How to Make Drop Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is a classic cool weather comfort food. However, many people find dumplings intimidating, thinking there is a big secret to making them.  We bet you will find that this ratio recipe for drop dumplings is easy to make and a great technique to keep in your toolkit. Nothing says comfort food like …

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Leek and Cabbage Soup

Heather says: Winter can be a tough time for eating seasonally. Most of the vegetables are root or belong to the brassica genus (brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards). With the exception of potatoes, these usually aren’t the first ingredients a novice cook reaches for. This cabbage soup recipe is beyond simple, it’s not beautiful which is …

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Leek and Potato Soup

Heather says: As part of our attempt to eat more seasonally, we’re also trying new -to us anyway- vegetables. I know leeks aren’t at all uncommon and taste-wise they are simply a milder green onion, it was just nothing I’ve ever had much reason to experiment with. This soup has a flavor that suggests there …

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Bechamel, White Sauce: A How To

Dear Home Ec 101, On Sunday you mentioned you didn’t like adding Cream of Something Soup. A lot of my recipes call for Cream of Chicken or Mushroom. Am I just not supposed to make those recipes? Signed, Connie V. Nience Heather says: Not at all, there is a very easy substitute and unless you …

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Chicken Stock from Chicken Feet

Heather says: The point of this series is to show off our successes and failures. Please don’t be intimidated by pictures of pretty food here and on other blogs. If you go back through the archives you will see it has taken me over two years to become competent. We have just shy of 2000 …

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New England Clam Chowder

Heather says: Sometimes canned soup is good enough, but once you have had the real deal, it’s hard to go back. Try topping this basic clam chowder with a sprinkling of Old Bay Seasoning and a small handful of sliced green onions. This recipe is a good example of how simple a New England clam …

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