Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I was sick a few weeks ago and being pregnant I am so limited on what I can take, so I had been using the most natural options (humidifier, netti pot and chicken noodle soup!)

I didn't want to have to mess with chicken bones so I made my own impromptu version... warning: this was a trial by error attempt but turned out great!

Here is what I used:

4 chicken breasts cubed
1/2 bag of baby carrots chopped
4 stalks of celery chopped
1/2 a yellow onion diced
3 chives chopped
Small handful of cilantro chopped
2- 32 oz containers of chicken broth
Salt, pepper and italian seasoning to taste
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
8 cups of water
16 oz box of Galletti pasta (this is by Giada de Laurentiis and looked fun)

First, I put the chicken, minced garlic, chives and cilantro in a dutch oven with enough chicken broth to cover the bottom of the pot.  I let all of that boil over high heat until the chicken was cooked, stirring occasionally.

Next, I reduced the heat to medium-high and added the onions.  I let that go until the onions were mostly translucent.

Then, I added the rest of the chicken broth and the carrots.  It returned to a boil and I let it simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.

I added the celery and water (which I increased the amount of as I went because I wasn't happy with the original broth to vegetable/chicken ratio and didn't want the pasta to take up even more space).  I also added more salt, pepper and italian seasoning at this point as I did not want it to be bland with how much water I ended up adding.  I increased the temperature to medium-high again and waited for it to return to a boil.

I added the pasta and let it boil for 15 minutes.

Overall, I think it turned out great.  It was time consuming as it took about 30-45 minutes to prep everything and then probably 45-60 minutes to be completed once it started cooking in the dutch oven.  It was completely worth the wait though, as I had a bowl and a half once it was done and it was only 10 am :)

Recipe Review- Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

I came across this recipe on www.wearenotmartha.com and had to try them immediately.  I spent the next several hours making the buns and then quickly enjoyed one afterwards!

The recipe was easy to follow but definitely time consuming.  I kneaded the dough myself instead of doing it in the mixer. I followed the bloggers advice of adding more cinnamon and sugar before rolling the dough up.  The only thing I changed was that the frosting called for 1T of milk but it was not enough liquid to make the frosting so I ended up using 2T. (Then I made a second batch of the frosting as I did not think the first amount was enough).

The pumpkin cinnamon buns were very good.  The pumpkin flavor was subtle but added something just a little extra to the standard cinnamon bun.  I will make them again and recommend trying them for yourselves.  Thanks for posting this recipe www.wearenotmartha.com!

Easy, Delicious Chicken Dinner

This chicken dish is so easy to make and then chicken stays unbelievably moist.  I made green bean casserole and roasted red potatoes on the side.

I did the potatoes first as they will take the longest.  I cleaned and chopped the red skin potatoes into bite size pieces.  I tossed them with a dash of olive oil, italian seasoning, paprika, garlic salt and pepper.

I placed them on sheet pan and baked them for nearly an hour, flipping occasionally in a 350* oven.

Once that was in, I made the green bean casserole.  I use the recipe on the side of the French's fried onion can however I add slightly different seasoning for added flavor (minced onion, garlic salt and worcestershire sauce).

**Note, I actually prepared the green bean casserole the night before and then stuck in the the fridge.  I like the flavors to all blend together overnight.

I baked according to the package instructions.

Then I made the chicken.

For the chicken you will need:

2 chicken breasts

2-3 oz of dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 oz panko bread crumbs

dash of garlic salt

dash of pepper

dash italian seasoning

1-2 oz grated parmesan or shredded cheese

Heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Combine the bottom 5 ingredients to make a bread crumb mixture and place in a shallow dish or plate, set aside.  After cleaning the chicken, brush on the dijon mustard and then coat the chicken with the bread crumb mixture.  Place the coated chicken breasts in the heated oil.  Brown on each side (5 or so minutes each side).

Once each side is browned, cover pan in foil and place in a preheated oven of 350* and bake for 20-25 minutes.

They all came out of the oven around the same time and I plated them up!

Other than a little prepping, this meal is really easy to make and turns out great every time!

Corn Chowder

I came across a corn chowder recipe last year that was so good we ended up making it pretty frequently.  At this point, I'm not even sure where the recipe went and we've modified this to make it our own.  It is so easy and takes minimal time!

Ingredients:
2 cans (14.75 oz) Cream Style Corn
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
8 oz chicken broth
2 cups milk (I think the original recipe called for heavy cream, but we haven't found that it makes much of a difference)
1 grilled chicken breast chopped (I've also used rotisserie chicken as well)
8 oz shredded monterey jack cheese
1 small onion chopped
2 tablespoons butter
dash of hot sauce (optional)
French's fried onions (optional garnish)

Saute the onions in a stock pot with butter.  Once onions are soft, add the first four ingredients to the stock pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low, stir in cheese and chicken.  Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Garnish with hot sauce and fried onions.

All ingredients in except cheese and chicken.

Everything in.

Yummy!  All dressed up with the fried onions on top!

Mango Salsa

   We recently had mango salsa at a friends party and since we had some leftover mango we decided to make some for our last party. I looked up several different recipes but really didn't find one that I liked in full.  So, I decided to improvise our own, based on those I found.

Here is what I used:
~ 2 cups of ripe mango ( I used two kinds because I had it, one regular and one champagne mango)
~ 1 jalapeno
~ 1 small cucumber, peeled
~ 1/2 a red onion
~ Approx 1/4 cup of cilantro, depending on taste preference
~ 3 tablespoons of lime juice
~ salt and pepper to taste

I chopped the mango, cucumber and cilantro but diced the jalapeno and onion.  I removed most of the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno before dicing as it didn't want it too hot for mixed company.

I added the lime juice and a little salt and pepper then mixed it all together. When I tasted it initially it was just okay.  However, after sitting over night and all of the flavors merging together, it tasted really good the next day in time for the party. The onion and cucumber had softened from the juices and it all had a nice fresh taste.

I also like it for the vibrant colors it adds to a food display!

Molten Lava Cakes

My mom found this recipe on the Food Network from Paula Deen.  She raved about them and said we needed to make them as a surprise for my husband and dad when my parents came to town.  Chocolate? Lava Cakes?  No arguments here!

Here is the recipe:

6 (1 oz) squares of bittersweet chocolate (we used Ghirardelli)

6 (1 oz) squares of semisweet chocolate (we used Ghirardelli)

10 Tablespoons butter (1 1/4 stick)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 large eggs

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons orange liqueur

Strawberries or raspberries for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 (6 oz) custard cups.  Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave (stirring after 20 seconds intervals) or in a double broiler.  

Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture.

Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth.

Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur.

Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups.

Place the cups in the oven (we put ours on a sheet pan for easy removal) and bake for 14 minutes.

The edges should be firm but the center will be runny.  We left ours in the custard cups to eat however the recipe says to run a knife around the edges and invert onto a plate.  Garnish with fresh fruit if desired (we used raspberries, which were great).

I think the empty cup says it all, don't you?