Dear Miss d'Arcy: My grandmother used to make the most delicious chicken and dumplings. I don't have the time after work to spend cooking and preparing the dish. Do you have a recipe that I can make quickly and not sacrifice taste? AG, Flatts.

Dear A.G.: Here's a recipe you can make while you set the table and unwind with a cool drink: EASY CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS 1 cup potatoes, diced 10-oz. can cream of chicken soup 2 cup frozen peas and carrots 1 5-oz. can of chicken 1 1 cups flour 1 1 tsp. baking powder pinch of salt 3 tsps. vegetable shortening milk BOIL potatoes in 2 1 cups of water. When done, add soup, carrots and peas.

Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer. Meanwhile, in medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add cold milk to form a soft dough. Drop dough in heaping tablespoons into soup. Cover. Dumplings are done when a knife inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.

Dear Miss d'Arcy: Why do eggshells stick to my hard cooked eggs? BS, Southampton.

Dear BS: One main reason eggshells sticks to the egg itself is that the egg is not properly cooked or set. There is a thin membrane between the egg and the shell, and eggs separate from the membrane and shell when it is cooked.

Plunging the egg into cold water shrinks the egg and makes it easy to peel. To make eggs peel easily, put them in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Run them under a stream of cold water. When cooled, tap egg to break shell and roll egg until shell breaks. Peel under running water.

Dear Miss D'Arcy: Can I use a dried soup mix instead of making a stock? SK, Flatts.

Dear SK: It is not a good idea to use a dried soup as stock, especially if you are trying to limit your salt intake. The best thing to do is to buy a low-sodium broth.

Dear Miss d'Arcy: Do you have to cook walnuts or pecans before you eat them? EA, Somerset.

Dear EA: You can eat shelled walnuts, pecans, almonds and Brazil nuts without cooking or roasting them. If you would like to have a nut treat, put 1 cup of brown sugar in a pan with 1 tbsp. of butter and 1 tsp. of cinnamon. Cook until bubbling. Lower heat and cook for about ten minutes. Toss two cups of nuts in sugar mixture and coat nuts. Spread nuts on waxed paper and separate. Cool, break up and store in a tin box. Do not make on a damp day! Dear Miss d'Arcy: I have read labels on citrus and tomato juice containers that say they are made from concentrate. Why do they make juice this way? CJ, Hamilton.

Dear CJ: Manufacturers extract water from juices before shipping them to a bottling plant. They can ship more juice if it is concentrated. On arrival at the bottling plant, sterilised water is added to bring the juice back to it's normal taste. Since it went through this process, the manufacturers must inform the consumer on the label.

Dear Miss d'Arcy: Which is the best way to cook potatoes, with or without the skins? AG, Hamilton.

Dear AG: If you are going to mash potatoes, I would suggest that you peel them first. At other times I would recommend that you scrub them well, cut and add them to stews or soups with the skins.

Dear Miss d'Arcy: Several times I have tried to make fried fish with the crisp batter you find with English-style fish and chips. What's the secret ingredient? HT, St. George's Dear HT: Here is an excellent batter for your fish. The secret ingredient is effervescence (bubbles).

CRISP BATTER 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 rounded tbsp. corn starch Club soda COMBINE flour and corn starch. Add enough club soda to make thick batter. Coat fish with flour and dip in batter. Deep fry in oil.