Mimi's Chicken & Dumplings Recipe

(Mine, as in Diane, and Mom's....it is really a guessing game) Prior to cooking this recipe please read this "New Disclaimer": This may not be the actual Mimi Dumpling Recipe. This may not taste like Mimi's dumplings, look like Mimi's dumplings, smell like Mimi's dumplings, act like her dumplings, nor digest like Mimi's dumplings. Actually, Sue has the actual recipe. Diane just made this one up from observation, trial and error. (However, they are pretty dang close to Mimi's) Chicken Broth: - One large Fryer or Hen completely thawed - Remove the inner sack that usually includes the neck, gizzard and liver [I do not use these, but Mom would sometimes include them because Dad liked them....I do boil the neck with the rest of the chicken because that meat is very tasty. - Do not remove the skin on the chicken prior to cooking. - For ease of handling, cut up the chicken [removing the tail point] so it will cook faster (if you don't know how, I can show you) - Boil the chicken until tender, - Remove all chicken from the broth - saving the broth - let the chicken cool, remove skin, de-bone & de-vein (discard skin, bones and veins). - Chop larger pieces of meat into bite sized pieces and set to one side. - To the broth, add black pepper to taste and one can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup. If the broth is not fat enough (yellow), add one or two sticks of butter. Let simmer until all is dissolved and blended well. While that is cooking slowly, make up the Dumplings: In large bowl combine - - Approximately five cups of All-Purpose Flour (DO NOT USE SELF RISING...you will have a mess). - One good rounded up hand full of Crisco Shortening (SOLID - NOT LIQUID)(I think it would be somewhere around 1-1/2 Cup.... [Crisco now puts out the package of individual sticks of Shortening. One stick works real well - Of course if you are making a huge two pots like I did at Thanksgiving, it will take at least two of the sticks) ---------------------------------- HINT: Crisco Shortening can be kept in the freezer so it won't spoil until you make Dumplings the next time. ---------------------------------- Combine the flour, the salt and shortening. Mix together well until mixture resembles course corn meal. Add Ice Water (needs to be very cold) gradually and mix with hands (sorry) working the dough until it begins to look like the consistency of a pie crust....it can be a little sticky because the next step will take care of that. Pour approximately two cups flour on a flat surface. Remove a good double handful of the dough from the bowl and work more flour into it until it is the consistency to be able to roll it out with a rolling pin (Don't add too much or you will have tough little dough wads instead of dumplings). Roll the dough in every direction guaranteeing that the dough is consistently thin all over. Roll very thin because when you cook them they will get thicker. Cut the dumplings down and across into bite size pieces (approx. 2" X 3")they don't have to be exact.... Drop the dumplings into the hot broth mixture. Press down with a spoon - do not stir too much or you will have mush! Continue doing this until you have all the dumplings rolled, cut and in the broth. Let them cook on low for just a few minutes and then add about 1-1/2 cup cold sweet milk. Stir enough to mix the milk in. Taste to see if they are salty enough...if not at this point you can add more salt to taste! Eat and enjoy........