I couldn’t tell you where I was when it happened. I think it’s close to what my old college roommate used to say, “I blacked out and..” bam. There I was. Helpless really, and finding myself in the grips of love. Real love this time, not the “you’re great, let’s party” kind of love. Z was everything I pictured my Prince Charming to be. We met interning at a record label in New York City during my last semester of college, and from there, he invited me up to his church. The rest is history.

While some would speculate marriage was in my plan all along, I like to consider myself a casualty of fate. “All is fair in love…”

Dating was a magical season full of firsts, and I was quite sure he would be my last. We’d write songs and laugh about everything. I’d cook him my easy chicken and dumplings recipe, and he’d tell me why he thought I was wonderful. I learned early on that men love a good cook, one of my many talents that I used to show him he didn’t want to live without me.

My older (and much wiser) cousin, Amber, prepared me for this season. Not only did she teach me a few tricks of the trade, she provided me with some of the best recipes you can find. There really is no quicker way to a southern boy’s heart than Chicken and Dumplings. It was the perfect “staying in and watching movies” recipe because it smells incredible while it cooks, and it doesn’t take much time at all. If you want to show off a little bit more, you can even give your date a task while you’re prepping.

I’m not going to attribute our successful dating relationship to this easy chicken and dumplings recipe, but I am definitely going to give it some of the credit. I took the liberty of creating some shortcuts with my cousin’s original recipe, which you can find by clicking here. So if you have a living room date night coming up, check out my recipe below.

easy chicken and dumplings recipe

Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

48 oz Chicken Broth
3 stalks of celery
2 large carrots
½ of an onion
1 Rotisserie Chicken
½ teaspoon dried sage
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Put the broth in a large pot over medium heat. Dice vegetables and add to pot. Shred rotisserie chicken until you have about 2 cups full, then add it to the pot. Next add the sage, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper. Let it sit for about 20 minutes, or until it is boiling and heated through. Cover pot and put over medium-low heat.

Dumpling Ingredients:

1 cup Biquick mix
1/3 cup milk

Stir Bisquick and milk in a bowl until dough forms. Drop by the spoonful into the soup mixture. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered. Then cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Click here to view the original recipe on Bluebonnets and Brownies.