Lazy Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

I made this for dinner, but it actually started as a two week process. Two weeks ago I roasted a larger chicken for dinner. I purchased a chicken that was much bigger than we would ever use, but there was a purpose to my madness. When dinner was over I filled a pot full of water and added the chicken bones and left over chicken and a tablespoon of chicken bouillon granules to the pot. I let it slow cook for several hours then deboned chicken, leaving everything else in the pot. I transferred everything to a freezer container, and left it there for two weeks. This morning I took it out of the freezer, around lunch time tossed it in the crock pot with the spices , chopped onion and carrots, and cream of shroom soup, then let it cook in the crock pot for five hours, 30mins before eating dinner I added left over spaghetti that I chopped up into 1 1/5 inch pieces. (I freeze left over pasta from spaghetti nights in ziploc bags so I always have it on hand ready to use for a recipe like this, or for a pasta side dish... plus it doesn't go to waste) Then we ate. With winter slowly approaching (on Houston time) this recipe is always a winter winner. It’s hearty and full of flavor. I like to start it early in the morning and let it simmer all day long. The key to making this recipe all it can be is fresh homemade chicken broth.  Quick, easy and dirt cheap!

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked chicken chopped
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup carrot, diced
• 4 (14 ounce) cans low sodium chicken broth
• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (with roasted garlic)
• salt (to taste )
• pepper, (to taste )
• 2 cups egg noodles, cooked (or chopped spaghetti noodles)
• 2 teaspoons fines herbes (chervil, chives, parsley, and tarragon)

Directions

1. Remove skin from the chicken and chop the meat.
2. Put the chicken into a slow cooker with the onions, celery, carrots and peas.
3. Stir in broth, mushroom soup, and fines herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 8 to 9 hours.
5. When soup is finished, stir in egg noodles.
6. Season to taste and serve. Enjoy!

Thanks Sharon123

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Wordless Wednesday #wordlesswednesday

Wordless Wednesday was supposed to be fall this week. The problem with fall in Texas is it isn’t here yet. For me snapping a current picture that represents fall wasn’t at all that possible. I started to think about what I could snap then post that in a roundabout way could be fall.

Fall is the beginning of the holiday season, and that is just around the corner. Holidays are about sharing with others. This holiday season and beyond my family and I have adopted a US solider. Today I mailed his package off to Afghanistan. It’s bitter sweet because I am excited he will get the things he needs like 5 blade razors and refill, and other toiletries, and of course all the snacks we could possible fit in a box. What makes me sad is he has to be so far from his family he is a father of four. It also makes me sad that he will be so far away for the holidays. So though this isn’t very wordless I thought it was a nice fit for fall because fall is the prelude to the season of sharing. If you are interested in adopting a solider please visit http://www.adoptaussoldier.org/

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Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs

I want to first start off by thanking Kittencal for this recipe. I am a dye hard anti-egg eater! Why? Because I don’t like eggs! I don’t like the smell of eggs, nor do I like the look of eggs. I don’t care if you scramble, fry, or cook them over easy I don’t like them. My family on the other hand loves them. Sometimes I am forced to make them, but it’s not easy for me. I try to take the high road and look for new and inventive ways to cook old boring scrambled eggs. Kitten has a recipe that even I thought was great (everything she cooks is great) these eggs were excellent. They really are airy and fluffy! Even I, the egg scrooge, liked them a lot! The picture doesn’t do them justice, but they really are good. [For eggs :0) ]

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons butter (or to taste, can omit and use vegetable spray, the butter is better)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk (low fat milk is okay to use, or even canned)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder (don't be shy to add in even 1/4 teaspoon)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• fresh coarse ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

1. In a bowl whisk the eggs vigorously with milk, baking powder, salt and black pepper until very well combined; let stand at room temperature for 5-7 minutes. 
2. Heat butter until sizzling over medium-high heat in a large skillet (or spray the skillet with vegetable spray). 
3. Whisk eggs again briefly then mix in the cheese (if using). 
4. Pour into the hot skillet, stirring constantly with a small heat-proof spatula until they have reached desired consistency (DO not overcook the eggs, they will cook more when removed to a plate!).

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Wordless Wednesday #wordlesswednesday

The end of a long warm summer...

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Super Fluffy Pancakes

Stand back when I make these because my husband is going to come running. He loves these fluffy cakes, and to be honest so do I. They are fantastic and better yet easy to make. I think they are just as good as any restaurant. Sometimes I add a little more sugar to the recipe just to give them a sweeter flavor but that will vary depending on what I am serving over the top. If you are adding syrup you probably won’t need the extra sugar but fresh berry and cream you might.

This is my favorite pancake recipe. I looked and looked for a fluffy pancake recipe, and this was the winner. I tried many recipe until I found the perfect one. The pancakes come up large and supper fluffy.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 2 cup flour
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 6 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Beat egg until fluffy.
2. Add milk and melted margarine.
3. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Heat a heavy griddle or fry pan which is greased with a little butter on a paper towel.
5. The pan is hot enough when a drop of water breaks into several smaller balls which 'dance' around the pan.
6. Pour a small amount of batter (approx 1/4 cup) into pan and tip to spread out or spread with spoon.
7. When bubbles appear on surface and begin to break, turn over and cook the other side.

