Step-by-Step Attempt of Tyler Florence's Chicken and Dumplings

Hey guys!! WOW, not one but TWO blog posts in ONE day! Thank you Blue Cricket Design for inspiring me and helping me realize that its NOT that hard lol (in a good way :))

So with that said, I can finally share my successful attempt at Tyler Florence's Recipe Tyler's Ultimate Chicken and Dumplings recipe. Boy was it scrumptious! I am so glad I documented the process that went into making this so that I can better share the steps along the way!

ENJOY and I hope that if you do try this, please let me know how it went I would love to hear about your creative twists on this wonderful comfort food!

Gather your ingredients :)

Chicken and Stock:
  • 1 (3 to 31/2 pound) whole organic chicken
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 sprigs thyme
  • 4 to 5 black peppercorns
  • 1 head garlic, split through the equator
  • 2 tablespoons salt


I'm ready for my closeup!

Place the chicken and all stock ingredients in a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skim the surface of fat and scum (ew) as it cooks.
To prepare the Dumplings:
Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon bakingshowlist_icon.gif powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup chopped chives
  • 3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk






Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, using a whisk, lightly beat the eggs, chives and buttermilk together; pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together; the batter should be thick and cake-like.





To prepare sauce: In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas and pearl onions.
Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.




Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving.







And there you have it!!!

Here I thought, "Man, Tyler Florence is AWESOME at what he does, it will be impossible for an amateur like me to do it." 
WRONG!!!! If you watch his show he simplifies it nicely!!! When it comes time to actually doing the recipe, as long as everything is mise en place, YOU WILL BE FINE and it will turn out quite good!!

So here HIS recipe, just in case I may have accidentally left anything out above!! I am SO glad I can share this with you guys. As you can see by the timestamp I am a major procrastinator and should have posted this blog eons ago!! Well no fear because now its here!!! :)

ENJOY!!!!!

Show and Tell Green

From Boppy BOOO to BOPPY RAWR baby! :)

My Boppy Cover KNOCKOFF!!!


SO, I realize that I should make much more of a commitment to this blog :( and I don't. SHAME ON ME.....Hopefully today should end that.  Thanks to THIS BLOG I have been encouraged to make a post simply to show and tell :)

So today I have decided to share my beginners skills on a boppy (nursing/baby) pillow cover! :)
Let me just tell you how awesome boppys are!

~It's great from day one, I had mine at the hospital to nurse my itty bitty when she was born!
Wait, thats not me!
NOOO!!


Even as our LO got older, it remained a part of our daily lives!


Unfortunately, so did the slipcover.....

which is in EVERY picture! Its not ugly but it gets old really fast! What can I say, I finally found the time to make a change!

I took inspiration from a blanket that my daughter has which is has a minkee(sp?) brown fabric on one side with a pink shaggy fabric on the other bordered with a fleece leopard print...so cute and luxurious! lol!

The effect of its LUXURY! lol

So I went out for this project and as a beginner I decided to keep it simple! I found this pattern on sale at Joann's.  And I purchased the materials required at Wal-Mart.  Then I finally took the time to complete my project following the directions on the pattern.

Boring ol' Boppy without the cover.
RAWR!
The snazzy velcro enclosure!

This particular pattern calls for the envelop style where the pillow is stuffed and I do mean STUFFED into the slip where one piece overlaps the other.  There is black piping along the edges and it is sealed closed with velcro.

So there you have it. It goes in with her safari theme, but adds a bit more girly flare (IS IT ENOUGH PINK FOR YOU? LOL)

Maybe I will update this soon with her in it, she's a lounger and a big reader (well picture looker at'er anyway) so hopefully I can catch her in it again with the new cover :)

I am also planning to make another one tailored for a good friend's baby boy who has yet to arrive! :)


So what do you guys think? I would love to hear your opinions and constructive criticism and I hope to do (and share) more of these projects! :) Thanks for reading!!!!


Show and Tell Green

And thank you to Blue Cricket Design for allowing me to show and tell today! <3<3<3<3


**Now the only downside was the pillow seemed to be too small for the finished product, so either my pattern cutting abilities are lacking or my boppy is worn in a bit. Next time I think I will trace the pillow into the fabric.  Which also reminds me that I prefer the zipper enclosure of the other cover.  While inserting a zipper may prove to be more difficult, in the long run it will be easier to put on and remove the cover.**