Southern Comfort

In this section you will find chicken and noodles
with dumplings or quick biscuits,
meatballs for a crowd and an easy peach cobbler

Home style Chicken and Noodles

6 large leg quarters

4 fresh carrots

3 celery stalks

1 small onion

3 cups cooked flat noodles

water, broth or cream of chicken soup

parsley to taste

3 cups fresh shredded cheddar cheese

I like to use a large electric skillet to simmer this soup on a cold winters day. Put 6 leg quarters in a skillet with enough water to cover by half. Watch carefully to maintain the water level. Simmer for 1 hour. Cut 4 fresh carrots in 2 inch chunks, 3 celery stalks in 1 inch chunks and 1 chopped onion. Simmer 1 more hour. At this point, remove just the chicken and debone. Leave the meat in large chunks. Keep out the bits and pieces for another recipe. Return just the meat to the broth. Add 2- 3 cups of al dente cooked noodles and  salt and pepper. If you have lots of broth, add raw noodles and cook on low another 30 minutes.

*

At this point, there should be a pleasing ratio of soup to noodles and vegetables, if you want more liquid add it now. I do not make mine very soupy. At this point if you like a thicker soup, remove 1 cup of broth and add 1/2 cup of cold water with 4 teaspoons of cornstarch. If you don't have cornstarch, add 1 can of Campbell's cream of chicken soup, undiluted. Slowly add back to the hot soup to thicken. Add 2 T. fresh parsley. Cook for 10 minutes. Just before serving, I add 3 cups of fresh large shredded cheddar cheese. Do not stir. This melts from the heat of the broth. Serve in bowls or with a scoop of mashed potatoes. Enjoy.

I have often added Thyme, powdered onion and garlic after I return the meat to the skillet.

Dumplings

Quick and Easy
Try these instead of noodles.

Mix 1 cup of flour with 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

 and moisten with about 1/2 cup of buttermilk mixed with 1 egg.

Fold together very lightly, and in a minute when batter has begun to be very frothy,

drop by tablespoons into hot broth and cook for about 15 minutes, covered.

Quick and Easy Biscuits

 

 using self rising flour only

2 cups of SRF with 1/2 tsp. of baking powder added

1 tsp. sugar

2 Tbs. to 1/4 cup of butter

 or Butter Flavor Crisco

 1 cup of buttermilk (maybe a smudge more or less)

Use your food processor to mix the dry ingredients

Pour out in a bowl to add buttermilk.

Stir and fold till thoroughly moistened

Use an ice cream scoop.
Portion into a buttered muffin tin

Bake at 350 till light brown flecks form on top

and the bottoms are brown too.
10 - 12 minutes

Shown here with my homemade chunky apple butter.

 Meatballs for a Crowd

2 lbs. good ground chuck

2 eggs

16oz. Stovetop Chicken Stuffing

16 oz. cranberry sauce

1 cup Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue Sauce (about)

MEATBALLS: Mix about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. of ground chuck with 2 eggs, and 1 lb. of Stovetop stuffing made with 1 cup of water. Mix well and make into 20 to 30 meatballs. Bake in a Pyrex 9 x 14 dish in the oven at 350' for about 30 minutes or till done. Turn once.

Freeze half of the meat. Place the rest of the meatballs in a smaller dish and cover with sauce.

SAUCE: 1 16 oz. can of cranberry sauce with 1 cup of Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue Sauce. Heat till almost melted and pour over meatballs and bake at 200' for at least 30 minutes. Holds very well for cocktail meatballs on a buffet or served over white rice.

This is a great recipe for leftover stuffing.

Easy Peach Cobbler

I only made a half recipe in the picture above.

 A full recipe rises up and over the top

 in this 9 inch oval casserole dish.



Peach Filling

Take one (4 oz.) stick of good butter

If you have the cheap store brand add 2 Tbs.

Put it in your 9 inch Pyrex casserole dish

Place that in your oven to melt the butter at 350.

Open

2 cans of 29 oz. 0'sage Raggedy Ripe Peaches

or use

4 cups of sliced ripe peaches (after cooking)

1/2 cup to 1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of peach juice or water

Cook the fresh peaches till soft and set aside

Biscuit Topping

1 1/2 cups of self rising flour ( I add 1 tsp. of baking powder)

3/4 to 1 cup of white sugar

Mix very well

Add 1 1/2 cups of milk (and I have used buttermilk too)

Whisk till just combined

NOW

Remove the hot dish from the oven and leave the pot holders on the sides

Pour the biscuit mix in a steady thin stream in the center above the melted butter.  Do Not Stir

You want some of the butter floating on top.

Take a large spoon and place the peaches evenly on top. 

It is just fine if there is a little peach juice in the spoon.

If your using a rectangle pan, pour the batter in an S pattern.

Make sure the butter covers the whole bottom of your pan.

You can sprinkle some Cinnamon sugar on top if you like.

REMEMBER it's hot. DO NOT STIR

Place it back in your hot oven on a middle rack.

Bake at 350 for about 45 to 50 minutes

It should be golden brown, do not under bake.

Perfect to serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves at least 6 - 8