Sounds interesting. Are y'all fairly young. Someone that makes dumplings is one in a thousand these days. I crave dumplings the way they were cooked by my family 50-60 years ago. Some differences might be a fresh chicken, lard or crisco, etc. If you lived in a rural area the chicken might have been running around the yard the day it was eaten. The chicken provided the meat, but it also gave you the skin to make a broth. As far as I know there is nothing like that available in a can or box at the store today. The broths I buy now are low fat and low or no salt. The flavor difference is remarkable. Dumplings were also cooked somewhat differently in different parts of the country. Just a different taste.
I buy a small can of Crisco shortening, and I have to throw out 90% of it a year or so later. I see many dumpling recipes today that call for shortening, but I wonder if people us it or substitute butter, or oil. The milk is also different today.
I'm not suggesting that the old ingredients are healthier, and we tend to like we we eat. Particularly what we grow up eating. So if you ate the older version you might think "yuck ". It's personal taste.
You, your children, and other family members will likely grow up talking about your wife's dumplings. Reading what you wrote about them makes me want some.
