We have a lovely (and simple to follow) recipe for chicken and dumplings from a blog named The Novice Chef Blog. I quote, “This Southern Homemade Chicken and Dumplings recipe is made completely from scratch for the ultimate comfort food dinner! Made with tender chicken and rolled (flat) dumplings in a rich, savory broth!” It makes enough for 10 servings. That’s enough for company or a good-sized family! 

Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman.com has some wonderful recipes, including one called Sausage Breakfast Casserole. This one is an “easy make-ahead breakfast casserole.” 

Here is a recipe for Sweet Potato Fries from Marvin Woods that he has in his book, titled The New Low-Country Cooking. This onelooks scrump-dilly-icious! He says, “Simple to make, these are a nice change of pace from ordinary French fries. I serve these fries with steak or pork chops, but they work well with most anything that you would ordinarily serve with French fries.  

Neoma Knox’s Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad is so tasty. Neoma was our General Manager for many years, but she has left this life behind. We loved her very much. She did leave us her spectacular broccoli and cauliflower salad (which I personally have eaten and could not get enough of!) along with many beautiful memories. We thank New Vision Community Church for sharing the recipe in their book titled,“Feeding the Flock.” 

SOUTHERN HOMEMADE CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS 
From THENOVICECHEFBLOG.COM 

INGREDIENTS:  

For the Soup: 
3 pounds chicken, any chicken pieces you want 
3 medium carrots, cut into half moons 
3 celery ribs, sliced 
1 large white or yellow onion, diced 
3 garlic cloves, halved 
2 sprigs fresh thyme, optional 
6 cups water, or chicken broth (for more flavor) 
1 tablespoon white vinegar 
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon (like Better Than Bouillon) 
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for garnish 
2 bay leaves 
3 tablespoons cornstarch, optional for thickening 

For the Dumplings: 
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting counter 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/3 cup shortening, cold, or butter 
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold 

INSTRUCTIONS:  
For the Soup: 1) In a large deep heavy bottom pot, like a Dutch oven, add the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, water, vinegar, bouillon, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 30 minutes. 2) For the Dumplings:While the soup is cooking, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Use a fork and cut in the shortening until small pea sizes remain, then stir in the buttermilk. Mix it all together and knead for 30 seconds. 3) Dust a flat surface with flour and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. (Add extra flour if your dough is sticking while rolling it out.) 4) Use a knife or pizza cutter to slice the dough into 1” by 2” rectangle pieces (does not need to be exact in size). Let the dough dry while the soup continues to cook. 5) Back to the Soup: When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the soup and shred it. Remove the thyme sprigs and discard. Stir the chicken back into the soup. 6) Bring soup back to a low boil (over medium heat) and drop the dumpling pieces into the soup a few at a time, stirring often so they don’t all stick together. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are tender and cooked through. Dumplings may start to sink a little to the bottom as they finish cooking and they soak up the broth. 7) Thicken if Needed: The soup will have thickened while adding the dumplings; however, if the broth is too thin for your tastes, combine 3 tablespoons of water and the cornstarch and pour into the broth, gently stirring to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes, until thickened. 8) Remove from the heat, taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed and serve immediately! 

SAUSAGE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE 
Recipe from ThePioneerWoman.com 

Butter or nonstick spray 
1 pound breakfast sausage (such as Jimmy Dean) 
4 scallions, chopped, white and green parts divided 
1 red bell pepper, chopped 
10 eggs 
1-1/4 cup heavy cream 
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
2 teaspoons hot sauce, optional 
1-1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon black pepper 
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (8-ounce portions) 
1 30-ounce package frozen shredded hash browns, thawed 

1) Grease 9 x 13-inch (or other 3-quart) baking dish with butter or nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook the meat until no pink pieces remain, about 6-8 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and white and light-green parts of the scallions, and cook 3 more minutes. Transfer to a plate to let cool slightly. 3) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, mustard, hot sauce, salt, black pepper and about one-half of the remaining green parts of the scallions (save the rest to sprinkle on top of the casserole once baked.) Gently fold in 1-1/2 cups of cheese, the THAWED hash-browns, and the sausage mixture into the egg mixture. Transfer all to the baking dish and smooth into an even layer. 4) Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil, and top with the remaining 1/2-cup of cheese. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and finish baking until the center of the casserole is set (not jiggly) and the top is slightly golden, 10-15 more minutes. Let rest 10 minutes, top with the remaining green parts of the scallions, then serve. 

SWEET POTATO FRIES 
The New Low-Country Cooking by Marvin Woods 

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
1/2 teaspoon celery salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander 
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 
Vegetable oil for deep frying 
6 sweet potatoes, cut into julienne strips 

In a small bowl, stir together the nutmeg, chili powder, cayenne, celery salt, coriander, and cumin. 

In a deep fryer or a large deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 375 degrees Fahrenheit on a deep-fat thermometer. Add the sweet potato strips and cook until crispy and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sweet potatoes to several layers of paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with the spice mixture. 

NEOMA KNOX’S BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER SALAD, 
Recipe from New Vision Community Church’s Feeding the Flock 

1 bunch cauliflower 
1 bunch broccoli 
5 strips crisp bacon 
1/2 cup medium size red onion 
1/2 cup golden raisins 

Dressing: 
1 cup mayonnaise 
1/2 cup sugar 
1 tablespoon cider vinegar 

Break and cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Broccoli stems may be used if peeled to soft center. (Hint: large pieces are easy to strip.) Break bacon into small pieces. Slice the onion into rings. Mix all the ingredients together. 

Dressing: Combine mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar; pour over the salad and mix well. Refrigerate in air-tight container. Chill at least four hours; tip container to spread dressing evenly throughout.