Chicken Noodle Soup

This is my version.

2 large chix breasts cut into small bites
5 med-large carrots chopped
1-1 1/2 c. chopped celery
1 large onion chopped
1 1/2-2 c. pasta (something swirled or twisted)
3-4 tbsp butter
3-4 tbsp flour (wheat flour works great here)
Cayenne pepper to flavor the meat
Garlic salt to flavor the meat
1/2 -1 tsp thyme
1/2-1 tsp celery seed
4 c broth
2 c water

In large pot melt butter until it sizzles. Add chix and allow to brown. Add th cayenne and garlic salt to taste. Add the flour stirring and scraping up te brown bits. Allow it to cook some and brown a bit more. Add the veggies and stir t coat them a little with the flour mix. Add the seasoning until aromatic. Add the water and broth and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Add the pasta and bring back to a boil. Cook 10-15 minutes longer or until pasta is cooked. I season this by smell and so often have to check the flavor near the end. It is good the next day too, but you usually have to add some water to thin it out some!

Company Chicken Recipe

Ingredients
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1 small jar dried beef shopping list
8 Skinless, Boneless chicken breasts shopping list
4 strips bacon shopping list
1 small onion, chopped shopping list
1 - 12 oz. can mushrooms, or 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced shopping list
1/2 tsp. thyme shopping list
2 cans cream of mushroom soup shopping list
1 ½ c. sour cream shopping list
¼ cup sherry or white wine, optional shopping list
paprika shopping list
hot buttered egg noodles or hot cooked rice, for serving shopping list
How to make it
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Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease 9” x 13” pan.
Rinse dried beef very well and pat dry (removes some of the salt). Line bottom of pan with dried beef.
Fry bacon in large pot (yes, I said pot) until just beginning to crisp. Reserve drippings. Remove from pan and cut bacon strips in half crossways. Set aside.
In reserved bacon drippings, on medium heat, saute chicken breasts until brown on both sides; no need to cook through. Remove from pan and lay over dried beef in casserole dish. Lay ½ strip bacon over each piece of chicken.
In same pot, saute onions and mushrooms until onions are transluscent and mushrooms have softened.
To sauteed vegetables, add cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and wine (if using); heat over medium heat until bubbly. Spread over chicken. Sprinkle paprika on top.
Bake uncovered for 1 - 1 ½ hours until chicken is cooked through and sauce is bubbly.
Serve with hot buttered egg noodles or hot cooked rice and a nice green vegetable

Green Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef
1 large can baked maple flavored beans
1 jar green salsa 16 or more ounces
2 cups beef broth
assorted veggies chopped to bit size (tomatoes, carrots, onions, corn)

brown beef and drain. add beef and remaining ingredients to crock pot and turn on low for 8 ours or hign for 2-3 hours. Serve with a side of corn bread. Yummy and easy!

Chicken Flautas

I made chicken flautas for dinner the other night from a food network recipe and they were really good, VERY filling (I only ate one and Will only ate two). Here is what I did and where I got my inspiration!

Shredded Chicken Breast:
placed 3 chix breats in a crock pot and then in a bowl I mixed about 1 c of water with garlic powder, galic salt, chopped garlic, and some boullion mix (not much) and some pepper. I then poured that over top and cooked on high for 3 hours, shredded it and used it in place of rotisseri chix called for in the following recipe.

Chicken Flautas with Avocado creme


These made ALOT of food and we ate this for three days!! Seriously! They were good though. I don't think I will make them often as it is just so much, unless I made them for a party or something.

Yummy Pot Pie

Just made a fab pot pie recipe for the fam. It was super yummy. Here is where I got my inspiration and then this is what I actually did.

Wine Poached Chicken

Chicken Tarragon Pot Pie


4 small leeks
3 carrots
heart of celery
1/2 onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
4 boneless skinless chick breast
1 c white cooking wine
2 c chicken broth from bouillon
1 tsp dried thyme
2 ready made pie crusts
1 c half and half
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour

In a large pot I added the veggies, which had been sliced about 3 inches long. I obviously clean the leeks after slicing them down the middle as they are very gritty between the leaves. I added the chicken on top of the veg and then topped with thyme and fresh tarragon. Then I added the broth and the wine to just cover the chicken mixture. I brought it gently to a boil and covered it and lowered the heat and simmered for 25 mins. I then separated the broth from the veg/chix and reserved the liquid. I chopped the veg/chix into bite sized pieces and divided between to round pie plates. Then in the pot I cooked the chick/veg in I melted 3 tbsp of butter and added the flour. I let the flour cook a bit and gradually added two cups of the reserved liquid from the poaching. I then added the cup of half and half making a creamy sauce. Season to taste at this time with salt and pepper. I poured the sauce over the two pies and then used the already made pie crusts and topped them. Giving several air holes for the mixture to breath. I placed in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes and then lowered the heat to 375 for 20 minutes until the pies were bubbly. I baked the pies on a cookie sheet to keep messes to a minimum. These were really good and two pies really did feed our whole family without any left overs. If I was making this for a crowd it would be much more pies, probably four. But it was only 4 chicken breasts to begin with and if I had used more chix I would have probably had more pie as I could easily have made the sauce more. I have 4 c. of broth left over which I froze to use another time. YUMMY!!!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

2 pounds ground beef
2 quarts hot water
1 can (28 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 c -3/4 c uncooked quick barley
2 cups chopped green peppers (I do a large chop, 3/4 inch pieces)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Salt to taste (I don't add any more at this point)
2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

Directions
In a large pot, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until peppers are tender. Yield: 10 servings.


The original Recipe.

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