Chicken....two ways!

Since I seem to only update the blog about once a month, I figured I had better get on it since I am running out of time for October! It's been a hectic month, but more about that in another post (maybe!).

On Sunday I roasted a whole chicken which provided for a wonderful meal not only on Sunday evening, but also gave me enough leftover chicken to use later in the week in home-made chicken and noodle soup. Although the recipes came from two different sources, I am "pairing" them together in a cookbook so I can always use them around the same time (until we get to the point that a whole chicken is consumed by our family for one meal...but that is still a LONG way off!). Both meals were perfect for the cold weather we are now having in Wyoming...we just saw our first snowfall early this week!

Herbed Roast Chicken (ToH Magazine)
One 2-gallon resealable plastic bag
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbls butter, melted
1 Tbls balsamic vinegar
1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbls minced chives
1 Tbls dried parsley
1 Tbls dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1 roasting chicken (6 to 7lbs)

In the 2-gallon resealable plastic bag, combine the orange juice, oil, butter, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chives and seasonings. Add the chicken; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight; turning occasionally. Drain and discard marinade. Place chicken on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours or until a meal thermometer reads 180 degrees. Cover loosely with foil if chicken browns too quickly. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Home-made Chicken and Noodle Soup (adapted from Mother's Best cookbook)

3 large containers of chicken stock

2 cups finely diced carrots (about 3 large, peeled)

2 cups diced celery (about 4 stalks, ends removed)

2 cups cooked chicken

1 pound egg noodles, cooked

1 bunch fresh dill, chopped, for garnish

Heat chicken stock in large pot over medium heat until stock comes to a simmer. Add carrots and celery, simmer for 8 minutes or until fork-tender (or cooked to your liking, we prefer ours a little softer). Add cooked chicken to stock with vegetables and heat until chicken is warm. Place cooked noodles in soup bowl, ladle the chicken soup over the noodles. Garnish with dill. Makes 6-8 servings. **Feel free to add additional seasonings of your choice to the soup if you are not starting with well seasoned chicken.

White Chili

It doesn't seem appropriate to be posting, much less making a chili during the summer. In the 2 1/2 years I've lived in Wyoming, I've learned that summer is filled with 50 degree rainy days...which we just had a week of recently. So, although I typically reserve soups and chili recipes for the fall and winter months, I did make this White Chili last night. Warning - this soup is SPICY...and gets SPICIER the longer it sits (as in we couldn't even eat the leftovers!).

White Chili (ToH)
3 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 jar (15oz) Alfredo sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 to 2 cans (4oz each) chopped green chilies
1 1/2 cups frozen gold and white corn
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 small sweet yellow pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbls ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp white pepper
1 to 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salsa verde and chopped fresh cilantro, optional

In a 5 or 6-qt slow cooker, combine the first 15 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through, stirring once. Serve with salsa verde and cilantro if desired. Serves 12 (1 cup each).

Gnocchi Chicken Minestrone

I had some home-made gnocchi in the freezer that needed to be used up. When I came across this soup recipe in a recent Taste of Home magazine, I thought it would be the perfect dish in which to use the gnocchi...besides the fact that it's still been on the cool side here in Wyoming.

Gnocchi Chicken Minestrone

1 1/4lbs chicken tenderloins, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbls olive oil, divided

1 each small green, sweet red and yellow peppers, finely chopped

1 medium zucchini, finely chopped

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1/3 cup chopped proscuitto or deli ham

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (14 1/2oz each) chicken broth

1 can (14 1/2oz) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained

3/4 cup canned white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup frozen peas

3 Tbls tomato paste

16 oz potato gnocchi

1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese

8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Sprinkle chicken with oregano, salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, saute chicken in 1 Tbls olive oil until no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, cook the peppers, zucchini, and onion in remaining oil until tender. Add proscuitto and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, peas, tomato paste and chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain, stir into soup. Garnish with cheese and basil. Makes 8 servings.

**Now I just need to find Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi soup recipe!

Double Thick Baked Potato-Cheese Soup

This recipe could definitely use some tweaks...but I don't have the time and am not that interested in fiddling with it. We'll just say the recipe won't be made in this house again.

