Chicken and Mushroom Stew

Ingredients:

2 lbs Chicken breast, cubed
1 Sweet onion, diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2-3 Russet Potatoes, cubed
8oz Mushrooms, sliced
4 cups Chicken Broth or Stock
About 1/8 cup cashews, chopped
1/4 cup Red Wine
1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/8 tsp ground Thyme
1 Tbs fresh Rosemary, roughly chopped
1 tsp dried Parsley
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 cup AP Flour
Olive Oil
Heavy Cream

Directions:

Add about 2 Tbs olive oil to a large pot or Dutch Oven over Medium High heat. When the oil is hot, add chicken to pot and season lightly with some salt and pepper, toss to coat and smooth the chicken to cover the bottom of the pot in one even layer. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, then flip the chicken pieces with tongs. Cook chicken for another 3-4 minutes and remove to a separate bowl with a slotted spoon.

To the pot, add the onion, garlic, and potatoes to whatever liquid is left over from the chicken and coat the vegetables in it. If the pot is dry, add a little more olive oil. Cook roughly 6-8 minutes before adding the sliced Mushrooms. Continue to cook until the mushrooms release the liquid into the pot, return the chicken and any liquid in the bowl back into the pot.

Add the flour, measured salt and pepper, and the herbs and spices listed above. Toss to coat and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the flour looks cooked and everything is nicely coated. Pour the wine into the pot and stir, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pour over the chicken broth and stir, adding the cashews as you do so.

Bring the stew to a simmer, and reduce the heat low enough to maintain the simmer. Cook the stew for 20 minutes. Add a splash of heavy cream to the stew, and warm through. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed and serve.

Larpmom’s Hamburger Rolls

Ingredients:

2 envelopes rapid rise yeast
1 cup ap flour, plus 1/2 cup reserved
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole milk, plus 1 Tbs reserved
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs unsalted butter
2 eggs, beaten, plus 1 egg reserved

Instructions:

Scald milk over medium heat in saucepan. Melt butter in milk. Remove from heat. Slowly whisk teaspoonfuls of hot milk mixture into eggs to temper, then add eggs into pot. Cool to warm to touch, not hot, then add sugar and yeast. Whisk and let bloom for 10 minutes. Combine flour in large bowl of stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Add milk mixture and combine with hook. Scrape down the bowl and add the salt. Knead on medium high for 8 minutes, add flour as needed until dough begins to pull from the sides of the bowl. Remove from stand mixer, flour hands and manually knead into a soft ball. Add about a tsp of vegetable oil over top and smooth around the dough. Cover and let rise 40 minutes to 1 hour. Turn out onto floured surface, roll and knead gently into a ball, then cut in quarters with a sharp knife. Cut each forth in half, then roll gently into bun shapes and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover and preheat oven to 425°F. Combine reserved milk and egg and brush tops of rolls with this wash. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through baking time.

LarpMom’s Baked Mac n Cheese

Ingredients:

3/4 box cavapatti noodles cooked in salted water for 7 minutes
4 oz cream cheese block, cubed
8oz velveeta cheese block, cubed
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more to dust on top
4 Tbs butter, plus 3 more Tbs reserved
1/4 cup ap flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprkia
1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground dry mustard
1/8 to 1/4 cup pinot gregio
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F. Add spices to flour and stir to mix. Melt 4 Tbs of butter in large pot, then add flour and whisk until smooth and cooked about 2 minutes.

Add 2 cups milk slowly, and continue to whisk to avoid clumping. Cook 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat, until thickened. Add cream cheese and velveeta, and stir until melted and smooth. Turn off burner, and 2 cups cheddar and 1 cup of parmesan. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Stir until melted and smooth. Pour wine into sauce and stir until mixed well. Add noodles and fold to coat. Transfer noodles to a 9×13 baking dish and smooth down until even in the dish. In the empty pot you used to cook the noodles, melt remaining butter and add the bread crumbs. Stir until fully moistened with butter and slightly toasted. Remove from heat. Grate more parmesan cheese over the macaroni and cheese, then top with bread crumbs.

Cover with tin foil or a lid and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 additional minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes, then serve.