What's Cookin'?

[Doc Dan]

I didn't think to take a picture. I made chicken and dumplings last night. Really tasty and filling.

[JSumm]

Love chicken and dumplings @Doc Dan! My grandmother used to make them all the time. Was just telling that to my wife some time ago and she surprised me with some homemade last week.

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

Chicken and Dumplings

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

Rosemary chicken with lemon

[JSumm]

@SaltyCaribbeanDfly

[Doc Dan]

Love chicken and dumplings @Doc Dan! My grandmother used to make them all the time. Was just telling that to my wife some time ago and she surprised me with some homemade last week.

That's great! Your wife loves you, I can tell.

I cheat. I use a pressure cooker to cook the chicken. Then, I remove it to debone it. I add my dumplings (easy to make), cook them in the juice on "Rice". When done, I add back the chicken and I am finished in a short while with no mess.

[vivi]

Made a 3x batch of dough with the kiddos, then made an (almost) margarita pizza. found out too late we were out of basil. still got a thumbs up from them!



Did some chicken & pineapple lo mein earlier in the week! Turned out great.

[Manixguy@1994]

Double batch of Jalapeño Salsa just prepared by daughter after raiding my peppers ! Dan

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Wow such great meals.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I didn't think to take a picture. I made chicken and dumplings last night. Really tasty and filling.

Do you like to cut the chicken into smaller bite sized pieces or larger ? I noticed recipes vary.

[Doc Dan]

I didn't think to take a picture. I made chicken and dumplings last night. Really tasty and filling.

Do you like to cut the chicken into smaller bite sized pieces or larger ? I noticed recipes vary.

I sometimes put the cut pieces, bones and all, into the pressure cooker and cook until the flesh comes off the bones easily. Then, I remove the chicken and debone while the dumplings cook in the juice. Then, I add back the chicken. Usually. Sometimes I will put in a whole chicken.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I didn't think to take a picture. I made chicken and dumplings last night. Really tasty and filling.

Do you like to cut the chicken into smaller bite sized pieces or larger ? I noticed recipes vary.

I sometimes put the cut pieces, bones and all, into the pressure cooker and cook until the flesh comes off the bones easily. Then, I remove the chicken and debone while the dumplings cook in the juice. Then, I add back the chicken. Usually. Sometimes I will put in a whole chicken.

This is great Doc! Do you ever have a bread on the side or is the dumpling aspect filling enough?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Vivi when you make the pizza how do you make sure the center is not too doughy but also not burnt?

[vivi]

Vivi when you make the pizza how do you make sure the center is not too doughy but also not burnt?

First step is making a good dough. This is a very easy to follow recipe that I've used:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20171 ... zza-crust/

You may need to add a touch more flour or water depending on the consistency. I like to oil the dough ball, cover in plastic wrap, and let it proof at room temperature for 20 minutes before I portion it into zip loc bags and freeze it. When I want to make a pizza I let it thaw on my kitchen counter until it is no longer frozen in the middle and has started to expand slightly.

The next two important things are using a high heat, and stretching it nice and thin.

I find pizzas come out best cranking an oven to 500F or more if possible. 650F if your oven is capable is a great temperature.

Using a baking stone helps, especially if you let it pre-heat in the oven and transfer the pizza using a pizza peel. But, I have baked them on stones that were at room temperature when I had no peel available and they still turn out ok.

Hand stretching dough is an acquired skill, but it isn't difficult to learn. There are many good videos on youtube. I like to flatten the dough by hand some to get it into a flatter shape, then work the edges to form a crust, then finally flip the dough onto the back of my hands and gradually open it up. Tossing and spinning it in the air is flashier but no more efficient in my experience. One thing to keep in mind is room temperature dough stretches more easily - the colder your dough is the more it will fight you and resist changing shape.

The main culprits for soggy, wet dough is using too much water in the dough mix, and cooking at too low of a temperature. I find a lot of foods, whether pizza, steaks, burgers etc., come out with a better texture cooked on a higher heat for shorter periods of time rather than cooking at a lower temperature for longer times (there are many exceptions of course, like southern style brisket, making alfredo sauce etc.)

One last tip - once the dough is stretched out, I poke holes in it with either a pizza docker or a plain ole fork. This prevents getting large air bubbles in the crust as it bakes, which can move your toppings around.

BTW - It has been nice having you back. Your posts are definitely different, but I typically find them interesting. I'm also fascinated with air ships!

[Doc Dan]

Thanks for the tips, Vivi. I have no idea how to cook pizza. Now I need to try.

[Doc Dan]

I didn't think to take a picture. I made chicken and dumplings last night. Really tasty and filling.

Do you like to cut the chicken into smaller bite sized pieces or larger ? I noticed recipes vary.

I sometimes put the cut pieces, bones and all, into the pressure cooker and cook until the flesh comes off the bones easily. Then, I remove the chicken and debone while the dumplings cook in the juice. Then, I add back the chicken. Usually. Sometimes I will put in a whole chicken.

This is great Doc! Do you ever have a bread on the side or is the dumpling aspect filling enough?

I don't. The dumplings are bread. Good vegetables on another plate or bowl, like black eyed peas or pinto beans, and collards or kangkong is also pretty good.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Doc yum that sounds delicious. The pinto beans are also very good.

[Scandi Grind]

Homemade orange chicken, fried rice, and steamed broccolli. I really want to make this orange chicken again, but maybe with a bit less orange zest, it was a little more bitter than I liked, but otherwise, I liked it more than any orange chicken I have ever gotten from a store or restaurant.

[vivi]

^ That looks good.

From last week.....mid rare NY strip steaks, fresh gnocchi & carrots cooked in home made honey butter. One of the better meals I ate this year.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Are any of you into split pea soup? It is among my favorites.