Barb's Blog . . . Where the Best Journey, Always Brings You Home
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Happy Spring!
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Leap Day . . .
Chicken and Dumplings
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 12 oz (1 can) evaporated milk
- 32 oz (1 quart) chicken stock
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
- salt, to taste
Homemade Dumplings:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon plus, 1 teaspoon, baking powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ cup (6 oz) whole milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot like a dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat.
- Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, until vegetables being to soften. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the evaporated milk and chicken stock, stirring to combine.
- Bring to a boil and add the chicken, thyme, black pepper and salt. Let soup simmer, uncovered, while you make dumplings.
- Dumplings: In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, pepper, salt and thyme. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the milk and butter into the center of it.
- Using a wooden spoon (or rubber spatula), stir together until a dough ball forms. If your dough seems too dry, you can add an extra tablespoon of milk. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes before adding to soup mixture. This helps the batter start fluffing up and makes fluffier dumplings.
- Using a medium sized cookie scoop, scoop dough and drop directly into the simmering soup. Place them around the pot, not all in the same place. Once all dumplings have been added, gently press them down so the soup runs over just the tops of them.
- Place the lid on your pot and lower the heat a little to a low simmer. You don’t want the bottom of the soup to burn, but want the soup to still be simmering to cook the dumplings.
- Cook for 15 minutes with the pot lid on. Gently stir the soup/dumplings and cut one dumpling in half to make sure they are cooked through.
- If the dumplings are cooked through, serve hot! If not, cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes and check again.
- I always half this recipe for Bob and I.
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Hurry Up Spring!!
Hello everyone! I'm trying so hard to just enjoy the quietness and slowness of winter . . . but it's so hard, especially when I see photos like this one! It's all okay though, I will be saying, hurry up fall, by summer's end. I keep telling myself to just enjoy the moment. 😩
I've been listening to oldies, not that strange for me . . . This song always makes me feel like dancing!
Well, Valentine's Day came and went without much fanfare around our house. We had surf and turf, roasted brussel sprouts and cheesecake for dessert. It was delicious! After dinner we watched TV, not that exciting. We did have a family dinner yesterday, and I made some Valentine's cookies to bring to my sweethearts. Who doesn't love a frosted sugar cookie?!
These are both great recipes and were absolutely delish! I made the frosting for the heart-shaped cookies and brought it with me. I really don't like the frosting to stick to the other cookies, a little pet peeve of mine. Plus, everyone likes to frost a cookie, right!?
Here are the recipes for the two different cookies. Both of these recipes are from a church cookbook from the 70's. The first recipe is from my mom's first cousin.
You can use butter instead of shortening in both of these recipes.
We all had so much fun at the get together, we had - pizza, a fruit platter, veggie tray, bread sticks, a big green salad, cookies and tres leche cake for dessert . . . yummmm!
I also have a big surprise! Meet, Indie, our 3 month old, Welsh Pembroke Corgi!
Happy Spring!
Outside my window . . . Two weeks ago this is what it looked like. We had a huge winter storm, and got 12 inches of new snow! It was c...
-
It seems like the weeks and days are just flying by ! We have been busy with birthdays, sports, fun, and just life in general! Bob had a ...
-
Happy Monday! I hope the week-end was a good one for all of you...especially the father's out there, I hope they got spoiled. My wee...