Winter is the time for Chicken Soup. Wind and snow whipping around the yard. Windows get all steamed. Write your name on the mist. Smells that you will recognize in later years with a tug on your heart. There is no soup as good as the soup Mama made when you were young.

I remember going to the Poultry Store with Grandma to buy live chickens. The man in the store would kill it for you by twisting its neck quickly, then dunking it in a vat full of boiling water, and someone would pull off the feathers. Grandma would take it home to cut out the guts and cut off the head and feet. Oh My! How that poultry store smelled. And noisy, with all the crates with live ducks and chickens and geese quacking. We children were always very curious to see if there were any unlaid eggs in the chicken. And how we teased one another with the cut off chicken feet. By pressing a spot on the foot you could make the claws open and close. We all watched as she singed off any remaining feathers by holding the chicken over the open gas flame. Those were the good old days? That was a lot of work! But the chickens then tasted much better than the chickens today.

Regards, June Meyer.

• 1 fat hen or chicken parts disjointed (about 5 lbs.)
• 4 or 5 carrots, whole
• 1 whole parsley root with greens on top
• 1 or 2 onions each stuck with a whole clove
• 2 or 3 ribs of celery
• 1 small whole tomato
• 4 qts. of water
• 1 1/2 Tbls. salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. of mace

Cook chicken in pot with water, skiming the scum off when starting soup to boil.
Place all the vegetables and spices in the pot.
Cook under a low flame until the chicken is tender. Remove as much fat as possible.
Strain soup and serve with broad noodles or LIVER DUMPLINGS.
Eat chicken on the side with Tomato Sauce or Dill Sauce.

LIVER DUMPLINGS

• 1 raw chicken liver chopped fine
• 4 sprigs of parsley greens, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 4 whole eggs
• 1/2 Tbls. salt
• 2 cups of flour

Mix all the ingredients together. A cusinart is great for this.
Drop into boiling water by the 1/2 teaspoonsful.
Cook about 15 minutes or until done.
If batter is too thick you can add a little water.
Drain and serve with soup.
Serves a family.