Chicken 'n' Dumplings (Gluten free!)

'Nothing like warm comfort food on a winter day — that won't make you feel bad, later. It took me several tries, but I finally figured out how to make the dumplings with rice flour (my earlier versions were, shall we say, "sturdy").

Measures are approximate (I used a little less for the amount of broth I had). Makes two servings.


2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cooked chicken
3/4 cup white rice flour
1 level tsp baking soda
1 level tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk


Bring broth and chicken to boil in a pot (large saucepan) over medium heat. Mix rice flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add milk and stir with a fork. Add a little more flour or a little more milk, if needed, to get a thick dough (hint: let it stand for a minute and it will thicken). Using the fork and a spoon, drop spoonfuls of dough into the boiling broth. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir, turning all the dumplings over once. Cover and simmer again for 15-20 minutes, until dumplings are done all the way through. (You might have to test one. Careful, it's hot.) Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Here's a great way to finish up those late tomatoes — fried green tomatoes!

• Just slice 'em up and throw them in a paper bag with some cornmeal. 
• Pour just enough oil to cover the bottom of the frying pan, and let it come to a low sizzle (on my glass-top stove, that's a 5 setting for starters and I have to move it back to 3 as I cook). 
• Close the bag and shake it up. Place each slice in the oil and let them get golden brown, turning them once to get the other side. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

(And here's where I shake up the recipe with an idea from a fancy-schmancy restaurant in Thomasville)

•  While they're still hot, put a small slice of aged cheese (like parmesan) on each tomato slice, and a dab (about a teaspoon) of italian sauce on top of that. You don't want to pour sauce all over because it'll drown out the other good flavours. 

Ta-Da! Sorry, I was getting hungry and forgot to take a picture of the final product. Trust me, it was yummy!