Aunt Charmaines Dumplings Recipes

GREAT AUNT INA'S APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Pastry: In a large mixing bowl, sift flour and salt together. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter or two knives in opposite directions until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of water over mixture and gently toss with a fork. Repeat with more water until mixture is all moistened. Form into a ball. Flatten pastry dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a little less than 1/8-inch thick and cut into 7-inch squares.
• Syrup: Prepare the syrup by bringing 2 cups water, 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons butter and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-low heat and let simmer until reduced to a thick enough syrup to lightly coat the back of a spoon.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a large rimmed baking dish and set aside.
• Apples: Peel and core an apple for each pastry square you have. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
• Place an apple in the middle of one of the square pastries. Fill the core cavity of the apple with some of the cinnamon sugar mixture and dot with a tablespoon of butter. Bring opposite points of pastry up over the apple. Overlap, moisten with water and seal. Carefully lift the pastry-wrapped apple and place it in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining apples, pastry squares, cinnamon sugar mixture and butter.
• Pour hot syrup evenly over the tops and around the dumplings.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust on each dumpling is golden brown and apples are cooked all the way through. You can test the apples by poking them with a fork or skewer.
• Serve warm with the hot syrup that's in the bottom of the baking dish and ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

AUNT CHARMAINES DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients till dough. Drop large spoonful(4-5TSP SZ) into boiling stew or soup

AUNT BETTYE'S CROCK POT CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Put all ingredients (except biscuits) into cooker.
• Cook on HIGH 5 hours or LOW 8 hours.
• One hour before serving, cut biscuits into quarters and add to mix.
• Cook on HIGH 1 hour.

BEA'S GRAND CHAMPION CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Tips & Notes.
• If using a frying chicken instead of a roasting hen, you will also need to add ¾ of a stick of butter to give broth a richer flavor. Bea recommends using only the white breast of the chicken and very little of the dark.
• Instructions.
• To prepare the chicken:.
• 1.Cover the chicken with water. Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste.
• 2.Reduce heat to simmer and cook until falling-apart tender (usually about 1 ½ to 2 hours).
• 3.Carefully remove chicken and allow to cool. Debone chicken into strips or small chunks.
• To prepare the dumplings:.
• 1.Into large bowl, add 4 cups plain flour and salt to taste. Stir well. Cut in the 3/4 cup of Crisco with pastry blender until like coarse cornmeal. Add enough warm (not boiling) chicken broth (usually about 1 ½ cups) to make a stiff dough. Be careful not to mix too long because it will make dough tough.
• 2.Heat remaining chicken broth to a rolling boil.
• 3.Using one-third of the dough ball, roll out to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into thumb-length strips. Drop into hot broth. Prepare remaining dough the same using one-third of dough ball at a time.
• 4.After all dumplings have been added to broth, reduce heat to simmer. Add black pepper and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Add chicken and stir very slowly until heated through and ready to serve.