Double Thick Baked Potato-Cheese Soup
2 lbs baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 cubes
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups finely chopped green onions, divided
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
black pepper

Combine potatoes, soup, 1 cup green onions, garlic powder and red pepper in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 8 hours or on HIGH 4 hours. Add cheese, sour cream and milk; stir until cheese has completely melted. Cover; cook on HIGH 10 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper. Garnish with remaining green onions.

Cheesy Slow Cooker Chicken

Continuing with the "slow-cooker" theme from the previous post, here is another recent recipe that I made. I must say if you are trying to use ingredients you have on hand before making another trip to the grocery store, give this recipe a try...but it's nothing spectacular and frankly something you could probably come up with on your own.

Cheesy Slow Cooker Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt
black pepper
garlic powder
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can condensed Cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Place 3 chicken breasts in slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Repeat with remaining 3 breasts and seasonings. Combine soups in medium bowl; pour over chicken. Cover; cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or until chicken is tender. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes. Serves 6.

Stew-pendous Beef Stew

I had been wanting to make beef stew for quite some time. It just reminds me of good comfort food, and since we've been hit with our first major snow fall here in Wyoming this past weekend, I figured it was a good time to make a hearty soup. The recipe doesn't say anything about making this a day ahead and warming it up the next, but that is what I chose to do. I made the stew the evening before I had intended to serve it and put it in the refrigerator to let the flavors really blend together. It was wonderful re-warmed and the leftovers continued to get better. The only thing I would do differently next time, would be to let the potatoes and carrots cook a little longer. They were still a little "crisp" for my taste. Beef Stew

2 lbs stewing beef (cut into 1 to 1 1/2-in cubes)

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

2 Tbls olive oil

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions

1 cup chopped celery

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp herbes de Provence (mixture of basil, marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme, savory)

2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth

2 Tbls tomato paste

2 Tbls balsamic vinegar

2 bay leaves

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large thin-skinned potatoes (such as Yukon gold), unpeeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 large carrot, chopped

2 Tbls cornstarch

3/4 cup frozen green peas

2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley

Pat beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle beef lightly all over with seasoned salt. Heat 1 Tbls olive oil in a large pot (preferably non-stick) over medium-high heat. Add half the beef cubes and cook, turning occasionally, until all sides are lightly browned. Remove from pot and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 1 Tbls olive oil and beef cubes. Set browned beef aside. Add onions, celery, and garlic to same pot (you may add a bit more olive oil or 1/4 cup beef broth to pot to prevent sticking). Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Return beef cubes to pot and stir in herbes de Provence. Add beef broth, tomato paste, vinegar, bay leaves, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes. (Make sure it's a low simmer and that mixture is not boiling or it will burn.) Stir in potatoes and carrot. Cover and simmer for 45-50 more minutes. Mix cornstarch with 2 Tbls water until smooth. Add to stew. Mix well and continue to cook until stew is bubbly and has thickened. Stir in peas and parsley and cook just until peas are heated through, about 2 minutes. Serves 6.

Barefoot Bloggers: Cheddar Corn Chowder

I'm excited that I was actually able to complete a recipe for this month! This month's pick was chosen by Jill at My Next Life. I felt that for a chowder this was a bit thin. I decided during the last few minutes of cooking to add 1/4 cup instant potatoes to the soup. It gave it a nice consistency without making it too thick. I did halve the recipe for just my husband and myself and still ended up with about 8 cups leftover...so be prepared if you choose to try this recipe...it makes a lot! It was a great soup to enjoy on a cold evening! (picture to come)


Cheddar Corn Chowder (The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)
8 ounces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup good olive oil
6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
12 cups chicken stock
6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
2 cups half-and-half
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

This is the soup recipe I mentioned in my post from this past Friday...the one my husband asked that I NOT make this week. So, since I can't make it, I thought I would share the recipe with all of you out there in hopes that someone will try it and let me know what you think.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
2 Tbls canola oil
1 large sweet onion, sliced
2 tsp ground cumin
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 qt chicken broth
1 3/4 cups plain yogurt
2 Tbls chopped parsley
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

In a soup pot, heat oil. Add onions and cumin and saute' 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Puree soup with 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt and parsley. Serve each portion of soup with a dollop of plain yogurt and pumpkin seeds. Serves 12.

easy tomato cream soup

I took advantage of my husband being out of town on business this week to make some new recipes for myself that I knew he would not like. It's just been within the past year that I've learned to like tomatoes. I use the term "like" loosely, as I am still pretty picky with what I have a tomato on or with. I still wouldn't pick one up and eat it like an apple, however I can now have them on a salad or sandwich without immediately picking them off. This soup recipe looked great, not to mention it takes all of maybe 10 minutes to throw together.

