Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Dumplings

This is one of my favorite meals ever!! Its a family recipe and I decided its time to share this amazing meal with others!! :) About half of my family love the dumplings (me included) and the other half aren't fans of them so making the dumplings are entirely optional.

Soup:
2 Chicken Breasts, sliced into bite size pieces
3 Large cans Chicken Broth OR 10 cups Water and 10 tsp Chicken Bouillon
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
6 Stalks Celery, chopped
6 Carrots, chopped

Put all ingredients into pot, cook until Chicken is done. I cook it for about 2 hours on med-low heat.

Noodles:
3 Eggs ( I use 4 eggs because we like more noodles)
1 tsp Salt
2-2 1/2 Cups flour (2 1/2-3 cups if you used 4 eggs)

Mix together and roll out until dough is about 1/8" thick. Use pizza cutter and cut dough into noodles. Add to Chicken Soup. Cook for at least 45 minutes. Covered. (I like thicker noodles so i cut mine a little thicker. You can cut them as thin/thick as you like.)

Dumplings: (optional)

1 cup Milk

13 Tablespoons Butter (2/3 Cup)

1 cup Flour

3 Eggs

1 Tablespoon Salt

1/2 Bunch FRESH Parsley

Bring milk to boil. Add butter and salt, stirring constantly. When melted turn down heat to LOW add flour and mix immediately. When stiff add one egg at a time and mix well between eggs. Add Parsley. Mix well for a few minutes. Remove from heat. NEXT: Remove the noodles and most of the chicken and veggies so there is mainly broth in the pot. (the dumplings are very sensitive and i have found they cook better when just in broth) Bring Broth to BOIL and place dumplings in by the spoonful, one by one. COVER (VERY important... DO NOT lift the lid) and turn heat down to med-low and cook for 25 minutes. When done remove them from the broth and set aside in separate bowl. Add noodles, chicken and veggies back to pot. Serve soup and top with dumplings, if desired. Serve with Salad and Enjoy!

Hearty Italian Soup

This is a super yummy soup perfect for those cold fall/winter days and nights!

Ingredients

• 1 pkg Sausage
• 1 medium Sweet Onion
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Oil
• 10 cups Water
• 10 tsp Chicken Bouillon
• 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 can Connellini Beans, rinsed
• 2 cans Stewed Tomatoes, undrained
• 2 1/2 cups Tortellini
• 2 cups baby Spinach leaves
• Mozzarella Cheese, To Taste

Directions

• In Large pot bring to boil water, boullion and Italian Seasoning.
• Cook Sausage, Onion and Garlic in Oil in a large saucepan for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently
• Add cooked Sausage mixture to soup. 
• Next add Beans, Tomatoes and Tortellini, cook for 8 minutes or until pasta is tender.
• Remove from heat. Stir in Spinach; Cover. Let stand 5 minutes
• Top with Mozzarella Cheese and Serve with French Bread!
• ENJOY!! :)

Homemade Chicken Pad Thai

My family and I love.. i mean LOVE Thai food and so when i found this recipe on pinterest, i had to try it!! I have made it a few times and have modified it to make it a little bit more tasty! This is seriously one of the yummiest homemade pad thai recipes i have ever had! Its very similar to what you would get in a restaurant! If you love Thai food you will love this!!

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken Breasts, sliced 
• 16 oz pkg Rice Noodles (I use the brand "Taste of Thai")
• 4 TBSP Brown Sugar
• Juice from 2 Limes, plus wedges for serving 
• 6 TBSP Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Asian Chili Paste
• 3 tsp Sesame Oil
• 5 Green Onions, green and white parts, chopped and s
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 small bunch Cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup Roasted and Salted Peanuts, chopped

Directions

• Soak Noodles according to pkg instructions, Drain
• In bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, asian chili paste and 1 tsp oil
• In large skillet heat 1 tsp oil over high heat
• Add WHITE parts of green onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly. When cooked add Beaten Eggs and cook, scraping eggs with a spatula until eggs are almost set. Place on plate.
• Cook Chicken in 1 tsp oil in large pan. 
• Add noodles, green onion GREEN parts, Sauce, Peanuts and Cilantro. Cook, Stir constantly, until noodles are soft and sauce is cooked into noodles. Add cooked Egg mixture to noodles and toss to coat... breaking the eggs up.
• Serve with lime wedge and top with more peanuts, if desired. Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken Burritos

These are SO yummy and incredibly simple for those days you don't want to be in the chicken forever making dinner!! So here it is guys!

