Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade (Sort Of) Chicken Noodle Soup

1 Rotisserie Chicken from Sams Club or Costco (or 2-3 chicken breasts cooked, then cut them up)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium onion (chopped)
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups sliced carrots
4 ribs celery sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp basil
1 can evaporated milk
Egg Noodles (I like the Country Pasta, Homemade Style Egg Noodles because they taste homemade)

Remove meat from rotisserie chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. In a little vegetable oil, cook chopped onion and garlic until it's soft and somewhat translucent. Add chicken pieces, stir. Add salt and pepper to taste along with bay leaf, basil and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Add celery and carrots, cover and cook on med-high heat until carrots are tender. Once carrots are tender, add evaporated milk and noodles. Cook until noodles are finished. Top with fresh parsley if desired.

Note: I've made this both with chicken breasts (that I cooked in the stock pot then followed the recipe from there adding onion and garlic, etc) and with a rotisserie chicken. It's amazing both ways, however, using a rotisserie chicken makes it taste AMAZING. Also, I've used both noodles and I've tried making bisquik dumplings in this and it's also good with both. Enjoy!

Jody Wright

Lemon Herb Zucchini Fettuccine

This is a recipe from my favorite cooking blog as of late - Our Best Bites. You can find them at www.ourbestbites.com
Seriously, in just about any pinch you can find a fabulous recipe from them!

LEMON HERB ZUCCHINI FETTUCCINE

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 lemons
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
Olive Oil
1/2 lb Fettuccine (that's just 1/2 of a normal box like in the picture)
2 medium zucchini
1 C shredded parmesan cheese (about :)
5-6 cloves garlic
Fresh Basil (about 1/2 C)
Fresh Oregano (about 1/4 C) If you don't have fresh oregano, just add a little dried.
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Prepare grill. You could also do this on the stove top in a skillet, or a grill pan.

Place chicken in a zip-lock bag with the juice of one lemon, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Marinate for 15 to 30 minutes while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Put the pot on the stove to boil water for the pasta. While you're waiting for the water to boil, slice the zucchini in half length-wise. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Press, or finely mince garlic cloves. In a small sauce pan on the stove, place 1/4 C olive oil and add garlic. Turn burner onto low-med heat. It shouldn't be popping and frying, it should just slowly warm, infusing the oil with the garlic and removing that zing fresh garlic has.

When water boils, add pasta and a spoonfull of salt

Remove chicken from bag and salt and pepper both sides. Place chicken, and zucchini on grill.

While chicken and zuchs are grilling and pasta is boiling, chop herbs and get out cheese. Zest both lemons and juice the one that hasn't been juiced.

See, now you're all ready. When everything is done cookin' you can throw it together! Keep an eye on that garlic. You DON'T want it to get brown and crispy. It should still look nice and white. Give it a stir. If it starts really cooking, just take it off the heat and set aside.

When zuch and chicken are done take them off the grill and chop 'em up.

Reserve about 1/2 C pasta water. Drain pasta and immediately place in a big bowl. Place chopped zuch and chicken on top. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, herbs, and garlic-olive oil mixture. Just pile it all in there. Then stick your face up real close and inhale. Ahhhh, heaven.

Honestly, this is amazing and tastes like Olive Garden or something better. Go make it tonight!

(photo courtesy to Our Best Bites)

Jody Wright

Shrimp Scampfredo

Shrimp Scampi Alfredo

First, cook your pasta. The rest of this meal takes about 6 minutes to make...EZ baby!

Shrimp:

1 lb. fresh shrimp (all peeled and de-goobered)
1 fresh clove garlic minced
2 Tbs. green onion sliced
2 Tbs. butter or EVOO
1 Tsp. Lemon Juice
sprinkle of Red Pepper (you decide how much, in the South...it's a lot!)

Sautee garlic, red pepper and green onion in Butter or EVOO and lemon juice for 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for another 3 minutes or until shrimp is pink. (shrimp cook super fast) Remove this from pan to make alfredo sauce.

