On Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:59:44 -0400, Larry LaMere >
wrote:

>I HATE light fluffy dumplings.
>
>I remember mama's chicken and leadballs fondly and want to make them myself. The only recipes I
>could find in her recipe box and cookbooks always come out light and fluffy.
>
>Nobody in the family seems to know how she made them.
>
>I want drop dumplings, not rolled.
>
>Any suggestions?

I know I may get a new one ripped for this but, my grandmother made
chicken and dumplings for me when I was a kid and it also featured
"leadball" dumplings -- it's a nostalgia thing folks, so back off.

I was never able to match the same dumpling density quotient as my
grandmother until I decided to try, wait for it:

Pilsbury Butterilk Grands

in the can. What I do is pop the can, divide each biscuit into halves
or thirds depending on how large a dumpling you want. I then dredge
the raw biscuit in a little flour and roll it between my palms to
compress it a bit (you may need to experiment a bit to get the right
level of leadeness). Then into the pot they go. Flip the dumplings
after a few minutes and cover until done.

These dumplings have a nice chewiness and are not floating air pockets
like the hand made dumplings.

Remember folks, this is nostalgia we're after here folks, not gourmet.