Pear salad, autumn soup, bread make full meal

Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Margaret Ward wrote to Idea Alley back in late August with a problem she was having with rolled, aka slick or slippery dumplings. Her dumplings were disintegrating into the broth. Sure, you want a little of this so that the broth thickens, but you don’t want your dumplings to melt completely, which was the case with Ward’s dumplings. She’s tried letting the dough rest for several hours and cooking the dumplings at a full boil and a simmer.

I don’t have much experience with rolled dumplings — I grew up eating the fluffy kind and that’s the way I make them. If I had to guess, and this is only a guess, I’d say perhaps Ward is rolling the dumplings too thin or simmering them for too long. But I don’t have enough experience making slippery dumplings to say for sure. So I defer to you, Alley Kats.

For all you slick dumpling makers out there, what’s your method? Let us know with as many details as you can. How thick to do you roll them? Do you cover the pot while they simmer? Do you use a tall pot or a wide saucepan? Do you stir or leave them be while they cook?

Joe Riddle, my co-worker and a frequent Idea Alley contributor, shared this pear salad with me after he edited today’s feature on pears.

“My mom used to make this whenever she had some fresh pears around. (She also used canned pears, but it wasn’t nearly as good.)” writes Riddle.

Pear Salad

1 head lettuce

4 pears, peeled, cored and sliced in half

½ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

½ cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Paprika, for sprinkling

Arrange lettuce leaves on a serving dish. Place pear halves open-face on top of lettuce. Spoon a tablespoon of mayonnaise onto each pear half. Sprinkle cheese on top of mayonnaise. Top with a dash of paprika.

Makes 8 servings.

Sally Goss and friends sent in a big batch of recipes for fall. This hearty beef and vegetable soup is from Cindy Blyth.

Autumn Soup

1 pound ground chuck

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 bouillon cubes

2 small cans tomatoes Sliced carrots, as many or as few as you like

3 potatoes, diced Worcestershire sauce to taste Salt and ground black pepper Tabasco sauce, to taste

In a large pot, cook the ground beef, onion and bell pepper until beef is browned. Add 4 cups water, the bouillon cubes, canned tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and Tabasco.

Simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender.

If you like bread with your soup, Goss has just the recipe.

Crazy Bread

1 (10-ounce) tube Pillsbury pizza dough

¼ stick butter, melted

1 teaspoon garlic salt Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Unroll dough on cutting board lengthwise, cut in half down the middle and then in half again vertically and then in half again. You will have 8 even strips. Do not stretch dough.

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic salt and parmesan.

Bake dough for 6 to 8 minutes, then brush with melted butter and garlic mixture.

Makes 8 pieces.

Email recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to: kbrant@adgnewsroom.com