Chicken Noodle Soup

It's been the worst winter we have had in awhile and it's not even February yet! Yesterday I was dreaming up something warm and comforting and it was quite clear what I wanted - Chicken Noodle Soup. I made a big batch of this yesterday and will be enjoying it all week for lunches. Serve yours with some artisian bread or grilled cheese.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 cup Carrots , 1/4 inch thick slices
3/4 cup Onion , chopped
4 Garlic cloves , minced
1 cup Celery , 1/4 inch thick slices
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon rosemary 8 cups chicken broth
1 package Uncooked egg noodles
1/2 cup of white wine or white cooking wine
1 Bay leaf
1 tablespoon Low-sodium soy sauce
3 cups Cooked chicken , sliced or shredded
3 tablespoons butter (optional)

Preparation: Heat a large saucepan or dutch oven pot with medium-high heat, add a couple turns of olive oil. Add carrot, onion, and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Add celery, salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper thyme, rosemary; saute 3 minutes. Add broth, wine, noodles, bay leaf and soy sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes. Discard bay leaf and stir in butter until melted (if desired). Enjoy!

Chicken Elegante

One of the first meals I ever made my husband (new boyfriend at the time) was my mom's Chicken Elegante. It quickly became one of his favorite meals and its one of his most requested meals. I truly believe the saying "A way to the man's heart is through his stomach.

Chicken Elegante

Ingrediants

4-5 Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup of white cooking wine
1 cup of swiss cheese shredded or 4-5 slices
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
Hot cooked rice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken breats in large baking pan. Mix together cream of chicken soups and white wine vinegar (may be a little lumpy) and then pour over chicken. Layer on the cheese and then top with breadcrumbs. Bake about 35 min or until bubbly and chicken is cooked through. Serve over hot rice.

Tator Tot Casserole

My Mom used to make tator tot casserole when we were growing up but when I searched for a recipe, nothing seemed quite right so I combined a few that looked good and this was the result. I have also made this and placed in a freezer bag (without the tator tots), the day before, place in fridge to thaw, then cook as directed for a quick meal. Enjoy!

1 lb ground beef
1/4 t ground pepper
2-3 T Onion blend/Onion Soup Mix, divided
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups frozen green beans
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1-2T Worscherchire Sauce
1/2 t garlic powder
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
16 oz tator tots

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Brown hamburger with 1 1/2 T of onion blend and ground pepper, drain off fat. After browned and drained, add in corn, green beans, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, Worcheshire sauce and garlic powder. Season to taste, add extra Onion mix if necessary. Once warmed through place in baking dish and top with shredded cheese. Add tators on top and bake approx 30-40 min until bubbly and tator tots are at desired crispiness.

Also works great as a freezer meal.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

I love making casseroles - they make large batches and reheat well for my husband to take leftovers to work. I had searched for awhile to find something that didn't include cream of whatever soup - you don't even miss it in this comforting meal.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Serves 4

1 lb. pasta
1 T. olive oil
4 T. unsalted butter, divided
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 medium carrots chopped
1 T. flour
1/2 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 cup frozen green beans (thawed in microwave)
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 teaspoon garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 cup parmesean
Breadcrumbs
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt the water, add the pasta, and cook until al dente.
Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil (one turn of the pan), and melt 1 tablespoon of butter into the olive oil. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic, cook until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then add the wine and reduce for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth and boil for 1 minute to thicken. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream; season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. When it bubbles, add the chicken and green beans and cook until heated through. Fold in the tarragon, rosemary, parmesean and extra boullion if needed (to taste) and turn the heat to low.
Preheat the broiler. In a microwaveable dish, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Stir the butter into the breadcrumbs to combine.
Drain the pasta; toss with the sauce and adjust the seasonings. Place the pasta in a 9 x 13″ heatproof serving dish and cover with the breadcrumbs. Place the dish under the hot broiler and crisp the crumbs for 1 to 2 minutes.

Slow Cooked Cheeseburger Casserole

This recipe is a a favorite and so easy to throw together. My favorite part are the potatos that start to brown and get crispy on the edge of the slow cooker. Another version I have tried is adding in two tablespoons of ranch seasoning. My husband likes to top with hot sauce

Slow Cooked Cheeseburger Casserole

2 pounds frozen hash browns
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound ground beef

In a skillet brown ground beef. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine well. You may need to do this in a bowl if your pan is not big enough. Place in a crock pot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Beef Chili

Our favorite Chili recipe. I like to make this on the weekends and let it simmer on the stove or in the crockpot. Then reheat it quickly for a comforting meal after work. I like to serve it with macaroni noodles, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and oyster crackers.

Beef Chili

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
2 cups onions chopped - cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup bell pepper chopped (red, yellow or green) - cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons garlic minced (or pressed through garlic press)
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon Ground cumin
2 teaspoons Ground coriander
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
2 pounds ground beef (sometimes I will do half beef and half ground turkey)
2 15-oz cans red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes - with juice
1 28-oz can tomato puree or tomato sauce
table salt

Preparation:
In a small bowl mix together chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, oregano and cayenne. Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepot or Dutch oven mediun heat. When oil is shimmering, add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, and seasoning mix. (Dry seasonings are added at the beginning with the onions so the spices release their oils and the vegetables have enough time to absorb all the flavors.) Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and lightly colored, about 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high, add half the beef and lightly season with about 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, roughly 4 to 5 minutes. Add remaining beef and lightly season again with about 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, another 4 to 5 minutes.

Add beans, tomatoes and their juices, tomato puree, and about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and continue to simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and chili is slightly thickened (if chili begins to stick to bottom of pot, stir in 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer). Taste and, if necessary, adjust seasoning with salt. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with your favorite condiments.

Makes about 8 to 10 servings.
Another option - prepare as above and instead of simmering on the stove, I transfer to my crock pot and cook on low for about 6 hours.

Sausage and Spinach Pasta

Sausage Meat and Spinach Pasta

This dish is so simple but creates a ton of flavor. Great weeknight meal and heats up well as leftovers. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 pound Italian sausage meat; (mild/spicy or mixed - I usually use Turkey Sausage)
1 box Pasta; (fusillis or pennes)
1 large spanish onion; halved and sliced
4 cups Baby spinach
olive oil
4 tablespoons Parmesan or pecorino; shredded
1 1/2 cup Chicken bouillon, divided

Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook onion until slightly colored. Add sausage meat breaking it up and cooking it until it changes color. Pour in a cup of bouillon and reduce to combine the flavors. In a large pot of salted water cook the pasta as per product instruction. Drain pasta and toss with baby spinach, salt and pepper to taste. Warm the rest of bouillon and add pasta to skillet. Mix in the cheese and serve.