Craving some Comfort Food?

This past weekend, Mr. Maestro and I travelled to my hometown to share Easter with my family and spend some quality time with my grandparents. We had a GREAT time! I got some good shopping time in with Mom and the gals and the boys had a grand ole time installing a new ceiling fan for my grandparents.  I am excited (for them) and jealous (for me) to announce that a TJ Maxx Home Goods is currently under construction and will be located less than 10 minutes away from both My Mom and SIL's houses! I am not usually that much of a "shopper," but there is a weakness in my heart when it comes to Home Goods. If you've been before, you know what I mean...

So why does my post title reference comfort food? Well...while spending time with my grandparents, I was sharing with my Grandmother (Memi) how much I used to love to come down to their house and eat Chicken and Dumplings (Pronounced: Chicken 'n Dumplins).  When Mr. Maestro heard me say this he said (and I quote), "What are Chicken and Dumplings (he refuses to pronounce it "correctly")? I've never even heard of those."   WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  I then realized that there was no real reason for him to have had this fine southern delicacy before. It is not as if I have ever made it for him, and we don't eat at Cracker Barrel very often either (the only place I could think of off the top of my head that always has Chicken and Dumplings on the menu). I promptly asked Memi for her recipe so that I could share the deliciousness of this dish with my other half. I thought it might be nice to share the recipe with you too!

A word of warning: This recipe does not make the thick version of this dish so often found in cafeterias (and at Cracker Barrel).  This will yield more of a "soup like" dish.  Also, feel free to add in loads of yummy vegetables ( like sliced carrots, celery, and green peas) to make this more like a hearty chicken noodle soup.

Memi's Chicken 'N Dumplins

2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
4 to 5 Tbsp water
1 c. flour (substitue 1/2 or all of the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour to increase the fiber of this dish)
Chicken broth (click here for a home-made broth recipe. Home-made broth is lower in sodium, and higher in taste than canned broth from the grocery store)
Chicken meat (this can be any type of chicken meat - whatever you have on hand, torn into pieces)
Sliced onion, carrots, celery and green peas (optional)

1. Beat the eggs, salt, and water together
2. Add flour, and knead until the dough is smooth
3. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Roll on a floured board to a thin sheet (1/8-1/4 " thickness)
4. Sprinkle with flour, roll and slice into strips. Let the strips dry for 20 minutes.
5. Saute the onions, carrots and celery in olive oil in a pan until tender
5. Add vegetables (if desired) and cooked chicken meat to the broth. Bring to a boil.
6.  Boil in chicken broth until dough is cooked (will not take long)

I find that older recipes often are lighter on the seasonings than many of our more modern recipes.  I typically add a bit more salt, and black pepper to perk up the taste, but it would be delicious with any number of differnt herb combinations!

Do you have any favorite meals from your childhood? Do you make them today?

What I'm excited about...

Happy Rainy Thursday afternoon!

I know it's been a while since I last posted. I'm sorry! I won't bore you with details about my busy life - you all have busy lives as well. I will share with you, however, something that has me captivated.

My summer vacation.

This year's vacation is unlike any other. For starters, it's a bit longer - 17 days to be exact!  It is coming up in just a matter of weeks and I cannot contain my excitement any longer!

Here are a few things I am excited about:

The Food

The Art {Painting by Li Lin}

The Culture {Forbidden City, Beijing}

The Sights {The Great Wall of China}

But what I am {not so secretly} most excited about is:

That's right, we're going to China - and I can't wait to visit the fabric markets!  Lucky for me, we happen to know some "Insiders" who have promised to take us {err...me. Mr. Maestro isn't as thrilled about the market as I am...}. My mind is just racing with all the things I want to look for, have made, and bring back.

What would you be most excited about?

Helpful Household Hints

I received these helpful hints in an e-mail from my mom a few weeks ago. I thought I'd share some of them with you today!

Helpful Household Hints:

Learn a lesson from the primates, and peel a banana from the bottom - you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store  opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and won't mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger garlic flavor.

A great way to reheat lefover pizza is to stick it in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat to
med-lowand heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy.

Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! ... static is gone.

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water.
Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient (peanut butter, honey, etc.) and watch how easily it comes right out..

To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar
and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Happy Thursday!

Peeling Potatoes

Who would have ever thought that peeling a potato could  be this easy? I'm determined to try this!

Easiest way to peel a potato

What do you think? Will you try it?