Chicken Noodle Soup

Soup is, by far, our favorite meal around my house. Jake loves and hates when I make soup. He loves it because it is his favorite and he hates it because he knows he will be sick the rest of the night from eating too much. I love to make soup because it is easy and doesn't use a lot of dishes so clean up is simple. This is my chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles. Do not be intimidated by the idea of homemade noodles. They are super simple and can elevate a soup exponentially!

2 chicken breasts
1 large diced potato
6 sliced carrots
1 chopped onion
3 chopped celery stocks
1 cup frozen peas
6 cups water
3 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp season salt
pepper to taste

Boil chicken in the 6 cups of water. I usually salt and pepper the water to create nice broth.
Remove chicken when cooked through and cube or shred. Put back in water. Add carrots, potato, onion, and celery. Add chicken broth, season salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.  Don't worry if the soup seems to have a bit too much water. The flour from the noodles will need some extra liquid. Add some water if you think it needs it. Cook until veggies are tender. Add peas shortly before serving.

Homemade noodles:
2 eggs
1 1/3 C flour
2 tsp salt (I like mine a little salty but you can adjust this however you would like)

Add all ingredients in bowl and combine. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty with this. If it is still really sticky add flour until it is no longer sticky to the touch.
 Roll out on counter to desired thickness. (Noodles will puff just a bit when cooked.)

Cut noodles with pizza cutter.
 

Make sure soup is boiling and drop into soup.
They will cook really quickly. They will float to the top when they are done.

Enjoy!

 

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Just in time for Thanksgiving here is a fantastic recipe for creamy mashed potatoes. The secret is using two different kinds of potatoes and cream cheese!

You will need:
1 bag of Russet potatoes
1 bag of Gold Potatoes
8oz of cream cheese
Milk
Butter
Salt and Pepper

 

I like using two different kids of potatoes. Russet potatoes have a different texture than the Gold. Russet are more dry and fluffy and Gold are more moist and velvety. By combining them you get the best of both worlds a moist yet fluffy potato.

 

Begin by washing and peeling your potatoes. I used 5 Russet potatoes and 6 Gold potatoes. That made enough to feed about 5 people. Then Boil them til they are soft all the way through.

 

 

Then drain all the water and mash them all up in the same pot. You will need the heat for the cream cheese to melt into the potatoes.

 

 

Then add the cream cheese. I start with 4 oz. After the cream cheese is mixed in. Then add milk, butter, and salt and pepper to your liking. You can add more cream cheese to get the texture you want. Then serve and enjoy!

Happy Cooking- Brittany

Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup In Bread Bowls

This past weekend it snowed here in Utah and I was freezing! All I wanted to do was sit on the couch with a bowl of soup and watch movies until the snow went away. Soup helps me get through this freezing season that I'm not a huge fan of. Give me a big bowl of soup and I'm a happy camper. One of my favorites is Broccoli Cheese soup. I have never be able to find a recipe that is close to Kneaders famous Broccoli Cheese soup. I found this recipe for Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup and I thought it looks like Kneaders Broccoli Cheese so why not give it a try. So I made it and it turned out almost exactly like Kneaders. I also love soup in bread bowl so I decided to make my own bread bowls, so easy! Here is what you will need:

1/4 Tbs Melted Butter
1/2 Medium Onion
1/4 C Flour
2 Cups Half and Half Cream (I use heavy whipping cream)
3 C Chicken Stock
1/2 lbs Broccoli (about 1 cup)
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
8 oz Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 Frozen Loaf of Bread (makes 2-3 bread bowls)
1 egg

 

 

 



The morning that you are going to make your soup, take out a loaf of frozen bread dough. Spray a plate or a pan with cooking spray and put your loaf on the plate to defrost. Take plastic wrap and gently lay it over your frozen loaf so that as it thaws the top will not dry out.
Once it has defrosted cut the loaf in half or thirds pending on what size you would like your bread bowls to be.

Take each section of the dough and make a ball by grabbing the ends of the dough and wrapping them underneath until it forms a round ball. Place them on a cookie sheet cover in wax paper and cover the tops of the balls in plastic wrap so they will not dry out. Now just let them hang out and raise.



Now for the soup. Add butter to your pot and let it melt. While your butter is melting dice up your medium onion. Once diced add it to your melted butter and sauté until your onions are translucent. Next you will add your flour. You will want to make sure you are constantly stirring your flour mixture so your flour doesn't burn. Stir that for about 2 minutes than add your cream and chicken stock. Let that simmer for 20 minutes.

Your soup should have a thicker consistency and is ready for your broccoli. Add all your broccoli. I was add double the broccoli because we like a lot of broccoli so add as much as you would like. You will want to cut your broccoli down in to small bit size pieces. Let  your broccoli simmer on low for 25 minutes until broccoli is tender.

