Cream of Chicken Soup

Makes 2 servings or equal to about 1 can of soup

3/4 cup chicken stock, divided

1/2 teaspoon onion, finely chopped

1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon parsley

1/8 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

Shake of allspice

Shake of paprika

 

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons flour

 

Add 1 tablespoon of chicken stock in a saucepan over medium-low heat

Cook onion and garlic in broth until they are soft, about 3-5 minutes

Add the rest of the broth and 1/4 cup of milk

Stir in salt, pepper, parsley, lemon pepper seasoning, all spice and paprika

Bring to a boil

Reduce heat and simmer a few minutes

 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup milk and flour until smooth

Add the mixture to the hot stock whisking continuously to avoid lumps

Keep stirring until the soup comes to a boil and thickens

 

This soup is thick, similar to a can of condensed soup.  Thin it out or use it as-is in your favorite recipe in place of opening a can.

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Cocktail Meatballs

Makes around 35 cocktail sized meatballs

1 1/2 pounds ground pork or meat of your choice

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon onion powder

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix everything together in a medium size bowl

I used a tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop the meat from the bowl

Form each scoop into a ball

Wet your hands if the meat sticks to you

I greased a cookie rack and placed it on a foil lined cookie sheet to bake the meatballs on

Place each meatball on the cookie rack not touching each other

Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees

 

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 (12 ounce) jar of chili sauce

1 (14 ounce) can cranberry sauce

1/2 cup grape jelly

 

Place cooked meatballs in a crock pot

Mix sauce and pour over meatballs

Set crock pot on high for one hour

Reduce heat to low for 3 hours or until ready to serve

If making these for a party, plan on each guest eating at least 4 meatballs.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce

2 bags cranberries

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

 

Rinse cranberries well, picking out stems and unfavorable berries

Pour into a pot with 2 cups of water

Simmer over medium high heat until all berries have popped

Transfer mixture into blender and blend until desired consistency

Return to pot on stove and add 2 cups of sugar

Bring mixture to a rolling boil

Boil for 10 minutes stirring often

 

Ladle syrup into jars leaving ½ inch head space

Remove air bubbles

Add more syrup to bring the head space up to ½ inch

Wipe rim, apply lid and ring

Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner

After 24 hours have passed, remove rings and wash jars

Label jars with date and store.  Do not stack jars.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Herb Butter Sauce

This takes a little time to make but is so worth it in the end.

 

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 egg whites

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons parsley

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese,

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons canola oil

 

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 stick butter

1 tablespoon chives, parsley, and basil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cornstarch

 

Pound each chicken breast to about 1/2 inch thick

Combine the egg whites, cornstarch, and a tablespoon of lemon juice in a shallow dish for dredging

Combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper in another dish

Dredge each chicken breast in the egg white mixture, and then in the breadcrumb mixture

Make sure the chicken is completely covered with the breadcrumbs

Let the bread crumbed chicken sit on a wire rack or baking sheet for 30 minutes to allow the crust to set

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add the chicken

Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until the crust is golden brown

Transfer the chicken to the oven and finish cooking for 8-10 minutes

 

As the chicken cooks, prepare the sauce

Add broth, cream, and lemon juice to a saucepan over medium heat

Let simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes, scraping the bottom as it simmers

 

Once the sauce has reduced, add in the butter, one tablespoon at a time

Whisk the sauce until the butter has completely dissolved

 

Add in the herbs and the salt and pepper, and cook for an additional few minutes

If you want your sauce thicker, mix 1 tablespoon of cold water with 1 tablespoon of corn starch.  Whisk it into the sauce over medium high heat.  This will thicken the sauce.  Repeat process until you have the desired consistency you are looking for.

 

Serve the sauce over chicken and your choice of pasta or rice cooked according to package directions

 

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Ring

4oz cream cheese

1/4 cup hot sauce

2 1/2 cups cooked chicken

1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

1 cup Mozzarella cheese

2 tubes crescent rolls, I used garlic flavored crescents

Bleu Cheese or Ranch dressing for dip

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix cream cheese and hot sauce together in a medium size bowl until smooth

Mix in chicken and Cheddar Jack cheese

Unroll cans of dough, separate into triangles.

