Tex Mex Chicken and Dumplings

I stumbled upon this recipe a few weeks ago when I discovered a new blog! I thought it sounded different and not your typical chicken and dumplings!

Tex Mex Chicken and Dumplings-shared from Let's Dish
8 cups chicken broth
chicken from one whole chicken(I actually only used about 3 cups), shredded
juice of 1 lime
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of whole roasted green chilis(6 oz can)
2 cloves of garlic, minced(which I forgot)
1/2 cup cream
cayene, salt, and pepper to taste

Dumplings:
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp melted butter

Place tomatoes, green chilis, and garlic in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add to chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add in chicken and lime juice. Stir until heated through. Season with spices and add in cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

Mix together dumpling ingredients. Drop by rounded tbsp into broth. Do NOT stir. Cover and let steam for 20 mins.

**I didn't take a picture of it...because it was NOT a pretty site. My dumpling batter was very runny and I wasn't sure why at first, but then I remembered I used 2 JUMBO eggs, next time I'll add in more flour or only 1 egg or use just large eggs!  I only got a couple that actually turned into dumplings the rest were kinda beady. If you look at the original recipe she has a picture and mine looked the same! I really did like the flavor of this dish, but I think it needed more than just chicken, broth, and dumplings. So perhaps next time I'll add in some corn or leave the tomatoes diced.

Smore Bars

I got this recipe off a message board I used to frequent a lot. I believe her name was Jen and I love how easy the recipe is to make and how tasty they are!

Smore Bars-shared from Jen F
1 cup flour(I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups mini marshmellows
1 cup chocolate chips, divided

Blend together the first 7 ingredients until crumbly. Press into a 9x9 inch pan.(I actually use a 9x13). Sprinkle with half a cup of chocolate chips and then the marshmallows. Bake at 350 for 20 mins or until marshmallows turn golden brown. Melt a half a cup of chocolate chips and drizzle over bars.

**I forgot to take a picture of the completed bars and also didn't drizzle the chocolate on top. I just got lazy and put the whole cup in the middle of the bars!

Menu Plan Monday on Tuesday

Sorry this is late...we were away for the weekend!

Baking/Breakfast:
- apparently I have NOTHING planned yet!

Dinner:
-Chicken Pot pie
-Pineapple Salsa Chicken Tacos
-Curried Beef and Dumplings...or pot roast
-Tortellini with Chive Parmesan Sauce

Homemade McGriddles

While I have never actually had one of these at McDonald's I saw the idea on a recent blog I was reading. I was looking for something new to make so we have a quick breakfast to eat while running out the door. It's usually me who has this problem, K doesn't usually do breakfast, but these are good to have on hand for his lunches too! These do take a little time to assemble but they are by no means hard, just takes a few steps!

Homemade McGriddles-shared from Hoosier Homemade
your favorite plain pancake recipe
sausage patties or bacon(cooked)
1 egg/mcgriddle
1 slice of cheese/mcgriddle
pure maple syrup

Mix up pancake batter and spread batter out int silver dollars. Drizzle with maple syrup. Cook until bubbles form on top and flip. Cool.

Take one egg, and scramble in bowl. Pour onto hot griddle, and try to keep it from spreading out.(I found by using the hot griddle it got it to cook faster so it stopped the spreading). Continue until all eggs are done.

To assemble: take 2 pancakes of the same size. Lay down the egg, cheese, and bacon or sausage. Place 2nd pancake on top. Wrap in paper towel and then in foil.(If you are freezing)

**I used brown and serve breakfast sausage patties and just kept them frozen as mine were just going into the freezer. Next time I think I will put the maple syrup right into the pancake batter instead of the sugar. This was a thick batter, but I did not thin it. They look delicious! Clearly I need to work on my pancake size!

Pumpkin Pancakes

I had some leftover pumpkin that I wanted to make into some pancakes or muffins. Well the heat is back so I didn't' want to heat the house up, so pancakes won!

Pumpkin Pancakes-adapted from Allrecipes.com
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp vinegar

Whisk together dry ingredients. Add in remaining ingredients until just combined. *This is a very thick batter. Spread batter onto hot griddle. Spread out with spoon if needed. Flip when bubbles form and edges look cooked.

**These were delicious, fluffy pancakes! YUM!! And I may or may not have had extra filling leftover from the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and topped these with that instead of syrup! For a special treat or to WOW guests I would go that route for sure!

Smore Cookies

Thanks to the recent posts of it being National Smore day a couple weeks ago...I've been wanting to make these! My cookies also came out a bit flat like the original recipe poster stated

Smore Cookies-shared from What Megan's Making
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 dash cinnamon
2 sticks of butter, softened
3/4 cup each brown and white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups choc. chips
mini marshmellows

Cream together butter, vanilla, and sugars. In another bowl mix together dry ingredients. Add in each egg one at a time to the butter mix until well mix. Slowly add in dry ingredients until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake for 6 mins on 375. Take cookie sheet out and press 3-4 marshmallows into the top of the cookie. Place back in the oven for an additional minute.

**I did not put the extra chocolate on the top of the cookies. We thought these were VERY sweet and I was glad we didn't put the extra chocolate in. They were quite tasty...and also my cookies came out flat. But still tasty!

Rice Pilaf...Take 2

I was looking for a more "authentic" rice pilaf for dinner the other night. I actually had orzo on hand and found a great recipe! It was quick and simple...well quick for 20 mins!

Rice Pilaf-shared from Allrecipes
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion, diced fine
1-2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup orzo
1/2 cup rice
2 cups broth

Place butter in pan and melt. Add in orzo and cook until browned and then add onion cook until soft. Then add in garlic and cook for 1 min. Stir in rice and broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20-25 mins until rice is cooked through.

**This was really good! We tried to compare it to the first recipe I made, but apparently we couldn't remember what it tasted like! This definitely reminded me of a boxed version...but better!