Chicken and Dupmling Stew

So it has been quite a few weeks since my last soup post.  What with Christmas and vacation to Guatemala and recovery from said vacation...Had some wonderful soups in Guatemala, apparently they have soup with every meal, at least we did for every lunch and dinner and they are great!  Already miss not having horchata and jamaica as choices for drinks.  I my be learning to make horchata!  Had some yesterday at the Salvadorian restaurant in Reno.

Have tried several chicken and dumpling recipes, but have not been happy with them.  Stole this one from the RGJ paper, a Jennifer Bushman one.  I like it!

2 Tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, sliced or chopped 
4 medium carrots, in 1/2" slices, about 1/2 cup
3 ribs celcery, in 1/2" slices, about 1/2 cup
salt and pepper to taste
4 sprigs fressh thyme,  (or equivilent dried)
1 bay leaf
3 cups cooked chicken
4 cups chicken broth

Heat butter over medium heavy covered casserole.  Add onions, carrots and celery; cook, stirring just until soft but not browned, about `10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken;  drop in seasoning.  Pour in broth, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes.  While broth cooks, make dumplings.

DUMPLINGS
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup milk

In medium bowel, use fork to stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in butter using pastry cutter until dough lumps look like coarse crumbs.  Stire in milk, then gather dough together into a ball.  On floured board, knead dough twice, just to mix well.  Roll out to thickness of 1/8 inch  Cut into 1 inch by 2 inch strips .. Let dry on board 20 minutes.

Reduduce heat to very low.  Add dumpling strips.  Simmer, covered, until dumplings are cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.

If desired to thicken (I didn't), mike 1 T butter and 1 T flour, at paste a little at a time to thicken to desired consistency.  Serves about 6.