I've Given Up Ice Cream

I like ice cream.

A lot.

That's the problem. Ice cream is yummy, but it's also very easy to eat way too much of it.

Since I also like fitting into my clothing, I tried cutting down on the size of my ice-cream bowl. That didn't work too well.

What did work was substituting gelato for ice cream.

Talenti Gelato is rich and delicious, and a little goes a long way. A small dish of Talenti Gelato is just as satisfying as a big dish of ice cream, and a lot easier on the waistline.

Because I enjoy frozen desserts almost as much in winter as I do in summer, I tried some of Talenti's seasonal flavors this winter. My favorite seasonal flavor was Peppermint Bark, which takes plain old chocolate-chip-mint to a fabulous new level. I hope they'll bring this flavor back next winter--I'll buy it by the case if they do.

If you like your desserts a little nutty, try the Sicilian Pistachio, which is loaded with chunks of pistachio as well as plenty of flavorful pistachio butter.

Want something smoother? You can't miss with Sea Salt Caramel. You'll find caramel truffles in there--a winning combination.

Take a look at all their current flavors! On my list to try:

Argentine Caramel

Coffee Chocolate Chip

Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip

Southern Butter Pecan

Here's how to find Talenti Gelato at a store near you.

FYI:  Talenti's one-pint plastic containers are great for storage once dessert is done. Fill them up with rice, pasta, cookies, whatever.

Mom's Penicillin

It's a Sick Day for my daughter today, so I've got a pot of homemade chicken-noodle soup simmering on the stove. Chicken soup really does make you feel better--and this is the good stuff right here; nothing artificial added! Chicken soup is also a frugal dish; you can use leftovers to make the stock (it's really easy) and this is a great way to use up those odds and ends of baby carrots and that last bit of the box of pasta.

CHICKEN-NOODLE SOUP

For the soup:
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
parsley (fresh, if you have it--a generous handful)
freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 tsp rosemary

Add-ins:
1 1/2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups fettuccine, broken into fourths (less than 1/4 pound)*

Start the soup at least 1 1/2 hours before serving. Simmer, covered. About 1/2 hour before serving, add chicken and pasta and cook uncovered until pasta is done.

*If you prefer to use a smaller noodle such as dilatini, pastina or orzo, 1 cup will be plenty.

Fiesta Chicken Chili: a Blueprint Recipe

I always loved Michele Urvater's "blueprint recipe" concept, in which the basic idea of a recipe is laid out, with variations and suggestions for making it your own. Her Monday to Friday Cookbook inspired me to cook in a more adventurous manner and I eventually gained confidence in creating recipes of my own.

I "invented" this chili as a way to use up some leftover chicken taco meat from a school event. I had about 10 cups of leftover chicken, and I turned it into 10 quarts of chicken chili. I've scaled the recipe down so that it can be made with as little as 2 cups of chicken. It's easy to increase it from there.

Fiesta Chicken Chili

2 cups Fiesta Taco Chicken
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (14 ounces) small red beans, drained and rinsed--or any kind of beans you like
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cups water
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 chipotle in adobo, chopped OR 1 tsp chipotle chili seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients in saucepan and simmer, covered, a few hours to allow flavors to mingle. Stir occasionally. I cooked mine in a Nesco roaster at 200 for 5 hours. Cook time is flexible on this recipe, as the chicken is already cooked.

Chicken & Onion Paprika

This recipe does not pretend to be authentic in any way, but it was pretty tasty and paired well with the Lithuanian rye bread my husband brought home from the bakery today.

I made it up as I went along; no actual measuring took place--generally I eyeball stuff like this.

Next time I'm adding more onion to this--it was the best part!

CHICKEN & ONION PAPRIKA

1 TBL olive oil
6 chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in
1 onion, sliced thin
1 heaping TBL minced garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, or 2 to 3 diced plum tomatoes
1 TBL Hungarian sweet paprika
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet. Brown chicken on both sides, then remove from pan and cook onions on high heat until they begin to brown. Lower the heat and add garlic to the pan. Cook 2 minutes, then return chicken to pan and add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve over noodles.

Winter Winner: Dutch-Oven Pot Roast

My mom always tells me that she cooks pot roast in beer, but I hadn't tried that myself. And she wasn't home when I was getting ready to start dinner today--so I "winged it." I like how this turned out, and with the onions and braising liquid, you don't need to make gravy.