Alfredo Sauce:

1 1/2 C. Whip Cream (not whipped)
1/2 C. Parm Cheese
1 tsp. regular pepper
2 Tbs. Chicken Broth (optional)

Bring whip cream and broth to a slow boil and then reduce heat. Add cheese. Stir in a little pepper and then pour over your noodles - yum :)

~Jody

Chicken Avacado Pitas

4 whole pita breads (I used whole wheat)

2 tablespoons light olive oil

2 medium ripe avacados peeled and pitted

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion 

2 cups shredded monterrey jack cheese

2 tomatoes chopped / about 2 tablespoons divided

2 - 4 cooked chicken breasts thinly sliced

lightly brush each pita on both sides with olive oil and put in the oven on an ungreased cookie sheet for 5 - 10 minutes at 350 so they are crisp.  Meanwhile, mash avacado with lime juice, salt, garlic powder, and onion and the 2 tablespoons of tomato.  Spread avacado mix on each pita, then layer chicken, cheese and tomatoes on top.  Top with a little extra salt/pepper to taste and bake for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  

(I make double the amount of Guacamole/Avacado mix and then use our tip we learned in Ensenada to keep the avacado pits in the container you store the Guacamole in so that it doesn't turn brown.  I put half on this dinner and then we have chicken fajitas the next night and use the rest of the Guac then - simple!  Recipe from the Taste of Home magazine but I altered it a bit :)

Jody

Chicken Stir Fry with Ham Fried Rice

This is an old standby but why not put it on here since I cook it about every 10 days :)

STIR FRY:

4 Chicken Breasts (diced)

1 Green Pepper cut in strips

1/2 Onion cut in strips

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

2 TBS Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil

1 TBS Sesame Seeds

1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite Oriental Sauce or Glaze (I use Iron Chef Orange Sauce Glaze with Ginger, I don't go cheap on the sauce because I mix it with a little water and make it last about 6 times or more)

Saute onion in oil in a hot skillet, add chicken, salt, and pepper and cook until chicken is no longer pink in center.  Add the sauce or glaze and green pepper strips or sugar snap peas.  Reduce heat and let cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, more if you don't like crunchy peppers or peas.  Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.    

HAM FRIED RICE:

3 Tbs Oil

2 Tbs Soy Sauce

1 Tbs Sugar

1 Cup Diced Ham

3 Tbs Green Onion chopped

2 Eggs, beaten

1/2 Cup Frozen Peas

2 Cups Cooked Rice

Heat oil and saute onion and ham in a hot skillet.  Add rice and peas then soy sauce and sugar.  Once all is cooked through add in the beaten eggs, stir until cooked through.  When I make more I usually just eyeball the recipe and add more of everything to go with more rice...

Jody

Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cookies

Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cookies

1 Cup creamy peanut butter

1 Cup sugar

1 egg

12 mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped

36 mini marshmallows

1 Cup semi sweet chocolate chips

2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream

1/4 Cup mini M&M's 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place peanut butter, sugar and egg into a large bowl and mix until well combined. Scoop dough evenly into a 12 count mini cheesecake pan or mini muffin pan.Cook for 13-15 minutes until almost done. Remove from oven and press a peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie until flush with cookie top. Top each cookie with 3 mini marshmallows and return to oven for 2-3 more minutes or until marshmallows are puffed. Remove and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

2. Place chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted smooth. Stir in 2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream until silky and smooth. You can return back to microwave for 15 seconds to get a thinner consistency.Spoon chocolate over top of puffed marshmallows and sprinkle with mini M&M's.  YIELD:  12 cookie cups

NOTE:  I got this recipe off of a friends blog.  She had a link to Picky Palate which had the recipe.  They are really good.  Gretta enjoyed putting the M&M's on top :)

Jody

Oriental Chicken Salad YUM!

This is way easy and kind of a no-brainer but we make it at home once a week all summer.

1 Briannas Ginger Mandarin Salad Dressing

1 can La Choy Chow Mein Noodles

1 bag slivered almonds

cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes

red cabbage (we don't usually throw this in there but you can to look pretty)

romaine or iceberg lettuce enough to feed all

sliced up carrot (again, to look pretty and add another veggie)

6 or 7 chicken tenders (we buy the Tyson bredded tenders and use them so it's EASY) but you could totally grill some chicken breast too.

Make the salad, throw the chicken on top and try not to use the WHOLE bottle of Ginger Mandarin dressing I dare you.  It's so good, it's hard not to use a ton.  Also, if you were feeding kiddies, you could wrap this up in a tortilla and call it a chinese chicken wrap!

~Jody