Homey on the Range

I used to subscribe to Martha Stewart Kids, and when they decided to pull the plug on it, the rest of my subscription was filled out with Everyday Food. I didn't renew (with all my cookbooks + Cook's Illustrated + Oregonian FOODday + Adriana, I need more new recipes like I need a hole in the head, really), so I only have three issues: April, June and August of last year. I read them when I got them, dog-eared a few promising-sounding recipes, and put them on the shelf. After a friend mentioned the mag at our sons' baseball practice the other day, I thought I'd re-peruse and see if something jumped out. I found this recipe for chicken and dumplings, and it sounded like the perfect balance of comfort and nutrition, and likely to please everyone. With the weather we've been having lately (including a rather spectacular hailstorm yesterday), warm and soothing was what I needed.

What I did differently: I used only about 3/4 lb of chicken, which was plenty for our family; I used about 3 C broth (from homemade chicken stock), since the 14.5 oz called for didn't fully cover the chicken and vegetables; I used fresh thyme instead of dried; I added 1/2 t salt to the dumpling batter; and I added the peas just before serving instead of at the same time as the dumplings (I prefer them to be bright green and not overcooked). All of these changes were enhancements. In fact, when I make it again I'll likely increase further the amount of broth.

Best of all? Everyone liked it. Between the four of us we polished off the whole pot.