Superbowl Sunday

Let me just say that I LOVE Superbowl food!  My Man and I were home all weekend with sick little ones.  So, any superbowl get-togethers we might have had planned fell through.  However, I was not about to let that stop me from preparing all the necessary accoutrements (meaning I still wanted to -ahem- pig out).  The food and the people is what I really enjoy about the superbowl, so I wanted to enjoy my family... and food.

Here's what I prepared corn dip, bruschetta, sweet potato chips, and brownie cookies (and leftover lasagna, but I really didn't bother with all the snacks - that was for the kids).  Now, I had never before prepared Pioneer Woman's bruschetta.  Let me just tell you that it was well worth it...  love, love, love this recipe.  Already looking for another reason to make it - soooo goood!!!

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
5 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1 pint Red Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
1 pint Yellow Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
16 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
Salt And Pepper To Taste (don't Oversalt!)
1 whole Baguette
8 Tablespoons Butter


In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir, lightly frying for about a minute, removing before the garlic gets too brown (it can be golden.) Pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.
Add tomatoes, balsamic, basil, and salt and pepper to the bowl. Toss to combine, then taste and add more basil if needed, and more salt if needed (don’t oversalt, though!) Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two if you have the time. (I would like to add a little fresh shredded parmesan to this mix next time)
Cut the baguette into diagonal slices to allow for the most surface area possible. Melt half the butter in a large skillet and grill half the bread on both sides, making sure they’re nice and buttery. Cook till golden brown on both sides. Repeat with the other half of the butter and the other half of the bread.
To serve, give the tomato mixture a final stir, the spoon generously over the slices of bread. Serve on a big platter as a first course or appetizer.

Mexican White Bean Soup

Seriously.  We fought over the leftovers.

Mexican Chicken-White Bean Soup (aslo from Paula Deen)
1 T butter
2 cups chopped white onion
1 cup chopped poblano pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 jalopenos, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups chicken broth
1 (16 oz) package dried great northern beans, soaked, drained, and rinsed
2 t ground cumin
1 t salt
2 1/2 lbs bone-in chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 T fresh lime juice
Garnish:  lime wedges

In a 6 qt pressure cooker, melt butter over medium high heat.  Add onion, peppers, celery and garlic.  Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until onion starts to soften.  Stir in broth, beans, cumin, and salt.  Nestle chicken into broth mixture.
Secure lid on cooker, and bring to high pressure over high heat.  Immediately reduce heat to low to maintain pressure, and cook for 13 minutes.  Remove from heat, and use natural-release method. 
Remove chicken from cooker.  Remove and discard skin and bones; shred meat using 2 forks.  Stir shredded chicken, cilantro, and lime juice into soup.  Garnish with lime wedges if desired.

Again, I don't have a pressure cooker (yet) so I boiled the chicken and then shredded.  Then I combined all ingredients using some of the water that I boiled the chicken in, and simmered for a good hour and a half.  Yummy!!  I completely recommend serving with bread : )

Wowzers... Hamburger Soup

Well, we have been wonderful.  Lately.  I haven't posted for quite some time so you haven't been so lucky to hear my vomiting stories : )  But, recently we've all felt well and have been enjoying back to school.  I say that but it's been awfully hard to get up early since Christmas break!  And poor little Christopher is still teething...  I couldn't tell you if it's his 1 year molars or his eye and stomach teeth, but does it really matter?

Needless to say, 3 of us vomited in one day (on the same day we tried to go see Santa!) and to 3 others vomited in the days before and after Christmas.  My husband called it a comedy of errors and I think that pretty much covers it!

As soon as the colder weather hit (which took an awfully long time in these parts this year) I started making soups.  Really kind of funny how the thermometer drops and I immediately start preparing soup and bread!

I'll start with this b/c I've made it so many times already - instant favorite!!

Hamburger Soup
1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopping onion
6 cubes beef bouillon
5 cups water
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen corn
1 tsp dried basil
3 T ketchup

Brown burger, drain.  Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours.

