chicken noodle soup with homemade egg noodles

I've never been a huge fan of Chicken Noodle Soup.  It's just always been kind of "meh" for me.  But (humbly speaking) this soup is pretty freakin' delicious!  I could eat it and eat it... and it's pretty low calorie, too!  I experimented the last time I cooked this and added a few random spices/herbs that smelled like they'd be good (one way that having a super sniffer is beneficial), and it worked out reeeeallly well.  It's amazing what a teensy bit of this or that can do to change a dish and add dimension to the flavors.  Mmm.  Try this soup and let me know what you think.  As for me and my house... well, we think it's pretty spectacular!

homemade noodles = so domestic!

The kids love to help me cook!
Here they are stirring the "worms" (noodles). :D

RECIPE: Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves: 8
Calories: 188  

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
2 cans chicken breast*
10 c. chicken stock/broth/bullion+water
2 c. carrots, sliced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
1/2 bay leaf
1 tsp poultry seasoning
dash curry powder {Small amount but BIG impact!  Don't leave it out!}
pepper/salt to taste {Go easy on salt as bullion is pretty salty.}
1/2 package home-style egg noodles or 1 batch Homemade Egg Noodles

* This time I used leftover shredded turkey from Thanksgiving in lieu of the chicken, and it was delicious.  You could also certainly cook and shred your chicken instead of using canned, but I'm just not that ambitious.  Also, this time I had a bit of cabbage and red onion in my fridge that needed used up, so I chopped them up and added them, too!  It was yummy, and it felt good to avoid waste!

Directions: 
First prepare your homemade egg noodle dough.  While it is resting, start the soup.

In a large pot over med-high heat, caramelize the onion a bit and add chicken breast.  Let these cook just a minute, then add water+bullion/broth/stock plus all the veggies and seasonings.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5-10 minutes (to allow the flavors to distribute and develop).  While this is simmering, roll out and slice the noodles.  Add the noodles to the boiling soup, one at a time so they don't clump together.  Cook for maybe 5 minutes more.  Then serve!  Super quick, easy, and soooo delicious!


RECIPE: Homemade Egg Noodles

Ingredients:
3-4 eggs
1 Tbsp water (or milk)
1/4 tsp baking powder
2ish cups (just add a bit at a time) flour

Directions:
In a small-medium bowl, mix all ingredients together just until the dough is no longer sticky.  Knead a bit, but don't over work it.  Let rest for 5ish minutes.  Then roll out as thin as you can get it and slice (with a pizza cutter is easiest) thinly... about 1/4 in wide.  Add to boiling soup and cook about 3-4 minutes.  Done!

german pancakes with pumpkin

It was a beautiful fall day today, and I was feeling creative.  So as I mixed up my well-loved-by-kiddos German Pancake recipe, I tossed in some pumpkin puree and a dash of nutmeg.  It turned out good.  Different.  The entire consistency of the pancakes changed, making it more of a cake-looking concoction.   But it tasted more like a custard.  It was good.  I'd try it again.  Maybe with more pumpkin next time...



RECIPE: German Pancakes with Pumpkin

Yield: 8 servings
Calories:

Ingredients:
1/2 cube (1/4 c) butter
1 c. flour
1 c. vanilla almond milk
1 c. pumpkin puree
6 eggs
1/4 c. sugar
dash salt
dash nutmeg
cinnamon (to taste)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. In a medium mixing bowl, mix/whisk all ingredients.  Pour the batter into a PAM-sprayed casserole dish.  Sprinkle the whole thing with (more) cinnamon, then pop the whole thing into the oven. Bake for 30-35ish minutes, or until the center is stiff and non-goopy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve with maple syrup.

