Chicken Bake

Costco chicken bakes, the ones from the cafe (or also available to purchase frozen), are a yummy treat my parents used to buy me. Since we don't live near a Costco, I decided to try to make my own. These are a bit more bready (not necessarily a bad thing!) than I remember the Costco ones being, but the flavor is about right. I originally followed this recipe on Redefined Mom but the most recent time I made them, I changed a few things and liked the result a lot better. I used the amounts below and ended up with 4 enormous chicken bakes (one is sufficient to feed my family as a meal with a side of vegetables). I froze the extras to eat later!

Chicken Bake

one batch pizza dough
2-3 chicken breasts, baked ahead of time and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 large onion, diced
6-8 strips of bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces
a few artichoke hearts, diced
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 bottle caesar dressing

1. (Prep work: bake frozen chicken breasts, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, at 375°F for 35-40 minutes, until done. Allow to cool, then chop into bite-sized pieces. While baking, you can fry up your bacon & drain on paper towels, and make a batch of pizza dough.)
2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
3. Dice onion and cut bacon into small pieces. In a large bowl, combine onion, bacon, artichoke hearts, and chicken.
4. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup caesar dressing and mix until everything is well-coated.
5. Divide dough into 4 even balls (or more if you'd like smaller chicken bakes). Roll each section into a large rectangle, with dough as thin as possible. 
6. Generously brush a few tablespoonfuls of caesar dressing onto each dough rectangle. Don't skimp!
7. Scoop 1/2 cup or so of the chicken-bacon-onion-artichoke hearts mixture unto each dough rectangle and spread out into a single layer, leaving a couple of inches of space at one end.
8. Generously sprinkle cheese over the chicken mixture.
9. Roll up dough rectangle, ending at the side with a couple inches of space. Use the extra dough to seal it up. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush with caesar dressing and sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese.
10. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on the outside. Serve hot; can be eaten like a sandwich or cut into rounds and eaten with a fork.

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

For a brief stint as I was growing up, my mom sold Pampered Chef products. She probably doesn't realize this, but I have a special place in my heart for many of their kitchen gadgets (I have 2 of these, for example), and several of their recipes. This is one of my favorites. It is perfect for using up leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and it looks so pretty in a wreath shape!

Notice the stovetop from 2 moves ago... I guess I should re-make and re-photograph

Turkey Cranberry Wreath
2, 8-oz packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 oz. (1 cup) Swiss cheese, shredded
1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 egg white

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Unroll crescent dough; separate (16 triangles). "Seal" the wide ends of 2 triangles together using fingers, 8 times, until you have 8 diamond shapes.
3. Arrange dough diamonds in a circle on a pizza pan/stone or baking sheet, matching seams together. Each diamond will have one point in the circle's center and one stretched outward like a sun ray.
4. Mix mayonnaise, mustard, and pepper in a bowl. Add turkey, celery, cranberries, and grated cheese.
5. Scoop filling over seams of dough, forming a circle. If using walnuts, sprinkle them over the filling at this point.
6. Alternatingly fold inner and outer triangles of dough across the filling, slightly overlapping to form wreath. Tuck last end under first. 
7. Lightly beat egg white and brush over dough. 
8. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy warm!

Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe for chicken tikka masala is slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. It is spicy, flavorful, totally delicious... and a great way to use up plain yogurt ;)

For this India-inspired British dish, begin by marinating chicken in yogurt and pungent spices for one hour. Start some rice. Then, while pan-frying the chicken, cook up a creamy, spicy, tomato-based sauce which pairs beautifully with the chicken, and serve it up over rice. I almost can't eat it without some naan on the side, too!

Chicken Tikka Masala
(serves 3-4)

Chicken Marinade ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt

1. Slice raw chicken into strips or bite-sized chunks.
2. Combine yogurt, lemon juice, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Add cut-up chicken, stirring to coat well. Refrigerate for an hour (or up to 8 hours).
3. Heat frying pan and cook chicken over medium heat until done.

MEANWHILE....

Masala ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
8 ounces tomato sauce (one small can. I use the no salt added variety)
1 cup milk/cream (or Mexican crema worked really well)

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan. 
2. Add spices and heat until aromatic. 
3. Stir in tomato sauce and milk or cream. Milk is likely to curdle, but this is fine. 
4. Cook over low heat until sauce is hot and thick. Pour over chicken in its entirety, or serve separately if preferred. 

Serve hot over rice and ideally with naan -- yummy!