FYI, I'm already doubling this for my family!!

Ultimate Banana Bread

I already have a good banana bread that I really like, but if you like your banana bread to have more of a bread consistency and nut as much gooey banana AND you like walnuts, you need to try this.

Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even checking for doneness five minutes earlier than advised in the recipe. The texture is best when the loaf is eaten fresh, but it can be stored (cool completely first), covered tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.

1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour


1 teaspoon baking soda


½ teaspoon table salt


6 large very ripe bananas (about 2¼ pounds), peeled (see note)


8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly


2 large eggs


¾ cup (5¼ ounces) packed light brown sugar


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


½ cup walnuts , toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)


2 teaspoons granulated sugar


1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.


2. Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife. Microwave on high power until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to fine-mesh strainer placed over medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes (you should have ½ to ¾ cup liquid).


3. Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.


4. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in walnuts, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice remaining banana diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving 1½-inch-wide space down center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf.


5. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

My Revelation

Are you ready for this? 

Frozen.  Cookies.  It's the greatest thing ever.  It's a lifesaver.  It's my latest revelation.

I bake a batch of cookies and I throw them in the deep freeze.  Since they're not actually in the kitchen on the counter WE DON'T EAT THEM.  At least not in 2 days.  And then, when I need a special treat for the kids, or a lunch treat when I'm packing a lunch or I just want to send cookies home with a friend they are ready to go!  They're even already in ziploc bags!  I even have a selection of cookies in there.

So, that's what I've been up to.  As soon as the fall weather started I started baking.  It was almost comical.  Banana bread, cookies, pies, cake - it's been ridiculous around here.  Not to mention the chili and then Pioneer Woman's lemon blueberry pancakes.  Those were fabulous.

Anyway.  Bake something.  Then freeze it.  I love it.  And here's the recipe for those pancakes if you're interested.

Fall!

I love fall.  Everything about it.  I'm sure I've done a similar post to this every year since I started this blog (in 2008, I think).

I love that school starts in the fall.  I love the crisp, cool morning air.  I love pumpkins.

I love apple cider.  Sorry, now I'm thinking of fall food.  Soups, breads, pies.  Apple crisp, apple pie, apple cobbler.  Cinnamon.

Oops, ok.  Um, I LOVE Halloween.  Back on track now.  I love Halloween treats, costumes, parties, books!  My kids have a dozen or more Halloween books and they are so fun!

Seriously, I love to decorate my porch in the fall.  What's up with that?  Mums.  Again, pumpkins.  Candied apples!  (back to food, I guess)

Okay, and NOW I have a birthday to celebrate in the fall!  My baby's going to be ONE!  And I have SO.  MANY.  IDEAS.  (Have you seen that commercial with the teacher and the glitter?  'So much glitter.')  Anyway, more on that later....

The point of this post is to say that I'm so excited about Fall/Halloween that I'm already looking at blog designs for this Halloween.  Take a look.  And tell me which one you like better : )

Candy

 Cat

Snow Days...

January is starting with cabin fever! We've had two snow days in a row and I'm starting to go a little nuts. We've been home a lot lately but not with all 4 kids! So we're cooking pancakes and we're painting toenails. Snow days aren't for cleaning are they?! If so, I'm in trouble...

The kids played in the snow yesterday (with Daddy) and I shoveled the driveway (a manual labor chore that for some strange reason I really enjoy).

And, this is one for Christopher's baby book, he slept through the night 3 nights in a row last night. Although the first two were clear to 7:15 and this morning was just to 6 am. But he went back to sleep without nursing - I'm trying to keep the trend going....

I feel like I live in Vermont this morning - it's gorgeous! But, I'm glad I'm inside! Looks like Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup and French Bread for dinner!

Paula Deen's Chili-Lime Southwest Wraps

This recipe came out of the same issue that the Chocolate Pumpkin Bread did. And it was a lifesaver! Totally loved it. My Man, of course, added tobasco sauce. He also said he wouldn't mind more lime juice and more kick of some kind. I'm thinking I'll add jalopenos to his next time...

