Passing the Baton

This Christmas the cooking and baking baton was officially passed to my children. Our youngest daughter compiled a family cookbook and gave them as gifts to her siblings. The gifts were well-received mainly because she included the ancient recipe handed down from my husband's grandmother for Chicken and Dumplings. Now, there's a story behind that particular recipe.

When Granny made the dish, there was no recipe. She simply did what her mother and grandmother before her did - throw a big fat hen in a large pot, add salt and pepper and cook that bird until it fell apart!

For the dumplings, cups of flour were placed in a bowl, salt and baking powder (a rounded spoonful) were added, along with some Crisco, stirred together, milk added in, mixed, kneaded, rolled, cut into strips and squares, and then dropped onto the boiling broth. Finally, a cup of sweet milk was poured over the top, and without stirring, the dumplings were covered and allowed to rest for 20 minutes.

Of course, "the dumminies" tasted better the second day after absorbing all the flavorful broth. After I'd eaten my first plateful of these wonderful pillows of delectable flavors and textures, I had to have the recipe. Since there wasn't one, I had Granny make them for me and recorded, step by step, the entire process beginning with, "Wash hands."

This Christmas, our son made the entire Christmas Day Dinner, complete with turkey baked in the Big Green Egg (Google it if you don't know what one is), and homemade popovers. Delicious - better than I could make. Then, when we arrived at our daughter's house in California, she had not only made the Chicken and Dumplings, but Banana Cream and Chocolate Cream Pies, two of our family's favorites. And what did I have to do? Absolutely nothing but sit back and enjoy forkfuls of delicious food.

So it is with complete and utter joy that I hand the baton of making the family recipes to my children. And I hope and pray the tradition of eating these wonderful favorites continue (at their houses)!

Happy New Year, dear readers!

~Nancy Jill

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her Chocolate Cream Pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren in two states, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers Guild and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales.

Nancy Jill is busy working on book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London, England.

To learn more about the author and check out her books, please visit her blog at  
Cozy Mystery Author, Nancy Jill Thames.

CONTACT INFORMATION
jillthames@gmail.com

To view and purchase her books on this site, please visit the Cozy Book Store.