Chicken Noodle Soup

I'm trying to come up with dinners that are not only easy to throw together, but are budget friendly for us right now. I have no income coming in and plus having just had surgery, even though I feel amazing for the most part, I'm still trying to take it as easy as possible. I thought homemade chicken noodle soup would be just what the doctor ordered for this recovering Momma and her people. It did not disappoint, even though I just winged all of the ingredients, and both myself and my cousin Heather went back for seconds. She's staying with me this week while Daniel is away on business so she gets to pleasure in all of my home cooked meals.

Katie's Chicken Noodle Soup~

Ingredients:
2 lg. chicken breasts, cut in half
1 sm. onion, quartered
2 stalks of celery, cut into large pieces
2 carrots, cut into large pieces
2 whole garlic cloves
water

Ingredients for the soup:
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 lg. celery stalks, cut in half horizontally and then diced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
shredded chicken breasts
1 49 oz. container chicken broth
1 tbsp. sea salt
1/2 tbsp. black pepper
garlic powder
1 tbsp. parsley flakes

Directions:
1.) In a large stock pot, fill 3/4 of the way full of water. Add chicken breast, quartered onion, celery pieces, carrot pieces, and whole garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about two hours.
2.) Remove chicken from stock and allow to cool. Also remove all vegetables and dispose of.
3.) To the pot with your homemade stock, add diced celery, diced carrots, minced garlic clove, and shredded chicken. Add canned chicken broth and bring to a boil.
4.) Add 1 tbsp. sea salt, 1/2 tbsp. black pepper, 1 tbsp. parsley flakes, and a few sprinkles around the pot of garlic powder.
5.) Add one large bag of egg noodles along with about 1/4 a can of water. I use the chicken broth can and stir it around and add to my soup. Cook until noodles are done.

I served ours with homemade mashed potatoes, which score one for Mommy, were pretty darn good. I used 5 medium sized russet potatoes, boiled until soft. I threw them in my kitchen aid mixer, added probably a good cup or so of heavy cream, two tablespoons of butter, and a generous amount of sea salt. They were delicious and for once, the consistency was really good. I was kinda proud of myself since making mashed potatoes has always been a challenge for me. If you are looking for a good comfort food, this is another good one.

Chicken Riggies

Three posts in one week? I must be feeling better!! I love tomato sauces with heavy cream in them. I consider it a lovely comfort food and this one was no exception. I omitted most of the peppers since the girls and I aren't into spicy foods, and I may or may not have added an extra half a cup of cream to the sauce, but overall I was really impressed with the meal.

Chicken Riggies~
Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package rigatoni pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cubanelle pepper, seeded and thinly sliced ( I omitted)
3 roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
2 hot cherry peppers, seeded and minced ( I omitted)
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I added an extra half a cup)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
 1.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the rigatoni pasta, and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain and keep warm. 

2.) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and cook in the hot oil until lightly browned on all sides, and no longer pink in the center, about 7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, and keep warm. 

3.) Stir the onion, garlic, and cubanelle peppers. Cook and stir until the onion has softened, about 4 minutes. Add the roasted red peppers, hot cherry peppers, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the heavy cream and cooked chicken. 

4.) Simmer 2 or 3 minutes, then stir in the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.

Now doesn't that look downright comforting? I'm making homemade chicken and noodle soup tonight. It's all about comfort food in our house this week.

Asparagus with Parmesan Crust

Daniel loves asparagus. Me...not so much. Typically when I make asparagus I will coat it with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and lots of minced garlic and then stick it in the oven to crisp up. The thinner the asparagus the better...they are like crispy french fries.

This go around, since I was trying to make our pork dinner this past Sunday extra special for Daniel, I thought I would try out a new way. I think I prefer my way above, but this way was pretty darn good as well. I figure, if I eat it and thank its decent, then in reality, it must be pretty delicious. I could only find the thicker asparagus this time but for the most part I got the same effect as my way. Daniel loved it and commented during dinner just how much he loves asparagus.

Asparagus with Parmesan Crust~
Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 lb. thin asparagus
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 oz. shaved Parmesan cheese (I used probably close to 1/3 cup of the cheese right out of the green container)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar ( I used a balsamic vinaigrette)

Directions: 
1.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. (I baked ours at 375 since they were thicker.)
2.) Place asparagus on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Arrange asparagus spears in a single layer. Spread Parmesan cheese over asparagus, and season with freshly ground black pepper. 
3.) Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and asparagus is tender but crisp. Serve immediately on warm plates, sprinkling with balsamic vinegar to taste. 

