In the Kitchen with Gram...Beef and Pork Dumplings!

Well, I was gonna try to "wow" you today with some video...I had visions of a Mama and Gram video a la Food Network material, but it turns out, I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to video. Photography? I can fake my way through it...video? Not so much.

So, photos it'll be! (And I just heard a collective sigh of relief from y'all.)

This recipe is one of my VERY favorites...so much so that I requested it for my birthday dinner last year. My mom thought that it was pretty hilarious because this meal is made from leftovers...so, basically, I asked for leftovers for my birthday!

Yes, it's true...made from leftovers and OH SO delicious! Save that left over pork roast and beef roast next time and whip up a batch of Gram's Dumplings. You'll think you've died and gone to heaven.

Okay, so that left over pork roast and beef roast that you had from a few days ago that you don't know what to do with? Grab 'em and the gravy they rode in on.

Roasts:

Gravy:

Dice up some onions and carrots and toss 'em into the gravy:

Stir 'em in and get them cookin'! At this point, you can add some beef or vegetable broth to thin the gravy and increase the volume of the gravy...we added a can of vegetable broth and it was perfect! By the time it cooks down, the gravy was the perfect consistency! (You want this slightly thinner than your traditional gravy...just slightly.)

When the gravy/carrot mixture begins to boil, allow it to cook for a bit, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

While it's cooking, grab your roasts and dice them up:

And toss 'em into the gravy:

Now you need to let this cook until the carrots are nice and tender and the meat is heated all the way through.

While it's cooking away, mix up your dumpling batter. (Batter? Is that the proper term?) Realize that you don't have any photos of said mixing because you were trying to be all "Food Network" and video'd the whole event rather than photographing it.

Lesson learned.

When your meat has sufficiently heated and the carrots are beginning to get tender, drop the dumpling dough (DOUGH! That's the term...) onto the top of the gravy.

Cook it uncovered for 10 minutes, then put the cover on (do you like my Gram's Christmas present from her grandchildren? Guess who spearheaded this baby?) for 10 minutes:

What happens in that covered 10 minutes is miraculous:

I die. And you will too when you taste this. It is so delicious!!!

Enjoy!

Gram's Beef and Pork Dumplings
Printable Recipe



Leftover pork and beef roasts, cubed
Leftover gravy
1 small onion, finely diced (or briefly processed in food processor)
3-4 carrots, finely diced (or briefly processed)
1 small can of beef or vegetable broth (optional for more and/or thinner gravy)

Place gravy in large pot, add carrots and onions and bring to gentle boil, making sure to stir frequently to prevent sticking. After 10 minutes or so, add meat and continue to simmer and stir. When meat is heated through and carrots are tender, add dumplings:

Dumplings
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3 T. butter or shortening
3/4 c. milk

Cut butter into dry ingredients, add milk, stir to combine. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto top of gravy, cook uncovered for 10 minutes, then covered (no peeking!) for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately over dumplings or for an added deliciousness, over mashed potatoes, and gush about how delicious these leftovers are!