Add your nutmeg and salt and pepper. This next step is completely up to you. We like our soup to have a smoother consistency so at this point I will pull out my potato masher and start mashing the broccoli into smaller pieces. After I have broken down the broccoli into smaller pieces I add the cheese. Let your cheese melt. Once it is melted your soup is ready.

Now to get back to the bread bowls. At this point the bread should have doubled if not tripled in size.

While the broccoli is getting tender I will preheat my oven to 350 degrees. Take an egg and beat it up. Add a little water to your egg. This egg wash is what will give your bread bowls the nice golden color. Take a brush and very gently bush your egg wash onto to the bread bowls. Put into your oven for 20-25 until they are golden brown.

You are now ready to eat. Cut the top off your bread bowl. Pull all the bread out of the inside (great for dipping!) and fill your bowl up with delicious Broccoli Cheese Soup. You can top with more cheese if you are cheese lover like myself. I hope you all enjoy my favorite soup! Stay warm!

 

 

Thanksgiving mistakes you never want to make

Thanksgiving is about a week away and for all you hosts out there, now is the time the pressure starts to set in and you have nightmares of all the things that can go wrong. Below is a list of the top mistakes that you do not want to make at your Thanksgiving meal.

Keep your rolls fresh: When you have a million things to do for one meal, preparation is next to godliness. Nothing helps more with preparation than items you can make ahead of time. Rolls are the perfect item to make the day before and warm right before you serve them. Always remember to put your rolls in an air tight container when you store them over night. If you don't, you will have little hockey pucks in the morning and a lot of stress trying to get new rolls to rise in time for dinner.

Thaw your butter- Nothing is worse than having beautiful golden warm rolls ruined by an ice cube of butter that shred your roll the minute the butter touches it. Butter is meant to be spreadable so be sure to take it out of the fridge in time to ensure that can happen. It makes for happy guests and less awkward moments of people trying chip off the butter like they are chiseling an ice sculpture.

Mix cornstarch with water for the gravy- We have all done it. You know that your mom always added cornstarch to the gravy to thicken it. Unfortunately, many of us failed to notice that she mixed it with a bit of water first and we go ahead and dump the powder right into the simmering gravy. Nothing like a chunk of gluey bitter mouth to go along with your creamy mashed potatoes. Always remember to mix your cornstarch with water before adding to your gravy.

Do not use a non-stick pan to mash your potatoes in- Non-stick pans are awesome. But what is not awesome is having that black non-stick coating marbled through your white potatoes. Potatoe mashers will tear that coating right off and cause havoc to your meal. After all, you can only claim  that you went overboard with the pepper for so long. Sooner or later everyone will figure it out and you will be horribly embarrassed.

Finally, the top mistake that you do not want to make for your Thanksgiving meal.

THAW YOUR TURKEY DAYS IN ADVANCE- Did you know that thawing a turkey can take up to 4 days? Please do not be the host that wakes up in the morning feeling completely prepared and then you realize your turkey in nestled down on the bottom of your deep freeze. It is a hard mistake to recover from. Do yourself a favor and put a reminder in your phone right now. You will be glad you did.

We hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Let us know of any experiences that you have, good or bad, that made a Thanksgiving to remember. Happy cooking everyone!

Andrea

Banana Bread

This has long been a favorite around our house. It is a great way to use your overripe bananas. It is also a great treat to send in care packages or to freeze for those times you need a quick treat to take to a neighbor. This recipe can be doubled or tripled so you will have plenty when you need it. Good luck!

1/2 C shortening
1 C sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
1/3 C walnuts
2 C flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together well. Pour batter into 1 large loaf pan or 3 small loaf pans. Make sure to spray your pans with non-stick spray. Bake @ 350 for 1 hour or until you can insert a toothpick in center of loaf and it comes out clean.

Heidi

Grilled Cheese, Cheese Fries, and the ultimate Dipping Sauce

You will need:
Loaf of sourdough bread
Slices of Muenster and Provolone cheese
1 Avocado
Butter
1 bag frozen shoestring fries
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
Mayonnaise
Hickory BBQ sauce


Cut two slices of Sourdough bread and generously butter each side. Using a non stick pan on a low setting begin grilling the bread. I usually do about 10 mins until a nice crust has formed. Then flip and grill the other side. After about 7 mins add on 2 slices of muenster then add a couple slices of avocado and then 2 slices of provolone. The avocado will be in between the muenster and provolone. Then once the cheese is melted its ready to serve. I like the flavor the different kinds of cheese bring to it.