Thank you Ellen Brody!!

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Tasty Chicken Salad

I have never liked chicken salad, tuna salad, or anything close. This recipe is actually really good. My husband loved it, and thought it was one of the best chicken salads he had ever had. I am not the one to judge, but if he liked it then it must be good because he is picky!

Ingredients

• 12oz Canned Chicken
• 1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 TBS pickle relish
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Directions

1. Combine everything. Chill for a hour.
2. Wonderful on toast, or on crackers or use to stuff a tomato.

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Pasta With Garlic Cream Sauce

I invented this recipe by just showing a bunch of stuff in the pot to come up with a quick and easy side dish. I hate spending money on boxed side dishes when you can make them at home for just a fraction of what they charge in the stores for boxed dinners. This was really great we all loved it, and have made it time and time again.

Ingredients

• 6 ounce Pasta
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Water
• 2tsp Chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon flour (as needed)
• 10 black olive, chopped

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions; set aside.
2. In a large pan, heat oil and butter.
3. Add garlic in and Sauté 2-4 minutes or until garlic is crispy.
4. Stir together milk, bouillon, and water bring to a boil
5. Let simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Wisk with speed the flour in as needed to ticken up sauce
7. Pour into drained pasta. Fold sauce into pasta
8. Cook 2 minutes to heat through.

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Rustic Red Cabbage

I was not sure what to expect from this recipe, but my husband said he wanted a recipe from his homeland so I obliged. This recipe was good if you like cabbage, which I do not. He loves cabbage and thought this was fantastic. It was a little too sweet for me so I would suggest adding the sugar a little at a time to make sure you do not get it too sweet for your liking.

If there was nothing else I could say about this recipe I would have to say that I love the color. It’s beautiful and it certainly stands out on your plate. Cabbage loves will love this recipe!!

Ingredients:

• 1 head red cabbage
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 pinch pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Cut and shred cabbage.
2. Cook in a small amount of boiling water with salt, sugar, cloves and pepper for about 45 minutes.
3. Don't let it boil dry, but don't add too much water.
4. During the last 10 minutes of cooking time add the vinegar.
5. Just before serving add the butter and seasoning.

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The Last Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe You'll Ever Try

The title says it all. This is the best peanut butter cookie recipe I have ever made. They are so good you don’t want to stop eating them. The smell while they are baking is incredible too. I know the recipe may seem like over kill because it makes so many, but trust me you won’t regret the results.

80 -100 cookies
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter, your choice
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 12 ounces peanut butter chips

Directions

1. Cream peanut butter and margarine, add sugars and mix well.
2. Add eggs and mix until creamy.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Chill for one hour-I usually skip this step and chill between batches.
5. Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheets- do not flatten. (I roll into balls)
6. Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes.
7. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes then transfer onto newspaper- the newspaper soaks up extra grease.
8. Edited to add - Immediately after the cookies are completely cooled I always transfer them to an airtight container.

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Classic Baked Spaghetti

 If you are in a pinch for time or money this recipe fills the bill. When I make a meat spaghetti sauce I save what’s left over an keep it in the freezer. When time or money are running short this makes a great meal in just a short amount of time. It may not be very visually appealing, but the taste is great!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces thin spaghetti
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (26 ounce) can spaghetti sauce (I used 4 cheese sauce)
• 2 cups finely shredded Italian Blend
• 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook noodles in boiling water; drain.
3. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and garlic over medium heat; drain.
4. Combine browned ground beef, spaghetti sauce, and oregano.
5. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
6. Place 1/3 of noodles in bottom of dish.
7. Top with 1/3 of spaghetti sauce mixture, and 1/3 of cheese.
8. Repeat twice, ending with cheddar cheese.
9. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

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OMG! Macaroon Pie

 One thing I love about this recipe is the fact that I keep each of these items on hand at all times. I normally keep coconut in the freezer, alone with extra margarine. I buy my vanilla in a large bottle from Mexico so we always have plenty, and everything else is pretty much an everyday item. If you are in a pinch and need to make a dessert or money is tight, this makes a great presentation for a very little amount of money. If you serve it warm it’s more like a custard, but if you refrigerate it you will have more of a typical pie. Quick, Easy, Yummy, and Cheap! Wah-la! What more can you ask for?

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup sugar or Sweetner (Sometimes I used Ideal, then the pie is sugar free, and really good)
• 4 eggs (3 will work if they're extra large)
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cup flaked coconut

Directions

• Combine all of the ingredients, except 1 1/2 cups of the coconut, together in a blender.
• Cover and blend on low speed for 3 minutes.
• Pour into a greased 9-inch pie pan.
• Let stand about 5 minutes
• Mix in 1/2 Cup coconut
• Sprinkle with remaining 1 Cup of coconut
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
• Refrigerate for 5 hours or until cold.

