Chicken Noodle Soup

I made this soup Saturday and it turned out ok. I wasn't super impressed with it, but it is Chicken Noodle Soup after all. I don't think I've ever had an amazing bowl of chicken soup. :) One caution-- be sure to watch how many noodles you put in! I for some reason read 1 lb, when it was only 8 oz. Whoops! I had to add some canned chicken broth to give it some liquid! The noodles kinda took over!! :)

 I

Ingredients

• 1 gallon water
• 1 (4-6  pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 1 large onion, peeled and halved
• 3 bay leaves
• 10 whole black peppercorns
• 2/3 bunch celery, leaves reserved
• 1 pound whole carrots
• 
  
• 1/4 cup chicken bouillon powder
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/3 bunch celery, chopped and leaves reserved
• 1 (8 ounce) package dry egg noodles

Directions

1. Place chicken and water in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, skimming fat as needed, 30 minutes.
2. Place the halved onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, whole celery, whole carrots and lemon grass in the pot and simmer, covered 1 hour.
3. Strain broth and reserve chicken. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and cut meat into bite-size pieces.
4. Return strained stock to pot over high heat, and stir in chicken base, chopped celery and chopped carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender.
5. Chop celery leaves and stir into pot with the noodles. Simmer until noodles are cooked, about 10 minutes more. Stir in chicken and heat through.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving (12 servings/batch) Calories: 303

Live Healthy Iowa

The 100 day challenge has started!! Are you involved? You can check out www.livehealthyiowa.com for tips & info. I am competing with a group from work (St. Luke's Occupational Health).  So, of course I wish to share some healthy recipes for a healthy, well balanced lifestyle! 

Chili Glazed Salmon
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce 
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
1tsp sriracha sauce (spicy chili sauce)
4 salmon fillets (4-6 oz each)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine chili sauce, soy sauce, ginger & sriracha in a small bowl. Place salmon fillets on a foil lined baking sheet. Use a brush or spoon to coat salmon with the chili glaze. 

Bake the salmon until glaze has begun to lightly caramelize and salmon flakes easily, about 10 minutes. 

Dill Seasoned Potatoes
No real recipe here. :) Whoops! Haha. No recipe because I didn't measure my amounts of anything. However, its simple and easy to make. 

Simply cut as many potatoes as you need into small slices. Toss potatoes in some olive oil to coat them. Then spread them on a greased or foil-lined pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dill. Use your own taste for amount of seasoning. You could also add a little garlic powder, lawry's, etc. Then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or so, until they are slightly browned and a little crispy. We like to enjoy these with a little Ranch dressing. 


The rest of my lovely picture is just some roasted broccoli & mushrooms. Enjoy!

So, what's on my menu for the following week? (Yes, my week starts on Friday because it's my day off!) 

- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Baked Cod with Mushrooms & Red Peppers
- Beef Fried Rice
- Blueberry Pancakes
- Smoked Chicken Strata
- Angel Hair Pasta with Sausage Marinara

Check back! I hope to share a lot of these recipes with you, depending on how they turn out! :)

Random picture of my Suzie as "King of the Mountain" and Aaron. :)

Hot Turkey Sandwiches

Yes, you are reading right... turkey in January! :) I got a turkey from St. Luke's for Christmas, and finally had some time too cook it up! I don't think I have ever made hot turkey sandwiches before, but I have eaten them at Family Table, etc. After eating these puppies I will definately be making them again! Why not? They're easy! (After you have the turkey cooked and cut!)

 You can totally come up with the ingredients & how to make it yourself. It is simply a slice of bread, turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy! 

But, if you're "anti-whole-turkey-cooking-in-january" I totally have an easy solution for you! Jennie-O makes Turkey Breast Tenderloins, so you can easily cook those up and slice for your sandwiches. One extra tip to keep the turkey NICE AND JUICY-- wrap the turkey in bacon. Yep. You heard it. Now do it. Wrap the turkey in bacon and be amazed. It stays sooo tender. Then of course you can eat the bacon... or toss it. You'll be stuffed after one of these babies anyway! 