For the cheese fries cook 1 bag of frozen shoestring fries in the oven as directed. Once cooked place on a plate layering shredded medium cheddar cheese throughout. Then put back in the oven for a few minutes until cheese is melted. Make sure you put a cool baking pan underneath the plate. Don't leave the plate in the oven for too long only a few minutes. For the dipping sauce you combine mayonnaise and hickory flavored BBQ sauce to taste. I usually do about 1 Tablespoons of Mayo to 3 Tablespoons of BBQ sauce. This sauce is delicious!!

Parmesan Breadsticks

I reluctantly share this recipe because my friends will all think I am a fraud. Every time I make these I get rave reviews and I am hailed an amazing cook. I feel guilty because they are so easy that it is embarrassing. I feel like I am lifting the magic curtain and there are no fancy tricks to show. Anyway.... if you really want to wow an audience by adding breadsticks to a soup or pasta, try these! I promise you will not be disappointed. Olive Garden doesn't have anything on these babies!

All you will need is
12-24 frozen roll dough (I used Rhoades dough)
1 stick of butter
About 1/2 bottle of powdered parmesan cheese

Take the dough out and let thaw until pliable enough to roll
Roll into sticks and set aside

Melt butter and place in dipping bowl
Pour parmesan cheese in dipping bowl

Take your breadsticks and dip them in butter and then parmesan cheese.
(If you are a garlic fan you can sprinkle some garlic salt on them at this point as well.)

Lay them a few inches apart on a baking sheet.

(Here is the key to making them the best breadsticks so pay attention)
Let them raise for at least an hour. You don't want to rush this. They will double in size.





Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes until golden brown.

Ranch Red Potatoes

These are really easy to make and taste delicious!
You will need:
8-10 Red potatoes washed and unpeeled
Olive Oil
Ranch dressing powder packets
9x13 pan

After you have washed the potatoes cut them into bite sized pieces. I usually use 8-10 potatoes but you can use however many needed to fill your pan.

                                                                               

 

 

 

Next put the potato pieces in a 9x13 pan and brush on olive oil. Use enough to coat the potatoes but not so much that you get a lot of excess in the bottom.

 

 

 

 

Then open the Ranch packet and sprinkle powder over potatoes stirring occasionally so that each potato gets covered. For more flavor use a packet and a half to two packets. I usually use about one and a half.

 

 

 

 

 

Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about an hour or until the inside is soft and the outside is a little crispy. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Yogurt Pancakes

Oatmeal Yogurt Pancakes

Breakfast is a BIG deal at our house. I try and make Sunday mornings a cool breakfast morning and let Ayden pick what we are going to eat for breakfast. He will choose and we will have some bonding time together making breakfast for our little family. Lately he has been all about pancakes. The last 4 Sunday's he has chosen pancakes and well I'm getting a little tired of the old fashion pancakes. So I started to look for something to spice up our Sunday morning pancake marathon. I found this recipes on http://damndelicious.net/2012/10/18/blueberry-oatmeal-yogurt-pancakes/ and gave it a try and it was a huge hit! The original recipe calls for blueberries but we got a little carried away with smoothies the other morning so I swapped with banana's this morning. This is what you will need:

1 2/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
2/3 Cup Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 Tbs Sugar
1 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Cup Greek Yogurt (whatever flavor you fancy)
1 C Milk
4 Tbs Unsalted Butter Melted
2 Eggs
1 Cup Blueberries or whatever fruit you have on hand
Maple Syrup for the finishing touch

Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl or measuring cup combine yogurt, milk, butter and eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Once combined and smooth add to your dry ingredients. Stir together using a rubber spatula until dry ingredients are moist. Add your favorite fruit.

Take a skillet and spray with nonstick spray if needed and you are ready to make your pancakes.
Scoop 1/3 cup of batter onto skillet and cook until you see bubbles appear on the top and the bottom is a nice golden brown. Flip and cook your pancake about another 1-2 minutes until the other side is golden brown as well.

Your pancake is now ready to eat. Top with whatever your heart desires. We like to top with more fruit or peanut butter or just good ole maple syrup. They are extremely filling because of the oatmeal but its hard to stop at just one pancake. I hope you guys enjoy these pancakes as much as we do!

Click here for a printable recipe

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Bottom Crust:
2 C of boxed yellow cake mix
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 C melted margarine
1 egg

Mix together until well blended. Spread on bottom of 9x13 pan

Middle layer:
3 C pumpkin
2 eggs
2/3 C milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C brown sugar

Mix together well. Spread over bottom layer.

Top layer:
Rest of boxed yellow cake mix
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 C softened butter
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cut in butter to rest of ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of pumpkin mixture.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Serve with dollop of whip cream on top.

Click here for printable recipe