Chicken Pot Pie

I like a good chicken pot pie, but Mr. B. isn't keen on actual pie dough for most things. Thanks to Betty Crocker, we found an easy compromise that is pretty tasty! It's not exactly Marie Callendar's (which I quite like) and it's definitely not like a made-from-scratch version, but it comes together quickly and has ingredients you can't really go wrong with!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie 
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of chicken soup
1 cup Bisquick mix (which is not something I buy; see below for the substitute recipe)*
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in baking dish of your choice (I usually use a 9*9 Pyrex).
2. Combine Bisquick, milk, and egg; spread evenly over the top of vegetables/chicken/soup mixture in baking dish.
3. Bake until crust is golden brown (approx. 30 minutes)

*Substitute for Bisquick mix
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp  salt
1 Tbsp shortening

1. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Cut shortening into dry mixture. Then use in place of Bisquick mix as above.

Chicken with Walnuts & Spinach

This is one of my absolute favorite recipes.

I came across it a few years ago and have frequently referred to it on Prevention.com. But recently when I tried to access it, the website had undergone some updates, and the URL I had bookmarked no longer worked. I ultimately found it again, but I decided to save my favorite recipes where I know I can access them!

This recipe is very forgiving. I have had success with dehydrated onion. I typically use frozen spinach. I use whatever cheese I have on hand -- most often cheddar. And the amounts I use vary. I've accidentally burned the walnuts and overcooked the chicken, but surprisingly this gave it a good flavor (and dinner wasn't ruined). It also freezes very well. I could eat it every day for dinner, I think.

Chicken with Walnuts & Spinach
serves 2-4
cooking oil
1/3 c chopped onion (or about 1 Tbsp dehydrated onion)
1 c walnut pieces, chopped (I like to use my food processor)
1 c baby spinach, chopped (frozen spinach works fine & thaws in the skillet)
1/2 c grated provolone (or whatever cheese you like -- I usually use cheddar)
4 thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I just take 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and slice them myself!)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Heat about 1 Tbsp oil in medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and half of the chopped walnuts and cook a few minutes, stirring often. Add spinach. Cook until wilted (or thawed), about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese.
3. Put remaining walnuts in a shallow bowl. 
4. Spread out chicken on a cutting board or baking tray, and sprinkle with ¼ tsp each salt and black pepper. Divide spinach mixture among chicken slices and roll up to enclose. 
5. Coat chicken with a little oil and roll in remaining nuts (I pour some oil into a pyrex baking dish, roll the chicken in it, then in the walnuts, and place it in the pyrex to bake). 
6. Bake until chicken is cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. 

Curried Chicken, Lentils & Rice

In an attempt to eat a healthier diet, I've been trying some new recipes lately. I was seeking lentil recipes when I came across this one. Although the original recipe is missing some information, I made some guesses and have come up with a dish that I like quite a bit.

The combination of spices in this turns out a pretty hot dish. I've played around with it a little (I think the ginger is what really gives it its kick, along with the chili flakes) but have not yet successfully toned it down (I have only made it about 3 times). So, if you don't like spicy, you might want to skip this recipe.

Curried Chicken, Lentils & Rice

2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (I've used a handful of dehydrated onion)
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 Tbsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 cup brown lentils
3/4 cup rice (I've used long-grain white rice; the original recipe suggests Basmati, I bet brown rice would be pretty good)
1/2 cup minced carrot (I've used a small handful of dehydrated carrots)
1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
2 cups chicken broth/bouillon
~1 lb. chicken breast, cut to about 1" cubes
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves (optional; it's good with it, but if you don't have spinach, it's fine without)

1. Combine olive oil, onion, curry powder, ginger and cumin in a saucepan. Sauté on medium-high heat 4-5 minutes until onions are transparent. 
2. Add the lentils, rice, carrot, and red chili flakes, stirring to coat with spice mixture. Pour in chicken broth. Turn heat down, cover, and simmer about 15 minutes. Check occasionally to be sure it is not dry; you can add water about 1/4 cup at a time if it looks too dry.
3. In the meantime, stir-fry chicken cubes in a separate pan with a little bit of oil until cooked through. Season to taste with salt, pepper, perhaps some garlic powder.
4. Add cooked chicken and lemon juice to saucepan with rice and lentil mixture. Cook another 5-10 minutes, covered, until rice and lentils are done.
5. Remove from heat; stir in chopped spinach leaves. Cover and let sit 5-10 minutes, until spinach has wilted.
6. Serve hot. The original recipe calls for serving with a minted yogurt garnish.

5-Star Sweet & Sour Chicken

 We made sweet & sour chicken for my birthday, and it was delicious. Time-consuming (though we were making some other stuff, too), but so, so, so good. We made a couple of tweaks, but mostly used this recipe from All Recipes. In the future, we are hoping to be able to streamline the process. If we find shortcuts, we will update this page.

