Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Wow! It's flu season and the flu hit our little family... hard! Coughing, fevers, nausea, chills; you name it, we had it. Thankfully, we are all on the mend now, but I can't tell you how wonderful a bowl full of this simple, tasty soup felt while being so sick.

It's doesn't require all manner of fancy ingredients; I bet you have most, if not all, of this stuff in your kitchen now. Plus, it's low in fat. You just can't go wrong with this simple staple!

So, go enjoy a couple bowls of this savory soup and call me in the morning!

• 1 medium onion
• Tbsp vegetable oil
  
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup celery
• 2 cups egg noodles
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop onion and then saute in the oil in a large soup pot until translucent.

2. Add broth, chicken breasts, and bay leaf to the onions in the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked all the way through and tender (about 45 minutes).

3. Remove chicken from broth and cut into bite-sized pieces.

4. Add celery and carrots to broth and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Add egg noodles and parsley to broth and simmer an additional 5-7 minutes or just until egg noodles are tender. Don't overcook the egg noodles or they will fall apart.

6. Add chicken to soup and stir to combine and warm through.

7. Salt and pepper to taste.

Italian-Style Spinach Dumplings

While cuisine hunting on the internet, I found a recipe for some "arugula dumplings" that sounded absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, I don't keep any of the main ingredients required on standby in my kitchen. I do, however, keep spinach on hand in the freezer, which made me think, "I know the basic components of a dumpling, so let's give this a shot!" And thus, the Italian-Style Spinach Dumpling was born!

I am rather proud of this recipe as I took that arugula inspiration and took it in a whole new direction... all by myself. I find this is one of the most satisfying aspects of cooking and baking: creating a culinary Frankenstein 's monster all your own. It's even better when that monster turns out to be quite tasty!

• 8 oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained well, and chopped
• 4 oz (approx. 4-5 slices) bread, chopped finely (I used wheat because it is what we routinely buy and we always have it on hand, but you could use 4 oz white bread or French bread with the crusts cut off)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 3/4 cup real Parmesan cheese, grated (you won't want to use the bottled "sprinkly cheese" for this recipe)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt to taste (I used about a tsp of salt)
• 1/2 - 3/4 all-purpose flour (measure will vary; you will add between 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup to get the needed consistency)
• Homemade or bottled spaghetti sauce
• 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese

1. Heavily salt a pot of water and start it boiling on the stove.

2. Whisk eggs, sour cream, and milk together until uniform in consistency.

3. Add garlic powder and salt; stir.

4. Add bread, spinach, and Parmesan cheese, mixing well to combine.

5. Stir in flour a little at a time until mixture reaches a dough-like consistency ( a small ball of the "dough" should hold itself together).

6. Roll dumpling "dough" into tablespoon-sized balls. Drop about 10 balls at a time into boiling water. (Note: if this is your first time making these, you may want to cook just one dumpling to start with and taste test it once it done. After tasting it, you can decide to add more salt, flour, cook them longer, etc. before you cook all of them and it is too late to alter the "dough." Many a culinary catastrophe has been avoided by a simple taste test!)

7. Cook dumplings about 5 minutes (after they float to the top of the water, cook an additional minute to ensure egg-y middle is cooked all the way through). The center of the dumplings should be firm, not slimy.

8. Remove dumplings from water with a slotted spoon, being sure to drain all water.

9. Place all dumplings in an oven-safe baking dish. Repeat process until all dumplings are cooked and in the baking dish.

10. Cover dumplings with spaghetti sauce. Layer mozzarella cheese evenly over sauce.

11. Broil dumplings in the oven for 2-3 minutes or until cheese on top is melted.

Chunky Chili

We are notorious for not eating leftovers at our house, but this is one recipe guaranteed to be eaten! This is a very mild and chunky chili that kids and adults alike enjoy. Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you, this recipe is super easy! If you like your chili to have more of a soup-like consistency, leave out one can of beans.

You can also make this a vegetarian dish by omitting the meat or substituting "fake" meat for the ground beef (I use Morningstar Crumbles fro the freezer section of the supermarket). If using "faux" meat, just add it when you add the beans to the tomato base, no need to brown it at the beginning of the recipe. Also, if not using beef, you will want to saute the onions and garlic in a tablespoon or two of regular canola or vegetable oil until garlic is fragrant and onion is clear.

• 1 lbs lean ground beef (you can also use "fake" meat - I use Morningstar Crumbles from the frozen food section)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 - 4 cloves of garlic (or garlic powder equivalent)
• 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed and drained
• 2 - 3 Tbsp chili powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 black pepper
• A tiny sprinkle of Cayenne pepper (optional - use only if you want some spice in your chili)
• Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
• Chopped white or green onion (optional)
• Sour cream (optional)
• Crushed tortilla chips (optional)

1. In a large pot, brown meat with onions and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is clear.

2. Add tomato sauce, petite diced tomatoes, beans, corn, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and Cayenne pepper (if desired). If making vegetarian chili with "fake" meat, you would also add those at this time.

3. Bring to boiling and then reduce heat. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Serve warm. If desired, top with cheese, onion, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips. Corn bread or a green salad are great side dishes for this recipe!

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast and Veggies

I remember on Sundays coming home from church to a house filled with the smells of my mother's pot roast cooking in the crock pot. It makes my mouth water just to think of it! I am not sure what her sumptuous recipe was, but this one is almost as tasty! The meat in this will melt in your mouth and the veggies make a nice compliment and side dish. Again, slow-cookers are a great companion on a busy day. Just prep it and walk away! So simple! So delicious!

