My youngest daughter Carissa, her husband Jamey and their adorable son, my newest grandson Skyler visited me this past week. As with most grown children when they come home they want you to cook all their favorite foods. Carissa wanted Chicken and Dumplings. So Saturday morning we decided to make them. Now there is great controversy on dumplings, flat or drop in our family.
I grew up with my Grandma Irene Tubbs making the drop variety, I didn’t know there was any other kind until I got married to Steve. I will recount this story and then you can all laugh at me, but be kind, remember I was 19 and only married three months. We started talking about Chicken and Dumplings, Steve told me how he just loved them, so I thought I would make some for dinner. So I called Grandma and got her recipe and was so proud when I served them that night. Until….Steve said ” These aren’t like my Mom makes”
Being the sensitive person I was, I took that as an outright insult, and never made Chicken and Dumplings again. What he meant was Mom made flat dumplings. He said that mine were good it just wasn’t what he was used to. For twenty some years we didn’t have them again. Now isn’t that downright sad? I sure can be stubborn, (I can say that about myself). My kids love them and their Grandma Bonnie, (Steve’s mom) made them for them every holiday. Finally after all those years I started making them again only flat this time.
Fast forward to Missouri… When I married Harvey, for Thanksgiving the first year he says we have to make Chicken Noodles…from his Mom Almeda Diggs recipe. Family Traditions! You got to love them! He makes them totally different from the way I knew how to make them, he made the dough, rolled them out by hand like a pie crust, then rolled them up in a spiral roll and cut noodles. They were really good.
For Christmas year before last we got a Kitchenaid Mixer and the pasta attachment. It was definantly a time saver, and the noodles were very uniform looking, we tried the recipe in their cookbook then went back to his Mother’s recipe.
Back to Carissa and her Dumplings. So now I have to convince her to try the new one’s and all she’s saying is “Mom I want your Chicken and Dumplings”
I bribed her by letting her use the pasta roller and cutter. Didn’t she do a good job?
The receipe below is Harvey’s Mom’s recipe adapted for the mixer, and using the pasta roller and cutters.
Homemade Egg Noodles
3 egg yolks 1 tsp. salt
1 whole egg 2 cups flour
4 Tbs. Ice cold water
Beat egg yolks and whole egg together with a whisk until very light, beat in water and salt Add flour in mixer bowl and use bread hook, slowly add egg mixture, beat until mixture forms a ball and makes a stiff dough. About 5 min. on slow speed.
Take ball of dough and cut into about 6, one inch pieces. Flatten each piece, then run each piece through pasta roller on roller adjustment setting 1 , Turn mixer setting to speed 2 and run each piece through to knead. Fold flattened dough in half and run through a couple more times, until dough is smooth and pliable. Lightly dust with flour while rolling and cutting to aid in drying and separation. Change setting to 2 and run thru again a couple of times to desired thickness. Then change to desired size cutter ( We used Fettucini) and roll flatten dough through to achieve noodles.
Carissa kneading the dough
This picture is Carissa doing her “Vanna White” Impression This is how the dough looks when you roll it out.
Chicken broth or soup
3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts
water to cover
1 chopped fine onion
2 stalks celery about 1 cup chopped fine
1 carrot grated fine
Salt and pepper to taste.
Cook the ingredients until chicken is falling apart. Take the breasts out and cut in small pieces. Add back to your broth, I then add a box of Swanson’s Chicken Broth to that so we have lots of rich liquid. Bring to a boil, Add your noodles, I break them in smaller pieces. Cook until they are tender. Aprox. 45 min. to 1 hr.
This is one of those recipes that gets better reheated. When you refrigerate the Chicken and Dumplings it absorbs all the juice, to reheat, I add another small can of broth to it and bring back to boil.
Even baby Skyler helped cut the noodles!!
Ummmm! Don’t they look good!
This is the finished project hanging on the pasta dryer. Let dry at least an hour. These noodles can be frozen for later but they’re best cooked fresh.
Thanks, Carissa for your help in making the noodles and being the model for this blog entry,
Eweniquely yours, Margaret
This postcard reminded me of him.
So here’s my salute to Dr. Pepper!