stroganoff sandwiches

Our beloved Kurt and Bonnie shared this recipe with us years ago. It is fairly easy to make, is beautiful to observe, and is delicious to eat. Mmm! Derek love, love, loves stroganoff (his mother's favorite ingredient to cook with when he was a kid was cream of mushroom soup; I think the two are related). As a result, he especially loves this recipe. So much, in fact, that he's made it for me twice this month! I know; I'm a lucky gal. So check this recipe out. Maybe YOU, too, will get lucky... ;)



RECIPE: Stroganoff Sandwiches

Serves: 8
Calories: 515

Ingredients:
1 unsliced loaf French bread
margarine/butter
1 lb ground beef
1/4 c chopped green onion
1 c sour cream
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 sliced tomatoes
1 (or 2) green bell pepper, cut into rings
2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Slice bread down the middle, making two long pieces. Butter the tops of each and toast the bread a bit in the oven, keeping an eye on it (you're just wanting it a little crisp on top, not browned).

Meanwhile, cook beef and onion in a med-large skillet over medium-high heat, until meat is browned. Stir in sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder.

Get out your bread again. Spread half of meat mixture on each loaf half. Arrange tomato slices on top, followed by bell pepper slices. Sprinkle with cheese (and green onion if you have extra).

Bake again at 375F for about 10 minutes. Serve warm. Enjoy!

quick chickpea curry

Image source:  http://mykentuckyhome-kim.blogspot.com/

I adapted this recipe from one posted on Stirring the Pot, who had apparently adapted hers from Martha Stewart.  I made it according to the first recipe but found that there just wasn't enough KAPOW! for my liking.  I was hoping it would taste more like the Chana Samosa (minus the samosa, obviously) from our local Indian restaurant.  Mmm.  Anyway, I added a bit of this and a bit of that until I came up with something that tasted right to me.  And it was a hit!  Now to remember what I did... I think it was something like this.

RECIPE: Quick Chickpea Curry

Serves: 5 small (though adequate) bowlfuls

Calories: 173

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

5 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cans (15oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 Tbsp ketchup

2-3 c water

1/4 tsp garam masala

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 teensy pinch of cayenne pepper (opt)

1 tsp mint chutney

2 Tbsp tamarind chutney

1 Tbsp (-ish) chopped cilantro 

1 small splash of lemon juice

Directions:

In a large large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.  Add onion and cook, stirring constantly, until dark brown around edges, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic, curry, and cinnamon, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add chickpeas, ketchup, and water.  Bring to a boil.  Add garam masala, garlic powder and cayenne pepper (opt).  Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 15ish minutes (don't let it go dry... probably lifting the lid much is a bad idea).  If needed, uncover and increase heat to medium-high and stir until sauce is slightly reduced.  Add chutneys, cilantro and lemon juice.  Mix well.

Serve warm, with naan if you've got it.  And enjoy!

*Note: I get my chutneys from the above mentioned Indian restaurant where they make them in-house.  The grocery store variety would probably work but is nowhere near as nummy.

chicken and broccoli soup

Derek and I kind of just threw this together today based on things we had available and some leftover rice we wanted to use up. We also wanted to put something in the crock pot so that we would have something warm and ready when we got home from church. Luckily, this tossed-together concoction turned out super yummy! I love it when that happens! Let's see if I can remember how we made it...

RECIPE: Chicken and Broccoli Soup

Serves: 6
Calories: 394

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breast
1/2 large onion, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
salt + pepper
1 bag broccoli spears
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp chicken bullion
2 c cooked rice
3 Tbsp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:
Defrost chicken breast if frozen. Place in crock pot, along with onions, and pour a bit of water (1/3 c -ish) over it all. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook in the crock pot (covered, obviously) over low heat for 2 hrs. Add broccoli spears, cream of mushroom soup, and parm cheese. Add a bit more water mixed with the bullion. Set the heat to high, cover and cook for 2 more hours. Then add the rice, cheddar cheese and more water (1-2 c, hot water). Stir it all, breaking up the broccoli and shredding the chicken. Season more to taste (it won't likely need it, but check). Then serve and enjoy!

