Cheese and Broccoli Chicken Soup

"This is a thick and creamy cheddar cheese soup with chunks of chicken meat and broccoli florets."

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Ready in: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
11 cups water
3 cubes chicken bullion
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
2 heads fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup light cream
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. In a 5-quart pot, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in flour, stirring constantly until a thick paste forms. Remove from pot, set aside. (I've found that even 1/2 the butter and flour amounts are usually enough.)
2. In same pot, combine water, bullion cubes, chicken, broccoli, salt and pepper. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Stir in the flour mixture a little bit at a time until soup thickens.  Simmer 5 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in cream. Mix in cheese 1 cup at a time, and stir until melted.


Variation:  Replace chicken with ham. We had leftover ham from Christmas dinner - I just chopped it into bite-size pieces. Omit salt when using ham as it will add a salted flavor already.

My family (2 adults & 1 child) eats about 1/3 of this recipe for a meal.  Here are the amounts that I use when cutting the ingredients into 1/3: (butter & flour are slightly less than 1/3 because I never need as much as the recipe calls for.)
2 Tablespoons butter 
1/4 cup flour
3 cups water
1 cube chicken bullion
2/3 pound chicken or ham
1 head fresh broccoli
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using ham)
1/3 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup light cream
1 cup cheddar cheese


source: allrecipes.com

Squash Quinoa Soup

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 32 mins

Ingredients:
12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup finely chopped shallot or green onion (only the white part if using green onions)
2 tsp. olive or canola oil
2 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 5.5-ounce can apricot nectar
1 lb. butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions:
In saucepan cook chicken and shallot in hot oil over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until shallots are tender, stirring occasionally.  Add broth, apricot nectar, squash, quinoa, and cumin.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, 5 minutes.  Add zucchini.  Cover and cook 10 minutes more until squash and quinoa are tender.  Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.  Makes 6 (1-1/3 cup) servings.


Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

Whole Wheat Bread

Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe is essentially the same as the other whole wheat bread recipe listed on this blog here.  The only differences are that this recipe is a little bigger - makes more bread, and the instructions are written a little differently. The ingredients are all the same.

Makes: 4 large loaves
- or 5 medium loaves (4x8 size pans)
- or 4 medium and 2 mini loaves - as pictured

11-12 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour, divided (either hard white or hard red wheat is fine - the white wheat will be a little lighter.)
2 Tbsp wheat gluten
2 Tbsp yeast
1/3 cup dough enhancer
2 Tbsp salt
2/3 cup honey or brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil, canola oil, or unsalted butter - melted
5 cups really warm water

Add 6 cups flour with everything else in order listed into a large mixer.  Using dough hook, mix for 4-6 minutes (on the second to the highest speed if you're using a bosch).  Add 5 more cups flour and mix on high for another 4-6 minutes.  Check for elasticity.  Dough should be sticky but not wet.  Should pull out about 1 1/2 inches before breaking.  Gradually add up to but not more than one more cup of flour.  Dough should be pulling away from sides of bowl, but not dry.  Add more water if too dry.  Rub hands with oil and divide into 4 equal portions (or adjust for the pan sizes you're using).  Shape into loaves and put into greased pans.  Cover with a towel and let raise until double in size (about 45 minutes to 1 hour) (mine usually takes a lot longer - maybe my kitchen is cold).  Bake at 350*F for about 25-30 minutes.  Should not be too dark but crusty.  Remove from pans right away, brush with butter on all sides, and wrap in paper towels to cool on counter.  Put loaves in bread sacks and freeze when completely cooled if you won't be using them within about 4 days.


*Note: This makes too much dough to fit in my smaller kitchen aid mixer bowl so I divide all the ingredients in two parts and mix half at a time.  I go ahead and measure all the dry into a second bowl while I'm working on the 1st half of the dough so that it's ready to mix with the wet ingredients when I finish the 1st half. (I don't even know if that makes sense!) For my pans (4x8) this recipe makes about 5 loaves or 4 regular and 2 mini loaves (2 reg and 1 mini from each half).

Berry Cherry Groovy Smoothie

This is a recipe my 5 year old found and requested that we make.  It turned out really delicious!

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen pitted Bing cherries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt (plain works great!)
strawberry and raspberry for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1. Place the fruit in the base of a blender. Add the juice and yogurt.
2. Blend on low, stopping the blender to stir if necessary, until smooth.  Increase to high for several seconds.
3. Divide the mixture between two glasses and top with fresh fruit.

Kitchen Tip: Buy frozen fruit for the smoothie.  The fruit will be ripest and you won't need any ice cubes for a nice thick smoothie.

