Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Now that it's Fall time...its a great time for soup! 

Ingredients:

5 cups water
3 chicken breasts
1 TBS chicken bouillon
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
2 cans cream of chicken
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups dry egg noodles

To thicken:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cold water

Bring water to a boil in large pot.  Add chicken, bouillon or base and stir until dissolved.  Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes until chicken is no longer pink in center.  (I skip this step and just use about 2 cups cooked and cubed chicken breasts.  Remove chicken and cut in small pieces.  Return to broth and add carrots, celery and onion.  Cover and cook until tender.  Add noodles and cook for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.  Mix cream of chicken soup, evaporated milk and spices together and add to vegetables.  Stir in chicken.  Whisk flour and cold water together stirring until smooth.  Stir flour mixture into soup and cook until thickened. 

Easy Chicken Pot Pie Crumble

A neighbor made this for my family one time and it was SO DELICIOUS that it is now my favorite chicken pot pie recipe! This recipe can be found HERE

INGREDIENTS:

CHICKEN AND SAUCE:

• 1 ½ pounds chicken (about three medium-size chicken breasts)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped (about ½ cup)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• ½ cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup frozen peas

CRUMBLE TOPPING:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. To prepare the chicken, place the chicken and broth in a large Dutch oven or pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Cook the chicken until it is just done (don’t overcook or it will dry out) – about 10-12 minutes. Alternately, if you are planning in advance, you can place the chicken and broth in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours. Transfer the cooked chicken to a medium bowl. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup and reserve. Return the pot to the stovetop (no need to wash if you used it to cook the chicken).
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Sprinkle the chilled butter pieces over the top of the flour. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add the cream and stir until just combined. Crumble the mixture into irregularly shaped pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the crumble topping until fragrant and starting to brown, about 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Set aside.
3. For the filling, heat the olive oil in the now-empty pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, shred the chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the chicken; set aside.
4. Over medium heat melt the butter in the empty pot. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the bottom. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat and stir the chicken, vegetables and peas into the sauce.
5. Pour the mixture into a 9×13 pan. Scatter the crumble topping evenly over the filling. Place the 9X13-inch pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until the topping is well browned, about 15-20 minutes. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Easy Goulash

Easy Peasy pasta for the win!  I found the recipe HERE

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Two 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes (undrained)
• Two 15-oz. cans tomato sauce
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 16-oz. box elbow macaroni

Instructions:

1. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain grease. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until soft and fragrant.
2. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt and elbow macaroni to the pan. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low heat, cover pan and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until pasta is cooked through.
3. Remove from heat and serve immediately!

Easy Fish Tacos with Lime Crema

Fish tacos?  Yes!  My kids loved these and asked for more!  I found the recipe HERE

LIME CREMA:

• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• zest from half a lime
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

SLAW:

• 2 cups cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 green onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced

TACOS:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound white fish (eg. cod, snapper, talipia)
• 8 (6-inch) soft taco tortillas
• 1 avocado, sliced (optional)

Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta

We found this recipe and LOVE it!  It can be found HERE. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• 8 oz cavatappi noodles (you can also use cellentani noodles or elbow macaroni)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 (8 oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, drained and chopped 
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil (or 2 Tbsp of basil in the squeeze tube or 1 tsp dried basil)
• 2-3 cup baby spinach

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the chicken, noodles, broth and butter to the Instant Pot. Try to cover the noodles as much as possible with the liquid. Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to “sealing.” Set the manual pressure cook button to 3 minutes.
2. When the timer beeps let the pot sit for 5 more minutes (the display will start counting up). Move the valve to “venting.” If foam starts coming out move it back to sealing and wait a few minutes to try again. Once all the pressure is release, remove the lid.
3. Turn the pot to the saute function. Stir in the garlic powder, cream cheese and milk. There will seem to be a lot of liquid in the pot but don’t worry. Once the cream cheese is melted add in the Parmesan and stir until melted. Add in the sun dried tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and finally the spinach. Stir until the spinach is cooked down.
4. Scoop the pasta onto plates and serve.

Easy Peasy Yummy Pizza crust

My friend, Chrissy, introduced me to her favorite pizza crust and I fell in LOVE with the easiness of it and taste!  There is NO waiting for it is rise, NO pre-baking the crust...Nothing!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg of yeast (2 tsp)
1 cup of warm water
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1 TB of oil
2 1/4 cup of flour (add another 1/4 if needed)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the above ingredients.  Knead the dough, and roll in onto a sprayed pizza pan.  Add toppings and then bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.  If you are cooking 2 pizzas at a time, bake for 10 minutes and then switch positions and bake for another 10 minutes.

One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage & Pasta

Looking for an amazing pasta recipe?  I  made this last week and it seriously was one of the best pasta recipes I have made!  My husband agreed!  It is a must try!



