Dumplings

My mother made the best chicken and dumplings ever, primarily because she made them and knew they were my favorite (along with white coconut layered cake). This recipe hails from my Grandmother Adams' The Lilly Wallace New American Cookbook. My grandmother and mother passed away some time ago and lovingly I retain this cook book in my small collection of such texts (there are pages falling out and there are a multitude of inserted recipes stashed inside the cover). 1944,editor in chief Lily Haxworth Wallace, Home Economics Lecturer and Writer, Instructor, Household Arts Department, The Ballard School, New York City~assisted by fifty-four leading authorities on Domestic Science and the art of modern cooking. Is there really an inappropriate time for easy comfort food? Not ever and most especially when memories of mom are the course for the day.

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup milk

Sift flour, salt and baking powder. Rub in shortening with knife or finger tips. Add milk to make a soft dough. Drop dough a tablespoon at a time, on chicken or meat stews the last 15-20 minutes of cooking. Kettle must be covered closely and cover must not be removed during cooking.

Celery and Pear Bisque

Cooler temperatures, scarves, hot soups, and warm beverages. Fall has arrived. I welcome this climate with open arms each year in the Lowcountry. It does not dampen the spirit of our coastal lifestyle. It gives rise to a great many more reasons to invite guests to our home, to clean out the wardrobe closet, to enjoy a bounty of produce previously not available at the farmers market and to explore our own back yards. My only regret is the limited daylight hours that this half of the year invokes. We still enjoy the beach, albeit not always in a bathing suit, accompanied by a chair, a great book, girlfriends and a thermos! Bon Appetit Magazine tweeted this recipe earlier this week and I immediately thought to pull out that vintage thermos and share it with the girls during our weekly beach ritual. Note rain does not make for a great beach day, so the ritual shifts to a toasty warm home environment, just in case you were wondering.

Ingredients

* 4 1/2 tablespoons butter
* 6 cups thinly sliced celery with leaves (preferably organic; about 12 stalks) plus chopped leaves (for garnish)
* 18 ounces unpeeled ripe Bartlett pears, cored, diced (generous 3 cups) plus 1/2 cup finely diced (for garnish)
* 1 1/2 cups chopped dark green leek tops
* 3 small Turkish bay leaves
* 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
* 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
* 3 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth



Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2010/11/celery_and_pear_bisque#ixzz14PabYyv2