Homemade Chicken Soup with Dumplings

Here is a recipe that everyone needs in their archives, homemade chicken soup is the ultimate comforting dish. Well I was lucky enough to have grown up with a dish like this. My dad made this and he was one of those who always put in a little of this and a little if that and it always turned out Great! Once I got older and met my now husband, his family also did the same with their chicken soup. So how lucky am I to have both sides of my family teaching me all the tricks of the trade. So in the years I've developed my own version of chicken soup using everything I know it's a great combination of both families recipes! 2-3 lb chicken pieces 6 cups water 4 cups chicken broth 2 bay leaves 1 tsp of whole allspice Salt and pepper to taste 1 medium diced onion 3 whole chopped carrots 3 stalks of chopped celery 1/4 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp dried thyme Dumplings 1 egg Splash of water 1 cup flour Salt and pepper In a large soup pot add the chicken, water, broth, bay leaves, whole allspice, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. After the hour pull out the chicken and set aside. Strain the liquid to get out any pieces of chicken, allspice, and bay leaves. Dice up the onions, celery and carrots. Sautee with 2 tbs of olive oil and salt and pepper for about 5 to 10 minutes. This just helps the cooking process go a little faster. While the vegetables are cooking, cut up the chicken meat from the pieces you set aside. Add the vegetables and chicken to the juice, add turmeric and thyme, and a little more salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer another 20 minutes. For the dumplings: In a small bowl add eggs, flour, salt and pepper and splash of water. Mix until you get a dough like consistinsy. You many add more or less flour and/or water according to desired consistinsy. In a medium sauce pan bring about 4 cups of water to a bowl. Using a spoon, spoon in little dollops of dumplings into the boiling water. It doesn't take long for them to cook, when they float they are done. Spoon them out. Serve your bowl of soup and add desired dumplings. I don't cook the dumplings in the soup because I feel it soaks up a lot if the liquid, so I keep them seperate until I serve it.