Salsa Chicken Burritos

(makes 5-6 burritos)

- 2 Chicken Breasts

- 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

- 1 cup Mild Salsa

- 1 small can Diced Green Chilies

- 1 box Mexican style Rice-A-Roni

- Shredded Lettuce

- Tomato

- Shredded Cheese

- Sour Cream

- Guacamole

- Tortillas

Place raw chicken breasts, cream of chicken soup, salsa and diced green chilies in Crock-Pot on LOW for 3 hours. Start making Mexican Rice (according to directions) about 30 minutes before Chicken mixture is done. When Chicken mixture is done, mix and shred chicken with 2 forks. Next make your burrito by placing all the ingredients inside the tortilla. Hope you all ENJOY! (optional: top with more cheese, sour cream, salsa and guacamole)

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this, life keeps getting in the way! I made these not too long ago and they were Amazing!!! They are very similar to California Pizza Kitchen/P.F. Changs Lettuce wraps!! They were THAT good!! When i worked at CPK i got lettuce wraps all the time but man are they expensive SO this is a great way to kick that lettuce wrap craving of yours and also not break the bank doing it! Hope you Enjoy!

Ingredients

- 2 lbs of your choice of Meat (ground turkey, ground chicken, Shrimp-no shell)

- 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

- 1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce

- 3 TBSP soy sauce

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 TBSP fresh Ginger, grated

- 1 TBSP brown sugar

- 1 TBSP sesame oil

- 1/2 TBSP Asian Chile Oil

- 5 ounces Bamboo Shoots, canned and drained

- 12 ounces water chestnuts, canned-drained-chopped

- 1 can Bean Sprouts

- Ice Burg Lettuce leaves

Directions

1. Combine the following into your Crock-Pot: Your choice of meat-raw, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, chile paste, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. MIX well!

2. Cover; Cook on LOW 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours)

3. Thirty minutes before time to serve add Bean Sprouts. MIX.

4. Place meat on top of an ice burg lettuce leaf and ENJOY! 

TIP: To add even more flavor drizzle hoisin sauce on top of your meat mixture inside your lettuce wrap

Sadly this is one of those dishes that doesn't look very yummy in the pictures but is absolutely delicious!!! So with that being said PLEASE don't judge this recipe off the picture cause trust me, they are worth making!! :)

Pasta Salad

Sorry it has been so long since one of us have posted but things have been pretty busy for all of us lately! I thought I would share this recipe I found online but modified it a little to make it, in my opinion, MUCH better :) This is the prefect Salad to bring to a big family/friend get together or a potluck and is also perfect for spring and summer! :)

Pasta Salad

- 1 Bag of Rainbow Pasta

- 1/2  of 16 oz (1 cup) bottle of Italian Salad Dressing

- 3 TBSP Parmesan Cheese

- 1 TBSP Sesame Seeds

- 1 TBSP Poppy Seeds

- 2 tsp Seasoning Salt

- 1 tsp Paprika

- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

- 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

- 1/4 tsp Chile Cayenne Pepper

- 1 Cucumber

- 1/2 Red Onion

- 2 Tomatoes

- 1 small Can Olives 

**NOTE: In pictures below i doubled the recipe. I made it for a Easter picnic with my husbands family. If you are making this for a get together of any kind i recommend doubling the recipe. Also when i double this i double everything BUT the olives and tomatoes. If you are a lover of olives and tomatoes then go ahead and add all you want :) I personally like it better with less Olives and Tomatoes when doubled**

First you want to cook your pasta, RINSE under COLD water for about 5 minutes. 

When done place in a large bowl and mix in Salad dressing. 

Next you want to mix ALL spice ingredients into a small bowl

 When mixed, sprinkle on top of pasta/dressing mix

 Mix VERY well and then add sliced Cucumber

Once mixed add in sliced red onion (slice as small as possible)

When mixed add Olives

 Next add your Parmesan Cheese

Add Sliced Tomatoes

Place into refrigerator for at LEAST 2 Hours for time to chill and absorb all the flavors. When done Eat up! 

 

Warm & Spicy Italian Sandwiches

This is one of my husbands favorites! He LOVES this dish so much he recommends it literally ALL the time! SO i thought i would share it because of how amazing yet simple it is! Enjoy!

Italian Sandwiches

- 3 lb Top Round Roast

- 1 pkg Onion Soup Mix

- 1 Sweet Onion

- 2 Jalapenos

- 1 Yellow Pepper

- 1 Red Pepper

- 1 Orange Pepper

- 1 Green Pepper

- 1 pkg Classic Italian Seasoning

- 1 (32 oz) Swanson Beef Stock

- Sliced Provolone Cheese

- Rolls (Homemade or Store bought)

Directions

1. Place Roast, Soup Mix, Sweet Onion, Jalapenos, Peppers & Italian Seasoning into the Crockpot

2. Pour the Broth into the crockpot until it reaches the top of the roast. (i use the entire box)

3. Turn the crockpot on HIGH for 1 hour and then LOW for 10 hours

4. Once cooked, use 2 forks and shred the meat.

5. Place Shredded Meat on Rolls and top with Provolone Cheese.

6. ENJOY!

Chicken Fajitas

These are super yummy and VERY easy! Enjoy!! :)