Recipe source: http://www.nickjr.com/recipes/berry-cherry-groovy-smoothie.jhtml

Aloha Chicken

ALOHA CHICKEN
Serves: 4  
Ready in 30 mins or less

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp oil
2 cans (8oz size) unsweetened pineapple chunks
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp light teriyaki sauce or light soy sauce
1/8 tsp black pepper
hot cooked rice

Directions:
Flatten chicken to 1/4 inch thickness.  Place 1 tablespoon of flour in a large Ziploc bag; add chicken and shake to coat.  In skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil for 3 to5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.  Remove and keep warm.

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice.  In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and reserved juice until smooth.  Add to skillet.  Stir in honey, teriyaki sauce and pepper.  Boil 30 seconds or until thickened.  Add pineapple chunks and chicken; heat through.  Serve over rice. (We had it with brown rice and it was excellent!)

*Note: Next time I think I'd like to have a little bit more sauce so I may increase the amount of pineapple juice, cornstarch, honey, and teriyaki sauce to make more.  It would probably be nice to have some to pour over the rice too. 

source: www.cdkitchen.com

5 Minute Chocolate Frosting

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 ¼ cups baking cocoa
1 cup butter – softened
⅓ cup milk
1½ Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Put your softened butter in mixer; mix until it is creamy.
2. Add in vanilla, sugar, & baking cocoa. It will get VERY thick here.3. Slowly add in milk!
That’s it! Now you are ready to frost your cake. It will make quite a bit of frosting and the first time I frosted a cake with it, I didn’t put enough on and had half the bowl full of frosting. The cake looked like I had to much frosting on it, until I went to eat it later. It compacts down, so don’t be afraid to frost the heck out of the cake!
I love to put this onto the Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge Cake — double chocolate heaven right there. Maybe some vanilla ice cream on the side too, you know, to even things out!

Recipe source: http://www.discountqueens.com/diy-5-minute-chocolate-frosting/

Grandma's Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
2 Tbs milk
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add egg, milk, and vanilla; mix.
• Add flour and baking powder; mix
• Roll dough out and cut with cookie cutters.
• Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes.

(Recipe from Emily C.)

Pumpkin Bars

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup oil
2 cups pumpkin
4 eggs

• Preheat oven to 350*.  Prepare a 15x10 pan.
• Blend together all ingredients and mix at low speed for 2 minutes.  Pour into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Let cool.  Frost. (Frosting recipe below).

Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter

3 oz cream cheese

1 Tbs milk

1 tsp vanilla

• Combine ingredients to make frosting.  Spread frosting over cooled pumpkin bars.  Store in refrigerator.

(Recipe from Emily C.)

Corn Bread Puffs

1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
4 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 egg white
1/3 cup skim milk
2 T cooking oil

• Mix ingredients until smooth.
• Spoon batter into 1 3/4-inch muffin cups sprayed with non-stick coating until 3/4 full.
• Bake at 425* for 10-12 minutes.
• Makes 12 puffs (69 calories)

(Recipe from Emily C.)

Strawberry Raspberry Trifle

3 cups milk
2 packages white chocolate pudding mix
1 prepared angel food cake (14 oz) cut into 1" cubes
3 cups sliced strawberries
3 cups raspberries
1 carton (8 oz) whipped topping

• Whisk milk and pudding mix.  Let stand 2 minutes.
• Place a third of the cake cubes in a trifle bowl.  Top with one third of the pudding, 1 cup strawberries; 1 1/2 cups raspberries, and one third of the whipped topping.
• Layer with a third of the cake and pudding, 1 cup strawberries, and one third of the whipped topping.
• Top with remaining cake, pudding, strawberries, raspberries and whipped topping.  
• Garnish with strawberries.

(Recipe from Emily C.)

Raspberry Peach Delight

1 prepared angel food cake (8"), cut into 1" cubes
1 package (.3 oz) raspberry gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
1 can (15 oz) sliced peaches, drained and halved
3 cups cold milk
1 package (1.5 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 carton (8 oz) frozen cool whip, thawed

• Arrange the angel food cubes in 9x13" pan.  In a small bowl, dissolve raspberry jello in boiling water; stir in cold water.  Pour over cake.  Arrange sliced peaches over jello.
• In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes.  Let stand for 2 minutes.  Spoon over the peaches.  Top with cool whip.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

(Recipe from Emily C.)

Italian Hot Dish

1 1/2 cups small pasta shells
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
4 tsp grated parmesan

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook the beef, 1/2 cup mushrooms, onion and green pepper until meat is no longer pink.  Stir in tomato sauce, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes.
• Drain pasta; place in 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Top with meat sauce and remaining mushrooms.  Sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 2 tsp parmesan.
• Cover and bake at 350* for 35 minutes.  Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheeses.  Bake until cheese is melted.

