When the weather starts turning colder, I like to pull out the recipes for comfort food.  Being a “foodie” I am always looking for ways to amp up the food I serve my family.   This recipe is my mom’s chicken and dumplings recipe with added veggies as well as pepper.  I love dumplings but sometimes they just seem like dough – blah!!  So I adapted my pasta recipe (on this website) to dumplings by rolling the noodle thicker and cutting it wider.  Also, I added fresh cracked pepper to the dough to add some variety.  Just a 1/2 t is all you need (or more if you like).  Don’t be afraid to experiment with the pasta dough recipe.  I have added herbs of all kinds and even laminated fresh basil leaves in the dough for fresh basil pasta.  It is awesome!!

Mom’s Chicken and Dumpling Soup

2 quarts homemade chicken stock

2 carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

meat from one roasted chicken (pour the drippings into the pot too)

two recipes of pasta dough

Add everything to a large stock pot and let simmer for 1 hour.  Roll and cut the pasta dough into thick, wide noodles cut to about 1 1/2 inches long.   Bring the stock up to a boil and carefully drop the noodles into the pot.  Give a stir to make sure nothing to sticking together.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.  Serve immediately with a crusty bread and optional grated parmesan cheese.