Really?!

 

• Just because a recipe calls for it doesn't mean you have to use it (I hate cilantro but love parsley)
• Do not ever believe the number of servings because it makes a big difference on who you are feeding
• Good cooking does not have to be or should it be difficult
• Not everything has to be made from scratch
• Great ideas come from food magazines but be daring and change them up
• Cooking for family and friends is good for the soul

  

 

This certainly won't come as any big surprise; I enjoy watching cooking and food shows.  I try to figure out what I would do with the basket mystery ingredients on "Chopped."  By the time I've come up with a recipe the chefs have already served the dish.  I like a lot of Rachael Rays shows.  I do think she cheats a bit with her "30 Minute Meals" as she has so many things already prepped.  Paula Deen  is probably one of my favorites.  Like her, I do not take good recipes and wreck them with low cal, no fat ingredients. 

What I am not a big fan of is reality TV.  Last week I watched "Worst Cooks in America"  where chefs Anne Burrell and Bobby Flay select teams from the worst cooks and, ultimately, turn them into gourmet cooks.  The premise isn't bad.  The reality is, because it isn't based on reality.  Anyone can pretend to be a bad cook.  I can make my macaroni and cheese with grape Kool Aid and it would be pretty awful.  I would expect that a chef or a TV show producer would realize that it was a scam.  

Here is what I was expected to believe---one cook thought a quarter cup was anything the size of a quarter.  I guess for a 1/4 cup of water she'd have to use an eyedropper to accurately place the water on the quarter.  Then there was the cook who didn't know that you peeled onions before you chopped them.  Another thought an asparagus spear was an artichoke,  One cook didn't know about washing his hands.  Come on, the kindergarteners know better.  But I have saved the absolute best for last, this cooks secret ingredient was, are you ready, dog food!

How is it possible that these people even know about the TV show as they have obviously never watched the Food Network?   Are they even capable of operating the remote?  Can these cooks read? And, why oh why, if  they really cooked food that poorly , wouldn't they buy prepared foods that you throw in the microwave?  Oh, I know, because then we wouldn't have this TV show.

And one of these horrible cooks will end up wowing everyone at the end of the season with their culinary skills, their sublime use of seasonings and impress a Gourmet Magazine restaurant reviewer with their expertise in creating a menu that is flawless.  And all of this is just eight weeks.

If this is reality, I am Julia Child.

Chicken Stew

3 lb rotisserie chicken

2 Tablespoons butter

1 onion diced

2 ribs celery sliced thin

2 Tablespoons flour

2- 14.5 ounce cans chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

3/4 pound red potatoes, diced

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons butter

3/4 cup milk

2 Tablespoons dried dill

De-bone chicken and cut into chunks or shred. Set aside.Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir onion and celery until soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons flour and whisk continuously to make a thick roux, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in chicken broth, whisking to remove any lumps. Add 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, basil, thyme, potatoes, and mixed vegetable. Cover and cook the stew over medium heat until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in chicken meat and continue to simmer.  Meanwhile, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; cut in 3 tablespoons butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and dill. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough into the simmering stew. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Cover and cook until the dumplings are tender, 8 to 10 minutes more.