The Home Front
If you grew up in the South, then you know that when spring starts coming on and the flowers start putting on buds, it’s time for Decorations. What are Decorations? Sometimes known as Homecomings, Decorations are a set time every year when families come to their home church to honor and remember their loved ones who have passed on by ‘decorating’ their graves with flowers. It’s also a time to reconnect with loved ones who are still among the living. And a most favored part of the day is “dinner on the ground.”
Dinner on the ground isn’t really on the ground, and it’s not at dinnertime. In the South, to honor the Lord and Savior and to show its importance in our society, our lunchtime on Sunday is called dinner. Sunday dinner is just the best. Tables laden with the best recipes from all the best cooks are to be had as you carry on and visit with relatives and friends and hear the re-telling of those beloved family stories of days gone by.
So, if you are lucky enough to have a Decoration to go to, grab the kids and make your very best dish to share. Go enjoy this time-honored tradition in the South. Your children will learn all about who they are and where they come from as they enjoy dinner on the ground. You will have some of the best Southern cooking of your life and if you find a dish that you relish, ask around and tell the cook how much you enjoyed it. You may walk away with a new recipe as our Southern cooks are generous in sharing with those who ask.
-Danna Standridge
Author of Happiness is Homemade Y’all! and 2024 Sweet Grown Alabama Ambassador
Read her faith story at www.birminghamchristian.com/issues.
Join her in the kitchen on Facebook and YouTube.
Nanny Swann’s Chicken and Dumplings
My Nanny Swann’s Chicken and Dumplings was always the star of the show at our Decorations at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Hayden.
Chicken and Broth:
Stew your chicken and ½ Tablespoon salt in 8-10 cups of water for around 45 minutes till meat pulls away from the bone easily. Discard skin and bones and shred chicken. Set aside.
Making the Dumplings
2 cups plain flour (if using self-rising flour, omit the salt)
1 teaspoon salt
½ stick butter, melted
1/2 to 2/3 warm chicken broth
Instructions:
Put flour and salt in bowl, make well in center, add 1/2 cup broth and melted butter, stir, and gradually add broth as needed till dough forms a ball. If dough is too wet, add more flour. If too dry, add more broth. Let dough rest for 15-20 minutes. Flour counter and work dough to a smooth ball being careful not to overwork the dough. Overworking will cause tough dumplings. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Flour counter and roll dough to 1/8″ thick. Cut into dumplings the size of your choice. Nanny’s were about 2″×1 ½.” Bring chicken broth to a rolling boil. Drop 3 to 4 dumplings in one at a time in different areas of the broth so they won’t stick to each other. DO NOT OVER STIR. Adjust heat as necessary to keep dumplings from scorching. After last dumpling is added cook for at least 10 minutes at a gentle rolling boil. Add 2 cups of shredded chicken and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the broth. Whisk 2 tablespoons of flour to one cup of whole milk and pour into the broth. Bring back to a gentle boil for 10 minutes. Turn off heat. Put the lid on and let sit for 15 minutes or more until the juice has thickened to your liking.
This recipe can be found in Danna’s best-selling cookbook, Happiness is Homemade, Y’all available on Amazon.
