When everything is gray and uncertain, make chicken & dumplings

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 As I write this, it is a cold, gray afternoon. The meteorologists predict snow, but as this is the South, what little flurries we get won’t stick. There will only be patches of ice on the road tomorrow. It feels like we are in a holding pattern. The future is unpredictable. This collective stress started as nerve-racking, then became comical, and now is exhausting. It's time to make chicken and dumplings.

This is a family recipe, and it’s crazy stupid simple. Growing up, my mom would make this when it was cold and rainy like it is now. Served hot, it makes everything better.


The recipe my mom had written out for me is very generic.  The measurements are what you feel is right and everything is to taste.  It’s strange because my mom has always been a micro-manager.  This recipe card is probably the most trust she has ever put in me to do something. 


The chicken is any part of the chicken as long as there are no bones. The dumplings themselves are a mixture of 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, and enough milk to make the kind of dough consistency you want. Boil in chicken or vegetable broth (however much you want as long as it covers the chicken) for 15 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.

That’s it.  That’s the recipe. Uncomplicated. Unpretentious. You could dress it up. Add some fresh herbs or spices, but I don’t know why you would. It’s perfect as is.  This is the definition of comfort.

Seeing as my cooking adventure today only took twenty minutes to do, I have gone back to brainstorming.  This month, I have decided to take a short break to reset and reassess my goals. The most important question is, what do I want this blog to be?


For over a year, I have been so hyper-focused on my trauma and emotions.  I want to have fun again, but I will need to improve my time management skills. These projects tend to get away from me and I am usually left scrambling at the last minute. In the end, I pull myself together enough so I can post on time. I don’t want to do that this year.

Since December, I have been in research and planning mode, and I think there are some pretty exciting stuff ahead. There will be more original dishes and recreations. More positive thoughts and honest mistakes. There will be more light than darkness, even though the future is unknown. These are my food adventures of 2021.

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