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Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This has to be the best recipe for mashed potatoes I have ever made or eaten. I love the roasted garlic flavor. There is just something so good about roasted garlic. Plus I love how the house smells while the garlic is roasting. This recipe is thick and creamy, and the taste... devine! I use my KitchenAid mixer to remove the lumps, and to insure everything is mixed up well.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium potatoes
• 1/4 Cup Margerine
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
• 1 large pod of Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions for Roasting the Garlic:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.
• Place the garlic heads in a piece of foil. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.
• Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself.
• Use a small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins. Set aside

Directions for the Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

• Boil potatoes in salted water until tender Do not remove the skin.
• In a mixing bowl add Margerine, Sour Cream, and all the Garlic cloves that were roasted.
• Mix until smooth. (I used my Kitchen Aid mixer it works perfect!)
• Add the drained boiled potatoes to the mixing bowl
• Mix again until smooth combining all the ingredients
• Add Salt and Pepper until smooth

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Big Thicket Chicken and Dumplings

This is soooooo good! I can't even believe how good it is! The flavor is amazing, and the smell is to die for! The key is  your chicken broth. Make sure it's homemade if you can. Thank you Susie in Texas!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-4 lb) whole chickens
• 1 gallon water
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced thin or 1/2 medium
• 4 carrot chopped
• 6 chicken bouillon cubes

Bisquick Dumpling Ingredients:

• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 2/3 cup milk

Directions:

1. Place whole chicken and water into large pot or dutch oven.
2. Add poultry seasoning, garlic powder& pepper.
3. Add celery, onion, carrot and bouillon cubes to remaining stock and continue to cook on simmer.
4. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium.
5. Cook chicken for about 1 hour or until tender.
6. When done, carefully remove chicken from pot; set aside to cool.
7. Remove from heat and cover pan.
8. Remove skin and debone cooled chicken, then return the chicken back to the pot
9. Reseason broth if needed
10. In a medium bowl add Bisquick mix and milk stirring until a soft dough forms.
11. Return chicken stock to a boil; drop dumplings in, a few at a time, as quickly as possible.
12. Cook about 10 minutes with the lid off
13. Then cook another 10 minutes with the lid on
14. Last enjoy!!!
15. This recipe will serve a family of 4 two main course meals. Leftovers can be frozen.

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Homemade Italian Breadcrumbs

I can’t remember the last time I purchased breadcrumbs because this is so economical. Any time I have pieces of bread left over from the loaf I put them in a Ziploc bag until I have enough piece then defrost them to make breadcrumbs. They taste as good or better than anything you can get in the store for a fraction of the cost.

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs (here's how to make them homemade)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, tossing to blend thoroughly.
2. Store in an airtight container and use in any recipe calling for Italian breadcrumbs.

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Irresistible Pan Fried Potatoes

This is such a great recipe. It makes a great side dish, and it goes great with breakfast. It’s easy and the flavor is incredible. The key is to make sure the potatoes get crispy to bring out the flavor.

Ingredients

• 6 large regular potatoes
• 1 medium onion (the onion makes this recipe)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• salt
• pepper
• 2-4tbs cooking oil

Directions

1. Microwave potatoes for 5-6 minutes to soften all the way through.
2. Cut potatoes in half then into bite size pieces about 1 inch cubes
3. Dice onion and mince garlic.
4. Add 2-4TBS cooking oil to skillet and heat oil
5. Saute garlic and onions until they are half cooked.
6. Add potatoes and paprika
7. Cook on medium heat until tender and browned.
8. When done, add salt and pepper to taste.

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Jalapeno Monterey Jack Chicken Penne

What attracted me to this recipe was the jalapeño monterey jack cheese. Monterey jack cheese is my favorite cheese. I like the spiciness and the creaminess. This recipe is excellent. It’s super simple, inexpensive, and it has a restaurant quality about it. It might not be the most visually appealing meal, but the flavor is appealing enough. One tip I recommend is instead of pouring the sauce over the pasta, mix the pasta in to the sauce so that the sauce gets inside the penne. This will allow the sauce to get into the pasta, and just makes it even better. I did not do that when we had this for dinner, but we had the leftovers for lunch and I tried it. It really did make a difference.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbs of bacon bits (pre-cooked do not use immitation, or bacos)
• 2 boneless chicken breasts (pre-cooked or 1 small can of chicken)
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 1 small onion, diced 
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (I use a mild jalapeno)
• 3 tablespoons flour 
• 1 cup chicken broth 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 8 ounces of shredded jalapeno monterey jack pepper cheese 
• 1/4 cup sour cream 
• 16 ounces penne pasta

Directions:

1. Over medium heat sauté in butter, bacon bits, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno pepper, and garlic until just tender.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. 
3. Add 3/4 cup of the broth, and the milk. Cook and stir until bubbly. 
4. Stir in cheese and sour cream; then add the cooked chicken.
5. If the sauce is too thick, add the remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth
6. Cook penne pasta according to package directions, drain well, then add to sauce.

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