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?