I love my Wednesday's off!!! (Chicken and Dumplin's)

Wednesday's are my favorite day of the week..  I love Wednesday's because it is my day off work..   I can do whatever I want all day..  :)  In the spring and summer that means laying by the pool or at the lake and soaking up the sun..  In the fall and winter it means cooking..   I love to cook when it is cold..   soup, stew, roasted chicken,  chicken and dumplings..  My mother made the best chicken and dumplings EVER!!!   She never went by a recipe though..  ever.. she just went in the kitchen and made them..  I remember she would stew the chicken in water with seasonings and then take it out,  let it cool and then make the dumplings... roll them out on the counter and cut them into ribbons..  then she would pick up one of the ribbons and tear it into pieces and drop it into the broth..  then somehow magically the broth would be thick and delicious and the dumplings would be plump and cooked to perfection and then the chicken would be added back in and I would be in heaven..   I wish I had one more day with my mom,  you know when she was diagnosed with lung cancer I was maybe 24 yrs old..   I honestly don't think I really appreciated all that she taught me,  and I wish I had paid more attention all the time to what she said and did..  She was the best Mom I could have ever had..  you never stop missing loved ones when they are gone..

So here is my attempt today at making chicken and dumplings..

Chicken and Dumplings

1 whole chicken,  cleaned, rinsed and patted dry
Olive oil
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
5 to 7 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
5 to 7 mushrooms, sliced
2 stems of rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper
steak seasoning
water
vegetable broth

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot,  add the chopped onion, celery, carrot and garlic,  cook 5 to 10 minutes,   add the mushrooms and cook another 3 to 5 minutes,   rinse the chicken out under cold water until the water runs clean, remove the paper bag and discard.   add salt, pepper, rosemary and steak seasoning to the vegetables and stir around..  Add the chicken to the pot and cover with cold water..  I added a little vegetable broth for flavor.   Add more salt and pepper as needed..  Cover and bring to a boil and then simmer over medium heat for about 2 hours until the chicken is done and a nice rich broth is left..  Remove chicken and put on a plate to cool..  when cool, de-bone the chicken and tear or cut the meat into bite size pieces..

Dumplings

Ok,  I made the dumplings like I make biscuits..

Self-rising flour
butter
salt
milk

Cut the butter into the flour and add the salt and milk..  stir well until a soft dough forms..  turn out on a well floured surface and knead a few minutes..   roll out with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness and then cut in ribbons with a pizza cutter..  make sure there is plenty of flour on them because that is what makes the broth thick and gravy-like...

Bring the broth to a simmer and drop the dumplings in a few at a time until they are all in the broth,  you will have to push them down with a wooden spoon to get the last ones in the broth..  stir as little as possible and let them simmer for about 15 minutes..  add the chicken and let simmer another 5 to 10 minutes..  

Sorry I didn't take more pics..  I was nervous that it wouldn't turn out..  still haven't tasted it..  I hope it is yummy!!!!  Waiting for it to cool a little and still cooking the other dinner..   What is wrong with me??   Yes,  it was amazingly YUMMY!!!!  Success!!!

So I planned on something else for dinner and took the steak out of the freezer to thaw yesterday and have to make it too..  so it is marinating in the fridge..  lol..

Teriyaki Beef with Rice and Broccoli

1 lb steak,  your choice,  cut into thin strips
3 c low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 c sugar
ground ginger
garlic powder
olive oil

Mix the soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic powder and olive oil in a large bowl...  add the steak..   marinate a few hours in the fridge..

Onion, sliced
bell pepper, sliced
garlic, chopped

In large pan heat olive oil,  add the sliced onion, bell pepper and saute for 2 to 3 minutes..  add the garlic and cook for another minute..  add the steak and cook for about 5 minutes,  then add the marinade and cook for 15 to 30 minutes until it is thick..

1 1/2 c rice
3 c water

Place in a rice cooker and cook until done..   (Love love love my rice cooker)

Frozen broccoli,  if your rice cooker has a steam basket place the broccoli in the basket and cook while the rice is cooking..   (did I mention that I LOVE my rice cooker)..

Serve the steak and teriyaki over the rice with the broccoli on the side...  so very delish..  :)