Chicken Alphabet Soup

My kids loved this. Yummy and very easy.

3 medium carrots, sliced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 T olive oil
2 qt. water
8 chicken bouillon cubes
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/4 t dried thyme
1 1/2 c uncooked alphabet pasta
2 T minced fresh parsley (I keep this in a baggie in the freezer so it's easily accessible, just like you Mom!)

-In a large pot saute veggies in oil until tender. Stir in water, chicken, thyme, and bouillon cubes.
-Bring to a boil. You can then let this simmer as long as you like, but if you need it ASAP, once it comes to a boil add pasta. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until tender.
-Stir in parsley.
-Serves 10.

Crock Pot Applesauce

My favorite time to bake is here! Anything with apples, pumpkin, cranberry, pears, can't wait! So to kick off this autumn season I made something I think you'll like. Well, I know you'll like it, you may even love it as we did! I got the recipe from Secondsister. It is heaven and the fresh whipped cream melting on top of the hot applesauce is a MUST! This is the most simple dessert yet so amazingly delicious!

Variety of apples-mcintosh, pink lady, rome, golden delicious, anything!
fresh lemon juice
2 Cinnamon sticks
brown sugar, to taste
2 vanilla beans (optional)
whipped cream sweetened with sugar and vanilla

-Fill your crock pot up with peeled, cored, and quartered apples.
-Sprinkle with lemon juice to help prevent them turning brown.
-Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of water.
-Put cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans down in the apples. You can even sprinkle with some ground cinnamon if you like.
-Put lid on and cook on high all day. Mine took about 6 hours.
-Mash up a little with potato masher unless you like it more chunky. Stir in brown sugar to your liking. It doesn't take much, depending on the sweetness of your apples I guess.
-Serve hot in a bowl with a huge dollop of cold whipped cream. HEAVEN!

Chicken Chimies

Quick and good!

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
garlic salt and pepper to taste
10 flour tortillas
8oz monterey jack cheese, shredded
4 green onions, sliced
1-2 T oil
Toss shredded chicken with a few sprinkles garlic salt and pepper. Spoon chicken into tortillas, top with cheese and green onions, then wrap up burrito style. Heat oil in skillet, and add 'burritos', sautee till golden on both sides. Serve hot with your favorite toppings: sour cream, guacamole, salsa. These are good the next day just warmed in the microwave.

Mexican Lasagna

Brandon took left-overs to work for lunch with him for about 5 days- he loves this.

1/2 lb EACH ground beef and ground sausage
1 jalapeno, chopped( I did not use this, spicy enough w/o it)
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp EACH salt and pepper
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
10oz can enchilada sauce(mild)
18 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded jack cheese
2 tomatoes chopped
4 green onions sliced
fresh cilantro
1 avocado sliced or diced
Cook sausage and beef. Drain. Add jalapeno, and next 5 ingredients, cook till heated. Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a pan, cook till heated. Spoon 1/3 of the sauce onto bottom of greased 9x13. Layer 6 tortillas. Spoon half the meat mixture and 1/3 sauce over tortillas, then sprinkle with half the cheddar cheese. Add 6 more tortillas, repeat layers, ending with tortillas. Sprinkle top with the jack cheese and next 3 ingredients. Bake @350 for 30 minutes. Serve with avocado on the side.

Patty Casserole

I picture this recipe coming from a little grandma born and raised in a little Utah town somewhere with a name like Verla. It's a goody.
1 lb or so ground beef
2 potatoes grated
1 carrot grated
half an onion grated
2 eggs
2 T flour
1 can cream of mushroom or chicken, whatever you have in the pantry
1 soup can filled with milk
Mix grated veggies and meat. Add flour and egg. Season if you like. Shape into 8 patties. Brown both sides in a little oil. Place in a 9x13 baking dish. Heat together soup and milk. Pour over patties, cover and bake @350 for 40 minutes. Serve over hot rice spooning "gravy" over top.

Oatmeal Cinnamon waffles

These are the hearty-ist waffles I've eaten, and they are so good.
1 3/4 cups wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups quick-cooking oats (I used reg.)
2 T each cinnamon and packed brown sugar
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl mix wet ingredients. Add flour mixture to wet, and then add oats, cinnamon and brown sugar. Mix till just combined. Spray hot waffle iron with oil. Cook waffles like normal. Serve immediately. I love eating these with a sliced fresh banana on top and a drizzle of Mrs. butterworths.

Pork Chop Supreme

6 pork chops, bone-in
paprika
salt&pepper
2 T olive oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 packet onion soup mix
2-3 T flour
1 T fresh parsley
1/4 cup cold water
6oz can evaporated milk
Season generously the pork chops using paprika, salt and pepper. In the biggest skillet you own, brown them well in olive oil. Mix together onion soup mix, 1 cup water and celery. Pour over chops. Cover and simmer 45mins. Remove chops, set aside and keep warm. Combine flour, parsley and 1/4 cup cold water till smooth. Add to juices in pan. Then add milk. Whisk till bubbly and thickened 3-5 mins.(at this point if you want a lot of gravy, you can add more milk, water/flour to this.) Cover chops with sauce and serve with mashed potatoes or noodles. **This also would be great in a crock pot for a couple hours instead of skillet cooking.

