A Southern Supper

Chicken and dumplings!  These are a real southern treat and it's what we are going to have for supper tonight.

This meal is a hearty stew of shredded cooked chicken (or bite sized chunks) with dumplings--a thick noodle--in a thickened chicken broth.  It's a fine way to stretch the meat budget and as an added bonus, it's a filling meal, especially if you add cornbread or homemade biscuits on the side.

I am sad to admit that I've never made this fine meal.  But my sister, a true southern cook who makes all sorts of old-timey dishes, can whip up a pot of chicken and dumplings that will melt in your mouth.  And she is going to teach my daughters how to do prepare this delicious dish this afternoon.  Even better, she is sending the results home with them!

Because she is such a wonderful sister, she is also planning to teach the girls to make a 10 layer cake.

A 10 layer cake with chocolate icing is considered the epitome of southern desserts and is highly sought after at church socials, reunions, and get togethers.  And we get to have the cake for dessert with our chicken and dumplings tonight!

Neither of these are difficult to make; they just take time.  And sadly, many southern women today no longer have the time, energy, nor inclination to make such meals.  As older grandmas and great grandmas leave this world, their progeny no longer even know *how*.

I am pleased that my daughters will have the knowledge and skills of previous generations.  And I am pleased that my sister is willing to teach them.  Of course, I am also VERY pleased to be dining on the results!