Winter time...lets get the big pots out....

I know you guys are wondering what is going on no food blogs Dee, you okay...lol. Actually I have been busy with the kids and trying to get business things in order and really could not think of a good topic to talk about. I realize it is better to write when I am feeling it than to force any random topic. A good friend of mine said talk about what you are passionate about not just any old thing just to have something on your blog....thanks my friend.

Now back to the blog, it has been rather cold out and the weather is all over the place. It is time that you are wanting those comfort foods that warm you from the inside out and make you remember things about your childhood that were amazing.  I remember wintertime when my sisters and I were kids, my mom use to make some of the most delicious soups and stews. It is just something about her cooking it with love that made it taste like it was worth a million bucks. I also remember the very few times in my childhood when it was cold enough to snow my mother would do everything she could to ensure we were warm. She would bundle us up extra before we left the house. She would have all the gas stoves on and so the house was amazingly toasty and warm when we got home. What I loved the most was she would take the iron and iron our sheets before we got in bed. Now that felt so good and you stayed nice and warm just long enough for you to fall asleep. Our childhood was far from perfect by most standards, but it was perfect enough for us. We had fun. We played, loved, and laughed hard. It was the foundation of what made us the women we are today. For that I thank you Momma. I love you Terressa Holcomb. You are one of the most amazing women I have ever known and I am thankful to God that you are my mother.

I am going to post a recipe today for one of my favorite winter time meals, chicken and dumplings. I love chicken and dumplings. My kids are not as big of fans of the dumplings but they are kind enough to not complain and eat it when I make it...lol.  I appreciate the fact they are willing to try anything I cook. They will thank me later...lol. Take a minute and check out this recipe and let me know how you like it. Feel free to comment or make suggestions. As always in parting I say, "Let's Eat"!

Chicken and Dumplings:

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 bunch thyme
1 bay leaf

Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme leaves

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
2 ribs celery, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
3 cloves finely chopped garlic

Directions

In a very large saucepan or Dutch oven, add chicken, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaf to cover. Turn on heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. *Cook's Note: You'll want to poach the chicken on a low simmer and start with cold stock so the chicken cooks evenly.  Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish and let cool. Reserve broth and discard the thyme and bay leaf. When chicken has cooled, shred. Use your hands or a fork and make sure to get all the meat off the bone. Discard the skin and bones.

Dumplings:
Add flour, salt and pepper, to taste, and baking powder to a large bowl and whisk together. In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream, butter and herbs to a low simmer then add to the dry ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Using your hands, form dough into dumplings.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add oil. Once oil is hot, add onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Saute until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add reserved broth to Dutch oven with vegetables and add the chicken. Bring to a low simmer. Add dumplings 1 at a time into the simmering soup. Cover pan with a lid and cook for 25 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste, if necessary.

I don't know about you but, I eat with my eyes!

The old saying is true, before we ever take a bite (or sometimes even a whiff) of anything we look at it. The idea of presentation is the subject here and it is everything! When you dine in any restaurant or diner and order any food - it is always presented to the eater in the best possible way! An egg sandwich on a roll may be cut in half with the inside of the sandwich facing outwards on both sides, why? The burger and fries are served with tomato, lettuce, pickle, and coleslaw. Why? Does the server care that you eat your veggies or is it for presentation?

At home we can do this too. Although we are not driving for a big "tip" from son or daughter, the effect can be the same. We eat with our eyes first!! A simple sandwich takes on a whole new dimension when piled high with lettuce, or with a few added carrot chips, potato chips, or salad on the same dish. Make your food as well as it can possibly be, but present it with this added flair and see the difference this makes!!

Plating and food presentation play a huge role in how we experience food. When a plate of food is put in front of me the first thing I always do is look at it. At this point I’m already calculating if I’m going to enjoy the dish. Just by looking at the plate I can predict if I’m going to have a scrumptious eating adventure or a blah eating experience. Next I take a big whiff, and then that first exciting bite. Now granted sometimes I’m wrong and the gray mush on my plate actually tastes yummy or the beautifully decorated plate of food is too salty or lacks exciting flavors but more often than not that first look is spot on! A well designed plate leads to a delicious meal!

So if plating and presentation is so crucial in our experience with food, you’re probably wondering what types of things you could do to make your plates look delicious? When you cook you can experiment with tastes, flavours, textures, color you can practically play around with all the ingredients in a recipe until you create a signature dish. When cooking there are no rules, you create the rules. But there are some guidelines to follow to ensure you create something memorable and here is what I use in my kitchen.

