I make this anytime someone in the house has a cold!

Ingredients

• Ham, Beef, Pork or Chicken boiled in water
• Add  onion, celery, rosemary, parsley, garlic power, bay leaf, salt and pepper
• saffron (optional)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp shortening (lard, tallow can be used as well)
• salt/pepper
• 1 egg (optional)

Directions for soup                        

1. Place whole chicken in pot and cover with water.  Add a chopped whole white onion and about a cup of chopped celery to the pot.  Also add in rosemary, parsley, garlic powder (or fresh garlic), a few bay leaves, pepper and salt to your liking.  Let boil until chicken is falling off the bone.  (I use a pressure cooker for 20 minutes once up to a boil and let cool down for about an hour)
2. Remove the chicken from the soup and debone/remove fat and skin.  Discard the bones, fat and skin and add the meat (chop up the bigger pieces) back to the soup and bring back to a boil.  
3. Add in 1/8 teaspoon of saffron if you have it.  (Gives the soup a nice yellow tint)
4. Add the dumplings (see below):

Directions for dumplings

1. In a bowl, add flour, shortening, salt and pepper.  Add broth (skim the greasiest part from the top of the soup) from soup and mix in until dough forms into ball.  You want it a bit sticky.
2. Kneed dough in flour (adding more flour as needed)…the more you kneed the better the dumplings.  You don't have to be gentle with this dough like biscuit dough or pie dough.
3. Roll paper thin and cut into 2 x 2 inch squares with a fluted pastry wheel or a knife.
4. Drop into boiling soup one at a time so they don't stick together.
5. Add bullion cubes for flavor if desired.
6. Cook until dumplings are slick and serve.
7. For slicker dumplings…do not add egg.  (I usually don't add the egg since I like the slicker dumplings)