One of my favorite meals growing up was Chicken and Dumplings and I would request it every year for my birthday dinner. I think its one of the ultimate comfort foods. The beauty of this soup is that you can add whatever vegetables your family likes-corn, potatoes, beans. I love root vegetables so I added carrots, parsnips and rutabaga as well as peas to give some color. Don’t be afraid of the rutabaga in the recipe, it actually gives the soup a tasty sweet flavor.

We just had a heat wave in February here in Minnesota, 50 degree weather and many thought Spring was here to stay. In fact the day it was 50, I saw a man shirtless, someone in flip flops and a teenager wearing shorts! It was all hopeful thinking as its now 20 degrees and 8-11 inches of snow is forecasted for tomorrow. So head out to the store, pick up these tasty ingredients and curl up with some ultimate comfort food.

Ingredients:
2 lb Carrots (About 14)
1 medium Rutabaga
3 medium Parsnips
1 large Yellow Onion
1 stick of Butter
1 Cup Flour
1 Large Can of Chicken Broth (49.5 ounces)
4 1/2 Cups plus 1 TB Skim Milk, Divided
2 Cups Frozen Peas
3 Cups Cooked Chicken (diced)
2 Cups of Bisquick (I used Heart Healthy)

Directions:
Peel and dice carrots, rutabaga and parsnips set aside.

Finely dice the yellow onion. In a large stock pot over medium heat, add butter (cut into slices) and onion. Allow onion to soften but not brown. Blend in flour and stir to create a paste (use a silicon spatula for best results). Paste should stick together and be clumpy.

Gradually add broth and whisk with paste clumps. Bring mix to a boil. Then add carrots, rutabaga, parsnips and 4 cups of skim milk and allow to boil for 10 minutes or until veggies begin to soften. Once veggies have softened, add chicken and peas. Stir until combined.

In a medium-sized bowl, add Bisquick and 1/2 cup plus 1 TB of skim milk. Form into small quarter-sized balls and drop into boiling soup. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes and then 10 minutes covered.

Makes 15, 1 cup servings