Creamy Chicken Noodle

Last week we had a jacket-weather day. First time in months! I made a delicious homemade soup that I'd like to share with you!

CREAMY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 qt + 1 cup chicken broth or stock

4 oz egg noodles

1/2 c butter (I used 1/4 cup)

3/4 c onion, chopped

3/4 c celery, chopped

3/4 c carrots, chopped

2 T flour

1 qt milk, warmed

1-2 cups chicken, cooked and diced

1 can cream of chicken

1 tsp parsley

Add salt and pepper to chicken broth. Bring to boil and add noodles. Cook until tender. In a different pan, add butter, 1 cup chicken broth and vegetables. Cook until veggies are tender. Add flour to veggie mixture and stir until smooth. Cook for 5 mins on low. Add flour mixture to noodles and broth. Add chicken and cream of chicken. Cook until thick, stir occassionally. Salt, pepper and parsley to taste. Enjoy!

Also kid-friendly!

Summertime

New season and definately new menu. I love summer!

Monday - Pulled pork Sandwiches

Tuesday - Turkey Wraps

Wednesday - Salmon and Green Beans

Thursday - Barbacoa Mexican Grill

Friday - Hamburgers and Potato Salad

Saturday - Taco Salad

Sunday - Apricot Chicken and Rice

New Favorite

Its hard to top my favorites list, but this Candy Bar Pie is a new favorite in our house. Its the winner of the Pillsbury Cook-Off.

Candy Bar Pie

1 Pillsbury All Ready Pie Crust
5 Snicker's candy bars (2.7 oz)
1/2 cup sugar
12 ounces softened cream cheese
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons whipping cream
2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 450ºF. Prepare pie crust according to package instructions for filled pie, using 9" pie pan. Bake at 450ºF for 5-7 minutes or until very light golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF.

Cut candy bars in half lengthwise; cut into 1/4" pieces. Place candy bar pieces over bottom of partially baked crust.In small bowl, combine sugar and cream cheese, beating until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and peanut butter, beating until mixture is smooth. Pour over candy bar pieces.
Bake at 325ºF for 30-40 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely.

In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream until very warm. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Spread over top of pie.
Refrigerate 2-3 hours before serving. Store in refrigerator.

TRUST ME, ITS THAT GOOD!

New Month, New Menu

I got a great new Pillsbury cookbook for Christmas and I've been itching to try some new recipes. This whole week is generally from it.

Monday - Mexican - Baja Pie


Tuesday - New - Pork Chops with Apples


Wednesday - Chicken with chipolte


Thursday - Italian - Bow-ties with Ham


Friday - Date Night


Saturday - Layered Enchiladas


Sunday - Alfredo Green Bean Casserole





PS - We had cheese fondue over the weekend. Try the recipe here.

Birthday Week

This week is my birthday. Number 27. I don't know if I'm ready for it, but I am ready to celebrate. Benj is taking me to the Cheesecake Factory and I cannot wait! I'm sorry to say it, but out of all the meals I'm "making" this week, I'm most looking forward to Friday when I don't have to cook and I can devour a whole slice of heaven. The question is, what kind should I get?

MONDAY - Mexican - Thai Chicken Burritos

TUESDAY - New - Grilled Steak and Roasted Vegetables

WEDNESDAY - Chinese - Wok Steak

THURSDAY - Italian - Rotini with Spicy Meat Sauce

FRIDAY - Date Night - Cheesecake Factory

SATURDAY - Soups On! - Clam Chowder

SUNDAY - Traditional - Family Dinner

Dad's Famous Clam Chowder

It really is the best you will ever it. I promise.

3-4 cans (6.5 oz) chopped or minced clams

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup finely diced onion

1 cup finely diced carrots

2 cups diced red potatoes

3/4 cup flour

1 quart milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon salt

ground pepper to taste

Drain liquid from clams and pour over vegetables. Add just enough water to barely cover and then cook until vegetables are tender.

While vegetables are cooking, heat milk in microwave until wave and then add butter with canola oil in large saucepan. Over medium-low heat, add flour slowly to melted butter and whisk until well blended. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and thickened.

Add vegetables (do not drain), clams, and salt and pepper. Heat chowder (slowly stirring) until it just starts to bubble. Serve with crackers or sourdough bread.

Beginning of a New Year

Better late than never, right? I will really try to post these at the beginning of the week.

MONDAY - Taco Salad

TUESDAY - Hawaiian Haystacks

WEDNESDAY - Spaghetti Pie

THURSDAY - Italian Chicken and Rice

FRIDAY - Crescent Calzones - from Pillsbury

SATURDAY - Chicken Pot Pie

SUNDAY - Shepherd's Pie

PS - Have you seen Julie and Julia? I just saw it today and it was so inspiring. Not only about cooking but whatever basically doing whatever you dream of doing. I wish I could cook fancy french food everyday! We can't afford lobster but I think I'll try a recipe of Julia's next week. :)

A New Year . . . Almost

I'm so excited to begin a new year. Benj and I are going to try to lose some weight this year, so my goal is to create delicious, LOW FAT meals. Our "free" day, where we can eat anything we want, will be on Saturday. We'll be eating salads everyday for lunch, and I want to make sure my family gets 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Next week is when we'll really be getting into it.

MONDAY - Mexican - Chicken Enchiladas
TUESDAY - New - Stuffed Shells
WEDNESDAY - Seafood - Shrimp Stir Fry
THURSDAY - Chili's
FRIDAY - French Dip
SATURDAY - Soups On! - Minestrone
SUNDAY - Traditional - Steak and mashed potatoes