Recipe for Mint Tea and Homemade Chicken & Dumplings!!!

How to make the perfect gallon of Mint Iced Tea - well, in my opinion =)

Directions:

• Take 6 Lipton regular size tea bags and 1 Plantation Mint tea bag
• Boil water
• Meanwhile, open tea bags and tie them together with a knot - this makes it so much easier to pull them out when they are finished brewing.
• Once water boils, pour into a gallon tea pitcher and add tea bags.
• Brew 10 - 15 minutes
• Take out tea bags
• Add 1 cup of sugar and stir well.
• Fill up the pitcher with cold water and continue to stir.
• Refrigerate and Enjoy!!!

tea bags tied together

my little helper

adding the goodness

he loves to help stir

Now for one delicious dinner recipe!!!

Irish Chicken and Dumplings

goodness!

Ingredients:


    

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup

3 cups water

1 cup chopped celery

1 onion, quartered

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

5 carrots, sliced

4 potatoes, quartered

Directions:

In large, heavy pot, combine soup, water, chicken, celery, onion, salt, poultry seasoning, pepper, potatoes and carrots. Cover and cook over low heat about 1 hour.
Remove chicken from pot and shred. Return to pot on low. 

Tip - using a potato masher to shred the chicken is a simple, no mess solution!!! Also, Don't worry if you get some veggies out of the pot when you pull the chicken. It won't matter in the end.

Meanwhile, prepare the dough for your homemade dumplings




Homemade Dumplings:


Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons shortening

1 teaspoon salt

consistency) I probably use around a cup (give or take)

 3 cups simmering Chicken broth or 3 cups simmering water with chicken flavored bouillon cubs

Directions:

1.     Mix together flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour/salt mixture using a pastry blender, fork or two knives. Stir in water to form a soft dough.
2.     On a floured surface, roll out dough very thin with a rolling pin. Cut into 1 inch wide strips (I use a pizza cutter, but a sharp knife works also). Tear 1 inch long pieces of dough from these strips and drop into simmering broth.
3.     Cook 10 minutes with the pot lid off, then 10 minutes more with the lid on. Add dumplings to Chicken mixture and let them hang out about 10 minutes. ( This really makes them flavorful )

dough ready to be rolled out

Once rolled out, use pizza slicer to slice into strips

Now, go the other direction (as you can see - they don't have to be the same size)

drop very carefully into your hot liquid

They gave this meal the stamp of approval =)

Today was another great day in the gym.  I ran 3.25 miles in 31 minutes! That's .05 farther and one minute shorter. YAY!  After cool down I worked my abs for about 15 minutes and ended with a nice stretch. 

Blessings, Allie