Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 17

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While Joanna mentions in the recipe description that she likes to break out the Chicken & Dumplings (p.215) in the fall as the weather starts to dip below 80 degrees, this week’s featured recipe happened right as our weather became consistently ABOVE 80 degrees. Even so, the Syrian Donuts (p.45), Chicken & Dumplings (p.215), and Homemade Chicken Broth (p.216) from this week of cooking through Magnolia Table were recipes that were all well enjoyed, regardless of the temperature outside.

Syrian Donuts

Going into this recipe, I had no idea what to expect. Having never tried aniseed or made baked donuts before, I was along for a happy cooking experience. Even with not knowing what to expect, these donuts were somehow different than I imagined! Dense, subtly flavorful, and certainly best warm, these Syrian donuts are a wonderful breakfast treat. The rich denseness of the walnuts and pecans make them a hearty breakfast option that makes this donut recipe certainly more suited for breakfast than for dessert. Not overwhelmingly sweet, the warm donuts are quite delightful with paired with a coffee to start off the day which is a treat I enjoyed all throughout the week.

Crowd Average Rating:

Gaining a mix of ratings (from a 4 to a 10), these Syrian donuts gained an average rating of a 7! I believe the large mix of ratings was large dependent on a few different factors: trying the donuts warm vs. cold, donut density and donut flavor. These donuts are certainly best warm and even reheat well in the microwave or toaster oven. Likewise, if you are expecting a light airy donut straight from the fryer, these will not meet those expectations as they do have a much thicker crumb and consistency due to the nuts (check out the Vanilla Cake Donuts from Week 4 for a lighter donut!).

Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 17 - Syrian Donuts

Lastly, to enjoy these donuts, you have to be open to the spiced aniseed flavor. While I could not come by ground aniseed, I was able to substitute the 3 tsp. of ground aniseed for 1.5 tsp aniseed extract. This substitution still gave a hint of licorice flavor that when paired with cinnamon, makes for a rich but unusual flavoring. I found this flavoring quite pleasant, but I am not sure it was everyone’s cup of tea. These donuts are certainly worth trying, but just be prepared to share them with a group that is willing to try something new as eating 40 donuts by oneself would be quite a challenge!

Chicken & Dumplings

Thick, creamy and a comforting staple, this Chicken & Dumplings recipe is a quick meal that is sure to please. As I was using Joanna’s Homemade Chicken Broth recipe (see review below!) for the base, I also used the chicken set aside throughout that recipe as the meat within the Chicken & Dumplings. While not technically called for (as she recommends a shredded rotisserie chicken) I believe this substitution worked very well and helped to allow each piece of the recipe to be put to use. If you were not going to be making the Homemade Chicken Broth however, you certainly could add in a rotisserie chicken, and I am sure that would be just as good. Either way, this recipe made a very nice Chicken & Dumplings that I believe would satisfy any comfort food craving.

Crowd Average Rating:

Like the Syrian Donuts above, the Chicken & Dumplings gained an average rating of a 7! Based on the textural issues I had with last week’s Eggs Benedict Casserole, I was a little worried that I would struggle with the dumplings in this recipe. To my happy surprise however, the biscuits cooked up quite nicely and the added flour to the broth provided a creamy base that when mixed with the chicken, provided great textural changes. While Chicken & Dumplings may not be our favorite meal ever, we certainly enjoyed this strong 7 rating as it would be perfect for a warm pick me up on chilly winter days.

Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 17 - Chicken & Dumplings

Homemade Chicken Broth

Having never made Homemade Chicken Broth, I was quite excited to see how this recipe would play out. Would it blow my chicken bullion cubes out of the water or be more work than I would count worth it for an everyday occasion? Filled with great ingredients, Joanna’s recipe is straightforward and while the steps proved a slight mess to accomplish, were very simple in nature. I used the broth (and cooked chicken) straight away for the Chicken & Dumplings above, and in that recipe it was delicious. On its own, it had great chicken flavor, but clearly did not have enough salt, which probably was my fault for not testing it along the way.

Crowd Average Rating:

As both Charlie and I had a similar opinion, the average rating of the Homemade Chicken Broth was a 3.5. While it had a nice flavor, we felt it needed much more salt, which if we were to make again, we would definitely include. I am not sure this recipe will be one that I duplicate as I believe the effort expended was greater than the results, however if you absolutely love homemade chicken broth, this recipe would be one to certainly try.

Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 17 - Homemade Chicken Broth

Looking Ahead – Week Eighteen

Week 18 Shopping List Includes:

Vegetable oil
Lemon
Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes
Dried dill
Saltine crackers

French bread
Eggs
Heavy cream
Orange liqueur
Sugar
Orange
Vanilla

Salt
Dark chocolate
Whipped cream
Butter
Brown sugar
Pecan halves

Looking ahead at week 18 within our Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year Guide, this upcoming week will showcase Beck’s Crackers (p.147), Chocolate Orange Bread Pudding (p.293) and Candied Pecans (p.294). While some of your fresh ingredients will likely be new this week, you will be able to use the dried dill left over from the Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip. As I so enjoyed Joanna’s Buttered Walnuts/Pecans, I am very excited to try her Candied Pecans as well with the Chocolate Orange Bread Pudding.

Final Thoughts

While not our highest rated week ever, we still enjoyed each of these recipes and I am very glad we tried them. The Syrian donuts have certainly grown on me even more over time and have been a treat I have looked forward to each morning at breakfast. Honestly though, other than the Chicken Broth, both the Syrian Donuts and Chicken & Dumplings have continued our trend of average ratings at or above a 7, so I continued to be impressed by the consistency of these recipes.

Happy cooking!