A Delcious Quick and Easy Summer Supper- Crispy Chicken Thighs with a Blueberry Salad

 Crispy sauteed chicken thighs with a delicious blueberry salad-

The perfect meal for a hot  summer day.

I'm so glad that chicken thighs have finally come into vogue. The best restaurants in New Orleans now feature the lowly chicken thigh on their prestigious menus. In my opinion, the dark meat has so much more flavor. This quick and easy recipe is so refreshing and ready in less than thirty minutes.

 This is an adaptation of a Michael Symon's recipe from his fabulous cookbook, 5 in 5.  To reduce cooking time, you can remove the bone and pound the thigh to make it thinner. It will reduce the cooking time, but you will sacrifice flavor in the process. 

Ingredients

4 bone-in, skin-in chicken thighs 
2 T olive oil
1- 6 ounce pkg fresh blueberries
4 cups arugula
1 cup thinly sliced red onions
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Balsamic Vinaigrette (I use Emeril's recipe or you can use a purchased one.)
2 T crumbled blue cheese (optional)
Kosher Salt
Freshly-ground pepper

Dry the chicken thighs with paper towels, in order to crisp the skin.
Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper.

Add olive oil to a heavy skillet until medium-hot. (I prefer cast ion.)
Place the chicken, skin side down in the skillet and sear until the
skin is crispy, about 4 minutes.

Flip the chicken and sear on the other side for about 3 minutes.
Slip the skillet into a 375 degree oven for about 6-7 minutes.

 While the chicken finishes in the oven, slice the onion and
add arugula and torn basil to a bowl.

 Remove the chicken thighs from the oven and check the temperature. in the
thickest part (being careful the thermometer doesn't touch the bone).
It should be 165-170 degrees.

Notice that crispy skin with only 2 T of oil for the whole meal.

Toss the salad lightly with the vinaigrette. Salt and pepper 

to taste and sprinkle blue cheese on top.

Enjoy! 

GRANDMOTHER HILL'S CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

My mother-in-law, Louise Hill, made the absolute best chicken and dumplings in the world! She made a pot for almost every family gathering.

Like a lot of older folks, she didn't use a recipe--just add a little of this and a dab of that.

She was visiting my daughter, Amy Ramsey, one day. Amy talked her into making a pot, then followed behind her carefully measuring everything she added.



In relaying her recipe, I hope I've done her justice. This is one of our family's most treasured recipes, if not THE most treasured one.

Start with a baking or stewing hen. The flavor is much better than a young chicken.

The secret to great dumplings is a well-seasoned stock. Rough cut a few
stalks of celery, 2 or 3 large carrots, a head of garlic and an onion. Add
all to a stock pot along with the hen and a generous amount of salt and pepper,
two bay leaves, garlic salt and a touch of cayenne.

Once the water comes to a rumbling boil, cut the heat down to a slow
simmer and allow to cook until the hen is tender, about 3-4 hours.

 

Once the hen is tender, take out of the water and set aside to cool.
 



Time for the DUMPLINGS!
It really doesn't get much simpler than this. You will need:
3-3 1/2 cups self-rising flour
2 T Crisco
1 cup hot water
I know that most recipes call for very cold water. I've tried it both
ways, but the hot water makes a silkier dough.

Turn out onto a floured surface. I use my countertop. Knead for
2 or 3 minutes until the dough is smooth.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to about

1/8" thick. You don't have to worry about trying to make it too pretty.

 

With a knife, cut the dough into small squares, about 1-1/2 " each.

 

Drop one by one into boiling chicken stock. Shake the pot

gently as you add the dumplings. When they are all added, cook

about 3-4 minutes and then take off the heat. The extra flour

on the dumplings will thicken the stock.

 

To the pot add 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 stick of butter

and a 1/2 cup of milk. (I use heavy whipping cream.)

My mother-in-law is the only one I've ever known that did this

last step. Chop up and add two boiled eggs to the top.

The eggs make a wonderful garnish, but also, the flavor with

the dumplings is delicious!

 

 

I would love to hear about your family's treasured recipes. As mothers and grandmothers, it is our responsibility to keep our beloved traditions of food alive.

'Pure Delicous'--A Must-Have Read for Anyone with Food Allergies

My favorite foods of all times were fried oysters and crabmeat in any dish. One night, fifteen minutes after eating some fried oysters, my head began to throb--really bad.

For the first time, I had a terrible migraine. 

I didn't put it together, until the next time I had a crabmeat dish, and the same thing happened. This time, I landed in the emergency room. From nowhere, I had a serious shellfish allergy.