Since we all know I can't help but not follow the directions 100%, I had to do mine a little different. I coated ours with the olive oil, black pepper, a good sprinkle of sea salt, and then I drizzled it with the vinaigrette. I tossed it all around to evenly coat each spear, and then I sprinkled the cheese on top and baked away. I think the dish turned out just lovely! I love how they tend to get brown and crispy.

Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Marsala Sauce

I can't believe I haven't posted a single thing on this here blog since January. We all know I've been sick the last few years with my Crohns disease but this past year has been the worst yet. Everything finally came to a head two weeks ago though. My illness was getting worse even with all the new medications they had me try. I can't even begin to describe just how worn down my body was both physically and mentally. I finally had my resection surgery on April 18th. If you would like all of the gruesome details stroll on over to our family blog.

Anyway, even though I'm not even two weeks out post surgery, I feel like a whole new woman. It's an amazing feeling and I can't wait until I am fully healed from my surgery. I have so much energy right now I can barely sit still, even though technically, I should still be sitting still for the most part. I cooked an awesome dinner for us tonight with some of my new found energy and Daniel thoroughly enjoyed it. I looked over at him at one point after he made a comment about it being good, the man had a huge grin on his face and told me it really was delicious. For such an elegant looking and sounding meal, it was really simple to make which is right up my alley right now. If you are looking to impress anyone, this is the recipe to try!

Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Marsala Sauce~
Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins (I used a whole pork tenderloin and baked it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 3 or so hours after browning each side in the skillet.)
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, minced
1 cup Marsala wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
  
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat pork tenderloins generously with mustard. Oil a 9x13 inch baking dish. 
2.) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange tenderloins in pan, and brown the meat. Turn to brown evenly. Transfer meat to prepared baking dish. 
3.) Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn, and continue cooking for 20 minutes, or until desired doneness. 
4.) Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat in the same pan used to cook the pork. Cook shallots in butter until soft. Stir in Marsala, mustard, and cream, and cook until volume of liquid is reduced by half. 
5.) Slice pork, and place on a serving dish. Spoon sauce over meat, and serve.

As I mentioned above, I used a whole pork tenderloin for our meal tonight. It was probably a good five pounds or so. I salt and peppered each side, browned it in the skillet on all sides, and then put it in the oven covered, for about three or four hours. I turned the meat half way through the cooking process. I didn't add the mustard to the meat before browning it, but I generously coated it once I added it to the baking dish. 

This meal was so good, I served ours with asparagus, which I will be sharing with you later in the week, as well as mashed potatoes. Don't tell anyone, but I used Bob Evans already made mashed potatoes. They are really good and so much easier to make then to stand and peel potatoes and try to get the right consistency. I'm not good with making mashed potatoes so I will gladly accept ol' Bob's help.

Chicken Taco Ring

I've seen recipes for these taco rings floating around blog land for awhile now and after having my MIL fix a ground beef ring for our Christmas dinner I figured why not give one a shot. I created this recipe on my own because I did my grocery shopping without a recipe and much to my surprise it turned out really well. The chicken mixture smells so good!! Not only am I excited to share the recipe with you but I'm also excited to share this tip with you.

We all know my love for pinterest here lately and I saw this technique there. Anyone dislike having to shred chicken as much as a I do? I have shredded chicken with my hands and with forks and I hate both ways. This time I threw the warm chicken in my kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment and set it on low speed. I'll be darned if that mixer didn't shred my chicken perfectly, it even mixed in all of the added ingredients! I will never shred chicken by hand again, never I say!!

Chicken Taco Ring~

Ingredients:

2-3 lg. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 8oz. block of cream cheese, softened

1 14.5 oz. can of Red Gold petite diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained

1/2 sm. onion, finely diced

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

2 cans crescent rolls

1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl combine shredded chicken, cream cheese, drained tomatoes and chilies, onion, and seasonings. Set aside.

2.) On a round pizza pan lay out your crescent rolls. You will lay the wider portion of the roll in the middle of the pan, with the narrow section pointing outward. You will end up with what will look like a sun. Make sure the wider portions overlap each other a little bit and press them together.

3.) Spread chicken mixture on wider section of crescent rolls. Sprinkle the top of chicken with your shredded cheese.

