11/27/12 ChefElla's Quick Candy Cane Pudding Pie

CHEFELLA'S QUICK CANDY CANE PUDDING PIE

The holidays are so much fun.  Everyone decorates, gets together, gives gifts, and of course eats.  My parents work so hard to make the holidays fun for us, and I like to do my part.  The holidays are a great time to share by making something homemade from your kitchen.  But there is something else that makes cooking fun, and that is spending time with your family in the kitchen.  The fun part about making this pie, is that it is so easy, that you can spend most of your time talking.  Everyone will think that the candy cane pudding pie took you a long time to make, but you will know that all it took was a good conversation, and a little help from ChefElla.

1.  Wash your hands.

2.  For this recipe you will need a small bowl, a small wire whisk, measuring cups, and a small
     hammer, meat mallet, or rolling pin.

Candy Cane Pudding Pie Ingredients:
1                 Oreo or Chocolate Graham Cracker Pie Crust

2  boxes       Jell-O, Sugar Free, Fat Free, Instant Pudding Mix, Cheesecake Flavor (1oz)

2 1/2 Cups  Skim, Fat Free, Milk

2-3 Drops   Green Food Coloring

2-3 Drops   Red Food Coloring

                 -You can use more drops for a brighter color, but I like pink and light green so I used 2-3
                  drops of each.

3.5-4oz      Peppermint Bark, crumbled
                  - You can crumble your peppermint bark by leaving it in the package and using a hammer
                  meat mallet, or rolling pin to gently smash the bark.  If it is not in a package put the bark in a
                  sealable plastic bag and then gently smash the bark.

1 can         Real Dairy Whip Topping

3.  Put 1 1/4 cups of milk in the mixing bowl, add green food coloring and mix.

4.  Add 1 box of the instant pudding and mix until the pudding begins to thicken.

5.  Pour pudding mix into chocolate pie shell.  Let the pie sit on counter or other flat surface for 3-5
     minutes.  Wash your bowl and whisk.
6.  Sprinkle 1/2 of your peppermint bark over the green pudding.

7.  Add remaining 1 1/4 cups of milk to the mixing bowl, add red food coloring and mix.

8.  Add second box of the instant pudding mix and mix until the pudding begins to thicken.

9.  Pour red pudding mix over green pudding and peppermint bark already set in the chocolate pie shell.

     Let the pie sit on counter or other flat surface for 3-5 minutes.

10.  Cover your pie and refrigerate.

11.  When you are ready to serve your pie, top with whipped topping and sprinkle remaining
       peppermint bark over the whip.

You can give this pie as a gift, or enjoy with your family and friends.

Enjoy

-ChefElla

11/06/12 ChefElla's Chicken Pot Pie With Dumplings

CHEFELLA'S CHICKEN POT PIE WITH DUMPLINGS

Sometimes my Dad tries to tell me about the things he would eat when he was my age.  My Mom always say yum, but to be honest none of it sounds very good.  Last week my Dad said he needed my expert help in the kitchen.  He said he was making a special soup, and because I was ChefElla he needed my help.  Making the dumplings was the best part, and when we were done, it tasted so good.  Later my Dad told me it was pot pie soup.  That day I learned that sometimes even food with a funny name can taste good.
For this recipe you will need to use the stove and a knife.  If you are not allowed to use the stove or a knife by yourself you can have your mom or dad help.

1.  Wash your hands.

2.  For this recipe you will need a 1 gallon stock pot with a lid, a wooden spoon, a large mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, a wire whisk, a small scooper, a fork, a cutting board, and a knife.

Chicken Dumpling Soup Ingredients: (This recipe will make 4-6 servings)

2 Cups       Mirepoix (mirror-i-pwaw) Mirepoix is the french name for your soup starting vegetables.
                           Mirepoix is made up of carrots, celery, and onions.  Usually it is 2 parts onion to 1 part
                           carrot and 1 part celery, but each recipe can change.
                           For example in this recipe we are using:
                  1 Cup        Red Onion, small diced

                      -Small diced is when you cut the onion into 1/4 inch pieces.  (see ChefElla's salsa recipe
                      for more explantation on how to cut an onion.

                  1/2 Cup      Celery, small diced

                  1/2 Cup      Carrot, small diced

3 Tbl.         Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbl.         Whole Wheat or All Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup     White Wine

                 -You can use any kind of wine you have or you can buy white cooking wine at the store.
                  The good thing about cooking with wine is once you cook it, the alcohol is gone and
                  all that is left is the flavor.

3 Tbl.          Extra Virgin Olive Oil

32oz.          Chicken Broth.  (You can buy 32oz containers of Broth at the store.)
1 lb.            Chicken Breast, Large Diced.  You can use fresh or pre-cooked chicken.

1/2 Cup      Fresh or Frozen Corn.

1/2 Cup      Fresh or Frozen Green Peas. (if you do not like peas you can leave them out)     

1 tsp.           Salt, Kosher or Sea Salt

1/2 tsp.       Tabasco

3.  Put your pot on the stove add your Olive Oil, and heat on medium.

4.  Add your mirepoix and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or two.  Do not brown your
     vegetables.

5.  Add flour to your pan and mix well.  Try to get the flour all over your vegetables.  Stir 1-2 minutes.

6.  Add the wine to your vegetables and mix.  The mixture should look like a globby mess. Stir for
     30 seconds.

7.  Add your chicken stock and mix with a wire whisk.

8.  Bring your soup to a simmer.
     -Simmering is when there are bubbles gently coming up in your soup.  If there are a lot of bubbles
     and steam then you are boiling.

9.  When you soup is simmering, add your chicken, corn, peas, salt and Tabasco, and mix well.
10.  Bring the mixture back to a simmer.  Stir the soup occasionally so the soup does not stick to the
       bottom of the pan.

While you are waiting for your soup to simmer you can make the dumplings.

Sage Dumpling Ingredients: (This recipe will make about 20 - 1inch dumplings)

1 Cup          Whole Wheat Flour

2 tsp.           Dried Parsley

1 tsp.           Dried Sage

1/2 tsp.       Granulated Garlic

1 1/2 tsp.     Baking Soda

1 tsp.           Salt, Kosher or Sea Salt

2 Tbl.           Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 Cup       Water.

1.  Add all of your dry ingredients to a bowl and mix well with a large fork.

2.  Add your oil and water to the dry ingredients.  

3.  Mix slowly.  Try to incorporate all of the flour into the dumplings, but do not over mix.

     -Incorporating is when you do not see the flour anymore.

4.  The dumpling mixture will look like a sticky lump of dough.

5.  Scoop your dumplings with a scooper or spoon one by one and ease them into your simmering

     soup.  

     -Try not to put the dumplings on top of each other.  

     -The dumplings will begin to float.

6.  Put the lid on your stock pot, turn your stove down to medium low or low heat, and set your timer

     for 15 minutes.

7.  After 15 minutes you can take the top off your pot and turn off the stove.

Serve warm in a bowl.

Enjoy

-ChefElla