I hear people want me to get back to recipes.  It is not like I haven’t been cooking, just haven’t been sharing….ooops. (Sorry about that!)

So anyway, I am getting into fall food mood.  Been making peach crisps and cobblers and pies, apple next.  Last night I did a roasted chicken that was mostly Julia Child but a little bit me – plain roasted chicken loaded with herbs from the garden.

Also yesterday I started my first soup of the season:  chicken soup.  I had the neck and gizzards from the chicken I roasted plus a bag of necks and gizzards in the freezer, so why not soup?  In total it was like six necks, six sets of gizzards and stuff.

Making soup isn’t rocket science, it is basically a ginormous pot with meat or bones and water and seasoning and vegetables and herbs, and stir and cook away.

I prefer my own stock and when I am making soup it is a two-day process.  Day one is throw it all into the pot and cook for a few  hours on super low temperature after first bringing it to a boil.  When it cools, pick out the (in this case) chicken necks and gizzards and discard.  Then I put the whole thing in the refrigerator in the pot to chill down overnight. That was on the second day they said let their be soup I can take the fat which has risen to the surface and congealed OFF the top of my broth/stock and I am ready to proceed.

So I have done all that and tossed in some more vegetables and chopped up leftover chicken from last night’s roast and what I decided to do was MAKE DUMPLINGS!

Dumplings are EASY. And when added to my soup and accompanied by a nice green salad, voila! An easy mid week dinner that even the teenager appreciates!

I make  herb dumplings.  I learned from my grandmother, mother, and via trial and error. And yes, every culture has a dumpling.  I use buttermilk powder in mine.  Buttermilk powder goes into a lot of my baked goods – even my pie crusts.  Fun little thing to keep in your kitchen but it MUST be refrigerated after you open the package. The photo I am showing you is actually my buttermilk powder. And I get it at the grocery store.

Herb Dumplings:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 to 2  tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 eggs (beaten in a cup first)
• 3/4 to 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk powder
• as much fresh herbs as you want to mince up – I use tarragon, basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, flat leaf parsley – just grab a bunch and chop.
• a dash of fresh cracked pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese (nothing fancy – Kraft or whatever)

Cut the butter into ALL dry ingredients with pastry cutter or dough blender.  You can also use two forks if you don’t have one of those handy tools.

Mix in the minced fresh herbs

In a measuring cup large enough to hold both, combine milk and eggs.  Start with 3/4 cup of milk, you can always add another 1/4 cup to dough if too dry.

Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients SLOWLY and mix until sticky soft dough comes together.  Do not overwork the dough.

I cover that with a linen towel until I am ready to cook and set aside.

Bring your soup to a boil.  Drop dumpling dough by rounded spoonfuls into soup.  Cover pot, reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 to 15 minutes. They will puff up and bob in the pot. They should be firm and puffy. Warning – be careful not to burn your fingers if you test the consistency of dumplings.

Ladle up and serve.

Could that be any more easy? And it is so old-fashioned and simply delicious.