5-Star Sweet & Sour Chicken

Chicken & breading
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup and 2 tablespoons self-rising flour (or all-purpose flour plus 1/2 t salt and 1 1/2 t baking powder)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
~2 tsp sesame seeds
~3/4 cup water
2 cups vegetable oil for frying (or enough to cover at least half an inch of your chosen pan)

Sauce
20-oz can pineapple chunks, drained (juice reserved)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons water, divided
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
Food coloring, if desired

Added veggies
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, diced

1. Combine batter ingredients (from flour to sesame seeds). Slowly add water until you have a thick batter to work with. Add chicken pieces and coat thoroughly. 
2. Heat oil in a frying pan of your choice. Oil is ready when a flick of water sizzles on contact. Add chicken pieces a little at a time, slowly. Let cook at a medium-low heat until cooked through. Drain cooked pieces on paper towel while cooking the rest.
3. For the sauce, combine pineapple juice, 1/2 cup water, sugar, vinegar, and food coloring in a saucepan. Heat to boiling. Combine cornstarch and remaining water into a paste and add to saucepan. Stir until there are no more cornstarch chunks. Remove from heat.
4. I sautéed the bell pepper, onion, and 1/2 can of pineapple for a few minutes until tender. You may omit this step if you prefer.
5. Put veggie mixture and cooked chicken pieces (layer or mix) in a large bowl and pour sauce over everything! Stir to evenly coat. Serve warm.

Breading batter

Coating chicken in batter

Frying chicken pieces

Sauce

Final Product! Enjoy!

oxox

Mango Chicken

Oops, it looks like we have been lax in posting recipes lately! Our excuse is that since we last posted, it has been too hot to cook! I have some recipe posts started in our queue, but they require heating up the oven, which I don't even want to think about right now!

Last week, though, we had a yummy Mango Chicken dish that used up some of the mangoes, green onions, and limes we got in a Bountiful Basket recently. I found the recipe here and changed only a few things about it. It's not all that sweet, but makes for a nice, light-feeling summer dinner.

Although comments on the original recipe mentioned serving it with potatoes, I found that plain strange, so we ate ours with white rice. I won't judge you if you eat it with potatoes though. ;o)

**update 7/31/2011 : I noticed in some of the comments on the original recipe that people suggested adding more of the spices. It does improve it to double the spices listed below!!**

Mango Chicken
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne (we did not have cayenne pepper, so I used chili pepper)
4 (boneless, skinless) chicken breasts, diced
2 tsp margarine, butter, or oil of your choice
2 ripe mangoes, diced**
2 green onions, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime

1. Stir together spices and sprinkle over chicken pieces.
2. Melt margarine/butter or heat oil in a large frying pan. Add chicken, stirring while cooking.
3. Once chicken is close to "done" (=white all the way through), add mangoes and onions. Cook for a few minutes, until heated through. 
4. Add lime juice and salt to taste.
5. Serve hot! Again, I recommend this with rice.

**You can find great instructions for cutting up a mango here. I used the recipe there for a delicious peach-mango pie last week as well, which I will not be posting because that site was so detailed.

Seder and Passover Feast

Although we are not Jewish, we enjoy learning about the traditions and symbolism found in Judaism (and other religions, for that matter). Because it is Passover week, we decided to have a small get-together with our friends to learn about and try the Seder plate fare and some interesting Passover-friendly recipes from a book we found at a garage sale last summer (The Passover Table by Susan R. Friedland). We and our friends tried our hand at the recipes shared below. Thank you Shari & Lisa for cooking and bringing the cake and cutlets!

We did run into some hiccups while getting this all together. For instance, because we live in an area with an overwhelmingly high population of Latter-day Saints, we had a difficult time finding matzos and matzo meal. We found some matzo meal at Macey's, but realized after purchasing it that it was "not for Passover use" because it had not been processed appropriately for Passover. We ended up making our own matzo bread to use with our Seder and in the Matzo Chicken Pie recipe because we did not find any at the stores we went to. In the end, our matzo-stuff was not Passover-kosher according to the Jewish traditions, but we figured it was the best we could do, all things considered.

We started our meal with a Seder plate, discussing the symbolism of each item as we ate.

