Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

This is the recipe I used. Mine didn't brown as nicely.

Well, I did it. I tried a recipe I'd seen a while back but just hadn't gotten around to trying yet. I grew up on my mother's chicken potpie, which is very similar to chicken and dumplings down south except that the chicken is kept separate from the rolled and cut dumplings in the broth. Mom's was downright the best there was and she never made just a little. Her recipe called for SEVEN cups of flour. Yeah - really. And, there were only three of us.

Needless to say, for me it was a daunting task to even consider making her recipe because she'd never made  small batches and I wasn't that good at making the dough. So, she would periodically make drop dumplings in her later years, which she liked almost as much, but I wasn't so thrilled with.

Then I discovered I could make potpie (our kind) using flour tortillas. After all, aren't tortillas just flour dough already rolled and flat? All I had to do was cut them into strips and drop them into the broth to cook. Mom loved it and told everyone they should try it themselves.

So, Mom's gone now and I do once in a while make up a batch of tortilla potpie for myself. My daughter's not quite so fond of the tortilla kind, so I only make enough for me. But, I saw this recipe a while back and kept it in the back of my mind as a potential option for the future. It is called Chicken and Dumpling Casserole.

The original recipe I saw required Bisquick, something I never have on hand. But, just yesterday I found a recipe that called for self-rising flour instead of Bisquick. I knew I had to try it because I had self-rising flour on hand that was never being used except as a gravy thickener. The only thing I didn't have was cream of chicken soup. I did have cream of celery, though. I decided the time had come.

Tonight, I made Chicken and Dumpling Casserole and I am so glad I did. I wish Mom were here because I just know she'd like it, too. As with the pork chops yesterday, I was a little heavy handed with the spice. I used just a bit too much poultry seasoning, but I can cut back the next time. And, I might put a little more liquid in next time, too. But, those two things aside, I was very happy with the results. 

One of the reasons I don't like drop dumplings is because of the dry dumpling in the center. I like the rolled dumplings because they absorb the broth all the way through. Well, this recipe pretty much takes care of that problem. It works much like the Bisquick Impossible Pies where the batter cooks in the broth and puffs up creating a "dough"; in this case, the "dumplings". Because it is poured in as a thick batter, it doesn't really have a substantial thickness to it that allows it to stay dry as it cooks, so it creates a very moist dumpling-like biscuit topping to the base of chicken and chicken broth. 

The recipe calls for ready-made stock, but since I was cooking chicken just for this recipe, I used the stock that I created with that. And, I used that cream of celery soup knowing that there was plenty of chicken flavor in the broth and in the granulated chicken stock it also listed in the ingredients. I really don't think there was much of a difference between the two soups at all that I could claim to recognize. The only thing is that you really don't need to put any salt on the chicken because there's plenty of salt in the stock, in the butter (I don't have unsalted butter) and in the soup. You can always add some if you want when you eat it.

The only thing missing was cranberry sauce - an accompaniment I have always loved with chicken potpie or turkey dinner. I didn't even have any apple sauce, which is an acceptable alternative for me. Quite frankly, there are worse things to be missing. Like dinner.

A Foodie Update

Wow - it's been a month since I was last here. Lots of things happening, some good, some not quite so good, but we still plug along.

I haven't done a lot of cooking at home for a while, so I haven't really had anything to post about foods from my kitchen. But, I have been treated to dinner a few times and I've enjoyed it.

Tom made me dinner twice this week. Both times he made meatloaf. I really enjoyed the first one. The second one not quite as much, but that's because he put way too much mustard into the meat mixture and I'm just not a mustard fan - especially Dijon! Yet, he used 90% lean beef and the loaf was so tender because he made sure there were good fats added to the meat (he used cream when he moistened the bread). There were onions as well as eggs and Worcestershire sauce. Other than the mustard, which only added a touch of flavor the first time, both meatloaves were excellent in construction and texture.

The first dinner also had broccoli and egg noodles. I made a sauce from the meatloaf drippings for the noodles. It was all really good. The second dinner had frozen string beans and couscous. I'm NOT a fan of frozen vegetables. I know they're good for you, but I just don't like their flavor or texture. I ate about half of them just because I know they were good for me. But, I couldn't make myself finish them. The couscous were kind of bland and dry, so I ate them mixed with the meatloaf.

Tom's brother made dinner on Sunday. It was actually pretty darned good, too. He made Shepherd's Pie. If you want to be precise, it would be Cottage Pie, because it was made with ground beef, not lamb. He gave me way too much, but it was good. His only problem was that he didn't add ANY salt to the dish, so we had to add it on our dishes because it was very bland.

In all three cases, I was able to bring a plate to my daughter, so she got to have a home made dinner, too. Well, the one time she actually came to Tom's house to eat. The other two times, I brought it to her.

I have to say I like being spoiled, having someone else do the cooking. I'm not going to complain, even if Tom's brother isn't my favorite person.

O is for Ordering KFC

Yeah, it's a stretch, I know. But, my thinker wasn't willing to think beyond the immediate and at the moment I'm waiting for my daughter to get back with some tasty KFC. I don't know why, but I've really been enjoying either KFC or Popeye's lately. Then there was that Spicy Chicken at Wendy's the other day and I'm just really craving chicken. 


The other thing I was in the mood for was their biscuit. The all time best biscuit I've had at a chicken place is the ones I've gotten from Popeye's. They aren't very big, but I love their taste! KFC's aren't bad, either, so I'm looking forward to getting it. 