Tips to making your plates look great: 

• Use different textures: Texture of a food will determine how enjoyable the meal is……. or not. Have you ever eaten ice cream and instead of being smooth and creamy it turned out grainy ,that was your mouth feeling the texture of that brand of ice cream which is created by ice crystals.Or if you take porridge and it turns out lumpy,or meat that turns out chewy after cooking that all texture. Use a variety of different visual textures. Pair foods with smoother textures (sauces, glazes, etc.) with foods that have coarser textures (mashed potatoes, pasta, etc.).

•  Nutritional balance: My number one rule is balance,you need to create balance ,nutritional balance of the meals you are preparing. Ensure your meals are nutritionally balanced,they cover all the food groups.And in case you have forgotten,there needs to be some carbohydrates,some proteins and lots of vegetables and a slice of fruit. This will ensure you are giving your body what it needs. To get an idea of how your portions should be like, refer to my post on portion control here. 

• Use shapes & proportions appropriately: The “main” food component should be the largest piece of food on the plate, the accompanying side dishes and garnish should complement, not overwhelm the main course. 

• Flavor: Of course you need to provide interesting flavours with your meals,do not make them bland. Mother nature has been generous enough to provide us with herbs ,spices and a variety of other foods that mixed and matched will make all your meals memorable. Find flavors that go well together and create memorable meals. Tease the taste buds of the people you are preparing the meal for,take them to heaven and back! 

• Use Color: Plated food should have balanced, contrasting colors. So spice up that Mac and cheese with a little paprika on top or parsley on the side.  Any meal should appeal to the eyes first,no one likes a plain-looking plate. Let us imagine for a moment you had a plate in front of you that was all one color,not appetizing is it? Create color by including more vegetables on your plate,especially the red,orange,yellow ,green varieties.All great for you in every imaginable way. Don't you think its amazing that all the good foods (fruits and vegetables)all come in bright sunshiny colors,reason is so that you can eat more of them. Make food so colorful the minute people lay their eyes on it ,they want to grab their forks, spoons, knives and just dig in. 

• Arrangement: Plated foods should have a natural “focal point”—the spot that first draws your attention when you look at the dish. Though how a meal is plated may not be something you worry about too much,you do not want a meal that is thrown all together haphazardly. Where the rice beans and vegetables all look like a jumbled mess.You want to be able to pick out the components of a meal without feeling like you are going through a haystack. 

I hope this helps you guys some. Feel free to make comments or suggestions. As always in parting I say" Let's Eat!"

Happy New Year....what's cooking?

Okay so I loved the holidays. But I have more than had my fill of the collard greens and yams and turkey and dressing and all that says Holiday Food.  Thank goodness we get to start all over in a new year.  I have been busy with family and friends over the last few days thus no blog, plus truth be told, I was being lazy...ha ha.

If you guys are anything like me you enjoyed your holiday meals and completely over did it so now you want something different and less rich and heavy. Well the holidays for Highly Flavored meant desserts desserts desserts. I made more cakes, cookies and chewies than I could shake a stick at but it was great for business so I am hardly complaining.  What I did find was I can finally put pound cake on my list of cakes mastered. I have had the most difficult time getting the recipe right for something as basic as a pound cake. I do not know if I was over working the batter or something but I was not able to make one that could rival my great Aunt Lizzie or any of the people in my family who bake.  I made my very first banana pound cake last night and it was AWESOME! For a family who are not big fans of bananas I do believe this cake was just moved up into the ranks of our top ten desserts. I am looking forward to finding new recipes and expanding my recipe archives.

I ran across a dessert recipe today that I know I am going to try first of all because I have a friend who loves pineapple and coconut and I am sure they would be very excited about being a taste tester. Who doesn't like like free dessert. Second I am looking to find recipes for desserts that are not as heavy and and will be great for the spring and summer months which are not too far around the corner. Are there any recipes across the board you guys would like to see or have me share with you as we start this new year? Please feel free to post your requests or inbox me on Facebook. I am going to post the recipe for the pineapple bars and I will let you guys know how well they came out or maybe the person taste testing will post a thought on how they tasted. As always in parting I say" Let's Eat!"

Pineapple Coconut Bars

1 cup (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

Filling:
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 of a large (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple, drained, save the juice
2/3 cup flaked coconut

Icing:
1/2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon pineapple juice (from above)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8 inch square metal pan with non-stick foil or spray with flour-added cooking spray.
In the food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse to mix, then add butter and pulse until mixture is coarse. Empty into your lined pan and press tightly to make a crust. Bake for about 13 minutes or until edges start to brown. Let cool completely before making filling.

Filling: Mix together the egg. egg yolk, both sugars and the vanilla. Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir them into the batter. Add the pineapple and coconut. Pour over the cooled crust and bake for about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

Icing: Mix together all the ingredients, using as much pineapple juice as needed to make a smooth icing. Drizzle icing over the top of the cooled bars.

Chill bars, then lift from pan and cut into 16 squares. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes 16