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces (optional)
  
• 4-6 potatoes, cubed (I leave the skin on; I feel it serves as a nice "anchor" and adds some texture)
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
  
• 1 1/4 cups water
• Approx. 4- 5 pounds pot roast (I have used this with a roast as small as 3 pounds and it turned out just fine)
  

1. In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.

2. Cook on low for 3 hours, then add vegetables. Cover veggies with liquid (as much as possible). Replace lid and cook for another 5-6 hours on low or until the meat is done and the veggies are tender.

Note: You can cook this on high, just add meat and veggies all at once and cook for 4-5 hours or until the meat is done and the veggies are tender.

Thanksgiving Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is another recipe adapted from a Food Network original. Rachel Ray calls her version "Thanksgiving Tonight." My variation is different , but I still call this recipe delicious! I serve this over whole wheat spaghetti with turkey gravy and plenty of real Parmesan cheese (I think the cheese adds some much needed "saltiness"). These are so fabulous, I make a double batch and freeze the leftovers, though my husband and I could probably finish all of them off in one sitting!

• 1 1/2 cups dry stuffing (I use a turkey flavored variety)
  
• 1 1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock
• 1 pound ground turkey
• Black pepper
• Salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 1 small onion or 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium Golden Delicious or Ganny Smith apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 - 3 tsp seasoning salt
• 1 egg
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. If serving with pasta (recommended), bring water to a boil in large pot for pasta. (Note: When the water boils, wait until meatballs go into oven before adding pasta. When meatballs have been in oven 4 to 5 minutes, season water with salt, add spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Drain pasta and keep warm.)

3. In small pan, saute onion and celery in olive oil over medium heat until onion is clear (usually 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat.

4. Soak stuffing with turkey stock in small bowl until moistened (usually takes a couple of minutes).

5. In a large mixing bowl, season turkey with salt and pepper.

6. Add apple, lemon juice, cooled celery, cooled onion, poultry seasoning, egg and stuffing to turkey and mix until just combined.

7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil (shiny side down).

8. Loosely form meat mixture into 1.5 inch balls, drizzle with some olive oil (I use a brush for this).

9. Roast in oven until cooked through, firm and browned, about 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven and how brown you like your meatballs (I usually opt for the 15 minute cooking time as I like my meatballs quite brown). Note: I also recommend that you slice one of your meatballs in half to make sure it is cooked through. There should be no pink! Turkey should never be served unless fully cooked!

10. While meatballs cook, prepare your gravy. You can make yours from scratch, but I just use a mix from the store in a quick pinch.

11. Serve over pasta and top with generous portions of gravy and Parmesan cheese.

Creamy Chicken, Corn, and Spinach Enchiladas

With a creamy green sauce, this is a new and tasty twist on enchiladas. I found the original recipe for these on foodnetwork.com and made a few changes to suit our tastes. This is one of my husband's favorite meals and he hates spinach! Note that you can also substitute 2 cups cooked brown or wild rice or 1 can of black beans (rinsed and dried) for the chicken to make this dish vegetarian friendly. If you use rice, do not cook it all the way as it will spend some more time in the oven.

Filling:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, pulled apart by hand (substitute rice or beans, if wanted)
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced mild green chiles
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 (14 ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (10 ounce) box frozen creamed spinach, thawed
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 cup already shredded Monterey jack or Mild Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 12 super size corn tortillas (each about 6 1/2-inches across)

Sauce:

• 3/4 cup green taco sauce or salsa verde (not chunky)
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• Shredded Monterey jack or Mild Cheddar cheese, to taste
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

1. Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Lightly coat a 13 by 9-inch pan and a piece of foil large enough to cover the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the filling:

3. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it is clear, but not caramelized (about 4 minutes).

4. Add shredded chicken (or rice or beans - whatever you are using), chiles and chili powder to the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach, corn, cheese, sour cream, and salt.

6. Place a stack of 6 tortillas between damp paper towels and microwave on high power until the tortillas are hot and soft enough to roll, about 1 minute. Cover with a cloth towel to keep warm.

7. Remove 1 tortilla at a time, keeping the other tortillas covered, and place a rounded 1/3 cup of the filling down to the center. Roll into a cylinder and place in the prepared pan, seam side down and close enough to touch.

8. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

9. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake about 30 minutes.

To make the sauce:

10. While enchiladas bake, stir the taco sauce and sour cream together in a small bowl.

11. Once enchiladas have baked for 30 minutes, uncover the pan and spread the sauce over the hot enchiladas. Sprinkle cheese and cilantro over the top.

12. Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

13. Serve warm and enjoy!

Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken

Ok, so some may argue that making a slow-cooker meal doesn't really count as "cooking." I say just because you aren't slaving in the kitchen for hours, doesn't mean that you can't take credit for a delicious, homemade meal! This chicken is perfect in a sandwich and can be thrown together in no time. Also, if you use a crock pot liner, clean up is a breeze! *

• 4-5 large chicken breasts (I use flash frozen)
• 1 1/2 bottles of BBQ sauce (I like a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, but any BBQ variety will work)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tsp onion powder

1. Coat bottom of pan with 1 cup of BBQ sauce.

2. Place chicken in slow-cooker (if using frozen, no need to defrost).

3. Sprinkle onion powder over the top of chicken.

4. Pour in water and remaining BBQ sauce.

5. Cook for 8 hours on low.

6. Shred chicken with a fork and coat in sauce mixture.

7. Pile on a toasted bun and enjoy!