Banana Foster Bread Pudding (AKA the best bread pudding in the universe!)

I have made this three times in two weeks! You can't go wrong with this comfort dessert with amazing carmel rum sauce and fresh bananas! 1- 1/2 the recipe for a 9x13 pan.


3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
1 C ripe bananas, mashed (about two med.)
1 t vanilla extract
1 C sugar
1/2 C light brown sugar, packed
1-3/4 C heavy cream
croissants, broken into bite size pieces (5-6 cups)

350. In large bowl, mix eggs and yolks until frothy. Add spices, banana puree, vanilla. Mix well. Add sugars. Mix. Add cream. Add croissants and let sit for 30 min. Pour into buttered 9x13. (I use glass). Place pan in a hot water bath (about an inch hot water in large roasting pan). Bake for 1 hour. Serve with sauce.

Sauce:

1/2 C unsalted butter
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 C heavy cream
2 bananas sliced
3 tablespoons rum (got to have rum or you might as well forget the whole thing!!!!)

Heat medium skillet-low heat. Add butter and brown sugar, stir constantly until sugar melts. Add bananas-1 min. Add rum, 1 min. Add cream. Serve over pudding with vanilla ice cream!!!! Try not to make the mmmmmm noise too much while eating!

Lime Freeze

In honor of the elusive summer weather, I am posting this most delectable of summer treats.  They make these at the local drug store/soda fountain in town.  AND, since none of you EVER come and visit me, you'll never know how good they are.  SO, I am sharing this recipe.  (you can feel guilty now) I have a friend who works there, so she has made them at her home for me!  Enjoy!

Vanilla ice cream--maybe half a picher full
3-4 Fresh squeezed lime juice, to taste
Sprite, quite a bit, enough to make it thin shake consistency
Sugar, to taste (if the limes are too tart)

Put all the stuff in the blender and blend away.  Just make it taste yummy.  You can put some green food coloring in it for effect, but I try to avoid adding food coloring to my stuff.

Caramel Pretzel Brownie Cups

I got this recipe from the blog In My Kitchen Today.  (adapted from zupas.com) These babies are delicious!  And pretty easy.  I made them in mini cupcake molds.  If you don't have these, just make them smaller in regular ones.  I think big ones would be too much.  These are really rich!  It made about 34 small ones.

1 German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 egg
1/2 C butter, softened

Pretzel Crumble
1/4 C butter, melted
2 T brown sugar
1 C crushed pretzels
Mix together.

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, egg and butter until smooth.  (Use a mixer)  Scoop batter 2/3 full into a muffin tin sprayed with non stick spray.  Scoop 1 T pretzel crumble on top of brownie batter.  (little less for minis) Pat down.  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until edges are set. (I did 7 minutes with the minis)

8 oz caramels, melted in microwave over medium heat-stirring frequently
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Immediately after taking the brownie cups out of the oven, pour caramel over the cups, and then sprinkle with choc. chips.  Place cups in the oven for 30 minutes more to allow the choc. chips to soften slightly. (I did 15 minutes with the minis) Place in the microwave for 15 seconds (7 sec for minis) before serving.

I needed more caramel than this.  I don't know if I got too much or if the mini just made more.  (can you have too much?) I used the whole bag.  ( Minus the few Chan and I snitched!)  Mine were a little hard when they cooled, but if you microwave them, then are soft and delish.  (be careful, the caramel will be molten) Please make sure and follow the directions.  I had a 3 year old helping me, so I put the pretzel stuff on in the wrong order because I was keeping him out of things instead of reading carefully!   But they were still so yummy!

Multi-Grain Bread

This is THE most delicious bread I have ever made!  I got the recipe from the blog All Things Delicious.  (it's a great blog, check it out!)  It's as good or better than my "prize winning" bread. It stays moist longer.  It tastes like the multi-grain bread I have been buying and wishing I could duplicate!   Make it as soon as you can!

This is her exact recipe.  I'll make my comments at the end.

1/4 c sesame seeds
1/4 c millet
1/8 c flaxseed
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1 c 9 grain cereal (or 7 grain or 11 grain whatever you want)
3 c very hot water

1/4 c oil
3 T molasses
1/4 c honey
1 (heaping) T instant yeast (my mom uses 3 leveled T instant yeast, so take your pick or anywhere in between)

1/2 c gluten
1 T dough enhancer
1 T salt
1 c whole wheat flour

4-5 c additional whole wheat flour

Combine first 5 ingredients (the seeds) and let them soak in the very hot water for 15 minutes.  Then combine the oil, molasses, honey, and yeast and add it to the soaked seeds and water.  To this mixture, add the gluten, dough enhancer, salt, and 1 c flour; mix well for 1 minute.  Then add 4-5 cups more flour, enough until the sides of the bowl are clean.  Mix with a Bosch on speed 2 (medium) for 8 minutes with a dough hook.