cinnamon ginger pears

I found this idea online recently when I was searching for a recipe that incorporated ginger in a kid-friendly and easy-to-swallow way.  My boy had a sore throat, and I'd read that ginger helped with that (or maybe helped with Strep... I had searched that at one point, too).  Anyway, I came across this concept and decided to tweak it and make it my own.  I tried it out on my kiddos.  They both LOVED it!  It didn't hurt that I topped the pears with a teensy bit of whipped cream.  (That makes everything feel more festive, right?)  But still, I was quite happy that they were happy.  We will definitely be making this again... either as a low-calorie and healthy snack ... or maybe as a topping for ice cream (shame, shame.  I know.  But it would be delish).  Try it out.  Go on.  You've got five minutes!



RECIPE: Cinnamon Ginger Pears


Serves: 3
Calories: 83


Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can pear halves (in juice, not syrup)
1/2 tsp sugar
dash ginger
dash cinnamon
(opt) whipped cream

Directions:
Drain about half of the liquid from the can of pears.  Then dump the remaining contents into a small frying pan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, and simmer 2 minutes.  Sprinkle the pears with sugar, ginger and cinnamon.  Continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes longer, or until soft.  Dish the pears up (two halves per serving) and top with a small dollop of whipped cream (opt).  Serve warm.

honey garlic pork chops

I found this recipe via Pinterest, and while I have had some bad calls finding recipes that way, I figured this one was fool proof (who can go wrong with soy sauce, honey and garlic?).  Luckily, my instincts proved right.  The pork was delicious!  We had friends over who also have a couple of kids, and all people - little and big - were going to town on it!  Not one speck of leftovers!  It was yum.  I altered the recipe a bit and will post my altered recipe below (the original recipe is here).  I will definitely be making this again!



RECIPE: Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Ingredients:
3/4 c. honey
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 1/2 heads of garlic (or about 18 cloves), minced
6 center-cut pork chops (about 3.5lbs total)

Directions:
In a small glass mixing bowl, mix together honey, soy sauce and minced garlic.  Stir until well combined.  Divide the mixture in half, pouring each half into its own gallon-sized freezer bag.  Add 3 pork chops to each bag.  Close up the bags and massage the pork a bit, to get the marinade to 'take' well.  Lay the bags flat in the fridge.  Let the pork chops marinate for about 8 hours.

Heat your grill to about medium heat.  Remove pork chops from the marinade and place on the grill.  Grill each chop for about 7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.  Serve warm (with Calrose rice and mixed veggies, perhaps?) and ENJOY!  Mmm.

navajo tacos

First of all, this recipe is dedicated to some framily of ours (family with whom we are also friends):  Thank you, Bart and Katie, for the FryDaddy that made this post possible.  :)


This recipe came about because we had a huge pot of beans (recipe here) that needed eaten and wanted to get creative with them.  We'd been to the Gardener's Market recently and saw some Navajo Tacos.  This led us to think that maybe Navajo Tacos would be delish.  We had initially thought we would use the "pizza/scone dough" we normally use for sopapillas, but we apparently didn't have any- so we used Rhodes Rolls dough instead.... just defrosted them, rolled them out, and fried them up!  It turned out great.  The meal was pretty easy and super yummy.  Give it a try; you'll be glad you did!



RECIPE:  Navajo Tacos


Ingredients:
Rhodes Rolls dough balls, defrosted/risen
pinto beans
onion, diced
tomato, diced
cheddar cheese, grated
lettuce, cut into teeny strips
salsa
(opt) sour cream

Directions:
Roll out the dough into pretty thin, roundish circles.  Fry in hot oil (in FryDaddy if you've got one) until golden.  Remove and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Top fried bread with beans, onion, tomato, cheese, lettuce, salsa, and sour cream (if you have any; we didn't).