But, they were great. She (Paula) added this to the issue as a 'tailgating' food. It's a cold dish. However, it's great to have on hand. We had it for lunch, we had it for dinner, and when we ran out of tortillas, we ate it with tortilla chips!

Chili-Lime Southwest Wraps

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 T lime juice
1 t chili powder
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 15.25 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15.25 oz can whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
7 10-in. flour tortillas

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, lime juice, and chili powder. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and green chiles, beans, corn, and cilantro, Spoon mixture into each tortilla. Roll up tortillas, and cut in half.

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

My MIL gave me a subscription to Cooking With Paula Deen. What a great gift! Last month she did a whole spread on breads with different variations. Banana, tea, pumpkin... you get the picture. I didn't think I'd be that interested in the tea breads but there's a lavender variation that sounds amazing...

Anyway, was in baking mode this weekend, made the this one and it hit the spot just as the air got crisp! Love it! The kids have been asking for it daily... since I'm rationing it out to make it last...

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups sugar
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
8 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, and water. In another large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Gradually add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring until blended. Stir in the chocolate. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire rack.

p.s. Just nix the chocolate to make plain ole pumpkin bread.

Here are the other two variations I haven't tried yet...

Ginger-Pecan Pumpkin Bread
Prepare pumpkin bread as directed. Stir 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger and 1 cup chopped pecans into batter before pouring into prepared pans.

Rum-Raisin Pumpkin Bread
Prepare pumpkin bread as directed. Soak 1 cup raisins in 1/4 cup rum for 15 minutes. Stir raisins and rum into batter before pouring into prepared pans.

I have two words for you...

Banana Pancakes.

I have never been a fan of bananas. Never have liked them. Don't even like Strawberry Banana smoothies.

But yesterday, I got sick. And I was concerned that I would wake up really shaky and sick to my stomach if I didn't eat something before I went to bed. But, at this stage in my pregnancy, anything after six tends to make my nighttime heartburn more of an issue.

My husband recommended that I eat a banana. Reluctantly I tried it. Lo and behold, my heartburn wasn't much of an issue last night and I felt really well this morning. By the time I got out of bed I really wanted a good banana pancake recipe (for some reason I was now convinced of the restorative properties of bananas and wanted all in my family to immediately have some in their breakfast). Sneaky, yes?

Did a little research, and decided to add 3 mashed bananas to the buttermilk pancake recipe and see how it turned out. Ohmygoodness. Yummy, syrupy, buttery, banana pancakes were just what I needed this morning. Apparently.

Note: I typically take over-ripe bananas that haven't gotten eaten and throw them in the freezer (not literally). These are the bananas that I use in banana bread and now pancakes!

Grandma Powell's Meatballs

It has been brought to my attention that I have never posted this recipe (inadvertently). This is a family fave. I can't believe it's not on here yet. Enjoy - really.

Grandma Powell's Meatballs

1 lb hamburger
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 T dried parsley
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Combine all ingredients.

Shape into 1 inch balls and cook in oil - turning to brown each side.

Serve in your favorite spaghetti sauce over the pasta of your choosing.

FYI, My Man likes these really, really browned in the frying process. Then I like to put them in the crockpot in the sauce until it's actually dinner time. I also like to serve these with French bread. Oh, and fry them up ahead of time and freeze them. Then toss them in the sauce in the crockpot when you only have a minute. Seems so unfair that they could be so easy and so good!

One more thing, I often double this recipe so we can eat some AND freeze some. Although My Man usually steals the frozen ones for his lunches...

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

Made this last week with some bread machine French bread. Talk about an easy satisfying meal! It has options to add different ingredients - I did the fresh mushrooms... mmmmmm.

