Beefy Vegetable Soup and Pot Pie Squares...

So fancy, I know.  The bake element went out on my 2 year old range so I've been honing my wood cookstove skills for the past 2 weeks now.  I'm getting better.  My yeast bread isn't nearly as 'cajun' as it was in the beginning.  I have a long way to go to be self-sufficient with a wood cookstove, but we aren't facing starvation here just yet.

I don't use a recipe when I toss together most soups or stews.  It's a whatever's on hand and whatever mood I'm in kind of meal.  Consequently, there's no recipe for you for the beefy vegetable soup/stew we just had this afternoon.  I used a couple quarts of stewing chunks I had in the pantry, cut up some carrots, some potatoes and even a sweet potato, tossed in a quart of diced tomatoes we canned in the summer, crumbled a dried cayenne pepper and pod from the string of them hanging near the cookstove, chopped up about a quarter of a large onion and added maybe a tablespoon of minced garlic from the fridge then mixed up 4 cups of beef stock from my stash here.

Ecelectic stew, at best.  It was thick from the veggies and amount of 'stuff' in the 7 qt cast iron dutch oven, but definitely more of a 'soup' because I didn't thicken the juices at all.

Now, instead of going all out with a pot pie...my initial plan of the day, actually...I chose to make pot pie squares, or flat dumplings, instead.  We love them.  They are easy, they are delicious and they are pretty versatile.  Of course, we are starch-eaters here.  Anything 'bread' tends to be a favorite for us.  We'll regret it some day, I'm sure, but for now, we're good.

Here's our recipe.  We usually make a triple batch of these and even then, they don't last long.  We may keep them plain, we might sprinkle them with a little garlic...we might even butter them and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar for a sort of treat.  Tonight, they were plain...we ate them with the soup stew, adding some shredded cheese to each bowl as well.  Yum.

3 cups flour
1 1/2 Tbs baking powder
3/4tsp salt
5 Tbs butter
1 cup plus 2 Tbs milk

Mix dry ingredients, cut in butter, then stir in the milk for a rather stiff dough.  Knead and roll out thin...the thinner, the better really as they will puff when baking.  Cut into squares (or whatever shape you are in the mood for!) and add to stock or broth at a full, rolling boil (like dumplings) or do as we usually do and lay on a sheet and bake at about 350 for 15-20 mins.  You could also top your pot pie with these squares and bake as usual.

Versatile :o)  Delicious :o)  Easy :o)