And eat.  It's that simple. :)

crock pot pinto beans

Photo credit: http://shimandsons.typepad.com/shimandsons/2007/03/pinto_beans_din.html

I'm not sure what it is, but there's a piece of me that just loves a big ol' pot-o-beans.  It is likely that my parents are to blame.  Growing up, my mom went through a phase (a long one) where every Sunday she would make a big pot of beans and a loaf of delicious homemade bread.  Mmm.  It might seem random to you (it did to my husband) to eat beans as a meal, but we're New Mexicans; it's how we roll.  Anyway, now that I am a mommy myself, I wanted to duplicate that-- not the weekly tradition, necessarily, but just exposing my family/children to the delicious simplicity that is a pot of beans with a side of homemade bread.  And it really is simple.  And delicious.  And the best part is you can make the pot of beans and end up creating several meals out of it (more on that later).  Yum.  Frijoles.  Ole!

RECIPE: Crock Pot Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

4 c. dry pinto beans

1 ham hock (opt)

garlic powder

salt/pepper

Directions:

Before you do anything, sort through the beans and take out any particularly funky/damaged ones as well as any dirt or rocks you come across.  Then rinse the beans well (I put them in a large bowl, cover them with water, swish them all around a bit with my hand, drain, and repeat- a few times).  

You can soak the beans overnight at this point, but it is optional (and who thinks that far in advance, really).  

Put the rinsed and drained beans in the crock pot.  Add your ham hock.  Cover with water (a couple of inches over, probably... the ham hock can poke out a bit, but you're doing a whole pot here so don't skimp). Sprinkle around a bunch of garlic powder and pepper as well as a bit of salt (you don't need much; the ham has enough to share).  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until beans are soft and ham is fully cooked.

Serve alone or top with cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, lettuce, onions, any of that stuff.  That's it!  Enjoy! 

relief society soup

This recipe comes to me from my sister-in-law, Mindy, who got it from my mother-in-law, Julie.  :)  I'm not sure where Julie got it or if it is her original recipe.  Either way, it's nummy.  I had some leftover mashed potatoes that I needed to use up before they went bad and was not in the mood to eat them yet again as plain ol' mashed potatoes {apparently even mashed potatoes can get old after several days}.  So I brainstormed and remembered this soup.  This is my quasi-tweaked version, based on what I had on hand and what sounded good.  But it's still quite delicious!  A good one to remember.

PS.  If you're curious where the name came from, the Relief Society is a women's organization that is part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  As part of the society, women serve one another in various ways- among them bringing dinner to others {ie. after a baby is born, or after a loved one dies, or when someone is sick... basically whenever making dinner one's self would be difficult}.  I imagine this was at one time a go-to dinner to whip up for such an occasion.  There's something that says "comfort food" about this, so it'd be appropriate. :)

PS#2.  I used 3 Tbs of bullion and was afraid it would be way too salty.  But I think it must have been a magic touch, because both of my kids loved the soup!  Jolie even had seconds!  Now, my kids are pretty fickle about their food often adore something one day and hate it the next.  But with all things considered, I'm counting this one as a success!



RECIPE: Relief Society Soup

Yield: about 10 (really full) adult servings

Calories: 221

Ingredients:
1 bag (1 lb) frozen cauliflower
1 bag (1 lb) frozen broccoli (chopped is easiest)
2 Tbs chicken bullion granules
1 Tbs Lowry's seasoning
1 stick butter
2 c. potato pearls (I used 2 c. leftover mashed potatoes and 1 c. pearls)
1 c. milk

Directions:
Chop your veggies if necessary.  Add veggies to large soup pot.  Cover with water (about 10 cups).  Add butter, bullion and Lowry's.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer (on med-ish heat) for about 25 minutes, or until veggies are soft.  Smash a bit with a potato masher.  Add potatoes, stir well, and bring to a boil again.  Reduce again, and simmer until potatoes are well-incorporated.  Remove from heat.  Add milk and give a stir.  Then serve!