1 lb ground beef or turkey, browned
1 (25 oz) jar pasta sauce
10 dry lasagna noodles (not oven-ready)
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
1 lb sliced mushrooms
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves (optional)
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
8 slices mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Italian-style cheese
1/4 cup water

Use a 6 qt slow cooker. Brown the meat on the stove, and drain well. Add the jar of pasta sauce to the meat. Save the jar, you'll need it later.

Spoon some of the meat and sauce mixture into the bottom of your slow cooker. Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Smear some ricotta cheese on the noodles, and add some mushrooms, spinach, and some egg slices, if using. Put a few slices of mozzarella on top, and 1/2 cup or so of the shredded cheese. Add another spoonful of the meat and sauce mixture, and repeat the layers until you run out of ingredients, or the crock is full.

Put water into the empty pasta jar and shake. Pour the contents over the assembled ingredients. cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Check about an hour before serving, and push down the top noodles into the liquid, if they are getting too brown and crispy.

Seafood Alfredo

This turned out so well! Next time I'm making bread to go with it!

Seafood Alfredo

1 stick butter
2 T flour
2 cups milk
1 t herbes de provence (I used Italian seasoning)
1/2 t kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 lb. frozen cooked shrimp or seafood medley
freshly cooked pasta, for serving

Use a 4 qt slow cooker. make a roux by melting butter in a saucepan on the stovetop and slowly stirring in flour until no lumps remain. Add to slow cooker. Pour in milk, add hers, salt, garlic, and shredded cheeses. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Add frozen seafood, and stir well. Cover again and cook on high for 30 minutes, or until the seafood is heated through. Toss with freshly cooked pasta. (I actually used alfredo noodles)

Corn Chowder

This was not a great recipe for kids but they did pretty good with it. I enjoyed it, but like most soups I would have enjoyed it more with a big crusty loaf of bread :-)

Corn Chowder

1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
6 small white potatoes, peeled and diced
2 (16 oz) bags frozen roasted corn
2 qts chicken broth
kosher salt
black pepper

Use a 6 qt slow cooker. Put chopped onion, carrots, bell pepper, and potatoes into the stoneware. Add the frozen corn and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Before serving, use a handheld immersion blender and pulse until the contents have reached a chowder consistency.

Preggo

I'm so tired. I guess you noticed that I have not posted. Not to complain, but I haven't felt very good and I don't seem to have a motivated bone in my body. I am 8 weeks tomorrow and hoping to feel much better soon. Ironically, this is the best I have felt in the early weeks of pregnancy.

I hope to get back to normal, whatever that is, soon and post a little more often. Not sure I'll be posting any recipes any time soon. I have a strange relationship with food right now. I made broccoli and cheese soup a couple of weeks ago. I was so excited. I made fresh bread to go with it. By the time the smell saturated the house I could barely bring myself to eat any of it. I ended up passing it on to my folks and it makes me sick to my stomach to even think about it. I had entertained the thought that I could share it here. No desire to now. Maybe in a couple of months.

In future posts I hope not to drone on and on about how I'm feeling. I know that's difficult from previous experience but it's also such a downer. To be continued... :-)

The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup

I have a Chicken Noodle Soup recipe already, as you can plainly see. But it is very similar to my Chicken and Dumplings (all right, Paula's). Until I had this at my mother-in-law's. It is also Paula's, so I googled it. Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE mushrooms?

STOCK
1 (2 1/2 to 3 lb) fryer chicken, cut up
3 1/2 quarts water
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

SOUP
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup cooking sherry (I omit this, b/c I never have it on hand)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan, optional
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional (this is not optional for us)
Serve with crusty french bread

For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion. You should have apporximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin and cartilage. Set chicken aside.

For the soup: bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper.

Been Cooking...Not Blogging

Okay, so, once again, I'm behind. But it's officially acting like fall around here and I just want to... cook! Banana bread, banana muffins with cream cheese frosting, spice cake, chicken noodle soup and fresh bread, chicken and dumplings, white chicken enchilada casserole, no bake cookies, spinach lasagna... busy, busy, busy!

