Tues., Feb. 5, 2019

Acts 20:7 – On the first day of the week, as we gathered together for a meal, Paul was holding a discussion with them. Since he was leaving the next day, he continued talking until midnight.

In the winter, one of my favorite foods to make is soup. Hubby Rick works nights and I try to have something for his dinner. Soup is easy for him to heat up, warm up and fuel up.

One reason I love to make soup? It usually tastes better the next day after the flavors have melded together.

Two weeks ago, I made a big pot of chili. Here’s the last of the chili, in a container with oyster crackers (Rick’s favorite) ready to go into his lunch cooler.

When the artic vortex arrived a day or two later, I wanted some good soup to send with Rick. This time, I made Chicken Dumpling Soup.

How do I decide what kind of soup to make? I open the fridge and see what is hanging out inside. I seldom follow recipe. I may look at a recipe for inspiration, but really, I just wing it. Most often, I use what I have on hand, what’s in the fridge that needs to be used quickly or what sounds good.

This particular day, there was uncooked chicken breast in the fridge. I contemplated making Chicken Noodle, but I wanted something a little more stout.

I didn’t think about sharing this soup-making experience until after the soup was made. Since it turned out SO GOOD, I thought you might enjoy making a pot similar to what I made. It was quite easy and so yummy. In about 45 minutes, I had a nice big pot of Chicken Dumpling Soup:

1. Place thawed boneless chicken breasts in a large pot. I used three, which makes a nice amount of soup. Cover the meat with broth, water or a combination. I used what broth I had in the fridge and added water until there 1” of liquid above the meat.
2. Bring liquid to boil, then simmer. Cut-up the veggies you plan to use. I sliced about 3 cups of carrots, 2 cups of celery and diced a full onion. Add the veggies into the pot as they are cut up. Add a small bag of frozen peas. (Of course, you can use whatever veggies you desire.) There was cilantro in the fridge, so I added ¼ cup finely cut up cilantro. Use parsley if you have it. Add 1-2 tsp salt, 1-2 tsp pepper, some general pasta seasoning and added 1-2 tsp thyme. Let this simmer about 15 minutes.
3. When the chicken is cooked, removed and cut into small cubes. Return to the pot. Add a container of creamed corn if you want a creamier texture. Mix ¼ c flour with 1 c milk well. Add to the pot. Bring to a boil, lower temperature and let simmer about 10 minutes.
4. Make the dumplings. Mix together 1 c flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp dill and/or parsley. Add 1/3 c milk and 2 TBSP oil. Mix until ingredients are incorporated. Drop tablespoons of dough into the soup. Cover and let simmer on low for 10 minutes. Do not remove the cover until the dumplings are cook.
5. Enjoy!!

Rick and I both enjoyed this soup. We had a bowl together before he left for work. And it also went into his lunch cooler. Rick said I can make it again. This is his code language for telling me he like something that I made.

Lots of good things happen when people eat a meal together. They nourish themselves physically and emotionally. They catch-up and make future plans. They spend time together. In the winter, we often do this over a bowl of soup. It’s a wonderful way to nourish our bodies and souls.

For nourishment that fills our bodies, I am grateful.

Lord God – While we often think of mealtime as the moments when we physically feed our bodies, it is also a great time to emotionally, mentally and spiritually feed our bodies as well.  Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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