(Recipe from Emily C.)

Poppyseed Chicken

Chicken breasts (4-8, cooked)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 16 oz tub sour cream
2 sleeves ritz crackers
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbs poppy seeds

• Cube cooked chicken and place in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
• Mix sour cream and soup and cover chicken with soup mixture.
• Crush crackers and mix with melted butter and poppy seeds.
• Sprinkle cracker mixture over the soup and bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

(Recipe from Emily C.)

Bubble Pizza

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 can (15 oz) pizza sauce
2 tubes (12 oz each) buttermilk biscuits
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded cheddar

• In a skillet, cook the beef over medium heat.  Drain.  Stir in pizza sauce. Quarter the biscuits; place in a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Top with beef mixture.
• Bake, uncovered at 400* for 20-25 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheeses.  Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

(Recipe from Emily C.)

Hurry-Up Ham 'n' Noodles

5 to 6 cups wide egg noodles
1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup julienned fully cooked ham
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

• Cook noodles according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Gradually whisk in cream.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Add the ham, cheese, onions, salt and pepper.  Cook until heated through.  Drain noodles and add to ham mixture.  Toss to coat.

(Recipe from Emily C.)

Swiss Chicken Supreme

1 Tbs dried minced onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup crushed crackers
1 tsp melted butter
1/2 cup milk
4 (+) boneless chicken breasts

• Place chicken in 9x13 foil-lined pan.  Sprinkle with onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Top each with a slice of cheese.
• In a small bowl, combine the soup, sour cream and milk.  Pour over chicken.  Toss the cracker crumbs and butter and sprinkle over chicken.
• bake, uncovered, at 350* for 30-40 minutes.

(recipe from Emily C.)

Sweet Butters

I have not tried these yet, but wanted to remember them and try them out sometime so that is why I am posting them here.  Mmmm! 

________

CINNAMON SWEET BUTTER

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ( 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

• In a med. bowl, stir (or beat with mixer) together the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar until well combined. Chill. Makes 8 serving.

______

CREAMY BROWN SUGAR BUTTER
"This recipe is for a sweet, whipped butter. It tastes great on white breads as well as heavy grain breads. To be served at dinner."

Yields: 1/2 cup butter
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter, soft
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream or milk
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed

Directions:

• After butter has softened to room temperature, put in small mixing bowl. Add either heavy cream or milk. Add brown sugar. Use mixer on slow then fast to whip butter until creamy. Keep butter in covered bowl or plastic container. Store in refrigerator when not in use.

Baked Doughnuts

Shelley's notes:  These doughnuts were so fun to make!  I loved the fact that the were baked for two reasons:  1- Healthier than fried; 2 - I do not have a deep fryer and frying on the stove just doesn't cut it for me as it's hard to reach and maintain the correct temperature to work optimally. 

The original doughnut recipe (below) just did the cinnamon/sugar coating.  I decided to try a glaze also, and included that recipe after the doughnut recipe below.  I personally preferred the cinnamon ones with this recipe but all were good and it seemed to be a toss-up for the rest of my family.  For the glazes I did a plain glaze and a chocolate glaze.  If I'd had some maple flavoring on hand I would have definitely made some maple frosting too, but I used it all up the other day.  I'm still not sold on the glaze recipe and may try a different one next time...  But anyway, here are the recipes that I used this time around. Enjoy!

*I didn't have the liners on hand for the baking sheets (parchment paper or silpat liners) so I sprayed my pan with cooking spray and then dusted it with flour and that seemed to work well.  Although I did brush the flour off the bottoms  of the doughnuts and holes before glazing and coating.

BAKED DOUGHNUTS
recipe source: www.melskitchencafe.com


*Note: These little beauties are best made and eaten the same day, preferably warm right from the oven. The great news is that you can make the dough, roll and cut out the doughnuts the night before and let them do their second rising in the fridge, covered. Remove them from the refrigerator and put them on the counter about an hour before baking. I used instant yeast in the recipe. If you only have active dry yeast on hand, proof the yeast with 1/3 cup of the warm milk and the sugar until it is foaming before adding in the rest of the milk and proceeding with the recipe.



*Makes about 1 1/2 dozen doughnuts/doughnut holes


INGREDIENTS:

Doughnuts:
1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour
A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon salt


Topping:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon




DIRECTIONS:
Place the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and sugar. Add the butter. Mix the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt. Beat the dough with the dough hook attachment (or with a wooden spoon and eventually your hands) for 2-3 minutes at medium speed. Adjust the dough texture by adding flour a few tablespoons at a time or more milk. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and be very soft and smooth but still slightly sticky – don’t overflour! Knead the dough for a few minutes (again, by mixer or by hand) and then transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size (the exact time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen).


