Menu Planner Dinner Is:   Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:


Chicken: 1 (2 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
(or 1 quart Bottled Chicken with liquid)--That you canned all by yourself

3 ribs celery, chopped (or 3 Tbsp. of Freeze Dried or Dehydrated Celery)

1 large onion, chopped (or 1/4 cup Dehydrated Onion)

2 bay leaves

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 teaspoon House Seasoning (The recipe is also included, below.)

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery or cream of chicken soup

Dumplings:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Ice water

Directions:

To start the chicken:

Place the chicken, celery, onion, bay leaves, bouillon, and House Seasoning in a large pot. Add 4 quarts of water and in water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (Increase water by 1 cup if using dehydrated celery and onions.)

The water from the chicken will also help to rehydrate the celery and onions.

Simmer the chicken until it is tender and the thigh juices run clear, about 40 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot and, when it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and separate the meat from the bones. Return the chicken meat to the pot.

(Bottled chicken can be added directly to the pot . . . It's a great time saver!)

Keep warm over low heat.

To prepare the dumplings:

Mix the flour with the salt and mound together in a mixing bowl. Beginning at the center of the mound, drizzle a small amount of ice water over the flour.

Using your fingers, and moving from the center to the sides of the bowl, gradually incorporate about 3/4 cup of ice water. Knead the dough and form it into ball. Dust a good amount of flour onto a clean work surface.

Roll out the dough (it will be firm), working from center to 1/8-inch thick.

Let the dough relax for several minutes.

Add the cream of celery soup to the pot with the chicken and simmer gently over medium-low heat.

Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Pull a piece in half and drop the halves into the simmering soup.

Repeat.

Do not stir the chicken once the dumplings have been added. Gently move the pot in a circular motion so the dumplings become submerged and cook evenly.

Cook until the dumplings float and are no longer doughy, 3 to 4 minutes.

To serve, ladle chicken, gravy, and dumplings into warm bowls.

Just a Note:

If the chicken stew is too thin it can be thickened before the dumplings are added. Simply mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water
then whisk this mixture into the stew.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Makes 1 1/2 cups


That's Good Home Cookin' Y'all

Bread Making--
If you missed this forum you really missed out!!  Everyone went home with their very own loaf of bread that they made all by themself....with a little help. Both the women and the men did a great job.

The first thing you want to do is get your ingredients together.  Starting with the wheat.  You want to grind your wheat just before you use it.  If you grind it more than 10 days before use, you lose a great deal of your nutients that are in the wheat.  I use a grain mill that looks like this:

It is set up in my kitchen for regular use.  There are many mills out there to pick from.  If you don't have one, research and find the one that suits  you or ask me which ones I would recommend.

When making bread you can use any type of flour you like: hard red wheat, hard white wheat, rye,corn, oat, and even white flour, or a combination of a few.

  I chose the recipe below because it only needs one rising instead of several that is called for is some other recipes.  You can adapt this recipe to your taste as you like. It is quick, easy and done in no time. (About 2 hours from grinding wheat until eating bread). When I say adapt the recipe I mean you can use different flour types, add eggs, use honey instead of sugar, or butter instead of oil.  The choices are yours according to your taste.

Here is the recipe:
2 C warm water
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C oil
2 TBSP yeast
5 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl mix warm water (not hot it will kill the yeast--not cool it will also not let the yeast "work"),  sugar or honey ( I use honey- about 1/2 C), yeast, and oil.  Let set until yeast "works".  By work I mean you will see it grow and bubble a bit.  Add 1/2 the amount of flour, knead about 5 minutes, add the salt and the rest of the flour.  Be careful with the flour amount.  If you add to much the dough will be stiff and the bread will be like a brick.  If you don't add enough the bread will crumble.  Add enough so that the dough comes off your hands as you knead it.  Knead for about 10 minutes to make this happen and to let the gluten devlope.  Shape into loaves.  This recipe will make 2 regular loaves or 1 large or many rolls, cinammon rolls or pizza crust.  So, back to the bread....Shape the loaves, put a small amount of oil on the dough to make it smooth as you shape it.  Let rise for about 30 minutes or until double in size.  Bake 350 degrees--bread 35 minutes, rolls 15 minutes. Remove from oven and pans. I like to rub some butter on the crust asap to make a softer crust. Let cool just a little and then enjoy some warm, buttery bread!  YUM!!

Tips:
*Use SAF yeast it works the best
*Use fresh ground flour
*Salt inhibits the yeast growth, add near the end as in recipe above
*Knead enough to develop gluten-about 10 minutes

What kind of wheat is best?
*Hard white or red wheat.  White has a milder flavor and the flour has a lighter texture than the red wheat.  The flavor of the red is better in my opinion, but it makes a heavier bread. Add some white flour with it. Use what ever combination of flour you prefer
*Protein content should be at least 12-14%
*Moisture content should be less than 10%

How to store wheat?
*Store in a cool, dark, dry place in air tight containers such as food grade 5 gallon buckets.
*Use and rotate so it is fresh
*Do not store directly on cement as it will absorb moisture and go bad. Put a cardboard, rug, or 2x4 under the buckets
*Do not store in platic bags, especially garbage bags--they are not food grade and some have chemicals in them that you would not want on your food.