Eat This While you Read That: Amanda S Green
Chicken and Dumplings for dinner.
Finally, after a day of cooking, I can present the post and pictures! I started out this morning by making the stock for the chicken and dumplings, which recipe you can find here. Amanda S Green, one of my favorite authors, who also writes as Sam Schall if you like space opera, was good enough to supply me with her recipe.
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After removing the skin, bones, and some of the fat from the stock, I returned the chicken meat to the stock, and added:
The slow cooker (it's also a rice cooker) with stock, and removed chicken bits.
Removing the chicken with a spider, a slotted spoon would work, but take longer.
3 carrots, sliced
3 stalks of celery, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
the other half of the onion I'd used in the stock, chopped
I set the slow cooker back on, for 2 hours, while I was working on other things. You could relax with one of Amanda's books while this is going on! After that, I transferred it to a stock pot on the stovetop (note: had I been willing to wait, this step could have been done in the slowcooker, it just takes an hour rather than 20 minutes) and brought it back to a boil. While it was heating, I blended:
2 tbsp chilled lard into
1 c flour with
1/4 tsp salt and
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
then add:
1/2 c milk
Lower heat to medium, and scoop the resulting dough in spoonfuls into the soup. Let cook for ten minutes, then cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve.
Dinner and dessert!
Cedar notes:
The dumplings came out overly firm for me. I think I'd just do my usual of whipping up a batch of bisquick if I do it again. I associate chicken and dumplings with a thicker 'soup' base. This was very tasty, but if you want to thicken it, you could always do that with a roux. The flavor was terrific, though. We're looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow - this made a lot, and Amanda said it is better the second day. I managed to skip adding new red potatoes, which Amanda says make it heartier, so I'd try those another time.
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Dessert: Oatmeal Cookies and Coconut Meringue Pie.