No more bread and butter

I know it's summer. I know I should be grilling or making chilled chicken salads or cucumber soup or some other seasonally appropriate dish, but I just can't help myself. I love comfort food.

I could blame it on my Midwestern upbringing, and the fact that the first things I learned to cook from my mother were things like vegetable soup, chili, and meatloaf, but somehow when I want something really, really good to eat it always ends up being something hearty and bubbling in a big pot on the stove.

Yes, it was at least 80 degrees today, a typical muggy August day in the south, but as I scanned the freezer and contemplated what to feed my brood this evening I came up with an old fall/winter favorite: chicken and dumplings.

For years I would make this dish to lukewarm reviews, until my patient and long-suffering spouse informed me that he really didn't like the puffy bread dumplings that I made. Granted, for quite a while they turned out rubbery from overhandling the dough, but I finally mastered them, still to no avail. I finally broke down and bought the frozen, thin flat dumplings that his mother serves boiled in kraut (disgusted shiver here) and put them into my recipe. Result? He loves it.

The recipe on the box is a bit bland to me, so here's how I do it:

1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped onion

Cook these in a little oil or butter in a large stockpot until tender. Then add:

1 pound chicken breast meat, cut up small. Forget cooking a whole chicken or using dark meat. Buy some breasts or cutlets and dice them up, preferably while still slightly frozen.

Cook the chicken with the vegetables until the meat is done. Then add:

about 8 to 10 cups water
two teaspoons chicken base or 2-3 bouillon cubes (or you can substitute a couple cans chicken broth for some of the water)
pepper to taste (I use between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon)

Bring to a boil. Then add an entire package (the large size) of Anne's Dumplings, a few at a time, bring back to a boil and cook for another 15 minutes or so to cook the dumplings and thicken the broth. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Note: humming or singing "Bread and Butter" by the Newbeats while cooking seems to help the outcome of this recipe.

Man, I've made myself hungry. I think I'll warm up some leftovers for a midnight snack.