When our kids were little tykes they introduced us to a whole new vocabulary; a new language, really. We called it “Kidnese.” One of the words they gave us was “dumps” –this was their gleeful acknowledgement that their grandma was making her famous dumplings!
One of our most faithful Club Members loves dumplings as much as we do. They are oh, so easy to whip up; they cook quickly and they fill tummies even if you are living on a dime- or less!
Here is Rainy’s offering. We present it here with our sincere thanks:
CHEAP COMFORT FOOD: CHICKEN DUMPLINGS
During this time of year, money is tighter than normal for many folks…it is tax season, after all, and the cost of gas and groceries seems to climb higher with each shopping trip. Knowing how to stretch what you already have in your pantry and fridge is a great way to help keep those higher costs at bay just a little while longer. One of the best ways I know to fill up empty tummies with great tasting food is to make chicken and dumplings.
What if you don’t have chicken or it is a bit too pricey for your pocket book on any given day? Do you skip this great tasting nutritious dish for some other option? You don’t have to, IF you happen to have the fore-thought of freezing left over chicken bits from meals gone by…or you have some chicken stock on hand. If that happens to be a stretch too, you can use canned chicken…or on those really lean times…use chicken bouillon to build the base of your broth. The flavor will still be strong and wonderful.
Depending on the number of your dinner companions…pick a pan that will give you room to simmer your dumplings and goodies with room to spare. Fill your pan will water and chicken bullion or chicken stock if you have it; add chicken if you happen to have some on hand. Add to the pot some onions or onion flakes, some garlic, a little parsley and some salt and pepper. Bring this to a boil while you mix your batter for the dumplings.
Your batter will consist of flour, eggs water and salt if you desire it. In a large bowl whip your eggs (the number is up to you). Add a cup of water to this and your salt if you want it. Blend it well…then start adding flour until your batter gets stiff and holds a shape. Once that happens, drop it into your boiling broth by the fork or spoonful. The dumplings will sink to the bottom and you will want to use a long slotted spoon to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The dumplings will need to simmer for 20 minutes or so once you have dropped them into the broth.
If you have it on hand, you might like to add veggies to the pot to add extra nutrients. I often add carrots, celery and sometimes corn…but you can add what you like and what you happen to have. If you have fresh, add fresh…or canned. Frozen works just as well.
Spices add layers of flavor…you can add bay leaf, garlic, sun dried tomato flakes, basil, Italian blends…etc. This dish is really about bringing flavor and comfort to your family meal. Make it your own…but be prepared for the compliments. This is a big family favorite.
Add a side salad or crusty bread rolls and you have a complete meal. Enjoy!
Mother Connie here: That inspires me for tonight’s dinner, Rainy. I have a bowl full of veggies I roasted and set aside to be morphed into another meal. I love “dumps” as much as my children did when they were tiny and you said it all when you called it COMFORT FOOD!
People who depend on SNAP are doing all in their power to make those EBT cards work hard; WIC users are doing the same thing. Many of our club members depend on food pantries and food commodities. This idea will no doubt appeal to them and for cooks who are just plain old fashioned frugal–this is a true winner!
We trust our mission to help the 40 million Food Stamp users is a real assistance.
Do YOU have a tasty, money saving menu item to share? WE LOVE MAIL: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com
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Food Stamps Cooking Club: How LONG is a Month?
March 12th, 2011Oh, bless Mikemax’s heart. She is asking for our help, so let’s all reach into our own bags of tricks and see how we can help her s t r e t c h her money to match her month.
“March is going to be a lonnnnnng month at our house.
We pay our bills in full every month, but this month they were more than I expected. We had an unexpected medical bill, and other big ticket bills to pay. I budget for most of this stuff, but—as you can imagine—I’m coming up short. Waaaaaaay short. I often say that people run out of money before they run out of month. Oboy, does that apply to me right now!
I’m cutting expenses everywhere I can.
I’m sure some readers are thinking, “So what else is new? Now she knows what I go through every day of every month!” And, yes, that’s true. Although I grew up in a family that lived payday to payday-and always came up short-I’ve been more fortunate as an adult. I’ve been this broke before, but usually not with almost the entire month stretching out in front of me. Fortunately, I’ve always cooked cheap.
But even cheap cooks need help sometimes. I’m asking for your advice.
One of the things I found in the freezer was an 8 lb. bone-in turkey breast. I cooked it for dinner Sunday with homemade mashed potatoes, leftover gravy from the freezer, winter squash cooked and frozen last fall and homemade cranberry sauce. I didn’t have any canned, but I had half a bag of frozen berries. Great dinner!
However, I’m looking at a LOT of turkey leftovers. I also have two turkey halves in the freezer, and may cook one near the end of the month. We ate a lot of leftover $.99 pork roast last week, and I hope not to duplicate last week’s menus with turkey.
Any ideas, fellow Club Members?
To further complicate matters, my daughter and I are dieting. We are more or less following the old Weight Watchers Points plan, which is low fat with lots of fruits and vegetables.
Now do you have any ideas? Please post them in the comments section!
In addition to the turkey breast, I’ve got a little bit of beef, including a forgotten pot roast!-some pork, cubed ham, no bacon, a couple of old dead chickens and a 20 lb. turkey that’s been cut in half. I have a can of pink salmon. I have most of the basic ingredients on hand, but not much in the way of fancy groceries. I do have a can of coconut milk I’d love to use up, if this rings a bell with anyone. I have low fat Swiss cheese, but can only eat small amounts of it. I have rice, pasta and a bag of potatoes, but again, amounts are limited by our diet. We can have ½ cup pasta or rice, no butter or gravy.
Oh, I got two dozen uber-fresh eggs at the farm stand today. Good egg ideas/recipes where you can really taste the freshness would be super. Eggs like these are a big treat for us and a cheap thrill. It’s been awhile, but the girls are laying again. Woo-hoo!
In addition to your good ideas, I’d love to have your recipes, too.”
~Mikemax, formerly known as Maxine
Now, those of us who are well acquainted with this very same issue-stretching the food to match the month-and are using EBT cards from SNAP, WIC … those of us who use food pantries and food commodities and Angel Food Ministries and all the tips we’ve come up with just from living on a dime should be well able to help Mikemax. It’s the least we can do for all the posts she has given us!
Use the comment section to let us know how YOU stretch the food money to fit the month. And you can email us at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com . It will make our day.
You have been sharing the news about us – we know this because of the voting for the Top 100 Mommy Food Bloggers on Babble.com and all the new members who have been coming to the Club House. YAY, YOU! Incidentally, the blog was listed as #43 at last check. WOW.
Be sure to give our sponsors a shout out. They are really important to the well being of the Club. Today’s post is courtesy of Living On a Dime.
Connie Baum
The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post. Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated. Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline. Always do business with those you trust implicitly.
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Posted in Club Member Comment, Cooking, Shopping, Tips
Tags: Angel Food Ministries. Cooking Tips EBT card food budget food pantries foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com freezer kitchen Living On a Dime oven SNAP-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program WIC