Cheesy Chicken and Dumplings

What is it about dumplings? I hadn't made this Cheesy Chicken and Dumplings casserole in ages, and as soon as I took a bite, I thought, why don't I make dumplings more often? It's not as if I make them from scratch -- they're only Bisquick and water! Yet, they're just as tasty as the stuff that takes forever. I think. I mean, I've never made the stuff that takes forever . . .

But anyway. This recipe is super easy. The first time I made it, I didn't think so. I was confused by the timing or something. But when I made it last week I thought, how can anyone possibly be confused by a dish this simple? That gives you an idea of how far I've come in the kitchen! So, without further ado, here's the how-to:

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts (I used those pre-pounded thin ones, which feel like less of a lead weight in your stomach and -- bonus! -- make for quicker cooking)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste (Whatever that means. I just used two shakes of Jane's Crazy Salt.)
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar
For the dumplings:
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cups milk

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake chicken breasts for 35 minutes (I changed it to 25 on account of the less substantial chicken). Meanwhile, combine the chicken soup, sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken once the 35 or 25 minutes are up. Sprinkle with cheese. Put back in the oven. Mix the Bisquick with the 2/3 cup of milk until soft dough forms (this part always reminds me of a science experiment. Well, a science experiment that smells like a bakery). Once the chicken is bubbling, drop the dough on top by spoonfuls. Continue to bake for ten minutes. Then cover and bake for ten more minutes.

It turned out really well. The sour cream gives the sauce a subtle tanginess, and you can never go wrong with gooey cheddar. The bf and I ate it with a crisp green salad, which was a nice light complement that also added some color. I probably should've taken a picture of it, too. Oh well. Next time.

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger in Paradise Pie

Once upon a time, I used to cook. I've been feeling a little guilty about my lack of culinary prowess lately, no small thanks to my current reading of Julie & Julia. You know you've reached the depths of laziness when you're reading about a woman who pulls the spinal cords out of lobsters when you can't even summon yourself to fry up a grilled cheese. Nevertheless, the other night I managed to make this appropriately named Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie, an old gem from my mom's recipe box. Attractive it isn't, as evidenced by its dubious photo. But this is one of those cases where looks are only skin deep. Not that you want to think of your dinner as having a skin. Anyway, if you love meat and cheese (and really, who doesn't?), then give it a try:

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (I mistakenly bought 2 and so even as I type this have a frying pan full of ground beef fermenting, untouched, in my fridge).
1 large onion, chopped (My inveterate laziness came into full flower here; I skipped the onion entirely, opting instead for the ever-trusty garlic salt.)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheddar (By all means, don't feel fettered to the lone cup.)
1/2 cup Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9" pie plate. Brown beef and onion, drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate; sprinkle with cheese. In bowl, stir remaining ingredients. Pour into pie plate. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

I'm glad to be back on the recipe-posting wagon, if only temporarily. But my inconsistent cooking and reporting thereof has made me rethink the overall feel of this blog. I mean, one day I'm posting about an arts and crafts project, then I'm on to reviewing books and movies, and finally, there are all those pictures of me in the crazy outfits. (I realize I'm neglecting to acknowledge a whole other faction of random writings, but to go into every weird thing I share would take too long.) The thing is, I'm fine with this mess. But sometimes I wonder what you think about it. After all, most of you started reading for the art and handmade business posts (thank you, fellow Etsy followers) and may not care about the clothes, reviews, recipes, Golden Girls homages etc. Similarly, the Photo Shoot Friday fans probably care only about what I'm wearing and don't want to know what I'm thinking. And then there are those people who may check in occasionally just because they know me. By being such a scatterbrain, I run the risk of fragmenting my audience, subsequently losing some of it along the way. Julie Powell of Julie & Julia fame, on the other hand, was a blogger extraordinaire, drawing a vast and loyal readership by recounting her challenging and often hilarious cooking adventures working her way through Julia Child's cookbook. To read her accounts is to feel the excruciating pain of her uphill climb. (Her own mother begged her to stop the project because she was killing herself.) But despite all of her myriad issues, culinary, social, psychological, and otherwise, she is unarguably and unflaggingly focused, managing to deliver a story that is uncomplicatedly cohesive. I don't know if I have it in me to be so creatively monogamous. And honestly, I probably won't even try. So this little ramble has been kind of unproductive.