Chicken and Dumplings

I woke up this morning to Fall. Despite what the calendar says today is the first day of fall in Richmond. I know, the leave began to turn a week ago and it has been getting cooler for some time, but today felt different. I cleaned out the chicken coop and put new bedding in and got the garden beds ready to cover so I can eek out a few more weeks of tomatoes (I expect our first frost on Friday or Saturday morning). Fall (and Winter) means more soup in our house. Not that we don't like soup in the summer (borscht, gazpacho, mint cucumber soup, etc are great cold soups) but a nice hot bowl of soup on a cool, crisp day is somehow warm and inviting.

So for my first hot soup of the season, I choose Chicken and Dumplings. No rhyme or reason, it just sounded good. This may not be an authentic dumpling but it was quick, easy, made from scratch and tasted darn right good. Just the thing for the first day of fall.

Note: This recipe is written just like I made it. There are not exact measurements, just like grandma used to cook. More people show up, add more water (and maybe a little more chicken base).

Easy Chicken and Dumpling Soup

8-10 cups water (just under the max fill line of your stock pot once all the ingredients are added)

3 - 4 lbs Chicken (older stewing chickens make the best soup, but I used frozen breasts, which once thawed, I diced up)

2 Tbsp Chicken Base

2 handfuls Diced Carrots

2 handfuls Diced Celery (I used Freeze Dried for convience and because it was what I had)

1 Red Onion, Diced

1 handful shredded yellow squash (it was there so I used it)

1 Tbs Minced Garlic

1-2 Tbs Fresh Tarragon

Salt and Pepper TT

Dumplings

(Becky made fresh bread today, so I used about a half of loaf of the bread dough cut into small pieces and flattened slightly)

1. Saute Onions, Carrots, Celery, Squash and Garlic until slightly caramelized.

2. Boil Chicken in the water with items from step 1 until the chicken is thawed. Dice up chicken and add back to the soup. If using fresh chicken just cook in the soup.

3. Add Dumplings to the soup and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring the dumplings so they get cooked all the way through.

4. Add salt, pepper and tarragon for the last 2 minutes.

5. Ladle and serve.

Enjoy.

My favorite thing about the modern crock pot is that once all the ingredients are thrown together and it has been turned on, you can walk away and slowly the sacred vessel turns that hodge podge of simple ingredients into something truly special. Many a time I've left the crock pot to the muses of time only to come home to the wonderful smells wafting throughout the house with a promise of a gourmet meal waiting at the appointed time.

Today's dinner is a bastion of homemade goodness transporting one back to a simpler time and stems from my southern roots on the farm. (Ok, so I'm not really from the South and I've never lived on a farm, but I did live in the Virginia / North Carolina area for two years and I have ancestors that were gentleman farmers in Kentucky).

Southern Style Chicken & Dumplings

2 lbs, boneless, skinless chicken (breasts and/or thighs)

6 cups chicken stock (can be quickly made with chicken base (or bouillon) and water)

6 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 med. potatoes, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, quartered

2 tsp parsley, chopped

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

Biscuit Topping (see below)

Roux as needed to thicken (See post on Roux if you don't know about this wonderful thickener).

Peas can be added if desired at the end. (optional)

Place all ingredients in crock pot except Biscuit Topping and Roux. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Prepare Biscuit Topping and spoon over chicken mixture. Thicken with roux until desired consistency (caution, this will continue to thicken slightly as it cook). Tilt lid to vent steam and cook on high for 30 minutes or until biscuits are cooked in the center (caution #2 biscuits will also thicken sauce).

Biscuit Topping:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 cup butter or shortening (cut in until coarse and crumbly)

2/3 cup cold milk (add and stir until completely moist)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Hello Everyone. If this is not to the normal standard, don't blame Lee. I (Becky) have the privilege of writing today's post. On today's menu is Soup and Bread and the featured soup of the day is Broccoli Cheese Soup. This is one of my favorites. The recipe I am posting I came across in the Family Dinner Cookbook by Debbie G. Harmon and it is fast becoming on of my favorite cookbooks. This is what I am making for dinner tonight. It would also be really great served with fresh, homemade bread sticks or for those of us who don't have that much time some bake and serve bread sticks. Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 small onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups milk

1 cup broccoli, chopped and cooked

2 tsp. chicken boullion

Salt and pepper

1/2 Tbsp. garlic salt

2 cups cheese, grated

Saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, 1 cup water,and bouillon. cook and stir until thickened. Add salt and pepper, thyme, garlic salt, and cheese. Heat through. Stir in cooked broccoli and serve.