Chicken Fajitas

- 3 Chicken Breasts

- 1 pkg Spanish Rice-a-Roni

- 1 Sweet Onion

- 1 Red Bell Pepper

- 1 Green Bell Pepper

- Corn Tortillas (6 inch)

- 1 can Diced Green Chiles (4oz)

- 1/4 cup Salsa

- 2 tablespoons Oil

- 1 teaspoon Garlic

- Seasoning Salt & Pepper

- Sour Cream

- Cheese

- Hot Sauce (if desired)

First you want to cook your Spanish Rice according to directions on box.

(Note: we did not have Spanish rice when i made these. So..No pictures with rice. These Fajitas are good without the rice but even better with the rice, so i definitely recommend adding the rice!)

While rice is cooking add Oil to frying pan. Add Red & Green Bell pepper & Onion. Cook on medium heat until all veggies are cooked!

Once Veggies are cooked add chopped chicken & chopped garlic. Season with Pepper & Seasoning Salt

When Chicken & Garlic are cooked add canned diced Green Chiles, mix and cook for 3 minutes

Add Salsa, mix and cook for 3 minutes

 It should look like this:

 Now you want to warm up tortillas in microwave for about 1 minute

 Next you will want to place chicken mixture and rice on tortilla and top with Cheese and Sour Cream.

ENJOY!

Chinese Chicken Salad

OK! So this is one of the most amazing homemade salads i have ever made! This is a family recipe and I love that i am able to share it with friends! This is such a healthy and yummy dish! I kinda spaced it while i was making this and didn't take a picture until after we dished up our plates..... oops... but it will still work right?! Alright lets get down to what you all really want to know.... How to make Chinese Chicken Salad!

Chinese Chicken Salad

- 2 Chicken Breasts

- 1/2 pkg Maifun Rice Sticks (noodles)

- 3 cups Oil

- 1 head of Red Leaf Lettuce

- 1/2 cup Sliced Almonds

Salad Dressing

- 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds

- 6 tablespoons Sugar

- 2 teaspoons Salt

- 4 tablespoons White Vinegar

- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

- Juice from 1 small Lemon

First you want to BOIL the chicken, once cooked SHRED and place in large bowl! 

Next you want to put the oil into a wok or frying pan. HEAT! Place Maifun noodles in oil. WATCH OUT! The noodles EXPAND to double/triple the size. NOTE: you want to make sure the oil is VERY hot for the noodles. You want the oil to be at 400 degrees so before you put all the noodles in the oil place just ONE noodle in to see if it expands. The noodle should expand right away, if not wait a little longer and try again. Once the oil is at the right temp for the noodles, cook the noodles. Once the noodles expand/cook FLIP over to the other side so all the noodles get cooked. once all the noodles are cooked/expanded remove asap and place into bowl with chicken.

WASH and CUT Lettuce, place in bowl with noodles and chicken, Next toss in the Almonds.

TOSS, TOSS TOSS!!!

NOW you want to make the dressing. this is VERY simple. Throw everything into a small bowl and mix until sugar is basically dissolved. DONE! :) Now you want to mix in the dressing to the salad mixture. Once the dressing is all mixed in refrigerator for about 20 minutes! Serve and Enjoy!

Corned Beef with Cabbage

Never judge food by the look of it, smell of it.. or even its name!! The first time i have ever tried corned beef and cabbage was at my in-laws house a few years ago. I honestly never wanted to try this meal because of how it looks.. lets face it, it looks disgusting! Just because it looks like something only a dog would eat doesn't mean it isn't delicious! I think of the phrase "Never judge a book by its cover" whenever i eat this yummy meal (twice a year)! There are many people who never try new foods because of how it looks or even how it smells, but that my friends is a huge mistake! The smellier the cheese, the better it tastes! :) SO i encourage you all to try this delicious meal this year for St. Patrick's Day! 

(This is a very basic way of cooking this dish)

Corned Beef and Cabbage

- 1 pkg Corned Beef with season pkg inside

- 8 Red Potatoes

- 2 cups Mini Carrots

- 1 head of Cabbage 

(we use 2 heads because the cabbage is our favorite)

- Water

First you want to placed WASHED and SLICED potatoes in crockpot

Then you place WASHED mini carrots on top potatoes

Next place Corned Beef on top. NOW this is a personal preference but you are not suppose to wash the meat before placing it in the crockpot because it adds so much flavor. I did wash mine this year and i noticed the meat wasn't as tender and not as flavorful so i will not rinse mine the next time i cook it but just so you know, you shouldn't wash the meat, even though you will want to. This is a very slimy, fatty meat.