4.) Taking the narrow portion of your crescent roll, lay over the top of your chicken and cheese.

5.) Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until your crescent roll is golden brown.

My all time favorite scrambled eggs!

I'm not sure if it's because it the holiday season, or if it's because of what I am going through right now health wise, heck, it might be both, but I've been thinking about my Grandma Murphy a lot lately. I think most of my family has. So many things are happening to us right now, good and bad, that we can't help but think of her and the calm that she would bring to everything. A few weekends ago, during one of my Grandma moments, I whipped up these scrambled eggs for us. They aren't anything special and I'm sure you are wondering why in the heck I'm posting a recipe for scrambled eggs but I am. Mainly to remember, to remember all of the good times our family has shared eating these eggs. They remind me of Grandma and all of the early mornings I spent with my Uncle Dan and Aunt Robin, sitting in their camper on one of our family camping trips eating these eggs along with a piece of peanut butter toast drinking a big ol' glass of orange juice, because apparently everyone needs a healthy dose of vitamin D, or is it C. I still can't get my peanut butter toast to taste like my Aunt Robins...she must have a secret butter to peanut butter ratio that I am not aware of and sadly, my days of drinking a big ol' glass of orange juice are long gone thanks to my disease but these eggs...there is no screwing them up. And even if it was for a few short minutes, I was a little girl again, huddled around the campers kitchen table, surrounded by my favorite people at one of our favorite places.

Murphy's Scrambled Eggs

~Source: The Murphy's

Ingredients:

10 eggs

2 tbsp. milk

6 slices of bacon, finely diced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.) In a large skillet, fry finely diced bacon. Once browned remove from pan and allow to cool on a paper towel lined dish, dispose of bacon grease.

2.) In the same skillet add a tablespoon of butter or so to help prevent eggs from sticking. Add your scrambled egg mixture, which includes salt, pepper, and your milk. Add cooked bacon to the egg mixture half way through the cooking process. Personally I like my eggs well done...no slimy eggs for this gal.

3.) Serve alongside a piece of two of peanut butter toast, and your big ol' glass of orange juice and you have yourself a pretty good breakfast.

Baked Ziti

Man do I have a recipe for you today. Recently I have been trying out quite a few new recipes and let me tell, none have knocked my socks off until last night. That is saying a lot coming from someone who has zero appetite the majority of the time because of my Crohns disease and the ugly flare that I am battling. This recipe though, oh my goodness, it was delicious. So delicious that my Mom had two helpings as did my dear husband. Daniel started off with his regular portion size and for round two he came back to the table with a heap of ziti on his plate. This will definitely go into rotation at our house, especially since it was so easy to put together. Seeing as by most evenings I've hit my maximum energy level and have started going downhill, easy is always best for me. It's always a plus that easy also equals totally awesome! Serve alongside some hot from the oven garlic bread, a fresh green salad, and a tall glass of wine and you my friends, would have a lovely date night dinner.

Baked Ziti

~Source: allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-ziti-iv/detail.aspx

Ingredients:

1 lb. dry ziti pasta

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork sausage

1 1/2 jars (26oz) spaghetti sauce

salt to taste

1 (6oz.) package of provolone cheese, sliced

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup cottage cheese

1 (6oz.) package mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

2.) Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in oil until tender. Stir in rosemary and garlic. Transfer to a small bowl.

3.) Place ground beef and sausage in the skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Stir in the onion mixture and spaghetti sauce. Season with salt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

4.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In the prepared dish, layer 1/2 of the cooked pasta, provolone cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and a little less than 1/2 of the meat mixture. Then layer the rest of the pasta, mozzarella cheese, remaining meat mixture, and parmesan cheese.

5.) Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated through and cheeses are melted.

* Since we all know I can't follow directions well enough to save my life, here we go with how I made this dish. First of all, I cooked the onion and garlic along with the meat mixture also meaning I didn't need the olive oil the recipe called for. I omitted the rosemary for the simple fact of I just don't like the stuff. Also, I did two layers of the cheeses, sour cream, and cottage cheese. I just split all of it in half. Lastly, just in case you wondered, I used probably about 3/4 of a 45 oz. jar of Prego Meat Sauce.

I can't stress to you guys enough that you must try this dish. As I sit here typing up this post, at almost midnight thank you...why is this Mother not in bed, I am salivating at the thought of having this for lunch tomorrow. Yes folks, it is that good!