Mmm... this really was great on a cold snowy day. Ultimate comfort food. Quickly disappeared....

 

Yup. Time for my new treadmill!! Aaron & I got a used treadmill from "swap shop" the other day... its very nice!! And I love having it in the comfort of my home... with a TV parked nearby! I think it's useless with this food though.... :)

Blackened Chicken Salad

Boy I'm on a roll this week with posts! Probably because the pictures of food are piling up! And I've got to share them! :) Today I have a healthy recipe for you... and VERY tasty! It'll blow you away!


BLACKENED CHICKEN SALAD

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped tomato
• 3/4 cup diced yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
• 3 tablespoons Spicy Seasoning (see below)
  
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 8 cups torn romaine lettuce
• Flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a bowl, and toss well. Cover and chill.

Combine lemon juice, mustard, water, and honey in a large bowl; stir well with a wire whisk. Cover and chill.

Rub chicken with Spicy Seasoning. Coat a large heavy skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, and cook 7 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet, and let cool. Cut chicken across grain into thin slices, and set aside.

Steam snap peas, covered, for 2 minutes. Rinse under cold water, and drain. Add snap peas and lettuce to the lemon juice mixture, and toss well. Divide the lettuce mixture evenly among 4 large salad bowls; top each serving with 1 cup of the tomato mixture and 1 sliced chicken breast half. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

SPICY SEASONING

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon ground red pepper
• 1 tablespoon black pepper

Mix everything together. Be cautious!! It is quite spicy! I usually cut the paprika and ground red pepper down a bit!

Energy/Granola Bars

Hi!! So today I want to share some energy/granola bar info with ya. I eat lots of em... they're just easy! Easy snack... easy fuel... easy. But I do wonder how many of them are "good for you"... and how many are just pure sugar. I have found a brand that is sooo totally cool... they're made of like 5 ingredients... nothing else! Now, you might freak out... the #1 ingredient is usually always "dates". I believe that's what they use to make the bar "stick" together! The 1st bite is always a little scary for me... but by the end I love 'em!! Lots of flavors (Pecan Pie, Cherry Pie, Apple Pie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Cashew Cookie). They are called LARABAR... check em out...

And now onto my own creation......
Yes, I attempted to make a homemade granola bar... and we love them! They are fantastic!

Ingredients

• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup wheat and barley nugget cereal (e.g. Grape-Nuts™)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 (7 ounce) bag chopped dried mixed fruit

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a 9 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, cereal, and cinnamon. Add the egg, applesauce, honey, brown sugar, and oil. Mix well. Stir in the sunflower seeds, walnuts, and dried fruit. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared pan.
3. Bake 30 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned around the edges. Let cool. Use the foil to lift from the pan. Cut into bars or squares, and store in the refrigerator.

You can really be creative with these. I forgot to buy sunflower seeds, so I just used some pecans instead. You can pick what kind of fruit you like... or add chocolate chips. Mmm... they're good. I made a double recipe and stored them in snack size Ziplocs... easy to grab on the go! :)

Buffalo Stuffed Chicken & Goat Balls :)

HAHAHAHAHA!!!! You like the title of this post huh? You think it sounds YUMMY! :) Haha. Let me explain. The Buffalo Stuffed Chicken is like chicken cordon blue with blue cheese and buffalo sauce, and the Goat Balls are goat cheese truffles! See, they're yummy! Enjoy!

Not the greatest pictures of the chicken... sorry...