Seder plate

•  "Karpas" symbolizes new growth of spring = parsley (this is dipped into salt water/vinegar, which represents the tears shed by the enslaved Israelites)
• "Maror" symbolizes intense bitterness of slavery = horseradish (we dipped our matzo in horseradish sauce)
• "Charoset" represents the mortar the slaves prepared for the building of the pharoahs’ cities and pyramids = 1 lb apples, diced ; 1 1/4 c walnut halves, chopped ; 3/4 Tbsp ground cinnamon ; 3-5 Tbsp light grape juice
• "Zeroah" represents the Paschal lamb sacrificed at the temple, which represents the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ = roasted lamb (we put ours in the oven with parsley, onions, and lemon juice at 400°F for 15 minutes and then turned it down to about 350°F for about 35 minutes)
• "Baytzah" symbolizes mourning for the temple; also a symbol of a festival offering brought to the temple on Pesach = roasted egg

lamb, prior to roasting

Matzo bread
3 units flour to 1 unit water (3 cups flour to 1 cup water yields about 4 medium matzos)

1. Combine flour and water. Mix and knead into a dense dough. 
2. Roll out to 1/8" thickness or so. Thicker will be more bready, thinner yields more cracker-like matzo. 
3. Poke lots of holes with a fork and bake in a hot oven (450°F or more, as hot as your oven gets without broiling) for a few minutes - until cooked through and possibly browning.

The dough is a little difficult to roll out

Lots of holes!

 Matzo Balls
4 eggs
1/2 c water
1/4 c oil
1 tsp salt
pepper
1 c matzo meal

1. Beat eggs. Add water, oil, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Add matzo meal and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
2. In a large pot, bring some water to a boil. With moist hands, form small (1") balls from mixture and drop them into boiling water.
3. Simmer all matzo balls, covered, for about 30 minutes until done. Remove with a slotted spoon into a large bowl.
4. Serve in chicken soup. We served ours in chicken broth made from bouillon.

We got this recipe on the back of the Streit's Matzo Meal box - it was pretty similar to other recipes we'd seen.

matzo meal added to egg mixture

all mixed together

These expand a lot when cooking - these were just taken out of the boiling water

served in chicken broth

Mina de Pesah - Matzo Chicken Pie
vegetable oil for frying
2 c chopped onions
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 c mushrooms
3 c cooked chicken (about 14 oz)
salt
pepper
1 c chopped parsley
5 eggs, lightly beaten
5 to 6 matzos
1 c chicken stock

1. Heat oil in large skillet. Sauté onions and garlic until soft and translucent. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until they are soft too. 
2. Let cool. Add chicken, salt, pepper, parsley, eggs.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray baking dish with cooking spray.
4. Soak matzos in chicken stock until moist. I neglected to complete this step because I could not think of a way to soak them. I instead began layering them and poured some stock over each matzo, but this did not work that well. If I make this again I will place them on a cookie sheet and soak them therein.
5. Layer matzos and chicken-vegetable mixture like a lasagna: matzos, mixture, matzos, mixture, matzos. 
6. I also did not do this: pour 2 tsp oil over the top and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with another bit of oil and bake for another 15 minutes. (The top matzo on mine was very, very dry... doing this might have remedied that problem).
7. Let cool 10 minutes, then serve.

Onions, garlic, mushrooms

Plus eggs, parsley, chicken

Layered using homemade matzos

Vegetable cutlets (side)
1 1/2 to 2 c minced red or yellow peppers or a mixture of both
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 c grated carrots (about 4 carrots)
1/2 lb raw spinach, cleaned, trimmed, chopped (2 tightly packed cups)
1 lb (3 medium) potatoes, boiled and mashed (2 c)
6 Tbsp grated raw onion (1 large)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1 c matzo meal
vegetable oil

1. sauté the peppers in the olive oil until soft
2. add all of the remaining ingredients except vegetable oil and let mixture stand for 30 minutes or overnight, refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before continuing
3. either fry or bake: 
1. fry by heating 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in large skillet. Form each patty with about 1/4 c of the mixture. Flatten slightly and fry in batches for about 6 minutes on one side, 3-4 minutes on the other side. Drain on paper towels.
2. bake by putting patties on lightly greased baking sheet and place in preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes; turn over and bake another 7 to 10 minutes
4. serve warm

These are yummy - not sure how to describe them, though.

Walnut cake (dessert)
9 eggs at room temperature, separated
1 c sugar
2 c walnuts, ground to a powder
2 Tbsp matzo cake meal (we used matzo meal and it worked fine)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

1. preheat oven to 350°F. Dust two 9x3-inch loaf pans with a little extra cake meal and set aside
2. with an electric mixer, beat egg yolks until pale in color. Beat in sugar 2 Tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition
3. combine nuts with matzo cake meal. Stir into yolks along with vanilla.
4. beat egg whites with salt until they are stiff but not dry. Fold them gently and carefully into the batter
5. turn the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the top. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until cake shrinks away from side of pans and cake tester comes out clean. Let cool on rack.