DUTCH-OVEN POT ROAST with Sweet Onions, Garlic and Yeungling

1 2 1/2- to 3-lb bottom round roast
1 tbl olive oil
3 medium sweet onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled
pepper
1 bottle (12 oz) Yeungling lager

Use a cast-iron Dutch oven for this dish.
Heat olive oil in Dutch oven and brown roast on all sides. Remove to plate. Add onions and cook a few minutes on high heat. Season roast with pepper and return to Dutch oven. Add garlic and beer. Cover and bake at 350 for 2 hours. Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Gnocchi with Cabbage and Shallots: 52 in 52

I'm taste-testing 52 new-to-me fruits and vegetables this year!

5.  Shallots. Every time I'd come across "shallots" as an ingredient in a recipe, I'd substitute onion. But I decided to try shallots instead, as part of this year's 52 in 52. I discovered that onion isn't really a great substitute; shallot has a distinct flavor all its own. It was a little harder to peel than an onion, but the flat side made it easier to chop.

6. Temple Oranges. It's a good time of year for citrus, so I tried Temples. They're deliciously sweet, but annoyingly full of pits. I guess that's why they were labeled "juice" oranges at the store. I saved the zest as well, and froze it to use in a recipe later.

GNOCCHI WITH CABBAGE AND SHALLOTS

This recipe is based on my "Polish" Gnocchi dish, but with more vegetables. This makes 2 to 3 servings.

1 bag (10 ounces) frozen gnocchi
1 1/2 cups cole-slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 to 2 TBL olive oil
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp freshly-ground pepper
2 TBL Parmesan cheese
1 tsp butter

Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain.
Saute shallots and garlic in olive oil 2 minutes. Add cole-slaw mix and toss to coat. Cover pan and cook 5 minutes until cabbage wilts. Stir in remaining ingredients, tossing until well mixed and butter is melted. Serve immediately.

This makes a great meatless meal if you serve it alongside a green salad.

French Dip Sandwiches (Slow Cooker)

This is a perfect busy-day recipe. You put it together in just a few minutes, then let it cook all day. 

1 bottom-round roast, about 3 pounds
2 cups beef broth or consomme
Seasoning: freshly-ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt

Season the meat on all sides. Place in slow cooker and pour broth over it. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then turn down to LOW for about 7 to 8 hours.

Trim fat off the meat and cut into a few chunks, then shred with 2 forks OR if you have a stand mixer, try this really easy way: Put chunks of meat into the mixer. Using the paddle attachment, spin it a few times on LOW. Rearrange the contents of the bowl and spin a few more times. Watch carefully as there's a fine line between shredded and pureed.

(Hat tip to Gluten Free Homemaker for the stand-mixer idea! It really works!)

Serve on Italian rolls with the juice from the crockpot for dipping.

Secret Recipe Club: Buttermilk Biscuits

My teenage daughter has been on a biscuit kick ever since we vacationed in Florida this summer.  I think she ate biscuits at every meal.  Then she wanted me to make them for her at home.  I'm not a fan of Bisquick biscuits, so any biscuits I'd been making were the kind that came out of a Poppin' Fresh can.  All you Southern cooks can laugh at this ignorant Yankee if you want.  But you can be done laughing now, because I found a really good recipe and I know how to use it.

Thanks to Victoria at Mission: Food, the blog I was assigned for September's Secret Recipe Club, I learned that buttermilk biscuits are not mission:  impossible for me!

Buttermilk Biscuits from Mission: Food
Get the recipe and nutrition facts at my new website: Cook and Count!

Skillet Turkey & Noodles

Better than soup, but serve it in a bowl so you don't lose any of the sauce. I've wanted to figure out how to make this for a long time. Then I was inspired by Barbara's Skillet Stroganoff (which we love) and figured I could do something similar with chicken or turkey. Comfort food? Oh, yes!

SKILLET TURKEY (OR CHICKEN) AND NOODLES

2 TBL butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 TBL flour
3 cups turkey (or chicken) broth
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey (or chicken)
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
3 cups wide egg noodles
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in butter until translucent. Stir in flour. Add broth and milk and bring to a boil. Stir in turkey, vegetables and noodles. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until noodles are done.

Serves 4.

To increase the recipe and serve more people, add an extra 1 cup noodles and 1 cup broth per person.  Also add a little extra milk, meat and vegetables.

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