Turn out dough.  Put in loaf pans.  Let rise for an hour.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

My notes:  I used the three level (or close to it) T yeast.  I didn't have dough enhancer, so I omitted, and the bread came out great. When it's mixing with the dough hook, WATCH YOUR MIXER!  I wasn't, and when I turned around the whole mixer was about to go off the counter.  The dough is tough and the mixer really moves.  (maybe that's where the dough enhancer comes in??) Thank heaven for electricity, the cord saved my mixer.  You only have to let this rise once, in the pans.  I didn't let mine rise quite an hour.  They rose more than double though, and I love the consistency.  I made 3 large loaves (9x5x3).  If you have the smaller ones, it's probably more like 5-6.  You'll want to adjust the time if you do smaller loaves--maybe 10 minutes less??

Mom's Corned Beef & Cabbage

This blog cannot be complete without Mom's signature Corned Beef and Cabbage! This is on the menu tonight for our green day celebration and my mouth is already watering. This is the best you will ever have, trust me.

3-4 lbs corned beef (Shenson's is good), choose one with the least fat and DO NOT use seasoning packet that comes with it-I prefer 4 lbs and so does Mom
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
6 small red potatoes, cut in wedges
6 small carrots, peeled and cut in thirds
1 medium green cabbage, cut in 6 wedges

-Put corned beef in large pot, barely covering with hot water. Add onion, garlic, cloves, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer-don't boil-for 1 hr. per pound of meat.
-When done, take out the meat and set aside on plate and cover with foil. To liquid in pot add potatoes and carrots. Cover and boil 20 minutes. Add cabbage wedges and boil 10 more minutes.
-Cut meat across the grain. Put slices on plates or large soup bowls and spoon veggies and some juice over the meat. And smother with butter and lots of salt of course!!

Lemon Cakes

If you are a lemon fan you will LOVE LOVE these!!!!!! I'm making them for Dad's 70th!

Generously butter and sugar 8 (5 oz) ramekins.

Preheat oven to 325.

5 T butter @ room temp.

6 T plus 3/4 C sugar, divided

5 eggs @ room temp., separated

grated zest of two lemons

6 T flour

1 1/4 C whole milk @ room temp.

2/3 C fresh lemon juice @ room temp.

garnish with whipped cream and berries

Cream butter and 6 T sugar until light in color, about 2 min. Add egg yolks one at a time. Stir in lemon zest and flour. Add milk and lemon juice and beat thoroughly.

Whip eggs whites until soft opaque peaks form. Slowly drizzle in 3/4 C sugar and whip until meringue forms stiff glossy peaks. Gently fold meringue into lemon mixture.

Scoop the mixture into the ramekins and gently smooth the tops. Place ramekins in a large baking pan in oven. Pour boiling water into pan within 1" of tops of ramekins. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from water bath and cool completely.

Oatmeal Banana Cake

When you want an extra special banana "bread" try this! I like it better that any of my other recipes for banana bread.

Serves 8-10

4 oz. (8 T) butter at room temp.

3/4 C brown sugar

2 eggs @ room temp.

2 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1 t vanilla

zest of half a lemon

3/4 C flour

1 1/4 C oats

heaping 1/4 t salt

1 t baking soda

Topping:

3/4 C oats

1/3 C brown sugar

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 t cinnamon

1 T flour

1/3 finely chopped pecans

4 T butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare a 9" spring form pan with butter and flour.

Whisk dry ingred. for topping. Add melted butter and stir with fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For cake, mix like you would for banana bread. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, zest and banana. Mix in dry ingred. Pour into prepared pan. Spread topping on top and push down slightly. Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean but moist. Let cool on rack for a few minutes. Release ring. Cut and serve warm!

Cranberry, Orange Scones

These are so moist and delicate when fresh out of the oven! Very quick to make for a special week day breakfast! Kelly says they are one of his favorite "desserts" that I make! You can use different fresh fruits and zests such as blueberry lemon, or raspberry lemon. Give them a try!

1C fruit (dried cranberries)
2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 t orange zest
6 T cold butter cut into 1/4" pieces
1/2 C plus 1 T light cream
1 t vanilla
1/4 C light sour cream

Preheat to 425. Line large cookie sheet with parchment.
Mix dry ingred. Cut in butter. Add fruit and gently toss. Add 1/2 C cream, vanilla and zest. Stir to form ball. If you need more moisture, add a little more cream but you don't want dough to be too moist. It shouldn't stick to your hands! DON'T overwork! Form ball. Let sit a minute. Transfer to pan and pat into 8 inch circle. Cut into 8 equal wedges and separate by 1 inch apart at least. Brush tops with 1 T cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake 18 min or until golden. DON'T over bake!!! Watch these! Cook slightly and serve with honey butter or just plain!