Asian Chicken Squiggle Soup

22 Aug

This soup was a request from Sophia, from her favorite cookbook, the Soups Recipe Card Collection, that we bought at the grocery store check out quite a while ago. We’ve actually enjoyed every soup that we have tried from it, and this one was pretty good as well. Just know that it helps if you are a fan of ramen noodle soup. Because, really, this is just a fancy version of ramen noodle soup! However, it is quick, easy, and quite tasty.

Asian Chicken Squiggle Soup

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

What you need:

6 cups chicken broth
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 packages (3 oz each) chicken-flavored ramen noodles
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup sugar snap peas
2 tablespoons lemon juice

How to make it:

In a large pot, mix together broth, carrots, green onions, ginger and 1 seasoning packet from the ramen noodles (The remaining 2 seasoning packets can be discarded or reserved for another use). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Break noodles in half and stir into vegetable mixture. Boil 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, and lemon juice; cook until heated through.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

12 Aug

I already have a few versions of this soup posted here on my blog, but today I did it in the slow cooker, and I wanted to write it down to save for the future. This is one of my all-time favorite soups!

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup

What you need:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 onion (red, yellow, or green), diced
4 cloves garlic
4 cups chicken broth
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.75-oz can whole corn kernels, drained
1 10-oz can Ro-Tel (or 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 small can diced green chiles)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup masa harina (This is corn flour. You can use corn meal, but it will may have a grittier texture)
2 cups milk or chicken broth
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

How to make it:

Place chicken in a slow cooker. Add diced onion, garlic, chicken broth, black beans, corn, Ro-Tel, and tomato sauce. Sprinkle in chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, or high 3-4 hours.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat and stir in the masa harina (mixture will be thick). Slowly pour in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is very thick and it reaches a gentle boil. Pour mixture into slow cooker and whisk until smooth.

Shred chicken and stir in shredded cheese. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Allow to cook about 10 minutes until all ingredients are heated through. Garnish with cilantro, lime wedges, shredded cheese, sour cream, or tortilla strips as desired.

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Burritos with Pork Carnitas

2 Aug

We love a good burrito in my household. I’ve tried lots of different combinations, most of which I have shared on here. Tonight, we did a new combination and here it is!

Burritos with Pork Carnitas

Burritos with Pork Carnitas

– Large, burrito-size flour tortillas
– Cilantro-Lime Rice
– 1 can black beans
– Pork Carnitas (My pork butt wasn’t boneless, I didn’t cut it up, and cooked it in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours. Still did the broiler part, the crispness is the best part!)
– Shredded cheese
– Salsa (I really wanted pico de gallo, but wasn’t up to making it and couldn’t find it at the store I went to today!)

Heat each tortilla for a few seconds on each side in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Remove tortilla, and spoon in some of each of the fillings listed above. Roll the bottom of the tortilla over the fillings, fold in the sides, and continue to roll. I made 8 burritos, although the last 2 were a little skimpy on the black beans.

Finished Burritos with Pork Carnitas

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Creamy Mushroom, Green Bean, Chicken and Rice Casserole

3 Jul

Now that Katie is moving up a level in American Heritage Girls, she wants to do the next level of the Cooking badge. One of the requirements of the badge is to plan a meal for your family using a casserole as a main dish, checking the food pyramid to balance the meal. So, Katie decided she wanted a casserole with that was a mix of green bean casserole and chicken. To have a grain, she decided to add in rice. It was easy to put together, and quite tasty!

Creamy Mushroom, Green Bean, Chicken, and Rice Casserole

Creamy Mushroom, Green Bean, Chicken and Rice Casserole

What you need:

3/4 cup long grain uncooked rice
3/4 cup water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
2 cans green beans or 4 cups fresh green beans
1 can French’s fried onions
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1″ pieces

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with olive oil or with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together rice, water, cream of mushroom soup, milk, green beans, fried onions, garlic salt, and black pepper. Pour into the baking dish. Carefully mix in the pieces of chicken.

Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking for 15-25 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is tender. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.

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Ground Beef and Potato Pie

30 Jun

One of our old favorites, is Sausage & Potato Pie, but I don’t always think to get Italian sausage for it. I do always have ground beef in the freezer, so I decided to try this out with ground beef instead. The trick is seasoning the ground beef so it’s not too bland. This blend turned out really well, and I’m glad to have a back up for the sausage.

One other variation that we’ve really liked is to substitute chevre (soft goat cheese) in for the mozzarella. It really goes well with the sausage or ground beef and potatoes. We would buy it at our local farmer’s market so it was nice and fresh.

Ground Beef & Potato Pie

Ground Beef and Potato Pie 

What you need:

2.5 lbs potatoes, I prefer Yukon gold
1 large egg, beaten
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 ground black pepper
1/4 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes OR 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley OR 1 Tbsp dried parsley

How to make it:

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 inch deep dish glass pie pan.

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook at a gentle boil until potatoes are soft. Drain, and return to pot. Blend egg into potatoes until smooth.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, break up the ground beef and cook until browned. Add onion to the pan and cook until onions are translucent. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in to the potatoes.

Add in mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley, and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the pie pan, forming a smooth, flat surface on top. Sprinkle the 1 Tbsp Parmesan over the top.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.

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Cheesy Sausage, Onion, and Pepper Breakfast Casserole

29 Jun

It has been a while since I’ve made a breakfast casserole. I’ve had the breakfast sausage for a while in the freezer, and while at the grocery store, my girls picked out red, orange, yellow, and green bell peppers. Along with an onion, milk, eggs, and Bisquick, I knew it would make a delicious breakfast casserole! Plus, it was really pretty too, very colorful!

