We’ve got winter here in Southeast Texas! It hardly ever happens, but this forecast is a doozy! We’ll have to put hibiscus that were just blooming into the greenhouse or the garage to keep them from freezing to death on Monday night, when the low will be 10℉ / -12℃.
That’s nuts! I looked up the record, and found that, “in recent times, the lowest recorded temperature was -7°C, about 20°F”.
Brrrrrr! This is Colorado weather! So of course, we want warm comfort food. Last night, I made Glover Gardens Chili.
I made a huge pot of it, because I just can’t seem to absorb that we are empty-nesters. Tonight, I’m repurposing the chili as a filling for Glover Gardens Chili Enchiladas. This was the plan for the chili from the outset – after the first night, it becomes a taco filling, a nacho topping, a Southwest shepherd’s pie, a filling for stuffed bell peppers or stuffed baked potatoes, a topping for tamale pie… the possibilities are endless!
This afternoon, on this cold, gray day, I still wanted to cook, even though dinner will be easy. One of my colleagues shared an Epicurious recipe for Chicken and Dumplings with our team yesterday, saying it had been his go-to cold weather dish for a decade. I’ve never made Chicken and Dumplings and was intrigued. I like spicier food as a rule, but mastering a classic dish like this was a fun challenge. My in-laws live three minutes away and are both almost 90, so I knew there would be an appreciative audience for this old-fashioned delight.
Yum – what a great recipe! I changed it up a little because I had to use what I had on hand – no grocery store trip today, not no way, not no how! – and used chicken breasts that I poached and then shredded.
I can highly recommend this recipe, and really appreciate the tip from my colleague. I would take his recipe recommendations ANY TIME.
The dumplings, after adding them to the soup 
The test bowl that The Grill-Meister and I sampled 
Our biggest Rubbermaid container with the just-made soup, ready for transport
My in-laws were really happy with their mid-afternoon hot meal delivery, and I was pleased to learn how to make Chicken and Dumplings.
Here is the link to the Epicurious recipe for Chicken and Dumplings. The Big Chill of 2021 demands this kind of comfort food!
© 2021, Glover Gardens
It looks delicious! Also, I hope warmer weather is on the way and you’re keeping safe!