Teresa's Dumplings

[Teresa]

ok.. this is a different way to write a recipe...but a friend of mine from the Rocky Mountains
just wrote and ask me to tell her in detail how I make my dumplings...
so here is what I wrote her.. so thought that I might as well add it here also..

When I make chicken and dumplings...  I never add my chicken at the same time.
But my family likes the chicken and dumplings and or/noodles separate on their plate..
I think that the dumplings cook better being separate too.

I cook my chickens slowly in the crock pot or in the pressure cooker.. covered with water for lots of broth.
Separate chicken and broth.
I take the broth out and put it in a deep large skillet or cast iron dutch oven type pan... ( make sure it has a lid.)
Now comes the hard part, cause I never measure anything..
I just put it together by feel and look and consistency.. But I will try: 
Hmmmmmmm  lets see..

For a nice big skillet of dumplings about the size of blobs of biscuits....

I mix together:
3 cups of flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teasp. Salt
1 egg
Whole milk until it has the consistency of biscuit dough.
(which is basically what it is)
When you have it all mixed up and sticky..
Melt 1 full stick of butter or oleo and pour it in the batter.
Mix well.
Bring your broth to a good boil.. And slowly drop spoonfuls of the dough into the broth. ( about the size of larger than a golfball. )
I drop them right next to each other all around and in the middle of the skillet...
I usually have them kind of touching each other.....and make sure that you have enough broth to almost cover the dumplings when you drop them in.

Immediately put the lid on tight... and turn the fire down on LOW. Let cook for about 20 minutes
DO NOT RAISE THE LID. ( this causes the dumplings to fall and not be fluffy.)

For variety~~I also use beef or pork( beef  or pork roast of any kind will do)
and pheasant..cooked the same way.

That is all. Easy easy easy.. And they are soooo good.