honey (a good drizzle)
Lemon (2-4 lemon wedges)
Hot water

Directions
Add everything in a mug. Sip.

Variations:
Use tea or herbal tea instead of the water. Adding cloves and Cinnamon is also common in some recipes. I like to keep things simple so I don’t add anything but the essentials.

American Honey Hot Toddy

I also made one with Wild Turkey’s American Honey, a bourbon-based liqueur made with honey. This version was a bit more syrupy and probably a good compromise for those who don’t like whiskeys.

The I-dont-feel-so-good, easy, chicken soup.

Ohhh, and animal crackers… Yeah, animal crackers… I think I’ll be just fine.

Click through for the soup recipe.

The I-dont-feel-so-good, easy, chicken soup.

This soup can be served as a side dish or a main course. and the recipe can be scaled up to accomodate larger portions. The proportions given make 4 cups, or two to four servings.

Easy Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken stock
Chopped vegtables (I used 2 carrots and one rib of celery. Onions, garlic and nearly anything else can be added. Cut them to bite-size peices.)
1/2 cup orzo (or rice or pasta)
Chicken (raw or cooked) (cut into bite-size peices or shredded)

Instructions:

1. Heat the chicken stock over medium high heat until it just reaches a boil. Add the chopped vegtables and orzo and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the vegtables and orzo are nearly cooked. Partially cover and reduce to a simmer.
2. Add the chicken. If using cooked chicken, simmer for 3-5 minutes. If using raw chicken, simmer 7-10 minutes.

If you don’t feel well, I reccomend repeating the above steps until you feel better. Animal crackers also help.

Potato Chips

Apart from the shape, there is really only one difference between these and the french fries: Fry them once at the high temperature and not twice. Like most fried food, these are best fresh. I can’t really tell you how they are the next day as there are typically none left. 

Several months ago I posted about making potato chips in the microwave. You can quickly get your snack on with that method, but it doesn’t quite match the fresh-out-of-the-fryer taste. The microwave chips had some benifits: arguably a bit crunchier, harder to burn the chip (and yourself), and less mess. If you are looking to make chips for one or two, use your microwave. If you want chips for 5 or more, deep frying them is the way to go.

I might as well describe the process in detail for those who like specifics (me!), so click through…

I used the same set-up as for my French fries last week: three quarts oil in the pot, probe thermomenter sticking in, large slotted spoon to get things out of the oil.

Frying potato chips.

Ingredients

Idaho or Russet (or nearly any potato)
two to four quarts oil (peanut is preferred, but canola or even olive oil–not extra virgin–can be used)
salt (kosher, table, or popcorn salt) 

Recipe

1. Don’t bother peeling the potatoes, just scrub them and remove any of the more offensive looking parts. Using a mandolin on the thinnest setting, or a sharp chef’s knife, cut the potatoes into thin disks. Rinse the potato disks in cold water until the water is clear and let them soak them in a large bowl of ice water. The potatoes can be made to this point and held for about 12 hours.
2. Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with your oil, attach your fry thermometer or probe thermometer and heat over medium-high until 375F degrees. (I normally set my thermometer to 360F and start there.)
3. As the oil heats, dry the potatoes thoroughly with kitchen towels–water and hot oil don’t mix.
4. When the oil is hot, add a large hand full of the chips to the oil and fry until golden brown. Stir them a bit when you first drop them in so that they do not stick together.
5. Transfer to a clean, thick paper bag or paper towels. Return the oil to 360 degrees and repeat with remaining chips. Season the chips as they are removed from the oil to help the salt stick. Eat the crispy goodness.

Potato chips.

M&M Easter Speck-tackular Eggs

It’s pretty cute that they print sheep, rabbits, and ducks on the regular ones, but the Easter Eggs blow my mind on many levels. I’m going to stock up on the Easter Eggs while they are in season because they will be sorely missed until next Easter. Click though for a detailed analysis of the awesomeness hidden in the M&M Easter Eggs.

One thing I always thought that M&M’s could stand to improve on was the quality of the crunch you get out of the candy shell. It just seems so thin and easily breakable. The candy shell on the Easter M&M’s is nearly twice as thick as the regular M&M’s, giving me that satisfying crunch I was looking for.

