Chicken and Dumplings

Gosh! When I was a child dumplings wasn't a treat like it is at my house today. Mama would make up a batch two or three times a week. Of course we didn't have chicken with them every time. We were too poor for that. The chickens we had were for eggs or Sunday dinner, so mama would put dumplings with new red potatoes and I couldn't tell the difference. When we went out to eat that one time in three years when I was five, I ordered potatoes and dumplings. The waitress laughted at me and I remember that I couldn't figure out why they couldn't make something that mama made so often. I didn't know how poor we were. I just knew how much I loved dumplings. Now for the recipe. I buy a stewing hen and cut it up and put it in the pressure pot and cook it for 30 mins. I take the chicken out to cool and debone. I transfer the broth to a large stock pot and fill 2/3 full with water and salt and pepper to taste. The day before, I make up my dumplings and put them in the fridge so that they would toughen up a little. Now for the dumplings! Clear the counter and make room for four sheets of wax paper as wide as your counter so that the edge of the paper hangs off just a little. I make my dumplings in an old wooden bowl that my mama used for most all of her flour needs, dumplings, biscuits, flouring to fry etc; I put about eight cups of self-rising flour in my bowl and take my fist and make a hollowed out hole in the middle. I break 3 eggs and begin mixing with my right hand while turning the bowl with my left hand. I start out with a glass of cold water and a can of evaporated milk and knead and mix until I have a ball about the size of two large grapefruits. Then I continue to kneed taking in extra flour and making my dough stiff enough to pick up and move from hand to hand without sticking to my hands. Then I sprinkle lots of flour on each end of each piece of wax paper and divide the dough equally putting a piece on the end of each piece of paper, sprinkle with lots of flour and, pick up the circle of dough and put another handfull of flour under it and roll until the dough is about a 1/4 or less inch thin. Repeat until all dough is rolled out. Sprinkle each circle with flour again and start on your right and pull the second sheet onto the top of the first and then the third onto the top of the second and so forth. Top with another piece of wax paper and carefully roll the dumplings up and put them in the fridge. Sounds hard but after you do it a few times its like taking candy from a baby. HO HO. When you're ready to cook the dumplings bring the broth to a rolling boil and cut the dumplings starting with the top layer into 2 inch strips and drop into the boiling stock. Take a large spoon to push the dumplings in the pot aside so that you have a place to drop the next ones until finished. Then return the boneless chicken to the pot and cover with a lid and turn on med low and cook until done. (Usually about 20 mins.) When they are tender, cut them off and add a can of evaporated milk to them and stir and serve. If you ever decide to try the potatoes and dumplings leave the eggs out and make the same. I would say good luck but you don't need that, you just need practice. Laura would take these to the Lodge and everyone would eat off of one plate.