Today's Cooking Lesson

Don't try to vacuum seal a bag of hot dog buns...

Apple Dumplings (Crescent Roll)

There are a lot of people posting recipes for apple dumplings made with crescent rolls.  And there are a lot of people complaining that they taste like chemicals, or they're too soggy, or there's too many, or it's too fattening... well, if you think a recipe full of butter and sugar is too fattening, you are right... so don't make it.

I experimented a little, and came up with these.  They don't use nearly as much liquid so they're not soggy, you don't have to use a can of Mtn Dew or whatever, and they're good.


1 large tart apple (Granny Smith is good)
1 can (8 ounces) Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
ground cinnamon
4-6 fluid ounces fruity liquid*

Heat oven to 350 (F)

Butter a shallow baking dish, 11 x 7 or 9-inch square, or something similar.

Peel, core, and slice the apple into 8 slices  (you really don't have to peel it unless peelings gross you out).

Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate into triangles.  Place a slice of apple on the big end  of a dough triangle, and roll up.

Place the rolled up apples into the dish, without crowding, they puff up a little.

Melt the butter and stir in the sugar and vanilla.

Spoon butter-sugar mixture over the dumplings.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Pour the juice around the dumplings to about 1/2 inch depth.

Bake 35-40 minutes.

Serve warm.  Whipped cream recommended!

You can use almost anything that is sweet and fruity.  Lemonade, apple juice, orange juice, grapefruit soda, 7-Up...  The amount you need varies according to the size of your pan.  Keep it about 1/2 inch deep and the bottoms of the dumplings will be soft and gooey and the tops will be crispy and sweet.

MAKE IT FOR TWO!

This works if you cut the recipe in half!  Crescent rolls come in a can of 4, or you can take a can of 8 and have 4 for dinner.

Use a half an apple, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla.

Baking time is the same!  I used a 1 quart, shallow baking dish.   A cake pan would work, or a pie pan.  They're very sweet, so two is a generous serving.   

You can see that I didn't peel the apple...

 

Dumplings. Rolled, Not Dropped

Dumplings should be rolled out with a rolling pin.  That is all.

Dropped dumplings are biscuits.  And if you think canned biscuits can be used for dumplings, then we can't be friends.

Seriously... biscuit dough is great for pot pies, but not for chicken and dumplings.

My grandma always made rolled dumplings, and those are the gold standard.  Sadly, my Grandma stopped making these long before I was old enough learn how.

My sister has a handwritten card of grandma's recipe, that she wrote while listening to Grandma... it starts out with "A bunch of flour, depending on how much dumplings you want."  Oh, and it includes a "fair sized pinch of baking powder plus an extra look for good measure".   Gaaaaaah, I can't cook like that.   Grandma probably cooked these on a wood stove...

So.... trial and error time.  I think this version is pretty darn close.  It makes a good amount for two people, or more if they don't eat like pigs (I wouldn't know).

You can put these into any boiling liquid, but of course chicken soup is the best.  Cook up a couple of chicken thighs in water with salt, pepper, onion, maybe a carrot or two. A bay leaf. Simmer it until the chicken is so done it falls off the bone.  Pull the meat off the bones and put it back into the broth (the meat, not the bones... not the skin, either).   Heat it up to boiling to put the dumplings in.

Sometimes I make it with meat off a rotisserie chicken.  A Costco chicken is $4.99 and we can eat three or four meals off it.  Simmer it in chicken stock, add a chopped onion and a sliced carrot.

This stuff makes good stock and doesn't take up a lot of room in the cabinet:

ROLLED DUMPLINGS

1 cup flour + some for dusting
2 tsp baking powder*
1 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons oil
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons milk

Stir dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Make a well in the center.

Add milk and oil, stir with a fork until combined into a soft dough.

Place on a floured surface and knead 5 times.

Roll out about 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into 1 inch squares.

Drop into boiling soup, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

NOTES:

I like to roll these out on a cutting board dusted with flour.    My 11 x 14 cutting board holds it all.   Take a handful of flour and rub it into your rolling pin.  Don't shake off the excess flour, that helps thicken the soup.

Use a pizza cutter for quick and easy cutting.

One inch square is just a suggestion, 1 by 2 inch rectangles work.  Just don't cut them too big or they won't cook in the middle.

You want the soup to simmer at a low boil, just turn it down enough so that it doesn't boil over.