Mama's Stuffing

My mom makes wonderful stuffing from scratch. I love it. This is so good.

Stuffing

2 Tbsp butter
3 ribs of celery
1 large onion
1 cornbread mix
1 small loaf of bread
4 Tbsps of ground sage
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste (lots of pepper for Hubby)
4 - 6cups of turkey broth/chicken broth (Mom boils the turkey neck to make broth)

Fix the cornbread as directed. Set aside. Saute onions and celery in butter. Crumble breadloaf into 9x13. Crumble cornbread into same 9x13. Add eggs, sage, onions, celery, and broth. Stir to consistency. Bake @ 350 covered for 30 minutes, then uncover to brown (5-10 minutes)

Beefy Tortellini Soup

This was served at a dinner party Hubby and I attended. Fell in love (With the soup, I mean. Was already in love with Hubby, of course). I should probably mention that I was in a soup phase. I should also mention I was pregnant and obsessed with soups at the time. Like, every meal.

Anyway, the point is, who doesn't love tortellini? Seriously, best pasta ever invented. Love it.

Also, Hubby and I are huge fans of French bread. Big, crusty, warm, yummy, soup for the soul French bread. Especially with anything pasta and any soup. So this is perfect. Personally, I make my French bread dough in my bread machine and bake it myself. Works for us. Bon appetit!

Beefy Tortellini Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 lb. lean ground beef
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 lb cheese-filled tortellini
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into thin half-rounds
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium saucepan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and stir-fry until the mixture just begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Crumble in the beef and cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

Add the broth, 1 1/2 cups of water, and the tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, basil, and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.

Add the tortellini and cook until al dente according to package directions.

Three minutes before the tortellini are done, add the zucchini to the soup. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is crisp-tender.

Serve the soup with the Parmesan cheese on the side.

Chicken and Dumplings... Lord help us.

I love Paula Deen.


And I don't watch her show.


I don't even own any of her books.


But.


I love her simply because she developed this recipe.


This recipe alone has made my family so happy. Dumpling heaven happy.


I remember the day clearly, My Man said, 'what are dumplings anyway?' And it prompted me to find a good dumpling recipe. Because I'm a southern girl, and dogone it, I need to be able to make dumplings! So where did I go? I googled 'Paula Deen Chicken and Dumplings'. And this is what I got. Did I mention that we love it?

Chicken:
1 (2 1/2 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces (I have used chicken breasts instead but it's not as good)
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 tsp House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of celery or cream of chicken soup

Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
ice water

To start the chicken: Place the chicken, celery, onion, bay leaves, bouillon, and House Seasoning in a large pot. Add 4 quarts of water and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Simmer the chicken until it is tender and thigh juices run clear, about 40 minutes. remove the chicken from the pot and, when it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and separate the meat from the bones. Return the chicken meat to the pot. Keep warm over low heat.

To prepare the dumplings: Mix the flour with the salt and mound together in a mixing bowl. Beginning at the center of the mound, drizzle a small amount of ice water over the flour. Using your fingers, and moving from the center to the sides of the bowl, gradually incorporate about 3/4 cup of ice water. Knead the dough and form it into ball.

Dust a good amount of flour onto a clean work surface. Roll out the dough (it will be firm), working from center to 1/8-inch thick. Let the dough relax for several minutes.
Add the cream of celery soup to the pot with the chicken and simmer gently over medium-low heat.

Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Pull a piece in half and drop the halves into the simmering soup. Repeat. Do not stir the chicken once the dumplings have been added. Gently move the pot in a circular motion so the dumplings become submerged and cook evenly. Cook until the dumplings float and are no longer doughy, 3 to 4 minutes.


To serve, ladle chicken, gravy, and dumplings into warm bowls.

Cook's Note: If the chicken stew is too thin it can be thickened before the dumplings are added. Simply mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water then whisk this mixture into the stew.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

*I almost never serve this without a big loaf of homemade bread.