I found the recipe HERE on BudgetSavvyDiva.com website.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb sausage
• ½ cup diced onion
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
• ½ cup milk
• 8 oz dry pasta
• ½ teaspoon salt and pepper, each
• 2 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
• ¼ tsp of Red Pepper Flakes
• ⅓ cup chopped scallions, for garnish

Directions:

1. Place olive oil into your pan over medium heat - add onions and sausage - cook for 5 minutes - add garlic and all seasonings - cook for 2 minutes
2. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, milk, and pasta - bring mixture to a boil - lower heat and cover for 15 minutes
3. Still in cheese
4. Serve and garnish

Pizza Rolls

This is Marne's recipe I'm posting so I can find it easily!

She uses this pizza dough recipe that can be found HERE on Larenslatest.com.
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Fail-Proof Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS

• for the pizza dough-
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey {or sugar}
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
• 3 cups bread flour {give or take 1/2 cup...depending on the heat & humidity}

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the pizza dough--In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam. This tells you that the yeast is alive and kicking. Pour in salt, oil and half the flour and mix. Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn't stick to your hands. Once you reach this stage, knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on and walk away! Resist the temptation to stop earlier than 6 minutes! That seems to be the magical number. The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. And the bowl should be clean! {*This is the point when you could freeze your dough!! Divide into portions, place into freezer bags, seal removing all air and freeze. To use, remove from freezer and let sit out to get to room temperature and double in size; 6-8 hours. Then use as you'd like.} Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn't dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours. That's it! Use as desired.

THEN here are some of her notes:

Spread lightly w/butter, sprinkle with garlic powder and Italian seasoning. I put on lots of cheese and mini pepperonis. Roll up tightly then slice with string abt 1in thick and bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes. Sprinkle more Italian seasoning on top before baking. Good dipped in marinara!

***A double batch makes 2 pizza rolls, rolled up before its sliced. Make dough and let rise. Divide dough into 2 equal parts and roll out like you do for cinnamon rolls, in a rectangle.  After they cool I put them into Ziplocs and freeze. I had to make a quadruple batch this time, my kids pound through them.

Chicken Pesto Pasta- Instapot

This was so good! 

Ingredients

• 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 to 3 cups dry Penne pasta
• 1 and 1/4 cup pesto
• 1 28-ounce can tomatoes (diced or crushed)
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 can chicken broth
• salt and pepper, to taste
• grated Parmesan, if desired

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in pressure cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on 10 minutes high pressure or 11 minutes if chicken is frozen. Top with grated Parmesan, if desired.

One Skillet Sun Dried Tomato Chicken & Gnocchi

Another WIN!  I tried this new recipe and loved it!


I found this recipe HERE.  Its a must try for sure! I don't like baking anything in the oven when it gets warm - so this spoke to me.  Easy, yummy, a sure thing here!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup sun dried tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp garlic
• 12 oz. Alessi gluten-free gnocchi
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ cup half and half (or heavy cream)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (or any other cooked chicken)
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• ½ cup freshly grated Asiago cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle olive oil and saute sun dried tomatoes and garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
2. Add uncooked gnocchi, breaking apart any that are stuck together, then mix in chicken broth, half and half and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until gnocchi are cooked through and fluffy.
3. Remove cover and mix in shredded chicken and spinach leaves, cooking an additional 3 to 5 minutes until spinach is wilted.
4. Sprinkle with cheese and cook until melted, serve and enjoy!

Sun-dried tomato Fettuccine Alfredo

I made this for the first time tonight and it was all eaten up.  They all loved it!  One child even asked if we could eat it again next week. Winner winner pasta dinner.


I searched for pasta recipes on Pinterest and came across this.  It's a winner!  The recipe can be found HERE.

INGREDIENTS 16 oz fettuccine noodles 2 tablespoons oil from sundried tomatoes in oil jar 1/2 cup sundried tomato halves , drained and finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups low sodium chicken broth 1 1/2 cups milk (I use lowfat) 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoons tomato paste 1/2 tsp EACH dried basil, dried parsley, onion pwdr, salt 1/4 tsp EACH dried oregano, pepper 2 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, cubed 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella Garnish (optional) freshly grated Parmesan fresh basil instructions Cook fettuccine in salted water according to package directions. Strain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons sundried tomato oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add sundried tomatoes, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for one minute. Sprinkle in flour and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn heat to low and stir in chicken broth. Whisk cornstarch with milk and add to pan along with tomato paste, basil, parsley, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and continue to cook and stir until sauce is thickened (but not overly thick), approximately 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream cheese until melted, followed by Parmesan cheese until melted. Keep heat on low until fettuccine is done cooking, then stir in mozzarella cheese until melted then fettuccine until evenly coated. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper and/or red pepper flakes to taste. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, and fresh basil if desired (optional).