Note the chocolate core and the thicker candy shell.

The other thing interesting about these is that despite their size, they are solid chocolate! You’d think that there would be a peanut or maybe an almond hidden under all that chocolate, but no, just chocolate. It looks like they likely molded these cores and ran them through the same process they use for the other nuts. This means that when you bite one of these in half, you can sometimes notice the different strata of chocolate.

In any case, these are now probably my favorite M&M’s. More crunch and more chocolate!

M&M Easter Speck-tackular Eggs

Burger and fries.

Fresh French fries are everything that frozen, fast food fries are not: crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, and a true potato flavor. Contrary to what many people think, French fries are neither difficult nor particularly messy to make. A pot, oil, potatoes, and salt are all you really need. Once it is set up, large batches can quickly be made–which is a good thing, as these are fairly addicting. Not that the basic recipe needs any changing, but I borrowed a trick from Cooks Illustrated to get these extra crispy.

A big plate of fries.

Click through for the recipe and tips on frying.

Deep frying is not hard, but the one thing that greatly simplyfies and adds a huge degree of control to the process is to have a thermometer. I have some friends who can ‘just tell’ when the oil is ready, others who throw in a pinch of flour and know how that is supposed to react. I like to be more precise and to use a thermometer (see the wire probe in the picture below). I don’t have a dedicated frying thermometer, my oven probe thermometer on a wire works perfectly. It has a temperature alarm to let me know when I reach the proper temperature and it displays a constant read of the temperature of the oil.

I use a standard ‘twice-fried’ method for cooking French fries. The first fry is at a lower temperature (around 320F) to cook the inside gently. The second fry takes place at a higher temperature (around 375F) to crisp the outside. Frying them allows for a contrast in texture: a crunchy crisp exterior and a light fluffy interior.

Frying fries.

Ingredients
(serves 4)

3 pounds russet or Idaho potatoes (about 4-6 potatoes)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
3 quarts peanut oil
salt (table salt, kosher salt or popcorn salt all work fine)

Recipe

1. Don’t bother peeling the potatoes, just scrub them and remove any of the more offensive looking parts. Cut the potatoes into about quarter inch disks, then cut those disks into about quarter inch strips (the typical French fry shape). If you have a mandolin, it makes this process go much faster (mind your fingers though–I know from experience!). Rinse the cut potatoes in cold water until the water is clear. Soak them in a large bowl of ice water. The potatoes can be made to this point and held for about 12 hours.
2. Spread the potatoes pieces onto kitchen towels and dry them thoroughly. Dust the potatoes with cornstarch and toss until evenly coated. Let the potatoes rest for about 20 minutes, a white coating should form on them. (Separate the potatoes a bit so they are not all piled.)
3. While the potatoes are resting, fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with peanut oil, attach your fry thermometer or probe thermometer and heat over medium-high until 325F degrees. (I normally set my thermometer to go over at 275F to give me plenty of warning and make sure the temperature doesn’t shoot past 325F.)
4. Add about a third of the potatoes, a handful at a time, to the hot oil. Increase heat to high to compensate for the drop in temperature. Fry, stirring to prevent the fries from sticking. Remove the fries when they start turning from white to blond, 4 to 5 minutes. They should be soft and fairly limp at this point.
5. Transfer fries to a thick paper bag or paper towels on top of the rack. (The paper will hold the oil without letting the fries get soggy.) Return oil to 325 degrees and repeat with remaining potatoes in one or two more batches.
6. Increase heat under the oil to high and heat until the oil is 375 degrees. Add the first batch of fries back to the oil and fry until golden brown and puffed, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to another (clean) thick paper bag or paper towels. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining fries. Season fries with salt and serve immediately.

Other suggestions for fry seasonings: Fresh black pepper, Old Bay Seasoning, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, malt vinegar.

Burgers. (Bison and beef)

With a myriad of options available regarding cooking methods, meats, and toppings, burgers are nearly infinitely customizable. Unlike my previous documented excess, these were much more modest. I did make one fairly significant change by using two different kinds of meats. Using all beef will result in a superb burger, but I wanted an extra depth of flavor and a big meaty kick in these. Combining the ground beef with ground bison added the extra dimension of flavor that I was looking for. Using a combination of meats, seasonings, and a different shaping technique ensured that these burgers would be a cut above the rest. 