*If they don't come out fluffy enough to suit you, try using 3 teaspoons baking powder next time.

Grandma always took the lid off, and dunked the dumplings down into the broth once or twice to be sure they're nice and chickeny.

Italian Sausage and Pasta

So... we went to check out a new supermarket because they sent some great coupons... and one was for Johnsonville bratwurst... brats cooked in beer are YUM-MEE!  But they weren't brats, they were Italian Sausages.  So we bought them anyway.  One package of "mild" and one of "sweet".

This is another recipe I modified.  Wow, that's something I used to never want to do, I always figured I'd ruin it.   But it needed modifying.  Besides cutting it in half, the original insisted you needed spicy sausage, cooked in oil.  And hey, you don't.  Use whatever you like.  The sweet was really good, and a bit spicy, too.   And you definitely don't need oil.


ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH PASTA

4 ounces (dry, uncooked weight) pasta
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon minced garlic  (3 cloves)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 Tablespoons tomato sauce
5-6 ounce bag of fresh spinach
Optional: canned, diced tomatoes, as much as you want
Optional: Sliced mushrooms
Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, in salted water, and drain.

Remove the meat from the casing and crumble the sausage into a large skillet and heat over medium high heat, breaking up the meat.   After about 2 minutes, when a little fat has rendered out, stir in the onions and garlic (if you have a non stick skillet, you can add the right away).  Add mushrooms now if you want them.  Cook until the meat is no longer pink.

Skim off any excess fat in the skillet.

Add the broth and basil, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes to reduce.

If you want to add some canned, diced tomatoes, do it now.

Add the spinach, and cover.  Simmer for a few minutes until the spinach is cooked.

Stir in pasta.


Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. .

Serves 2

NOTES:

Any shape pasta should work. Tri-color rotini, makes it look fancy.

I used two Italian sausages.  The first time I used "sweet", the second time I had one mild and one sweet.   The sweet has basil in it, so it blended right in.   If you like hot and spicy, you could use that, too.

You shouldn't need any oil in the skillet, especially if it's a non-stick skillet.  Just be sure to stir the meat until a little fat renders out.  Then you can add the onions and garlic.

I've made it with and without tomatoes, and I don't think they add much besides color.  If you really like tomatoes, then by all means add some.  As many as you want.

You can use as much or as little spinach as you want, I usually get a 5 or 6 ounce bag, depending on where I buy it.   It will all clump together anyway. I was wasting my time trimming off the stems, they cook just as soft as the leaves.  Who knew? Just toss the whole bag in there and don't worry about it.

Use soft grated Parmesan, not the stuff in the can.   You want it to melt on top.  Italian Blend is good, too.   Romano, Parmesan, Mozzerella, etc.

I didn't take a picture, so here's some  rotini for you to look at...  hee-hee

Spell check doesn't think "rotini" is a word? Seriously?

UPDATE... PICTURES! 


So... here we go.   Here's the sausage with lotsa onions and some garlic...

Here's the broth, tomato sauce, and basil simmering away...

Add the pasta (Bowties!):

Add the spinach.  This is a 6 ounce package.

Cover with the gigantic lid....

Let it wilt a little bit, then stir.

When it looks like this, it's done!

Scoop it up (use a slotted spoon), sprinkle a little pepper on top, salt to taste, and top with cheese.

That was "Pizza Cheese" which was mozzeralla, parmesan,& romano.  Tasty. 

Yes, I have new kitchen towel! Makes a better background.   And yes, that's an insulated bowl holder, because we never eat at the table... well, not at home, at least.

I was going to add a few mushrooms, sliced, but when I went to the refrigerator to get them, they refused to be sliced and jumped directly into the trash...

I always think this would be good with garlic bread, but I never have any bread to make any.

Eat up! You're too skinny!

UPDATE:  I found this at the supermarket yesterday... Looks a lot less messy than pulling the meat out of the casings.   One pound was $3.99.

Sadly, someone at Kroger decided a photo of lasagna would be appropriate for the label... OMG, what is it with that stuff?  Am I the only person who gags at the sight of it?!?!?! Apparently so, as lasagna is the most searched recipe on the internet.  Well, don't look here. 

So there, I fixed the photo...

Leftover tomato sauce?  Freeze it in an ice cube tray, one cube is right around two tablespoons.  Pop the cubes out and store in a container or a freezer bag.  Wash the ice cube in the dishwasher and it's good as new.