This cake was surprisingly light and sweet - do not be afraid if/when the cake caves in.

 oxox

Great casserole for a cold day

Thomas' family has some pretty great recipes that he has introduced me to. When we tried this one for the first time together a while back, I knew it was a winner. We recently made it again so we could share it with our readers!

This Chicken Broccoli Casserole has a rich, creamy sauce that is a great compliment to the broccoli, especially. Take this to a potluck or serve it up at home as a meal all by itself. My bet is, even picky eaters will like it!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole
frozen broccoli (1-2 small packages, depending on the size of your baking dish)
either 2 cans cooked chicken OR 4-6 chicken breasts (again, dependent on the size of your baking dish)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. If you are using chicken breasts, cook by boiling. Then chop into bite-sized pieces.
3. Defrost the broccoli you will be using in the microwave. Add a little bit of water, but do not fully cook it. The idea is to remove the ice.
4. Make the sauce by combining the cream of chicken soup (we had a larger-than-normal can, so we just used one), evaporated milk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder. Whisk until the ingredients are mixed well.
5. Begin layering your ingredients in a casserole dish or other baking dish. Start with broccoli, then add chicken, then pour on a layer of sauce. Keep adding layers until you run out of room or ingredients.
6. Bake your casserole for about 45 minutes, or until it starts to brown slightly. 
7. Let cool and enjoy!

boiling chicken breasts

broccoli, thawed in the microwave

sauce ingredients

sauce ingredients, about to be combined

sauce, whisked until adequately combined

chicken breasts, chopped, and broccoli being layered in baking dish

adding sauce

ready for the oven!

ready to eat!

Let us know what you think!
oxox

Grandma Lee's Chicken & Dumplings

While living at home, it was not uncommon (especially for my younger sister's birthday) for my mother to put a chicken in the slow cooker and make dumplings for dinner. She used a recipe that her mother, my grandmother Lillie Lee, used.

My grandparents were originally from Missouri. They moved to California in the 1940s and that is where my mother was born. My grandparents stuck to their southern cooking styles - fried chicken was one of my grandma's favorite foods, and my grandpa loved beans.

We enjoyed this yummy meal with some friends recently. We hope you like it, too!

Grigsbys & Bradshaws

Chicken...
1 whole chicken
1 slow-cooker/crockpot
spices : sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper
enough water to cover the chicken in your crockpot

1. Thaw chicken, if it is frozen (preferably in the fridge for about 2 days). Remove it from its packaging and rinse it. You will probably have to remove the neck and giblets from the breast hollow.
2. Place chicken in slow-cooker. Season with a lot of sage, then with rosemary and thyme to taste. Add some salt and pepper. (You can add quite a bit of salt, because you will add a lot of water)
3. Add water until chicken is covered or nearly covered.
4. Slow-cook until done; it took about 5-6 hours for ours.
5. Once cooked, remove most/all of the broth, placing broth in a pot that can be placed on the stovetop. You can take your chicken apart at this point, for ease in serving.

chicken

spices

cooked chicken

...& Dumplings
2 cups flour
1 egg
1 tsp salt
water
flour for rolling out dough

1. Combine ingredients.
2. Add water "'til it looks right" - you will want to end up with a thick, sticky dough.
3. Pour dough out onto a flat, floured surface. You will want quite a bit of flour. Roll out your dough to about 1/4" thickness.
4. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into strips and then into squares about 2" * 2".
5. Boil chicken broth on the stove, and once at a rolling boil, add dumplings a few at a time. If you add too many, they will clump together.
6. They will all be ready for you to eat after a few minutes of cooking.

We usually used a slotted spoon to remove the dumplings from the broth and served them up with the chicken. The broth does not keep very well, as a lot of the flour from the dumplings is left inside.

removing broth from original location (crockpot)

dry ingredients

adding water

this is about the right consistency

dough, amply floured and ready to roll out

cutting dumplings into squares

dropping dumplings into boiling broth

cooked dumplings

My family's favorite side dish with this meal is something Thomas has recently termed "carrotized honey." It is cooked carrots, with honey added to make them even sweeter.

Carrots with Honey
fresh carrots, we used 4
a pad of butter (approx. 1 Tbsp)
about 2 Tbsp honey

1. Cut carrots into bite-sized pieces and boil until tender.
2. Drain water from carrots.
3. Add butter and honey to carrots and serve.

carrots with honey

 oxox