Prepping the breakfast casserole

One great thing about a casserole like this, you can make it up ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours before baking it. So, you can make this the night before, wake up, take it out of the refrigerator, preheat your oven, and then bake it.

Also, if you are hesitant about bell peppers, substitute in other vegetables that you like! I would do this again with broccoli or spinach and mushrooms, maybe even spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Or, change out the sausage for bacon or ham. Whatever you would eat in an omelet or you like with your eggs, try in this casserole!

Cheesy Sausage, Onion, and Pepper Breakfast Casserole

Cheesy Sausage, Onion, and Pepper Breakfast Casserole

What you need:

1 pound breakfast sausage (if there are casings, remove them)
1 small red onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced (I used 1/2 red, 1/2 orange, 1/2 yellow, and 1/2 green)
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 1/4 cups baking mix, such as Bisquick
1 cup milk
9 eggs
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, break up and brown the breakfast sausage. Add in diced onion and bell pepper. Cook until onions and peppers have softened. Drain the excess grease from the pan, and pour the sausage, onions, and peppers into the casserole dish. Spread the 2 cups of shredded cheese on top.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the baking mix, milk, eggs, paprika, salt and pepper. Pour evenly into the casserole dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a knife comes out clean from the center.

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Sophia’s Ground Beef and Rice Soup

28 Jun

I have been making different combinations with ground beef lately, but my youngest really wanted a soup with ground beef and rice. I will admit, I was a little stumped at first with how to proceed, so I asked some friends and got some great ideas. In the end, what she really wanted was a soup similar to Chicken & Rice Soup, so that’s the route I went. It turned out really good, and she was happy to eat it!

Sophia's Ground Beef and Rice Soup

Sophia’s Ground Beef and Rice Soup

What you need:

1 pound 93/7 lean ground beef
1 small red onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
6 cups beef broth
2 cups cooked rice

How to make it:

In a large pot, brown ground beef over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and cook for a few minutes until vegetables have softened. Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, thyme, and marjoram; mix in well. Cook for a few more minutes.

Pour in the beef broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir in cooked rice. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, making sure the vegetables have softened.

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Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Burritos

23 Jun

Since I only used part of a jar of salsa the other night to make our Quesadilla Chicken Sandwiches, I wanted something to use the rest. So, I immediately thought of Sour Cream Salsa Chicken and the burritos I have made with it, but I decided to skip the sour cream. And, instead of Spanish Rice, I thought why not Cilantro Lime Rice and black beans to be like the burritos we get when we eat out at Chipotle?  They turned out perfect, and one burrito each was more than enough to fill us up. This made about 8 burritos, with a little rice and chicken leftover. Again, more to tomorrow for lunch!

Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Burritos

Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Burritos

What you need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar salsa
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can black beans
Cilantro Lime Rice
Large burrito size tortillas
Shredded cheese

How to make it:

In a small bowl, mix together the chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and salt.

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Add chicken breasts. Sprinkle chicken with seasoning blend, top with salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. When ready to serve, shred chicken.

In a small pot, heat black beans. Use a slotted spoon to stir and then drain when making the burritos.

Place a large skillet or griddle on stove over low heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet and warm for a few minutes. Remove from heat to counter top or cutting board to assemble burrito. Scoop shredded chicken, rice, black beans and shredded cheese onto the tortilla toward one end. Begin to roll from side closest to you, fold in sides, and roll until completely closed. If desired, cut in half for easier eating.

Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Burrito Assembly

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Katie’s Pasta Salad

23 Jun

We first made this for a potluck we attended a while back Katie came up with the things she would like to have in a pasta salad, and we worked up the recipe together. She also helped put it all together. We recently made it again for another potluck, and I realized that I never shared her recipe.

It’s simple and quick to make, but sure tastes good!

Katie's Pasta Salad

Katie’s Pasta Salad

What you need:

1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 package turkey pepperoni, cut into 4ths (or regular if that is what you prefer)
1 can sliced black olives
1 box pasta of your choice (We used Barilla Gluten Free Penne)
1 16 oz bottle Italian dressing

How to make it:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water.

Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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Quesadilla Chicken Sandwich

22 Jun

When my daughter asked for Cilantro Lime Rice for dinner, I knew that I wanted chicken to go with it. I just wanted to come up with something a little different. I really wanted Fiesta Lime Chicken, but neither of my kids is a big fan of how it looks. So, inspired by the Quesadilla Burger at Applebee’s, which I love as well, I decided it might be interesting to put the grilled chicken breasts in tortillas, along with the sauce and shredded cheese used in the Fiesta Lime Chicken. It was a big hit, and I’m sure I will make it again!

Quesadilla Chicken Sandwich

Quesadilla Chicken Sandwich

What you need:

Marinade for chicken:
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon tequila, optional

Sauce for quesadillas:
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup ranch dressing

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
8 8″ flour tortillas
Butter or olive oil
Shredded Mexican blend cheese

How to make it:

In a small bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a gallon size zipper bag or large baking dish and pour the marinade over chicken. Fully coat the chicken in the marinade, seal bag or cover the baking dish, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade, and discard any remaining marinade.  Grill chicken until cooked through juices run clear.

In a small bowl, mix together the salsa and ranch dressing.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Spray with olive oil or butter one side of a tortilla. Place it sprayed/buttered side down on the skillet or griddle. Place shredded cheese on the tortilla, then the grilled chicken breast, then the salsa/ranch sauce, and a little more cheese. Spray with olive oil or butter one side of another tortilla, and place it on top with the sprayed/buttered side up. Cook for a few minutes until the bottom tortilla is browned, then flip to cook the other side. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.

Cut the finished sandwiches into fourths (I used a pizza slicer). Each of us ate 2 of the fourths, they were very filling! So, we had plenty of leftovers to enjoy again the next day for lunch.

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