Chicken Soup With Asian Noodles

1 Tbls. Olive Oil
3 med carrots, thinly sliced
2 small red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 med onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 thin slices fresh ginger (be sure to use the fresh ginger, not the powdered)
1 bay leaf
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
5oz. Thai-style flat brown rice noodles, broken in half
3 cups pulled cooked chicken
seasonings of choice:  garlic and herb seasoning, garlic salt, garlic pepper

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  Add carrots, bell peppers, celery, garlic, ginger and bay leaf.  Cook, stirring, until vegetables have softened, about 6 minutes.  Stir in broth and 3 cups water.  Bring to a boil.  Add noodles and cook at a strong simmer until just tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chicken and simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes.  Remove bay leaf and ginger with a slotted spoon and discard.  Season soup to taste.  (Makes 8 1/2 cups.) 

This soup is a twist on traditional chicken noodle soup.  The thin Thai noodles and ginger give this soup a unique and delicious flavor.  The soup is best a day or two after it is made. 

Broccoli/Potato Cheese Soup

 This soup is really good and my kids love it.  We especially love to eat it in bread bowls.

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrot

1 celery stick, finely chopped (feel free to add more celery if you like celery; I don't, so I don't add much)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups chicken broth (I usually use a mixture of low-sodium chicken broth and broth made with chicken soup base because it gives it such nice flavor)

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup milk

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large soup pot.  Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender.  Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes.  Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender.  Mix flour with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened.  Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through.  Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve.

Birthday Cake Pancakes

 

These are really good!  I thought it would be a fun tradition to have these on birthday mornings. 

 

 

Birthday Cake Pancakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 6-8 servings

Serving Size: 2 pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cake mix 
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (1.75 oz bottle) sprinkles
 
For the icing (optional):
• Whipping cream
• Powdered sugar

Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, cake mix, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt; set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the milk, butter and vanilla and whisk to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until fully mixed. Fold in the sprinkles.

Scoop portions of a scant 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle, leaving room for the batter to spread into larger rounds. When the pancakes begin to bubble, flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm until serving. Serve with syrup or optional icing.

 

Optional Icing:

Mix together powdered sugar and whipping cream to reach desired consistency and taste. Pour over top individual stack of pancakes.

Pumpkin Better Than Anything Cake

I have not tried this yet, but I love Mom's better than anything cake and I love Pumpkin so I thought this looked good!  I will have to try it out soon. Sorry if you try before me and it doesn't taste good!

1. DO NOT USE PUMPKIN PIE FILLING. YOU MUST USE PUMPKIN PUREE IF YOU WANT THE CAKE TO BAKE CORRECTLY.
2. The cake mix + pumpkin puree version of pumpkin cake may not be for everyone. I like it just fine, especially when it's soaked in SCM and caramel. But if you're not sure about it, feel free to substitute your own pumpkin cake recipe as the cake base.
3. DO NOT mix together the pumpkin, cake mix, and the other ingredients on the back of the cake mix box!!!! ONLY mix the cake mix and the pumpkin puree.
4. You must let the sweetened condensed milk soak in all the way. Letting it sit overnight will yield best results.
5. Use the bottom of a wooden mixing spoon to poke the holes in the cake-- it's just the right size.

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 small can pumpkin puree
• 1 - 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 - 8 oz. tub cool whip
• 1/2 bag Heath Bits
• Caramel Sundae Sauce

 Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and pumpkin puree until a smooth batter forms.
2. Pour batter into a well greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350º according to the directions for a 9x13 cake on the cake mix box.
3. Let cool for about 10 minutes after baking. Using the bottom of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
4. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake, filling the holes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Spread the cool whip over top of cake. Sprinkle on the heath bits, and drizzle caramel over top (just to your liking). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or overnight (best).   ( You could probably pour the caramel over the cake with the sweetened condensed milk before you put the whip cream on, like mom does with her cake.)

Fruit Salsa with Baked cinnamon chips

Yum, this stuff is so good!!! We love it at our house.

Ingredients:

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced
8 oz raspberries, diced
1 (16 oz) carton of strawberries, diced
2 Tablespoons white sugar (more or less to taste)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar (more or less to taste)
3 Tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor. (I just used strawberry jam)

10 (10 in) flour tortillas
melted butter or cooking spray
cinnamon and sugar

1.  In a large bowl, throughly mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white and brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Coat one sideof each flour tortiall with melted butter or spray.  Sprinkle tortillas with cinnamon and sugar. Cut into wedges and arrange in a sinle layer on a large baking sheet. 

4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 -10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges.  Allow to cool about 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture. Best when made and eaten the same day otherwise the fruit gives off too much juice and it gets runny.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

This pasta is so good and is Troy's new favorite dinner.  We especially like to have Rosie's cakey cornbread and a salad to go with this meal!

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 medium onion (diced)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp.chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 (10 oz) cans green chili enchilada suace
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 (16 oz) package penne pasta  ( can use whole wheat pasta or original)

Toppings:  (can use whatever)
Avacado
green onions
tomatoes
sour cream
black olives


Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Cook penne pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil to medium heat in a large deep skillet.  Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for and additional 3 minutes.  Add shredded cooked chicken, green chilies, cumin, chili powder, salt, green enchilada sauce, red enchilada suace.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
Step 2: Add the Colby-jack cheese and stir until the cheese has melted. Stir in the sour cream over low heat. Stir until the sour cream is well incorporated. Cookon low until heated through.
Step 3: Drain the pasta and add it to a large serving bowl. Pour the suace over the pasta and mix well. Serve with toppings of choice.

Pita Bread and Avacado Chicken Salad (no Mayo)

This Pita Bread is the best pita bread I have tasted and you can make anything to go in it, but I really like this avacado chicken salad.

Pita Bread:

1 T yeast in 3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
2 T oil
4 cups lour

Let yeast sit in water for 5 min.  Add the rest of ingredients except for 2 cups of flour and mix well. Add the rest of the flour and knead by hand until mixed well. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Roll out on floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut in circles.  Bake on cake cooling racks in 500 degree oven for 2-4 minutes. After they have cooled, cut the cirlces in half.


Avacado Chicken Salad:

So there isn't really directions for this, you just add together by taste and how much you like but here is what is in it:

Smashed avacado
Shredded cooked chicken
Green onions
cilantro
Lime juice
Salt
Celery (optional)
Pepper (optional)

 You can eat in pita bread, with chips, crackers, or on a salad.