Yummy Homemade Cinna-Buns

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Made these cinnamon rolls this morning. Actually, they are more like cinnamon biscuits, as they are made with baking powder. I still like yeast rolls better, but these made for a quick and yummy breakfast, especially good right out of the oven.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

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Chicken noodle soup is much better when made with homemade broth and homemade noodles.

 

I like to make chicken broth after having a roast chicken - Throw the leftover chicken, bones and all, in a big pot with water and salt, enough to cover all the chicken. Let it cook at a slow boil until the chicken is falling off the bones. Then strain the broth off the chicken, return to heat and let it reduce until it has the "strength" of chicken flavor that you like. 

 

 

While it's boiling down, you have things you can be doing. First off, mix up the noodle dough. Here is a small recipe. It can easily be doubled.

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 1.5 cup unbleached flour

2 eggs

1.5 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp sea salt

Put flour and sea salt in a bowl, then add beaten eggs, water, and oil. Mix with a fork and let the dough sit for at least 15-20 minutes, covered. 

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Okay, once your noodle dough is resting, start peeling and slicing carrots, slice celery, and dice onions; mince a little parsley, too, if you like.  When your broth is reduced to about the strength you like, add the chopped vegetables. While the veggies are cooking in the broth, bone some of the chicken, which should have cooled by now. If you prefer nice chunks of chicken instead of little pieces of leftovers, you can use a leftover cooked chicken breast or, maybe you can just use your roast chicken entirely for the soup, cutting off some of the best of the chicken before it goes to making broth. The boiled bits of chicken are good for chicken tacos.

Now, roll out your noodles on a lightly floured surface. Turn them over every so often, dusting lightly with flour. Once they are quite thin, cut them in strips with a pizza cutter or knife. 

Once your  veggies are just right (not too mushy), add the chicken. Then, carefully add the noodles, a few at a time. (You may not want to use all of them, depending on how much broth you made. Just play it by ear.) Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Let the noodles cook for about ten minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.

Enjoy!!!

Traditional Welsh Cakes - Delightfully Different!

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I first found recipes for traditional Welsh cakes when I went searching for traditional Welsh recipes after reading an article about Welsh shepherds. I was a bit reticent at first. A rolled dough cooked up on a griddle? But I fell in love with them! 

They are a bit different - kind of like a cross between a scone and a cookie. I followed the recipe found on the You Tube video found HERE, but I added cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, as suggested in other Welsh cake recipes. It made a nice combination with the currants. Or you can omit the currants and spices and add lemon and lemon zest for a nice variation. I should tell you, however, that I got a message on another blog from a lady in Wales saying that Welsh cakes with the spices and variations are not really Welsh cakes. I say, do your own thing, at least when it comes to goodies.

Traditional Welsh cakes are easy to make and a nice take-along snack.

Fluffy Pancakes

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Pancakes were the first thing I ever learned to make well, so I get an especially good feeling when I make them. This recipe is actually one I came up with on my own, about thirty-five years ago, messing around with it until I got it right. At the time, I knew absolutely nothing about cooking, so it's amazing it turned out so well. It was several years, though, before I learned the real secret, which is not an ingredient, but a technique--letting the batter rest for 20 minutes before cooking the cakes. It lets the gluten chains form and results in a much fluffier pancake.