Happy Birthday GG!

Words cannot express how much I love my Grammy. Today is her 78th birthday and though we celebrated on Tuesday night with a yummy dinner at Naples with Mom and Dad; Chris, Rupert and I are celebrating with her tonight at our house. I decided that today seemed like a dumpling kind of day so I googled Jessica Simpson's Chicken and Dumplings from her appearance on Rachel Ray. (Don't judge, they're actually really good and SUPER easy!) But then I decided maybe we should have the mountain dew apple dumplings that my Granny Stavitzke showed me for a fun and different dessert... well I couldn't decide so we are having both. Like I said, a dumpling kind of day. We are also going to watch Grey Gardens, which I saw this last week and just know that GG will love.
I just want to make tonight fun and special for GG because she's my Grammy... I adore her... she's vibrant and a spitfire while a wonderful caretaker... she introduced me to classical music, Rosemary Clooney, Fiddler On The Roof and glop... she's always there when we need her... always giving us crap (for real) and I love her all the more for it.
Happy 78th Birthday GG! And MANY MANY MORE!!!

Also, here are the recipes in case you are interested....

Jessica Simpson's Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 3 rolls of reduced-fat croissant rolls, divided (recommended brand Pillsbury)
• 1 small rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat removed from bones
• 1 can of low-sodium, reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
• 1 can of low-sodium, reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• Salt and ground black pepper

Yields: 4 servings

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Preparation

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Roll out the cans of croissant sheets and separate into diamond shaped sections. Place a small handful of rotisserie chicken on each diamond, fold dough over and press ends together to create dumplings. Cut up any excess dough into strips.

Line a 9x13" baking dish with one layer of dumplings. Pour the can of cream of chicken soup over the layer of dumplings, followed by the can of cream of mushroom soup, and chicken broth.

Place strips in a crisscross pattern on the top of the dumplings and soup mixture, season dish with salt and ground black pepper and bake until the dumplings are tender and cooked through and the top is bubbly and brown, about 30 minutes.




Country Apple Dumplings

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
45 Min

Ready In:
1 Hr 5 Min

Ingredients

• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
• 2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Mountain Dew ™

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew™ over the dumplings.
4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.