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Breads, Recipe, Soup

Chicken Vegetable Soup & Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

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Perfect for a cool (or cold) evening’s dinner. Fresh vegetables, dark meat chicken, stock, and Cheesy Garlic Biscuits (instead of crackers) make this a satisfying meal for any member of your family!

Chicken Vegetable Soup

2 quarts chicken stock
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 large carrots, cut into coins
3 ribs of celery, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 medium onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium potatoes, peeled, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

In a 350F oven, roast off chicken thighs. Remove and allow to cool, then cut into bite size pieces.

In a soup pot, heat olive oil until just smoking. Add onions and garlic, and toss to coat. Cook 2 minutes, then add celery and carrot. Stirring occasionally, cook for 4 additional minutes. Add potatoes, Italian seasoning, and stock. Bring to the simmer and add chicken. Allow to cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serves: 8.                        

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup Mozzarella/Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend, shredded
1 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 450F.

In a mixing bowl, place flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine. Add milk, mayonnaise, sugar, and beat on high speed until batter is smooth. It should not be pourable thin , it should be spoonable. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 3/4 cup cheese shreds.

Lightly grease 12 muffin tins (you may also use the liners if desired, or a silicon muffin pan). Spoon enough batter to fill each tin no more than 1/2 way (they WILL expand as they bake).

In a small bowl, combine melted butter and garlic powder. Using a brush, lightly paint the top of each biscuit with mixture. Then, using the reserved cheese, sprinkle the top of each biscuit.

Place on rack in the middle of the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack before removing from pan. Serve warm with soups, roasts, stews, or broiled meats.

Makes 12 biscuits.

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Recipe, Soup

Rustic French Onion Soup

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Nothing can compare to a warm serving of French Onion Soup…especially if it’s homemade! This recipe has been modified from Julia Child’s French Onion Soup recipe…you can adjust the ingredients to your own tastes.

INGREDIENTS:
5-6 cups of yellow onions, thinly sliced
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp flour
2 quarts beef stock or beef bouillon
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
Salt and pepper to taste
Rounds of hard-toasted French bread (1/2″ – 3/4″ thick) store purchased or homemade (Rustic Herb Bread (recipe here) is good for this soup)
1 to 2 cups grated mozzarella or 4 cheese Italian blend

It is important to know that (1) sweet onions cannot be used for a good, quality French Onion Soup and (2) it will take 2-3 hours from start to finish. Attempting to rush the preparation will leave you with burnt onions or a sub-par soup.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter and oil, then add onions. Reduce heat to low.

Stir onions into oil and butter, then scatter salt and sugar overtop. Allow onions to cook down and caramelize, intensifying flavour and reducing in volume. Once the onions take on a medium caramel colour (this will take 40-50 minutes), add flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes to cook out the raw flour flavour. (The flour will also provide a slight thickening to the soup.)

Ladle in the beef stock/bouillon (you can make your own, use canned, or a stock from paste or cubes…though homemade stock allows you to control the strength, flavour, and sodium). Stir the liquid into the onions after each addition. Once the stock/bouillon has been fully incorporated, add the wine or vermouth, if so desired. (If you choose to cook without alcohol, add an additional 1/2 cup of beef stock.) Season with salt and pepper to your own liking.

Keeping heat on low, allow soup to simmer for 30-45 minutes, allowing flavours to meld. (If you wish, at this point you can allow the soup to cool, uncovered in the refrigerator and then cover and freeze for up to three months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw and bring back to the simmer.)

Use an oven safe serving dish (if making in large volumes) or a oven safe bowl or mug. If making in volume, cover bottom of dish with toasted rounds; if making individual servings, place 1-2 toasted rounds of bread in the bottom of the bowl or mug. Ladle over the French Onion Soup (the toasted bread will float to the top). Scatter shredded cheese over top of soup and bread, and place under a broiler set on low until the cheese melts and browns. Serve immediately. Bon Appetit!

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Main Course, Recipe

Marinated Chicken with Sage and Herbes de Provence Stuffing

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dinner032209

Sage and Herbes de Provence Stuffing

1 loaf Herbes de Provence bread
1 tablespoon dried ground sage
2 cups hot chicken stock
1 medium onion, diced
3 ribs of celery, sliced into 1/8″ to 1/4″ slices
2 tablespoon butter, 1 tbsp olive oil

Slice the bread and toast in a 350 degree oven to 10 minutes. Turn bread over and toast for 10 minutes more to remove moisture. Cut into cubes and place in a large bowl.  In a sauté pan, melt butter with oil, and sauté onion and celery until tender. Place in bowl with bread cubes, add sage and chicken stock, mix to combine. Turn out into a 9″x9″ baking dish and bake at 350F for an hour.

Marinated Chicken

2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons Dijon style mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water

In a large zip-top bag, combine all ingredients except chicken. Seal the bag and toss to completely combine the marinade. Add the chicken, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, turning over and massaging the chicken breasts in the bag every 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F and pour chicken (and marinade) into a 2 (or 2.2) quart baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for an 90 minutes. The marinade will heat through and thicken into a sauce.

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Breads, Recipe

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

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Cinnamon Raisin Bread

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
2 cups raisins
8 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp milk
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Heat the milk in a small saucepan just to a simmer, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in warm water, and set aside until yeast is frothy (proofed). In your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together eggs, sugar, butter or margarine, salt, and raisins with the proofed yeast. Stir in cooled milk. Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough.

Knead dough for three minutes in the mixer, then turn out on a lightly floured surface. If overly sticky, kneed in a little more flour. Be careful not to overwork the dough and develop the gluten, however. Place in a large, greased mixing bowl. Roll the ball around to completely grease the surface of the dough. Cover with a cloth, and place in a draft free area. Allow to rise until doubled, which should take about 45 minutes.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Moisten dough with 2 tablespoons milk. Mix together 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and sprinkle mixture on top of the moistened dough. Roll the rectangle up tightly — the finished roll will be about 3″ thick. Divide in half, tucking under the ends. Place loaves into greased 9 x 5 inch pans. Lightly spray the tops of the loaves with cooking spray. Allow to rise again for 30-40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350, and bake for 45 minutes, or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when knocked. Remove loaves from pans, and allow to cool before slicing.

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Breads, Recipe

Double Chocolate Apricot Muffins

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Double Chocolate Apricot Muffins

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa (sifted)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped coarsely
2/3 cup dried fruit

Topping
2 tbsp granulated sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients and incorporate. Fold in chocolate and dried fruit. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.

Sprinkle tops with sugar.

Bake in oven preheated to 375 degrees F for 22 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Let muffins cool in a pan on wire rack.

Yields 12 muffins

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Breads, Recipe

Rustic Herb Bread

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Rustic Herb Bread

2 1/2 cups Warm water
1 pkg Dry yeast (1/4 ounce)
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Salt
2 tbsp Herbes De Provence (or Italian Seasoning)
7 cups Flour
1 Egg white, lightly beaten

Stir the first five ingredients together to dissolve the yeast, sugar and salt. Stir in the flour. Knead 10 minutes. let rise, covered, until doubled in bulk. Punch down, knead three or four times to remove air, then divide in four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a long loaf and place in a well greased bread pan; slash the top. Brush the loaves with the egg white and let rise until doubled.

Bake 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 400, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake 20 minutes longer, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove the loaves from the pans and cool on racks. Wrap in aluminum foil and freeze if desired.

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