CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Hmmmmm...Hmmmmmm.... Goood


Ingredients

Whenever one of us is sick I always request or make chicken noodle soup. The children would never eat soup when they were younger so I thought if I threw in some big bow tie noodles they would eat it. It worked! The love it. It is a simple recipe but a great one.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

4- 32 oz. swanson chicken broth
(you can make your own stock or use the bouillon cubes)

1 lb. bow tie noodles

8 stalks celery sliced

6 large carrots sliced

5-6 chicken breasts

Boil chicken breasts and carotts together until cooked and tender.
Pour broth and pasta into stock pot and cook until tender. When noodles are about 5-7 minutes from being done add chopped celery and leaves to pot. Finish cooking. Remove celery leaves and toss. Drain chicken. Let chicken cool slicely. Dice or shred chicken to bite size pieces. Add carrots and chicken to stock pot. Dish is ready to serve. Serve with toasty bread or with soup crackers.
There should be no need to season. Serve with toasty bread or soup crackers.

Twice Baked Rigatoni

Ingredients: Brown sausage, drain fat, stir in seasonings and sauce add whipping cream. Except for cheese When pasta is done. Drain. Pour in mixing bowl. Add sauce mixture and stir in cheese. Bake in oven covered with foil for 25 minutes on 375. Pull out of oven and sprinkle additional mozzerella cheese on top. Bake 20 minutes uncovered. Baked Rigatoni Your family will ask you to make this over and over again! It is so much better than any baked pasta you have ever made. The whipping cream really adds a nice touch. This is my go to recipe! Really quick and really easy! 16 oz Rigatoni 1 lb pkg. Hot Italian Sausage, chop finely (if you use the links remove meat from casings) 1 TB dried Thyme 2 TB Garlic Herb 1 TB parsley 1 TB oregano 1 TB dried onion 1 6.5 oz can of mushroom peices (chopped coarsley) If you use fresh mushrooms use 1/2 cups 2 cups whipping cream 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes pour entire contents in. 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated 1 cup 5 cheese shredded (asiago, maozzerella, provolone, romano, parmesan) 3/4 cup parmesan cheese Prepare rigatoni. While noodles are cooking brown sausage, chop finely. Add all seasonings to meat. Sauce and whipping cream. Dash of salt dash of pepper. Add all contents to skillet, except for the cheese. Drain noodles. Mix noodles and sauce mixture in large mixing bowl. Stir in cheese. Pour out into large non stick baking dish or sprayed with vegetable oil. Cover with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and sprinkle additional cheese on top and bake for an additional 20 minutes without foil. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Serve with a mixed green salad.

Chocolate Cake Balls

I wanted to make our family something different for a dessert. These are another lil treat that will adorn our christmas trays next year. Yummy! They were really good and really easy to make. I found the idea here. Hers look so much better than mine. I had a little trouble with my chocolate melting.




The Ingredients





Roll into small balls. Approximately 40 to 45 cake balls.



melt candy



Drop into melted chocolate





Voila'


Bake cake according to directions on box. You may make your cake and frosting from scratch if you choose to do so.

Empty contents of 1 cream cheese frosting into cake mix. Combine, mix or stir. If you choose to use your hand this can be messy.

Roll into balls or use a medium to large melon baller. Place these in refridgerator or freezer to harden slightly before rolling in chocolate.

Chocolate Cake Balls
1 box chocolate cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting.
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50.
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

Tip: melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It's easier to work with when it's hot.

Chicken Lo Mein/ Stir Fry

My family loved this. M was craving chinese food and I found this recipe. It was a hit. Aden even loved it. Kai is allergic to peanuts so we did not add peanuts to hers. The dressing is a bit tangy but adds an awesome flavor to the chicken. I added a bit too much soy sauce and that was easily remedied by adding a pinch of sugar. Be careful not to add too much.



