The Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

I made this soup tonight...doesn't it look YUMMY!

This is a take off of Tyler Florence's Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup. This is what I did...
Ingredients:

2 small onions diced ( I use sweet yellow onions, like walla walla, or 1015)

10 button mushrooms chopped coursley

1.5 cups of carrots chopped into rounds

3 boxes of low sodium chicken stock

3-4 cups of cooked chicken ( I use white meat)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon of Mrs Dash

1 small bag of cheese tortellini

1 cup of chopped up fresh spinach (frozen would work just fine)

2 Tablespoons of butter

Put butter in large soup pot and melt on high, when almost melted, add onions. Store onions until they are translucent and starting to caramelize on the edges, add carrots, stir and let them cook and caramelize a little as well. Add the mushrooms and stir. Add Salt. pepper, and Mrs. Dash. Add in chicken stock and set to high temperature so it will boil. Add in the chicken and spinach and stir. Once the soup is bubbling, add the tortellini and boil for about 10 minutes (or whatever package says). Add more salt & pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick, just add some water or broth until its the consistency you like. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes or however long you like. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

I think adding some fresh herbs at the end would also be a nice touch, like some basil, but I didn't have any!

Spanish Frittata

This is such a pretty dish, and I wanted to make it something special. So when we had a brunch theme for my future sister in law's shower... I thought of this dish. It was awesome, and I got asked for the recipe many times.

"You can make this great meal in either a pie plate or a cake plate, whatever you've got lying around. If you want to entertain with this dish, line your pan with some heavy duty aluminum foil that hangs over all the edges, that way you can just lift it out when it's done baking and serve it on a nice cake stand or serving plate – so fancy!" ~Rachael Ray

1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound pre-cooked chorizo, casing removed and meat chopped
1 jar whole roasted red peppers, drained
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 cups frozen diced hash brown potatoes, defrosted
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
A few dashes hot sauce (add more if you like it spicy!)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (about a small handful) parsley, chopped
1 cup Manchego cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Place a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Sauté the chorizo in the hot pan until it's crispy, 5-6 minutes. While the chorizo is cooking, prepare a pie plate by lining it with the roasted peppers -- if they're not already broken open, run a knife down the side of them to open up the pocket, just like you're butterflying a chicken breast. Slightly overlap the edges of the peppers so you don't see the bottom or sides of the pan. Put your pie plate onto a baking sheet so it's easier to move later on. When the chorizo is crispy, transfer it to the pepper-lined pie plate, spreading it out to evenly cover the bottom. Sprinkle the chopped onion and potatoes over the chorizo, spreading everything out evenly.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss the parsley into the egg mixture at the last minute, give it a quick stir, then pour the mixture slowly into the pie plate (it may take a second for the liquid to settle into all the nooks and crannies of everything already in the pie plate, so wait for it to settle before adding the rest of your egg mixture). Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the frittata until the eggs are slightly wobbly in the middle and the cheese is golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Cut the finished frittata into 8 wedges and serve.

Rachael Ray

Santa Fe Wraps

REALLY good, and great for an appetizer or in limited portions. The cream cheese is too rich for me to have as a main course.

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 1/2-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 (4 1/4-ounce) can chopped olives
1 cup (4-ounce) shredded pepper jack cheese
2 tablespoons salsa, plus salsa for dipping, optional
1/2 cup green onion tops, sliced
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
2 packages flour tortillas

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy. Then add sour cream, green chiles, olives, pepper jack cheese, salsa, and onion tops. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer. Stir in spinach. Spread mixture evenly over the surface of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas tightly and cut each tortilla crosswise into 6 slices. Skewer each wrap with a wooden toothpick. Serve immediately or chill. Serve with salsa for dipping, if desired.

Paula Deen

i added some of those real bits of bacon, just because all things taste better with bacon

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups flour, unsifted
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup raspberries (fresh or drained frozen)

STREUSEL TOPPING
Blend w/pastry blender:
1/2 C flour
1/2 C quick oats
1/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Cut in 6 tablespoons butter. Blend until coarse.

Prepare streusel topping. Set aside.

Grease 12 3-inch muffin pan cups.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In large bowl, w/electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until well blended.

In medium bowl, combine flour and other dry ingredients.

In small bowl, combine milk, sour cream and vanilla.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beating just until batter is combined.

Gently fold in raspberries.

Spoon batter into muffin cups; sprinkle tops generously with streusel topping.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; sprinkle w/confectioners sugar.

Recipe from my Aunt Vicki... she's also done a variation by substituting the sour cream with raspberry yogurt.

Easy Breadsticks

I got this recipe from this site and tried them last night. They were easy and really tasty. Just start them an hour before you want to eat and they'll be hot and ready with the rest of your meal!

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 T. butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and let bubble for a few minutes. Add the salt and flour and knead for 3 minutes {I used my Bosch}. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Melt butter and pour most of it onto a cookie sheet and spread around evenly. Roll out dough. Cut to desired width {I used a pizza cutter} then twist and lay on cookie sheet. {You could also just lay them on flat.} Brush breadsticks with leftover melted butter then sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan. Let raise for 10-20 minutes. Cook in 375* oven for 18-20 minutes. {Mine only needed 18.} Enjoy!

The Easiest Mint Brownies EVER

One Brownie Mix
One bag of Andes Mint Chips
One stick of butter

Prepare the brownies according to the directions, in a 9 X 13” pan. Let them cool.

Put the butter and chips in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Spread on the brownies. Chill in the refrigerator until the topping has set. Serve at room temperature.

Honey Dijon Chicken

1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 cube)
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Cover 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts with sauce. Bake at 350* F for 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil.

This would go well with rice and fresh veggies.

Caramel Brownies

This recipe has been around for a while -- and for good reason. It's sooo good. I thought it would definitely have made its way on here by now, but since I can't find it I figured I'd post it. You're welcome.

50 caramels
2/3 cup evaporated milk, divided
1 package German chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter, melted
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Over low heat, melt caramels with 1/3 cup evaporated milk, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, beat cake mix, butter, and remaining evaporated milk until blended. Pour half of batter into a 9" x 13" pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350*F for 6 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over batter; pour caramel mixture evenly over chips, leaving 1/2" border around edges. Pour remaining batter over caramel mixture and spread to edges, making sure to seal border. (Yes, it can be a pain to spread brownie batter over melted caramels. Just go with it.) Bake 18 minutes more. Cool to room temperature; refrigerate to allow caramel to set before cutting.

Colcannon

This is an Irish dish I found in one of my vegetarian cookbooks. It is quite tasty. I served it with brats, but it would be good with any sausage.

1 lb. cabbage, quartered and sliced
4 lb potatoes, peeled and quartered
8 oz leeks
2 cups evaporated milk
2 t salt
1 t pepper
1/4 t nutmeg
4 T butter (I only used about 2T)

Put cabbage in 3 quart saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until very tender, about 45 minutes. Put potatoes in 4 quart saucepan, cover with water. bring to a boil and cook until very tender. (You will be mashing them) Meanwhile, cut the white parts of the leeks in half lengthwise and slice thinly. Put leeks in 2 quart saucepan and add evaporated milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Boil for 10 minutes, until leeks are tender. Heat oven to 350 and butter a 3 quart baking dish. Drain potatoes and mash. Add the leeks and milk, stir with a spoon. Drain cabbage and fold into potatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Put mixture in a baking dish. Dot with bits of butter. (This can be made to this point and refrigerated for several days) Bake 1 hour until heated through and golden on top. Serve hot.