Cheater Chicken and Dumplings

Stew a whole chicken or whatever parts you want to use in water to generously cover. Put some leafy celery stalks, onion and sage leaves in the pot. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook until the chicken is done - when the leg joints move easily. Remove from the broth and strain the broth . I just put the cooked chicken in a bowl to cool enough to handle. I strain the broth from the cooking pot to a clean stock pot.

When the chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove the bones and gristle. Add heavy cream or half and half, or even evaporated milk, about a cup. Now the cheat part....cut flour tortillas in strips and let sit out to dry a little. (These are the dumplings).

When you are ready to eat, drop a couple of strips into boiling broth and let them cook until they disintegrate. This will thicken the broth. Add the pulled chicken. This is very important....it only takes a few minutes to cook the dumplings. If they cook too long, they just "melt". I drop them in the very hot broth and move the pot off the burner.  You are now done with the dumplings.

Now for the good part - Wilted Lettuce!

Cut up lettuce, onion and tomatoes in a good sized bowl. Sprinkle with pepper, about a tablespoon of sugar and drizzle with a little vinegar. Mix the salad up and let sit until the lettuce has wilted.

In a small skillet on the stove, put a tablespoon or so of bacon drippings and heat until it is smoking.

Pour quickly over the salad, stirring as you pour. It should sizzle and pop. This needs to be made at the very last minute and served warm. Cornbread is perfect with this meal.

We ate like little piggies!

My daughter and son-in-law graduate from college this evening. She has earned 2 degrees and he has 1. What is amazing about this - to me - is that they were married 3 days and daughter left for Iraq. She served a year, during which time she could only visit her new husband by phone or mail. When she came home, she had Little Man, then son went to Iraq for a year.

When son finally got home, they started school. Both had a full college schedule, both worked full time, and both were in the National Guard. Then came Big Guy.

With two babies, college, jobs and the Guard, I don't know how they survived. Hubby and I are so proud of them both. They have struggled and worked and tried very hard to make a good future possible for their family. They have achieved much in their time together.

Have a blessed day!