Recipes by Lawrence Welk: Chicken and Dumplings; Lake Tahoe Meatloaf; Mocha Surprise Pudding Cake

Lawrence Welk's Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken:
2 (4 pound) fryers
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup butter
1 ounce sherry wine
Accent flavoring, to taste
Salt, to taste
1 carrot, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup flour
1/2 lemon, juiced
Yellow food coloring
Chicken bouillon cubes (optional)

Dumplings:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons fresh green peas

Chicken: Split fryers all the way up to the backbone. Remove backbone from chickens. Cut through the center of breasts, leaving two full halves per chicken. Place the chicken in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer gently until chicken is tender. Remove from pot and set aside. Add chicken backbones to broth. Add vegetables and simmer about 30 minutes. (For extra flavoring, add chicken bouillon cubes, if desired.)

When done, remove from heat and strain. Save strained stock.

In a small saucepan, melt butter, then beat in flour. Add to strained stock. Cook stock gently for five minutes, then add sherry, juice from lemon, pinch of Accent, touch of yellow food coloring, and salt to taste. While stock is cooking, remove skin from cooked chicken and de-bone, if desired.

Dumplings: Put the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening and mix until mixture looks like cornmeal. Stir in milk. Put about 1/2 inch of water in pan with a wire rack that stands two or three inches above the water line. Cover rack with lightly oiled wax paper, oiled side up. When water is boiling, gently drop dumpling mixture from a tablespoon, leaving room between dumplings for expansion. Steam 8 minutes uncovered, then cover and steam about 7 more minutes. Place chicken in casserole dish and lay dumplings on top. Cover with stock. Sprinkle a few fresh-cooked green peas on top for color. Serves 4.

Lawrence Welk's Lake Tahoe Meatloaf

For the meatloaf:

2 1/4 pounds ground beef
4 or 5 slices bread, soaked in milk (squeeze out some milk)
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 onions, minced
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
3 fresh eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 clove minced garlic

For the sauce:

1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar

Mix meatloaf ingredients well. Shape into a loaf and place in a 13 x 9-inch pan and add 3/4 cup water to pan. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes. While the meatloaf bakes make the sauce. Cook down tomatoes with the salt, pepper and sugar for 10-15 minutes. Spread over the top of meatloaf. Bake 40 minutes more. Serves 4.

Lawrence Welk's Mocha Surprise Pudding Cake

1 square baking chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons (unsweetened) cocoa
3/4 cup cold coffee

Melt one square baking chocolate and two tablespoons butter. Add one-half cup milk, one tablespoon vanilla. Sift together and mix in: Three-fourths cup sugar, one cup flour. two tablespoons baking powder. Pour into (six cup) baking pan, greased. Mix and sprinkle with a topping made of one-half cup each brown sugar and white sugar, four tablespoons (unsweetened) cocoa. Pour cold coffee over all (about three-fourths cup). Bake in 350 degrees F. oven 15 to 20 minutes. Best served while still warm.