"Cook of the Week" Holly Carson

Holly Carson was born and raised in Colorado Springs and moved to Arkansas with her family in the 1980s. She attended Valley Springs Junior High and Harrison High School. Later, she attended North Arkansas College for her associates degree as a non-traditional student and then went on to acquire a bachelor's degree in psychology at Penn State University.

Carson has worked in a variety of fields over the years. She has worked in food service in a management role at Shoney’s, as realtor for a short while and then in the nonprofit sector as a regional supervisor and HR director working with individuals with developmental disabilities.

Now the executive director of Share and Care, Carson lives in Harrison with her husband, Chris, and their pets. The Carson’s son, Marcus, lives in Springfield, Missouri. “I love cooking and gardening when I have the chance to but my family is my real passion,” shared Carson.

Carson recently joined Rotary and helped at the Rotary Dental Clinic that Ozark Share and Care is part of as well.

The first thing Carson ever tried making on her own was a parmesan crusted chicken breast with penne pasta and a cream sauce, when she was around 11-12 years old. “I had been cooking with my grandmothers from a very early age and loved the kitchen,” shared Carson.

Carson learned to cook from her mother as well as her grandmothers and aunt but doing it by the book was her favorite. “My favorite teacher was always getting a new cook book and trying as much as I could,” she explained.

Carson’s three essentials every cook should have on hand are small but important, “Salt and pepper and of course Cavender’s! You cannot cook without seasoning!”

Carson said she loves to cook “just about everything,” especially Italian food but baking something special is a joy for her as well, “Nothing can beat making a beautiful cake for someone! It will always make them smile!”

When asked what her essential kitchen tool is, Carson nominated a handy assistant in the cake making process, “The Kitchen Aid mixer my hubby got for me when I learned to decorate cakes — it has been a real source of joy to me and I think of him every time I make a cake. It makes me happy just thinking about making a cake!”

Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

FOR THE STOCK:

1 whole chicken cut into pieces

1 yellow onion

3 stalks of celery

8 cups of chicken broth

Salt and pepper and a bit of Cavender’s to taste

FOR THE DUMPLINGS

1 3/4 cups of self rising flour

1/3 cup of Crisco shortening

1/2 cup of the chicken broth (after cooking the chicken)

Directions:

Combine ingredients for the stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 45 minutes or until chicken is tender. When the chicken is done, remove from the broth and debone then shred.

While the broth is simmering, prepare you dumplings. Cut the shortening into the flour and then add the cooled chicken stock and knead until it forms a ball. Cover with a tea towel for about 30 minutes to let the dough rest then cut into 4 sections to roll out.

Once it rests, cover your board with flour and roll out each section with a rolling pin about 1/8 inch thick and cut into strips or squares. Then add the dumplings to your broth one at a time so they don’t stick as they go into the broth. Once all the dumplings are in, add your chicken back in and let simmer for around 20 minutes or so. Serve up and enjoy!