Burgers. (Bison and beef)

Click through to see details on how to make the burgers, the shaping method, and the seasonings I used.

I normally stick with ground chuck when making burgers. The 80%-20% meat-to-fat ratio allows for a tender, juicy burger. Going too lean tends to result in a denser, dryer patty, and noone wants a hockey puck of meat as their burger. The reason I didn’t use all ground chuck for these is that, as I mentioned above, I really wanted to emphasise a big game flavor. Bison fit the bill perfectly. Bison is genreally leaner than beef and the dense burger I cautioned about can result if you are not careful when shaping the patties. Mixing the bison with ground chuck ensures that there is still a decent amount of fat distributed throughout the patty to prevent the burgers from coming off the grill dry. 

Buger. Autopsy shot.

I mentioned above that the seasonings I used were also important to the finished burger. When I say seasonings, in this context I really mean salt and pepper. I season the beef before shaping the patties, ensuring an even distribution of salt and pepper throughout the burger. Sometimes I put a splash of Worcestershire sauce in there, but that’s entirely optional.

The shaping technique for burgers is also very important. You can’t just pound the meat into a disk–It’ll cook with a bulge in the middle or have a sausage-like texture. The real key to proper burger formation is to shape the patty loosly. The meat should not be falling apary, but seem like it is trying to. As it cooks, the meat will bind together. The other common technique is to make an indentation in the middle of the patties. This will prevent the burger from cooking into a mound.

Ingredients
(makes 6 1/3-lb burgers)

1 lb ground chuck
1 lb ground bison
salt
fresh ground black pepper
Worcestershire sauce (optional)

1. Loosely mix the ground beef and ground bison in a large mixing bowl. Do not pack the meat or force it together as this will result in dense burgers.
2. Season the meat with salt and pepper. If using Worcestershire sauce, put up to a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half of the sauce into meat mixture.
3. Split the meat into six equal portions and loosly shape them into patties rougly the size of your burgers. The burgers should be loosely packed and craggy around the egdes. You can also make an indentation in the middle to prevent mounding as the burger cooks (see photos for details).

Bison and beef patties.

You can prepare the burgers in advance up to this point.
I used a charcoal grill, so the directions below are for that. The general idea is the same for gas grills or even stove-top griddles.

1. Pile the charcoal in a pyramid and light it (or use a chimney if you have one). Let burn for about 20 minutes until the fire has died down and the coals have a thin coating of light gray ash. Spread the coals over the base of the grill. The grill will be ready to use when the heat is such that it is difficult to hold your hand 5-inches above the cooking surface for more than 3 seconds.
2. Scrape the hot grill surface to clean it. Place the patties evenly distributed over the grill grate and grill, uncovered, until they are seared on one side, about 2-3 minutes. For medium-rare burgers, flip them as soon as the juices begin to ‘pearl’ on the surface. Allow 30-60 seconds longer than that for medium. Do not press down on the burgers as they are cooking.
3. Flip the burgers and cook for about 2 minutes more for rare, 2 1/2 minutes for medium-rare, or 3 minutes for medium. If using cheese, add about 15-30 seconds before the burgers are finished. Serve immediately.

Patties with cheddar and bacon.

Mini plant pots for seeds.

In the spirit of Spring, I decided to see how green my thumb is. I’m starting a small garden from seeds and small plants. I’ve already planted a few seeds and they are trying their best to germinate.

Unfortunately, we haven’t got much sun recently. We’ve had a spat of rain and cloudiness. I suppose the “April showers” are what we have to look forward to instead of the cold for the next month or so. There won’t be many May flowers in my garden, but these will hopefully grow into nice peppers.

Pepper seeds

I planted three different kinds of peppers in this batch: Hot Portugal, Sweet Cayenne and Santiago Hybrid.

I’ll be planting a few more things, and hopefully soon cooking with fresh ingredients from my garden!

We’ll see what happens in a few weeks.

P.S. A bit of bonus information for those of you that clicked through: As Spring is a time of new beginnings, be prepared for some major changes coming up in the next month! I’m pretty exited but don’t want to give too much away. It’s been quiet on the front page the past week, but it has been pretty busy behind the scenes.