Winner, winner! and a chicken dinner....

Look at this cute apron I won from Micki at Confessions of an ADD Housewife.  Kaela and Suki are modeling it for me.....

We had a cold rainy front come through this week so I put on this cute apron and made some soup!

I've posted this soup before years ago but it is one of my family's all time favorites so I decided to share again....along with a dessert that is so easy it is embarrassing!

Val's Chicken and Dumpling Soup:
 
1 small onion diced
4 stalks celery diced
4 carrots cubed
1 tsp minced garlic (from a jar) Or mince a fresh clove
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf (optional)
8-10 cups chicken stock
4 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken (about 4 breasts worth)
2 cups Bisquick and enough milk to make dumplings.

Saute onions, celery and seasonings for 5 minutes.  Then add carrots, garlic and chicken and stir for another 5 minutes. (Don't brown the garlic.) 

Then add the stock and bring to a boil momentarily. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer until carrots are barely tender. Before going to the next step, taste and adjust seasonings.

For the dumplings:
Take 2 cups Bisquik and enough milk to make a dough. (you can add a tablespoon of dried parsley to the dough if desired.)
Drop by large spoonfuls (I use a medium cookie dough scoop.) 

Make enough to completely cover the top of the stew.  It looks gooey at this stage...

Cover and let cook on medium low 10 minutes. DO NOT BOIL or the dumplings will break down. They will rise and get large and dense.   When cooked, they look dry on top but you can check by using a toothpick until you figure out what they look like when done.  These are almost done....

When you serve, dip down and get the soup and a dumpling or two...or three. We rarely have leftovers, but when we do, it is even better the next day. 

Peach Cobbler

1 stick butter or margarine
3/4 cup self rising flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
1 large can sliced peaches ( drained)
mixture of cinnamon and sugar

First, melt the butter in the dish

Then in another bowl, make a batter out of the flour, cinnamon, sugar and milk.
Pour this on top of the butter....you can barely see it in the photo...it sinks and the butter floats on top.

Drain your peaches and pour directly ON TOP of the batter

Sprinkle the top liberally with cinnamon sugar mix.

Bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 and this is what it looks like...

Enjoy warm with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Nothing like good old fashioned comfort food on a cold night!