Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients
1 Roasted chicken, meat removed and shredded
8 baby carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
3 green onions, chopped (you can substitute white onions or leeks as well)
2 quarts chicken stock <-- recipe here
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
8-10 oz egg noodles


Combine all ingredients except the noodles in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. About 10 minutes before it's done, boil and drain the noodles and add them to the crockpot as well.  


 Enjoy!

The Best Chicken Stock, like...ever.

Ingredients
1 4-5 lb whole chicken, roasted
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 large onion, quartered
4 garlic cloves, whole
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
1-2 orange slices (about 1/8 of an orange)

It's actually more ideal to use fresh herbs, but I didn't have any on hand.  Just make sure to rub them between the palms of your hands to "wake them up" before you add them.  If you do have fresh herbs, make a bouquet garni so they're easier to get out.

Rub chicken with poultry seasoning, roast at 350 for and let cool.  I melt a stick of butter and baste the chicken every 15 minutes or so.  You could also or grab a rotisserie chicken from the store.  Remove the meat and set aside. 

Place the bones, skin, etc. into a large stock pot.  Add, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, orange and bay leaves and enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours.  Strain and let cool and then skim any fat off the top.

TIP: If you're not going to use it right away, it can be frozen in quart freezer bags or deli containers.

Enjoy!!!

September 11 - Never Forget

My facebook status from September 11, 2013 pretty much says it all.  I couldn't have said it any better than this.

I was just on my way to pick up Nikki from school for an orthodontist appointment when I tuned the radio to 99.9 KFAV. They just happened to be in the middle of a 9/11 dedication. I didn't know the song or the singer, and I can't remember all of the words right now, but the mention of looking into the blue sky that day wondering where all the planes were brought me right back to that fateful day 12 years ago and all of the emotions came flooding back.

Wiping tears from my eyes so that I could see to drive I could remember the eerie quiet in the sky like it was yesterday. I was sent home from work to be with my family and all we could do was stare at the devastation on TV. Nikki was little. Still in diapers...squatting down in front of the TV, her young mind having no way to comprehend what she was watching. I hugged her so hard and cried. I wondered what kind of world I had brought this innocent little child into. I remember the want...no, the NEED to help in some way. Blood banks were turning people away they were so crowded. What could I do? I felt helpless. I was angry...LIVID beyond belief that those monsters had the audacity to come into our great country and murder thousands of our American people. I felt a deep sadness for the loss of life that occurred. The firefighters, the police, the businessmen and women in the towers when they collapsed. The families who had lost their loved ones. Children who would never see their parents again. I was shocked and horrified by the images of people jumping from the towers. I was proud of the men and women on United Airlines Flight 93 who gave their life for their country that day.

I remember waking up the next day , on 9/12, and thinking it all had to be a dream and then turning on the TV only to find that my worst nightmares were true. The towers were still burning. They burned for days. But the American people became something different that day. We became patriots. Flags flew high and proud and we banded together. We were proud to be Americans. That void created by the deep feeling of helplessness was filled with pride and patriotism.
I fly a flag in my front yard every day and so should every other home in America just as we did on 9/12/2001. Today it is at half-staff to honor those that were lost on 9/11/2001.

Honor the memory of those lost on 9/11 by being the people we were on 9/12. Never Forget.

Fish and/or Chicken Tacos

Marinade:
juice from half a lime
1/2 tsp cilantro per fish filet or chicken breast

Sauce:
1 large deribbed and deseeded jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp chopped white onion
juice from half a lime
one green onion, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp of sour cream
a few springs of cilantro
1 Tbsp or so of guacamole (or just avocado if you don't have guac) 
a pinch of salt
1 Tbsp of EVOO
~add all ingredients to a food processor and drizzle oil while blending

Marinate the fish and/or chicken in lime juice and cilantro for a bit while you make the sauce and chopped the lettuce for the tacos.  Then put a few Tbsp of EVOO in a non stick pan, heat to med high (until the oil ripples) and cook it thru, flipping once.  I sprinkled a little garlic powder and chili powder on it while it was in the pan cooking but you could just as easily add it to the marinade before hand.  I'll probably do that next time and use fresh garlic.  Flake the fish/carve the chicken against the grain.  Warm some 12" flour tortillas, add fish/chicken, garnish with pico de gallo (tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, salt, lime), cheese (if desired), chopped green onion, and sour cream.

Enjoy!!!

Cheesy Chicken Penne with Spinach

The Hubs and I went to Applebee's one night and did the 2 for $20 deal and I fell in love with their Three Cheese Chicken Penne.  So much so that I decided to try and replicate the recipe at home!

Since I don't have a laboratory at home (oh the things I could do with a laboratory...), I had to wing it.  And any good (copy-cat) cook knows you don't measure.  So please excuse my less-than-metric measurements I put together for this blog.  And heck, I substituted stuff, so why shouldn't you?  Anyways...here goes.

Here's what *I* used:

2 left over grilled chicken breasts, cubed

(when I grill chicken, I usually marinate in lemon juice and olive oil
and then sprinkle with Weber's Kicken Chicken rub)

8 oz penne pasta

1 jar of alfredo sauce
(I suppose you could make your own if you had time, but I didn't...

so whatever's on sale at Walmart is what I use)

2 handfuls of shredded mozarella cheese
(see what I mean about measurements?)

About a Tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese

A handful of fresh baby spinach, chopped

1 Roma tomato, diced

3 garlic gloves, crushed 

 

Cook the penne pasta al dente (7-10 minutes at a rolling boil).

  

Bellissimo!  Mwah!

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

This recipe is great for a cold winter's day.  It warms the soul!

Ingredients:
2 leeks
2 cloves garlic,  minced
4 Tbsp (four turns of the pan) extra virgin olive oil
4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 qt chicken stock (I made my own but you can use a good quality store bought brand)
2 sprigs fresh oregano
2 fresh bay leaves
1 Tbs fresh parsley
1/2 cup milk or cream
1 lb bacon, cooked and chopped for garnish

To prepare the leeks, cut off the roots and the dark green tops (save the tops, they will go in the soup) leaving only the white and light green part.  Cut lengthwise and then chop into half moons, about 1/4 inch thick.  Soak them in a bowl of cool water for about 5 minutes so that any dirt or sand can settle to the bottom, strain and pat dry.  Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Saute the leeks until tender, adding the garlic about a minute or two before they are done.

Add the potatoes & dark green leek tops (leave them whole as they will be removed and discarded later) leaving two of them to make a bouquet garni for your herbs.  Make sure you rinse the leek tops before you add them to your pot.  Toss in your bouquet garni.

To make the bouquet garni:
Lay two of the leek tops in a cross.  Add the oregano, bay leaves, and parsley and fold it all up into a nice little package and secure with some kitchen twine.  I had four Schnucks employees hunting down kitchen twine for me.  So you know, it's with the kitchen utensils.  If you don't have fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs and make a bouquet garni with some cheese cloth and kitchen twine.

Add chicken stock & salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. I also added a good splash of white wine that this point.  Hey, it was in my hand and it seemed like a good idea.  Once the potatoes are tender, remove the leek tops, add the milk or cream, and then use your immersion blender to puree the soup.  If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender but make sure you click this link first.  Heat the soup through and serve hot with a garnish of bacon crumbles.  Just an afterthought...if you had a third leek (which I did not), you could also garnish with some chopped leek or even some green onion.  Ooohhh...sour cream would be another great topper!  :)

ENJOY THE CREAMY GOODNESS!!!