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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Don't Stir The Dumplins'

Well, let me give you the latest update on Scott today. I recieved an email from him last night. He is doing great. He walked 37 miles yesterday and is now at the 327 mile marker. That means there is only 123 miles left to travel. He is about 5 1/2 hours away from Mountain City if you are traveling by car. He is still doing speaking engagements and radio interviews. As you finish your journey Scott continued thoughts and prayers are with you.

and now part 2 of My Chicken Story. Since we don't keep chickens in the barnyard anymore and we depend on the supermarket here is a recipe on how to make chicken and dumplings with a store bought chicken.

I got this recipe from my cousin, Ida Mae, who got it from her mother and grandmother. She says there is really no recipe but this is how she does it. The main thing is DON'T STIR THE DUMPLIN"S.

When you go to the store you pick out the biggest fattest chicken in the case. Make sure it is good and fat. Cut it up and put it in your pot with quite a bit of water so you will have lots of broth. Cook the chicken until it is tender and falling off the bone. Remove the chicken and pick all the chicken off the carcass. Set your chicken aside.

Salt and pepper your broth to your own taste and add about three chicken bouillon cubes. She says the chicken bouillon gives it a better flavor. Add about 2 1/ cups of milk to the broth. Let your broth come to a rolling boil.

Meantime you take about three cups of flour and one cup of crisco and mix it with a fork until you have a stiff batter. At this point you can either roll it out on a floured board and pat it out kinda thick and cut it into squares for your dumplings (that is the way my mother and grandmother did it). Ida Mae says she just uses a big spoon (tablespoon) to drop spoons full of dough into the boiling broth. This way your dumplings don't stick together. After you have all your flour mixture in the pot turn the heat down to about medium until the dumplings look dry on the top about 10 minutes.

Take the chicken you have set aside and sprinkle it over the top. Remember not to stir them but you can shake the pot a little and the chicken will mix in with the dumplings. Turn off the heat and let the pot set for about ten minutes before you serve them.

This is a great dish for gatherings, church socials, picnics and dinner on the grounds. Ida Mae says, "You never have to worry about bringing any home because the pot is always empty".It is also recommended by Sid. He has been her taste tester for many years.

I can't wait to try dumplings made this way. Mine always end up in a big glob in the middle of the bottom of the pot.

I am off to the store to buy me a big fat hen and I will hide that wooden spoon I use to stir them with because the secret is DON'T STIR THE DUMPLIN'S.

And now I want to say a big hello to one of my newest readers. Clyde, these photos are for you.

(for larger image just click on the photo).

Scenery on Highway 67

Watauga Lake




For those of you who want to follow Scott's journey his daily walk to the steps of the U. S. Capitol here is the link http://www.tencommandmentswalk.com/



You can leave comments on this page or if you prefer to contact me you can do so at kimilauri@msn.com. If you have memories you would care to share about living in Johnson County I would appreciate it if you would share those also.

3 comments:

Debbie Goode said...

Good ol chicken and dumplins--brings back memories. My grandmother used to fix them for me when I was but a wee thing......thanks for the memory

Leno said...

Yummmmmm. Thanks so much for the recipe Jenny. Can't wait to try it. As long as I don't think about what the chicken went thru to get to my table..lol.

Speedy said...

OK I am going to eat now You made me soooo hungrey

Joe