Now you want to fill up the crockpot with water until the meat is covered. Once crockpot is filled with water you want to top with the special seasoning packet that came with the meat. NOTE: I got a huge beef roast this year so i wasn't able to cover the meat completely.

Cover and Cook on LOW for 8 hours

Now you will want to add the WASHED and SLICED Cabbage to the crockpot and continue to cook, covered, on LOW for another 3-4 hours. (total cook time: 11-12 hours on LOW)

Serve and Enjoy!

Now im sure you noticed the brussel sprouts on the side. That is also another food i never tried until a few years ago again at my in-laws house. I was shocked at the taste. They aren't my favorite vegetable for sure but i will definitely eat them because they are actually pretty good. They taste similar to broccoli, if you add butter and a little bit of salt! :)

When i made this i thought, "well i don't think Adilyn (my daughter) will like it, so i wont make it" BUT I was wrong. My daughter is a very, i mean VERY, picky eater! And she liked everything but the cabbage and potatoes! Here is a picture of her plate and i kid you not she ate ALL of it! Who knows, maybe your kids will like it as much as my daughter did!

I Hope you all have the guts to try this dish out! I was pleasantly surprised and i am sure you will be too!

Buffalo Chicken Calzone

I LOVE buffalo sauce! Its my absolute favorite!!! Buffalo ANYTHING I will eat! So when i stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest I HAD to try it, but of course i modified it and made it, in my opinion, more Delicious! SO before you make this you need to prepare for one of the most delicious buffalo chicken recipes you have tried! You ready? OK! Here we go!!

WARNING: THIS IS SPICY!

Buffalo Chicken Calzone

- 2 Boneless Chicken Breasts

- 1 pkg store bought Pizza Dough (OR you can make your own)

- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese ( DO NOT use part skim, it will not melt)

- 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese OR Mexican Blend

- 1/2 cup Franks RedHot Wing Sauce (Buffalo Flavor)

- 1/2 cup Blue Cheese OR Ranch Dressing (use more or less, your preference here!) 

- 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil (OR Vegetable Oil) 

- Spray of PAM

- Dash of Seasoning Salt and Ground Black Pepper

ALRIGHT so the first thing you want to do is remove your pre-made or store bought pizza dough from the refrigerator to make it room temperature, it takes about 20-25 minutes. Preheat oven to 425!

Next you want to slice up your chicken into tiny bite size pieces

Cook Chicken in Oil, season with Seasoning Salt and Pepper

When chicken in completely cooked reduce heat to LOW and add Buffalo Sauce. Simmer for a few minutes over heat and then turn heat off.

Your pizza dough should be room temperature by now so you want you take your dough and roll it out the size of a pizza pan, place dough on PAM sprayed pizza pan, Like this! *** You don't want the dough TOO thin. i make mine about a 1/4 of a inch thick!*** 

Next, you want to spread buffalo chicken mix on HALF of the dough, like this:

Add Cheddar or Mexican Blend Cheese ( I use Mexican blend)

Add Mozzarella Cheese

Next you want to add the Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing. I use Blue Cheese :) ** Side note, you can add more franks buffalo sauce on top of dressing if you want to make it even more spicy!**

Then you want to fold over the other half of the pizza dough, and place it on top of all the other ingredients. Then you want to press together the top and bottom of the dough. this part can get messy and try not to rip!

Place in PREHEATED oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Mine is done at 23 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes Serve and Enjoy this delicious dish!

Cheeseburger Crescent Casserole

Anyone who has been watching TV lately (guilty as charged!) has seen a Pillsbury commercial with a quick demo of how to make their Cheeseburger Crescent Casserole. After seeing this commercial SEVERAL times during my hour show I decided, "why not?! Maybe they'll quit playing the commercial if I just make it!" Side note, that didn't work out... but the recipe DID! I did a couple things different to add some more flavor... Here we go!

Source

Pillsbury gives the directions as follows:

1 lb ground beef, cooked, drained

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup dill pickle relish

1 1/2 cups shredded American cheese (6 oz)

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

I added:

1 TB butter

2 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup sweet onion finely chopped

*reduce ketchup to 1/4 cup

1/4 cup BBQ sauce (I prefer famous daves)

1/2 cup Pepper Jack cheese

*For a spicy kick add some diced green chili's or jalapenos!

Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch skillet sautee garlic and onion in 1 TB butter. Add beef and cook thuroughly. Add BBQ sauce and ketchup. Heat over medium-high heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Stir in relish and 1 cup american cheese. Spoon into ungreased 9- or 10-inch glass pie plate.

Separate dough into 8 triangles; roll up 1 inch on shortest side of each dough triangle. Place dough on top of meat mixture in spoke pattern with points towards center. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup American cheese and Pepper Jack Cheese.  

Bake15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.