January is the Monday of Months

January is the Monday of Months
I read that somewhere recently and boy does it feel true. I miss the light! The weather isn't cold enough for snow and I never know what to wear that day. All I want to do is go home eat pizza smoosh my face on the hubs and go to bed under piles of blankets. But I've done that for the past 2 days and I'm pretty sure that regiment isn't helping with our blues in any way.

I have a list of things I want to work on and bake but really my apartment is lucky I even unpacked from being home. I have a bunch of new leather tools I got for Christmas that I really want to give a try but I pull it out look at it all and put it back away and grab a month old Christmas cookie and tea instead.

But I'm working on it, we've rock climbed, ran to the beach, worked on planning in a brewery instead of our couch : baby steps. Mostly though I've been working through it cooking some comfort food that I wanted to make before it gets to warm. And it's almost February!

First up gourmet chicken and dumplings:

For Broth:

2 leeks; cut lengthwise

1 red onion; quartered

3 carrots; cut lengthwise

3 parsnips; cut lengthwise

3 cloves garlic minced

1.5 lb chicken wings

handful parsley

handful thyme

3 bay leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns

8 whole allspice

3 quarts chicken broth

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast

1/2 cayenne

1/2 tsp salt

1   combine all except the chicken breast into a large pot and bring to a simmer

2   add the breasts in skin side down and stir regularly. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Then remove the chicken and let cool, continue to let pot simmer for another hour

3    pull skin off of chicken breasts and discard, pull meat from bones and put into container and store in fridge, put bones back into pot

4   once the broth is done simmering strain out all the vegetables, wings, and spices and discard. Set the broth pot back on stove on low and stir in cayenne and salt

 

 

 

For Veggies:

1 tbs oil

3 carrots; diced

2 parsnips; diced

3 celery stalks; diced

1 white onion; diced

1 clove garlic; minced

1   in a large pan heat oil and add in all vegetables

2   sauté for 5-7 minutes, remove from heat

 

 

 

 

For Dumplings:

2 cup flour
1 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder
1 cup water

2 tsp

handful of chopped parsley

2 tsp of rosemary

2 tsp of thyme

1   in a large bowl mix flour, salt, and baking powder with herbs

2   make a hole in the middle of the flour and slowly add the water and oil, mix until incorporated
2   turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times, add additional flour if necessary to keep dough together
3   roll out dough to about 1/4 " thick and cut into about 1" strips by 1 1/2"
4   bring broth back to a boil and drop in all the dumplings, use a wooden spoon to make more room around the dumplings so you can drop them all into the broth. Cook dumplings for about 6-8 minutes, feel free to pull one out and cut in half to check that they are done
 

 

 

Finish Up:

1   add vegetables and chicken pieces back into broth with the dumplings and cook for a few minutes to get it all warm

2   spoon heaps into giant bowls and sip away January 

 

 

Brown Butter Popcorn Cookies

Yesterday I had to leave early for a meeting in Vancouver, BC. It started with my boss not able to find her passport so I was then running the workshop, at workshop only 1 mom coming (we were told 10) and them running around to find some, to presenting to 4 moms (1 very aggressive one) then driving back home. Ugh Monday, I wanted cookies!

I wanted cookies fast though and I also wanted to do something different than normal. Then I was like - duh - you have all these awesome cookbooks. I started flipping through my Smitten Kitchen cookbook and halted as soon as I saw popcorn in a cookie. Unsure, I proceeded.

OH MY WORD these were so darn tasty! Joshua got home from riding his bike from work, I announced I have cookies, he was excited, saw them and was then confused, ate one and was then obsessed.

 It's so simple and fast make these and dazzle your family and friends :)
I tweaked the recipe a bit and here it is:

2 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbs butter

1/2 cup butter; room temp

1/2 golden brown sugar; lightly packed

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

 

 

1    in a large skillet with a lid heat oil and 2 kernels of popcorn on medium heat. Once the 2 kernels pop add the remaining popcorn with lid, shake around so all the kernels are coated in the oil. Then once the popcorn is all popped remove from heat (careful when removing lid the like to randomly pop a few into the air)

 

2    in a small pot melt the 2 tbs butter, then swirl it a little and let it start to bubble/foam, start stirring it then and watch for when it becomes browned. Watch it carefully, it is easy to let it become black butter which doesn't have the hazelnutty appeal of brown butter.

 

3   pour half of the melted butter in a large bowl, 1/8 tsp of salt, and 2 cups of popcorn and mix it all together. Then add in 2 1/2 cups of popcorn, drizzle over remaining melted butter and 1/8 tsp salt. Mix all popcorn together well and set aside.

 

4    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl beat the 1/2 cup butter well. Then beat in the sugars. Then beat in the egg and vanilla.

 

5   in another bowl mix together the flour and the baking soda. Then slowly mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until incorporated.

 

 

6    although it will look daunting add the popcorn into the dough and fold in with a spatula. Some of the kernels will break but eventually it will start to mix into the dough, I promise

 

7    plop heaping 1 tbs size cookie balls onto a cookie sheet, they don't spread a ton so you can fit quite a few on a sheet. The kernels will poke out and that is part of their appeal so don't worry

 

8    bake for 12-15 minutes, they will turn a light golden brown. let cool and savor the amazingness that is the popcorn cookie!