Recipe(tried): Mama's Chicken and Dumplings

Your casserole sounds delicious! I LOVE garlic in everything, but sweets or drinks!

I've included my mama's recipe for dumplings. I always use her recipe to make stock, but I RARELY roll out dumplings myself. As I posted before, I buy them frozen. However, it was only when my mama got so sick that she couldn't roll them out, and no one else could do it correctly, that she finally resorted to using frozen dumplings. If there was ever a hard way to do anything, my mama found it! Me--I LOVE shortcuts. This is a special posting because my mama passed away 7 years ago today. It's wonderful to look at the recipe book that my aunt made for my mama, completely hand-written and illustrated. After Mama died, I was the lucky one to receive the cookbook. I've made copies for several members of my family, but I have the original. Mama was the most gracious, kindest lady in our town. Her cooking is legendary. Now, as I wipe the tears from my eyes, I'll share my mama's recipe.

PALMER-BEECH CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

BROTH:

1 chicken, or chicken parts if you prefer--leave the skin on
2 onions, sliced
1 T. poultry seasoning
2 T. garlic
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 chicken bouillion cubes
salt and pepper
water to cover the chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup

Place the chicken into a large pot, add onions, garlic, celery, bouillion, salt, and pepper. Add enough water to completely cover the chicken and the seasonings. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked. Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool. Using a colander, strain the broth into another pot. Discard the veggies. Put the broth into a large pot. When the chicken has cooled, remove the skin and the bones. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the broth. Put this broth on the stove and let it simmer. Add one can of cream of chicken soup to the broth along with one soup can filled with water. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Let this mixture simmer while making the dumplings.

DUMPLINGS:

1 cup cold water
2 T. cooking oil
1- 1 1/4 cup self-rising flour

Mix water, cooking oil, and flour together. Knead until stiff enough to roll out on waxed paper. If this mixture is not stiff enough, add enough flour until it holds together nicely. Roll this mixture thin and cut into small rectangular pieces. Let the dumplings dry for a few minutes after cutting.

Turn the broth on to high and let it boil. Drop the dumplings into the boiling liquid. Let boil until the dumplings are done and stir them frequently to prevent scorching. Remove the pot from the oven and put the dumplings, broth, and chicken pieces into individual soup bowls. DELICIOUS!

This recipe is time-consuming, but it is well worth the time. ENJOY!