Punch down the dough and roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured counter. Using a doughnut cutter or a 2-3 inch circle cookie cutter, cut out circles in the dough. Carefully transfer the circles to a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. Be sure to make the holes large enough that as the doughnuts rise again and bake, they don’t fill in the doughnut hole with the puffiness of the dough. Cover the tray with lightly greased plastic wrap. (At this point, you can refrigerate the doughnuts overnight or proceed with the recipe.) Let the doughnuts rise for about another 45 minutes, until they are puffed and nearly doubled.


Bake in a 375 degree F oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Start checking the doughnuts around minute 8. They should still be pale on top, not golden and browned, and just barely baked through.


Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes. Dip each one in the melted butter and toss or sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Serve immediately.


GLAZE

source: www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com

Ingredients:
3 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Cold Water Or Milk


Directions:
Mix all ingredients together until smooth. If the glaze seems a big too runny, add more powdered sugar. If the glaze seems too thick, add a bit more water or milk. Dip 1/2 of the doughnut into the glaze, and then rest glaze side up on wax or parchment paper to dry. Top with nuts or sprinkles before the glaze sets up.


To make the Chocolate glaze, simply add a bit of cocoa powder to taste. A little goes a long way!

Shelley's Note:  I also added a little less than 1/2 tsp of almond extract just because I like that flavor with some recipes.  It was good, but the glaze was still a little lacking in my opinion.  Still need to search for a better one. :)

Blueberry Breakfast Scones

Ingredients:
3 3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. shortening
2 tbsp. cold butter
1 c. blueberries
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs
granulated sugar (optional)


Directions:
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening and butter using a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add blueberries and toss lightly to distribute. In a separate bowl using a fork beat together the milk and eggs until well blended. Using a large spoon gently stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture. With floured hands gather the dough up and place on a floured surface. Sprinkle the top lightly with additional flour and pat the dough out to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.


Using a 2 1/2-inch fluted or rounded cutter, cut the scones out (dipping the cutter in flour before and after each one) and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet. Gather up the scraps and cut additional scones until all the dough is used. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with granulated sugar (optional) and bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Do not over bake or scones will be dry. Serve with blueberry butter.

Click HERE for Blueberry Butter recipe.


Source: www.cooks.com

Blueberry Butter

(Goes with Blueberry Breakfast Scones recipe found HERE.)

Ingredients:
2 oz. butter, softened
1 tsp. confectioners sugar
1/4 c. blueberries


Directions:
Allow 2 ounces (a half stick) of butter to soften. In a small bowl using an electric mixer beat the butter, slowly adding 1 teaspoon confectioners sugar until fluffy. Stir in 1/4 cup blueberries and crush them with a fork into the butter. Beat again until blueberries are mixed in well. Store in covered dish in refrigerator. Remove 20 minutes before serving.

Source: www.cooks.com

Chicken Parmesan Bake

Source: http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2008/02/end-of-chicken-parmesan-as-you-know-it.html

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Directions:

• Preheat oven t 350*.
• In a casserole dish - 9x13 or whatever you have, put in 2 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Mix those around so the bottom is coated. Add a couple shakes of red pepper flakes (optional, but good!).
• Fill pan with chicken breasts. (The number will depend on the size of breasts you are using.)
• Pour 2 cups of marinara sauce over the chicken. Then sprinkle about 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil leaves. (You can also use dry but fresh is best).
• On top of sauce, sprinkle half of mozzarella (4 oz), and half of Parmesan (2 oz).
• Pour on your 5 oz package of croutons and spread out so that a single layer covers the whole dish.
• Then sprinkle on the rest of your mozzarella (4 oz) and Parmesan(2 oz) cheeses.
• Bake uncovered in 350* oven for 35 minutes. (May take up to an hour to cook depending on the chicken you use).

Shelley's notes:

• I cooked this for about 35 minutes uncovered and then for another 25 or 30 minutes with tin foil on top because the chicken was not done and the top was already brown and toasty and I didn't want it overly toasted. My chicken ended up being really thick. Next time I would definitely cut my chicken to make it thinner - then it would cook faster and the layer of chicken would not be so huge and I think it would have a better balance with the other layers. If the chicken was thinner to begin with it would probably be fine.
• I served this dinner with spaghetti noodles (we put the chicken parm on top of the noodles), a side of sauteed zucchini and yellow squash, and rolls. DELICIOUS!!