Tequila Lime Shrimp Recipe

In my younger years, a bottle of tequila might not hang around my kitchen for very long. But I've had this bottle of Jose Cuervo Gold sitting my my cupboard for a couple years now (longer?) and I figured it was time to do something with it. I couldn't really picture me and the wife lining up the shot glasses, what with the kids needing to be fed and all, so I inebriated some shrimp instead.

Chicken Soup with Dumplings

My mom used to make this soup - it is very easy, and delicious...my kids even love it.    I usually start by making a roasted chicken dinner one night for dinner (I am sure Tin Pig has a roasted chicken recipe here somewhere), and then making a stock with the leftover carcass.   Just put the leftover chicken carcass in a large stock pot, cover with water, and boil, slightly covered, for approx 2 hours. I then let it cool, and refrigerate.   The next day, you can skim off any fat solids, remove the chicken bones, and leave any of the meat in the stock.    This is the base for the soup.  It makes approx 3 quarts.

Soup:

3 quarts (give or take) Chicken Stock with chicken pieces (see above for recipe)

1 cup Chopped carrots

1+1/2 tsp salt

Fresh Parsley

Dumplings:

1 cup unbleached flour

1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup milk

Mix Soup ingredients above, and bring to medium-low boil.    In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt together.   Add butter, and mix it in with a fork.   Add milk all at once, and stir quickly, and as little as possible, until everything is moistened.   Drop rounded spoonfuls of dumpling dough onto the boiling soup.   Let simmer for 10 minutes uncovered, then cover, and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Enjoy.

Lamb Chops with Mint & Red Onion Sauce

The mint is growing nicely in the box that rests on my deck rail. I've wanted a proper garden for some time now but there's simply too many trees surrounding my property to make it work. So I settle for a few herbs in flower boxes. The mint came in handy the day I spied some lamb chops under the cellophane at my local A&P. I can't always make it to the town butcher, and these looked fresh, so I figured I'd give them a try.