BUFFALO STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 slices deli ham

½ cup blue cheese crumbles

Salt and pepper

1 cup flour

¼-⅓ cup cornstarch (eyeball it)

2 large egg whites, beaten

1½ cups breadcrumbs

3 tablespoons butter, melted

About 3 tablespoons buffalo or hot sauce

Canola or other high temperature oil, for shallow frying

View full recipe

Split the breasts open and cut them across horizontally. Pound the meat out a little, then stuff the breasts with the ham and cheese. Fold the chicken over and press the edges together to secure the stuffed breasts. Season with salt and pepper and coat first in the flour mixed with cornstarch, then the egg whites, then the breadcrumbs tossed with the melted butter and mixed with hot sauce.

Heat a shallow layer of oil about a quarter-inch deep in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken on each side until golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes on each side. Drain the chicken briefly on paper towels and serve.

Goat Cheese Truffles

12 oz goat cheese (or chevre), softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

3 green onions, finely chopped

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp cayenne

Toppings- toasted almonds, paprika, parsley, etc.

Crackers

Combine goat cheese, cream cheese, green onions, paprika & cayenne. Divide and roll into balls, then roll in the toppings. Serve with crackers.


Now... funny story. I brought this to our "office Christmas party", and I totally did not expect this, but everyone just took a bite out of them and ate the cheese plain! I said "EWWWW!!!!" Get a cracker!!! EAT IT ON A CRACKER!! I can't imagine eating this without a cracker, but they liked it plain... so eat however you enjoy it! :)

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year everybody! Hope you have a fun AND safe night of celebration! Me? I'm enjoying a day off of work by cleaning! Ick... but yes, my house is icky too. Things are finally organized, dusted, mopped, and vacuumed. Yay! It is a great feeling to sit down and grab the computer or watch TV after all that is done! :)

I got a wonderful "load" of gifts this Christmas season! I got a new black coat, khaki jacket, jeans, hair stuff, a GRILL/GRIDDLE PAN!!!!!! and some gift cards! What did Santa bring you?! Thanks everyone for my gifts! I'm very happy this year! :)

Well, you're probably stuffed to the brim and ready for "the diet" of 2011, right? Haha, me too. But, my overall outlook for 2011 isn't to diet, but to cook and eat wisely with God's good gifts. That's really my goal- to use God's creations more, like fruit, veggies, meat, natural stuff you know? I'm not a big processed food or restaurant go-er, but I could certainly improve. And my #1 downfall is eating out while I'm at work or eating treats/food that someone else makes and brings to work or get togethers. My grocery cart usually isn't the culprit! :)

Anyways, tonight I have a Snickerdoodle recipe and a burger recipe for you! I also have pictures of my old and new kitchen table.

SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon for dipping

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well until combine, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix until dough comes together. Add in milk. If dough is still crumbly, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Remove dough from fridge and roll into big 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on baking sheet. Lightly press down on dough to flatten it. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Next, I have my supper tonight! It was a homemade version of the Mount Olympus Burger from Red Robin. It is extremely delicious because it's topped with Spinach & Artichoke Dip! :) Yum! I happened to have some leftover spinach and artichoke dip from Christmas, and I remembered this burger I had a few months ago! So, you get a double whammy of recipes here, because I'm sharing the recipe for the dip and I'm showing you that you can top a burger with it too! :)

SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP
8 oz cream cheese
1 jar alfredo sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 frozen box of spinach, drained
1 can of artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

I like to combine all the ingredients in a crock pot and cook for a couple hours, but you can also put in a pan and cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until warmed.


I wanted to share my new kitchen table with you! I'm quite excited about it! We got it from Aaron's parents for quite a deal, so we couldn't pass! I do love my old table- it was counter height, dark wood, and just gorgeous with the table decoration and placemats... BUT it only had 4 chairs and its not like we could use our card table chairs with it, because the table was so high. And there were like bars at the bottom of the table to stabalize it, but it made so that 2 of the chairs stuck out from the table really far and if you ever want to move the table it's impossible! But we did it like 3 times! :) That being said, if you need a new table, mine is for sale!

OLD--
NEW---

It matches our wood work perfectly! And it has 6 chairs, 2 leaves, and we could use card table chairs too! :) YAY! Thanks Sharon! :)