I'm also getting two sides - mashed potatoes and green beans. My stomach is growling and I think I'm going to enjoy every bite. My daughter used to get the mashed potato bowls, but now she's into the Double Down (the two chicken filets with bacon and cheese in between). I'm sure it's pretty tasty, and I know it smells wonderful, but it just hasn't appealed to me enough to try it. She also loves their potato wedges. I have to admit they are good, but I'd rather have the mashed.


Anyway, she's here and I'm hungry, so it's off to din-din land!

H is for Holiday Meals

Yesterday was Easter for many of us. Passover began Friday evening through this coming Saturday for others. In the midst of all this are the celebratory (or memorial) meals that have become traditions throughout the world.


Although the Spring holidays don't have the same food impact as the Fall and Winter holidays do, food still plays a prominent role. Whether it is Easter ham, Seder brisket, Holy Thursday pancakes or fish on Fridays during Lent, food is center stage during these holidays. 


I had the opportunity to enjoy a ham dinner yesterday. I love ham, but my daughter doesn't, so I don't get to eat it much at home. I did bring her a platter, but it was filled with everything but ham. I can understand why some people don't eat ham (or pork), but I can't imagine how someone doesn't like ham after they've had the chance to try it. Unfortunately, I have no leftovers to munch on, so I'll be making myself a hamburger once I post this. 

D is for Diner!

Angelo's Diner in Glassboro, NJ

Diners are among the most popular eating destinations in New Jersey (as well as around Philadelphia). From breakfast to dinner to homemade desserts and handmade shakes, diners offer a variety of choices unmatched by any specialty restaurant. They even offer night owls sustenance during cram sessions, after late nights out on the town, when the shift is done or after the bar closes. Diners are a commercialized "Mom's kitchen".

The 24-hr Club Diner in Bellmawr, NJ

Admittedly, there aren't quite as many round the clock diners as there used to be, but nostalgia is causing new ones to pop up where they weren't before. And, they are being styled in a glitzier version of the original. Shiny steel exteriors and neon lights harken back to their origins, but many have added bars and dance floors to steer the former bar crowds their way.

Phily Diner in Runnemede, NJ

Those of us who grew up with diners have learned over time which foods are best not ordered in a diner. Hoagies are popular in our area of New Jersey because of our proximity to Philadelphia, but diners just can't pull them off the way a hoagie shop can. However, because of increasing Greek ownership, the quality and variety of dinner options is amazing. And, breakfast all day long can't be beat! As my daughter says, it's hard to ruin bacon and eggs.

My favorite local diner

An example of portions. Eggplant Parm.

The Black Horse Diner, Mt. Ephraim, NJ

Dinner on Paul's last night in New Jersey

I've got to tell you, I don't want Paul to leave in the morning. I'm almost hoping the expected storm will cause his flight to be canceled. I know he'll still go, but I'm hoping he'll see it as a sign that he should be here and not back in Utah. It's not that I don't want him to keep his promise to his sons to come back so they can go fishing. I do want him to do that. But, his life has improved here in a way it hasn't, and probably can't, in Utah.


He'd been unemployed a full 99 weeks (his unemployment ran out while he was here). No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get work out there. He supported his children and the mother of the youngest on his unemployment. When that ran out, they moved in with her parents (and the six or so kids they still had living at home). That was just too many people in close quarters. Everyone was fighting, so Paul, Nina and Taylor came back here.


That didn't last long. First, the local schools flat out refused to allow Taylor to attend school because they didn't have FIVE proofs of residence. Impossible to do since they weren't renters here and the utilities are partly in the name of our landlords and my daughter. The best they could do would have been two proofs. The state says a child cannot be denied attendance for lacking proof of residence, but they wouldn't budge. So, Taylor didn't start school in August (which is when Utah starts) and didn't start school in September (which is when we start in NJ). It wasn't until we'd bought tickets for their return to Utah (just Nina and Taylor) that we learned of the change in state law where you can choose your child's school. She could have attended in the neighboring town's school district and only needed ONE proof of residence, per state law.


In the meantime, Paul and Nina broke up, so he stayed put and got a job here through a mutual friend of him and his sister. The owner of the company as said that if he returns, the job is still there for him with full benefits from day one. Considering he hadn't been able to find work out there before, and knowing just what the overall culture is like there, I don't expect that he'll get anything decent, so here is where the work is.


Anway, tonight's dinner consists of baked chicken breasts (with different toppings), Brussels Sprouts, broccoli (just a little for my daughter) and French style green beans. Not the fancy rolled chicken I had considered making with the flavored cream cheese filling, but still decent. I'm satisfied. Paul seems to be satisfied. It remains to be seen how Deb will view it since she's not home yet.


I used Thai Green Coconut cooking sauce, Cilantro & Citrus Mexican Salad Dressing and powdered Ranch dressing mix all separately on the 8 pieces of chicken (four breasts cut in half). Because the Thai sauce was garlicky, I assigned that to Paul who likes garlic. I took a Mexican topped piece and Deb's are the Ranch Dressing pieces. I did take one of them, but there are two left. I enjoyed it. Paul said he did, too.


I totally forgot to take a picture when I first took the chicken out of the oven, so here is one of what's left on the baking pan.

Honestly, it still looks good to me!