8 oz. angel hair pasta.
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. each: ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped PLANTERS Dry Roasted Peanuts

( I cooked with whole wheat pasta for a healthier dish. I also add seasonings to taste. I did not measure. Add to your preference. If you do not like any of the ingredients just substitute or delete). If I had carrots and zuchini I would have added those sliced on the bias. This can be a very health conscious tasty meal

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time.

Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until done, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook 1 to 3 minutes.

DRAIN pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon evenly into four serving bowls; sprinkle with the peanuts.

Makes: 4 servings, 2 cups each

Cinnamon Rolls

Gretchen gave me the recipe for this as well as taught me how to make bread for the first time in my life! I over baked these just a bit but they are still good.

My ISO on my camera was too high. It makes for a lot of noise in the pics. (sorry)

My oster is almost 13 years old. These are the bread hooks that came with it. This is the first time they have ever been used!

The ingredients:

Cinnamon Rolls

1 2/3 cup warm milk
4 1/2 tsp. yeast
4 1/2 to 5 cups bread flour
2 eggs
1 stick butter
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons sugar

Pour into mixer with bread hook and beat for 15 minutes.
Take out of mixing bowl. Spray another bowl with pam and put dough into
mixing bowl. Lightly cover bowl with plate or towel.
Rise for one hour.


Punch down dough and shape as desire.

for cinnamon rolls, roll out bread on counter, spread soften butter over the top, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture on top. Roll and cut with thread or floss.

Place
in baking dish and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Keep an eye on them.

Beef Taco Skillet

Beef Taco Skillet

1 lb. ground beef
1 can (103/4 oz.) Campbell's Tomato Soup

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup water

6 flour tortillas cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Cook beef in 10" skillet until well browned. Pour off fat.

2. Stir in soup, salsa, water and tortillas.

3. Heat to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes.

4. Top with cheese.

Taco Soup

I have found many variations of this soup. This is one from Gretchen which we then added a few extras. Feel free to add different beans.

2 pounds ground beef
1 can pinto beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can stewed tomatoes - mexican style
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can light kidney beans
l can dark kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can northern beans
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix -(opt.)
1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing(dry)
1 package shredded cheese (topping)
1 container of sour cream (optional)
1 package of tortilla chips
You may add a diced onion or any other bean. Add more water if you prefer more broth.
PREPARATION:
Brown ground beef and onions in a large pan, drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an hour or so. Remember do not drain cans. Pour entire can into pot or slow cooker. When ready, serve in big soup bowls, and have a skillet of hot cornbread to eat, too. Top with chips, cheese and sour cream.

Olive Bread

1 6-oz jar pimiento-stuffed olives

¾ pound Monterey Jack cheese

½ cup real mayonnaise

1 stick butter, softened

1 loaf French bread

chop black and green olives. Combine

olives with the butter, ½ cup mayonnaise, and grated Monterey jack

cheese. Mix well. Slice French bread in half lengthwise, then spread mixture evenly over

the halves.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes, or until melted and starts to turn light brown

and bubbly. Cut into slices and serve.

months. This is one of my all time faves. My neighbor made this and brought it to share for a party I threw. This recipe is from pioneer woman. Link on my blog.

GOOEY BARS

OK, before you read any further. I have to warn you that you will either KILL me or have already died and gone to heaven and back! These are THAT GOOD!!! I mean they are so good it may replace having children or even practicing! OK, so I got this recipe from my niece JeNece who got this recipe from yours truly the one and only PAULA DEEN!!! I have found a new Christmas tradition recipe to add to my repertoires. My children love love these but be careful they are sinfully rich!!
The recipe is as follows::

Gooey Butter Cake


Ingredients & Directions:
Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Prepare Filling

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar


In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Please feel free to vary this recipe to your liking. We added chocolate, you could add any type of candy to the top. Change your cake mix to german chocolate or red velvet. The choices are endless. Make this recipe your own!

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ease of preparation: easy

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen and Random House Publishing