Moosey's Dumplings

Moosey's dumplings were the ultimate comfort food in our family. If you ever had a bad day, Moosey's chicken and dumplings made EVERYTHING better. Of course, she had no recipe.  She had made them so often, she didn't need one. One day, I sat on the little step stool in her kitchen and literally measured everything she put in the pot!  My cousins probably did the same thing.  Maybe our recipes are the same, maybe not.  But it doesn't matter; spending time with her in the kitchen learning how she did it was priceless.  We all mourned the day she decided making them was too much trouble and she would just use flour tortillas.  Of course, she was probably 90 years old by then, but it was just NOT THE SAME!  Later we discovered Mary B's dumplings in the freezer at Walmart; she loved Mary B's biscuits, and I think she used the dumplings sometimes too.  I find that they are a pretty good substitute when you don't have time to roll out dumplings. Just don't give me flour tortilla dumplings.  :-)


Moosey's Dumplings

2/3 cup hot broth with a little milk
1 1/2 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup shortening

Mix together and roll out.  (Moosey always used a layer of newspaper topped with a layer of wax paper to roll it out on)

Let sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes.

Roll again.  Cut up into strips.

To the hot broth remaining, add:
3/4 stick butter
4 cups milk

Let boil, then add dumplings one at a time and simmer for 8 -10 minutes.


Lately, I've been using Mrs. Wilkes' chicken and dumpling recipe from the Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House Cookbook.  It is the closest I've ever been able to come to replicating Moosey's dumplings. 

Mrs. Wilkes' Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken
2 1/2 pounds chicken, cut up and ready to cook
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Place chicken in a saucepan and cover with water.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Boil over medium heat
for 30 minutes. Pour off the broth and save for the dumplings.

Dumplings
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper

Mix flour, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the water in a bowl and knead until dough is firm. Mash flat on a floured surface. Let stand for 10 minutes. Roll out with a rolling pin until knife-blade thin and cut into 2-inch squares. Drop into boiling broth. Cook for 10 minutes over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and return the chicken to the pot. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk into the mixture and stir. Remove from the heat. Serve with salt and pepper to taste!