Heather Christo, he author of 'Pure Delicious', had a similar thing experience with one of her children.




As a trained chef, she attacked the most common allergies straight on. She addresses the eight most common allergens, including shellfish, gluten and lactose and explains how they affect your body.

She doesn't stop there though. She shares over 150 recipes that are completely allergen-free.  For anyone that struggles with allergens, 'Pure Delicious' is a must-have.

IN MEMORY OF BREAD- A GREAT, INFORMATIVE READ

My adult daughter, a fitness expert, had been talking to me about the problems with gluten in our diet. I would smile politely and hoped she'd go on to the next subject soon. When I saw Paul Graham's book, In Memory of Wheat, I thought of her and decided to read it.

To say it was enlightening would be an understatement. Paul Graham suffered from a severe form of gluten intolerance, celiac disease. He explains in detail why the wheat our ancestors ate is not the same we have available today. He had to make radical changes in his diet to experience a return to health.

As I read the symptoms of his disease, bloated upset stomach for no apparent reason after eating certain foods, diarrhea, and other symptoms,  I saw an uncanny resemblance to my symptoms of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).

The author stated there is a genetic link to the disease. I remembered my daughter is glucose intolerant and  gave up bread a couple of years ago. After she did, her chronic knee pain went away.

This is an excellent read if you or someone you know has the symptoms listed.
Paul's writing style is easy and fun to read. He should be a novelist. I was given a copy of this book by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Creamed Chicken in Puff Pastry Cups for a Perfect Tea Party

I had a few friends over recently. I had planned to serve chicken salad sandwiches. I got up that morning and glanced out the window. My Easter lilies were in full bloom. On a whim, I scrapped sandwhich plans and decided we were having a tea party!

I headed outside and cut a hand-full of lilies. Filling a beautiful, old English teapot, long-since missing the lid, with water and a touch of sugar, I tucked the lilies in them. I grabbed a small linen square cloth, not bothering to press it and set the vase in the center.



From the 2 cups of chicken left over from last night's supper, I added 1 cup of heavy cream in a skillet and let it reduce until thickened, about 5 minutes. Added salt and pepper to taste, then turned off the heat and added 1/2 cup of frozen English peas.

 

Once my friends arrived, I baked puff pastry cups per the package directions. It took about 15 minutes in a pre-heated oven. Then, I gently cup the tops off, filled the interior with the warm creamed mixture and set the top back on, slightly askew. Because the cups are rather small, I served two for each portion.



Adding a bright, green salad made our little party complete.

 

So simple, yet, so sweet. 







 

Food with Friends--The Art of Simple Gatherings-Review

A Pretty Cookbook- But not much substance.

I really wanted to like this cookbook. The full-color photographs and art work are lovely.

The premise of the book is simple, yet special gatherings, such as an impromptu picnic or an effortless brunch. It sounds great. Easy but memorable gatherings. Right?

I'm a pretty good cook and love to entertain, so it caught my attention. A photograph for one of Leela Cyd's recipes for 'Blooming Flower Salads'  was lovely so I studied it. It calls for 1 cup of organic, untreated petals from 1 rose, 3 chrysanthemums, 3 calendula flowers, 3 cosmos flowers and 6 nasturtium flowers.

I liked the idea, but where did you find organic, untreated flower petals? I went to the web and searched for 15-20 minutes looking for a source to buy them. I'm sure there are some out there, but I couldn't find them with a quick search.

Even though the author is from California, the recipes have a distinct Middle Eastern slant, such as socca cakes with labneh and fennel, purple cauliflower hummus and sweet tahini buns.

I like Middle Eastern food, but I can't make a connect with the recipes and the texts and decorating ideas. The cookbook is a bit of a miss. I was given a copy of the book by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Home Cooked, A Beautiful Cookbook, But Not Functional in My Southern Kitchen

I really wanted to love Home Cooked. It's a beautiful cookbook with personal stories of the author, Anya Fernald. The premise, to use fresh ingredients to produce robust dishes, fits my cooking esthetic perfectly.

The problem is the majority of the recipes are too foreign in concept to implement in my southern kitchen. Ones such as squid and beans, simple seared beef heart, grilled pork belly with anchovies and anchovies two ways.

There are some recipes I will try. Asado potatoes looks like a fun dish using russet potatoes sliced thinly, dotted with butter, salt and pepper and cooked in a hot oven in a cast-iron skillet until crispy. A blood orange salad and a few other recipes looked delightful.

It is a pleasant cookbook just to sit down and read. It transports me to other regions and ways of life. But, as a cookbook, it won't prove very useful.

I was given a copy of this book by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.