Good smells coming from the kitchen

Chocolate cupcakes with Tip Top Filling
I don't bake like I use to, because it is torture when you are dieting. So, when I do bake I bring what I have made to family members. I use to make chocolate cupcakes filled with Tip Top filling for my sons all the time when they were growing up, as they loved them.  ( If I made yellow cupcakes, I would fill them with Lemon pie filling that I would cook up, let cool and fill the center of the cupcakes, as my son's loved both kinds)
Today, I was lazy and used a box of chocolate cake mix instead of making my cupcakes from scratch. After the 24 cupcakes were cooled, I made the Tip Top filling which is light, fluffy and not really sweet, but very good.
There use to be a Tip Top Bakery that sold bread and pastries in the stores. I think someone must have made a knock of version of the Tip Top filling that was in their cupcakes. I know my mom made this filling when we were growing up, and I have for years.

Tip Top Filling
2  1/2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup of milk
Cook the flour and milk in a small saucepan until it thickens like a pudding. Cool completely.
When the flour/milk mixture is cool-add in a bowl with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, dash of salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat well.
Then add 1/2 cup solid white shortening
1/2 cup margarine=1 stick
Beat ingredients with mixer until mixture is fluffy.

I usually cut a circle into the top of each cupcake, then remove the circle and add Tip Top filling with a teaspoon to each cupcake and then replace the circle of cake on top of the filling.
Today, I did something different, I put a number 12 Wilton cake decorating tip into a disposable cake decorating bag, and pushed the tip as far as it would go into the bag near the point of the bag. I then cut off the tip of the bag. I filled the bag with the Tip Top filling and pushed the tip part way into the cupcakes and squeezed until I could see the filling at the top of the cupcake. Don't squeeze to hard or the cupcake will split. I know, because that is what happened to the first cupcake that I filled.  After filling the cupcake, squeeze a bit more filling on the top of the cupcake to cover the hole.
I also use the Tip Top filling  when I make a chocolate roll... see my blog post December 11, 2011. Chocolate Roll with Tip Top filling

I've been craving chicken and dumplings, so this morning I decided to make it for our supper tonight. I made enough for not only our supper, but also for my parents, my aunt and my son/daughter in law and Bella.
for my parents

My recipe for chicken and dumplings is very easy, and the chicken mixture is the same as what I use when I make chicken pot pies or chicken soup.
I start with a large dutch oven...1 large box of lower sodium chicken broth, cut up 2 medium onions, 4 stalks celery, 3  carrots, several potatoes, a little ground pepper, 1 quart cooked cut up chicken. ( I often use the precooked chicken that you can buy at the market, as it saves a lot of time)  You can add a little sage or thyme if you like, but I don't. Cook the vegetable/chicken/broth mixture until the vegetables are soft.  The broth will thicken I will add more broth or some water, because the dumplings will soak up a lot of the soups liquid.
For dumpling I  use the dumpling recipe that is on side of the Bisquick baking mix box.

Dumplings
Stir 2 cups Bisquick baking mix and 2/3 cup of milk until a soft dough forms. Drop by the spoonful onto boiling stew or soup. Reduce heat and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover the pot of dumplings/stew and cook for 10 minutes longer.
Enjoy!

If you make one of these recipes let me know how you liked it.
Elaine