Oh...
I've been busy this morning.

I've been editing pictures, getting them ready for the website.









It's a tough job...yaddayadda :D



****

So...

I made the Chicken and Dumplings yesterday. Now THAT is a tough job.
Cooking is not for the lazy...that's for sure :o)



Here is the final product.
Do you like my hardware store bowl?

Pay no attention to the styling.

I use The Pioneer Woman's Recipe that is a take on Gourmet Magazine.
BUT I don't like cornmeal....blech....so I make plain dumplings.


Ree and Tyler's and Gourmet Magazine's Chicken and Dumplings


Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
1 whole Chicken, Cut Into Pieces (cut Up Fryer)
Salt And Pepper
1/2 cup Finely Diced Carrots
1/2 cup Finely Diced Celery
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
1/2 teaspoon Ground Thyme
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Apple Cider
1/2 cup Heavy Cream


Dumplings: This part is from Tyler Florence

Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup chives


okay. this is where I come into the picture. I do not use chives and I didn't have buttermilk. I made my own with milk and vinegar.


Carry on.


Preparation Instructions
Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge both sides in flour.
Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. In two batches, brown chicken on both sides and remove to a clean plate.
In the same pot, add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in ground thyme and turmeric, then pour in chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine, then add browned chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
While chicken is simmering, make the dough for the dumplings: sift together all dry ingredients, then add half-and-half, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.
Remove chicken from pot and set aside on a plate. Use two forks to remove chicken from the bone. Shred, then add chicken to the pot. Pour heavy cream into the pot and stir to combine.
Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. Add minced parsley if using. Cover pot halfway and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Check seasonings; add salt if needed. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
*Adapted from Gourmet Magazine



browned chicken



I took me forever to choose my chicken broth

I used one organic and one natural.


my cluckcluck




and while we waited....




we took a few pictures.

***

And then we did homework for four hours.
Yeah.

Away from Homeschool is not for the lazy either.
I long for the days of teaching at home.
I miss picking out my own curriculum which is perfectly suited to my student.
I resent four hours of homework. (That is 12 hours of school a day.)

I am so frustrated and feel my hands are tied.

Time to talk to the teachers and see what's going on.

Does this happen to us every year? Seems that I am having deja vu.

It's just so hard when I think that we are forcing our little square peg into a round hole.

But she WANTS to go to school despite the work and difficulties.

ugh


Please pray for my peanut.
I'll pray for yours.

Encourage one another,
Donna