On a large cookie sheet, arrange the triangles in a ring, dough should overlap, leaving the center large enough for a bowl

Layer half of the Mozzarella on each triangle closest to the ring
Spoon mixture on top of the Mozzarella

Top with the rest of the Mozzarella

Bring the top of the triangle over the filling and tuck the edges under the bottom layer of dough

Repeat around the ring until the entire filling is enclosed

Bake for 35 minutes or until the dough is golden brown

Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into serving slices

Serve with your choice dressing

Enjoy!

 

We cut into this before I could get a photo.  If you make it, please send me a photo of yours and I will add it to my blog.

Chicken Stir Fry with Udon Noodles

 

I had never cooked with Udon Noodles.  They were a nice change from our regular pasta.

 

This recipe will serve 4

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size chunks
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely diced ginger
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 orange pepper, diced
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup julienned carrots

10oz  package of Udon noodles, I found these at Giant

1/3+ cup soy sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2-3 Tablespoons sesame seeds

2+ Tablespoons honey

 

Cook Udon noodles according to package directions

While the noodles cook, heat skillet to medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Add the chicken, salt and pepper and cook for about 8-10 minutes, chicken should no longer be pink

Add the garlic, ginger, peppers, onions and carrots

Stir and cook for 5 minutes

Add the noodles, soy sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, sesame oil and seeds

Stir until well coated and cook for about 5 minutes

Drizzle honey over top

Serve with toppings of your choice.  We added cayenne pepper, chow main noodles and a little more honey to our plates

 

Enjoy!

 

Tomato Sauce

This recipe will make approximately 10 pints

6 Garlic Cloves

4 Peppers (I used 3 cups of Sautéed Onions I had in the freezer.  We like that flavor better than the peppers)

12 pounds of tomatoes

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon parsley

2 cans tomato paste

1 tablespoon lemon juice for each pint jar

 

Remove skins and seeds from tomatoes by blanching

Using 2 large roasting pans, put half of the ingredients into each roasting pan except the tomato paste and lemon juice

Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes then lower to 300 degrees for 45 minutes

Remove from oven and blend with tomato paste until it is to the consistency you like

Place back in the oven at 300 degrees for 45 minutes

Spoon sauce and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into each jar up to 1/2 inch headspace

Remove air bubbles and add more sauce if needed to bring it back up to 1/2 inch headspace

Wipe rim, apply lid and ring

Process for 35 minutes in a boiling water bath canner

After 24 hours have passed, remove rings and wash jars

Label jars with date and store. Do not stack jars.

Butter Chicken

This came out really good.  It will be in our meal rotation!

 

This recipe makes 4 servings

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast

2 eggs, beaten

 

1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed

½ teaspoon garlic salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon lemon pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon onion powder

Pepper to taste

 

¼ cup butter melted

Parmesan cheese

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Smash crackers into fine crumbs and set in a bowl large enough to toss the chicken around in

Add to the cracker crumbs, garlic salt, garlic powder, lemon pepper, paprika, onion powder and pepper

Mix well and set aside

Beat the eggs in another bowl large enough to toss the chicken around in

Grease a 9×13 baking dish

Dip the chicken into the beaten eggs

Then dip the wet chicken into the dry cracker mixture

Coat each piece of chicken well

Place in baking dish

Pour melted butter over top of the chicken

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

I half covered the baking dish with foil

Then baked for 30-35 minutes until the internal temp was at least 160 degrees

This came out really good!  I served it with rice and cranberry sauce.  We ate it as posted above but you can also add a little dipping sauce of your choice for extra flavor.

Zucchini “Pineapple” Candy

If you are looking for a different way to enjoy Zucchini, this is it!

1-2 quarts of pineapple juice

Zucchini

Powdered sugar

 

Peel the zucchini with a vegetable peeler

Cut zucchini in half and remove the seeds

Cut into chunks.  I made mine into strips about 2 inches long, half inch square

Place pineapple juice and zucchini into stock pot

Bring to a boil

Reduce heat and simmer until zucchini is soft

It will look like pineapple

Drain zucchini and place on dehydrator trays

Dry at 130 degrees for about 18 hours

When dry, place in a bowl and toss with powdered sugar

Enjoy!

 

I was surprised at how tasty these were.  You would have never known they were zucchini!

The powdered sugar will help keep it from sticking together

6 cups of zucchini took about 1 quart of pineapple juice