OMG! Chicken and Dumplings

I am always slow to the game. Ground black pepper has always been my favorite everyday spice and last week I final tried a peppercorn grinder.

NEVER will I go back to already ground pepper.

I have also been hearing rave reviews on "Better than Bouillon" products, so I bought their roasted chicken base bouillon.

last but not least I have had some Barilla Mini Farfalle pasta in the pantry for so long (years) that I can not remember when and where I bought it. I had used some (do not remember when) but the box had been opened and the what was left was in a rip lock baggie and the box was well worn from our travels.

So I thought, "lets use up this crap and make room for something else". I add 2 teaspoons of the Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base to 2 cups of boiling water (I added no salt as bouillon is salty) and then added one cup of pasta. It said to boil the pasta for 7 minutes but I know from experience that really old pasta needs longer.

12 minutes later the bouillon water has nearly  disappeared and I remove it from the heat. I let it cool for about 10 minutes and the water was now absorbed but the paste was still very moist.

I stirred in a tablespoon of butter and  I course ground peppercorn. I think I have died and gone to heaven. This is like the best "chicken and dumplings" (without the liquid and actual chicken) .

Dirt cheap and easy to prepare, enjoy!!