Easy Tomato Cream Soup
2 cups milk
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained*
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan, heat through. *After tasting the soup, I actually thought it could use a little more tomato flavor, so add more tomatoes if you wish.

All-Day Soup

Despite the teasing warm Spring weather we had been having in Cheyenne, winter has come back to "haunt" us with snow and such. As much as I am looking forward to Spring and seeing my tulips bloom, this cold snap allowed me the chance to break out the crockpot (again!) and try a new soup recipe.


All-Day Soup (Taste of Home)
1 beef flank steak (1 1/2 lbs), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbls olive oil
5 medium carrots, thinly sliced
4 cups shredded cabbage
4 medium red potatoes, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) beef broth
1 can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 Tbls sugar
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp dried parsley flakes

In a large skillet, brown steak and onion in oil, drain. Transfer to a 5-qt slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. Serves 8.

(Holiday) Tortellini Soup

The holidays have come and gone, but with it still being freezing cold in Wyoming, I made this soup....despite the name. The description for the soup says it freezes well which is a help during the holidays when you have so much going on, you don't have the time to spend cooking regular meals for your family. I'll have to keep this recipe in mind for next year!


Holiday Tortellini Soup (Taste of Home Magazine- Dec/Jan 2009)
2 Tbls olive oil
2 oz pancetta or bacon, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (49 1/2 oz) chicken broth
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 (9 oz) pkg cheese tortellini
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes in puree
8 oz fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta. Cook until crisp. Add onion; cook 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic; cook 1 more minute. Add broth and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook tortellini according to package directions; drain. Add cooked tortellini to soup mixture. Stir in tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook just until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cheese. Serves 8.

Barefoot Bloggers: pappa al pomodoro

This is a classic Italian soup in which leftover bread is used as a thickener. This recipe was chosen by Natalie at Burned Bits, thanks Natalie!

Pappa al Pomodoro (Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics)
1/2 cup good olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
1 cup medium-diced carrots, unpeeled (3 carrots)
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and sliced (I substituted celery)
4 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
3 cups diced ciabatta bread, crusts removed
2 (28 oz) cans good plum tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Topping:
3 cups diced ciabatta bread
2 oz thickly sliced pancetta, chopped (or you can use thick bacon)
24-30 whole fresh basil leaves
3 Tbls good olive oil, plus more for serving

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel (celery), and garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until tender. Add the ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 more minutes. Place the tomatoes in the bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade and process just until coarsely chopped. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil and 1 Tbls salt, and 1 1/2 tsp pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes. For the topping, place the ciabatta, pancetta (bacon), and basil on a sheet pan large enough to hold everything in single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss well. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until all ingredients are crisp. The basil leaves will turn dark and crispy. Reheat the soup, if necessary, and beat with a wire whisk until the bread is broken up. Stir in the Parmesan and taste for seasoning. Serve hot, sprinkled with the topping and drizzled with additional olive oil. Serves 6.

Black Bean Soup

I needed something quick and easy to throw together for dinner last night, as I had another function to attend. (I'm looking forward to a night at home soon!) This soup fit the bill and had a lot of flavor for something so simple. I used canned black beans which really cut down on the time. Besides, since living in a high altitude location, I didn't want to mess with dry beans and the experiment to see how long it would actually take them to soften up when cooking. Black Bean Soup (Mesa Grill by Bobby Flay)

1 pound dried black beans, or 3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbls olive oil

1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 medium Spanish onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 cup red wine

3 jalapeno chiles, roasted, peeled, and seeded

1 poblano chili, roasted, peeled, and seeded

4 cups chicken stock, low-sodium chicken broth, or water

2 Tbls fresh lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

I also used shredded cheese and sour cream as a topping.

If using dried beans, pick over them to remove any stones, put them in a large bowl, and add enough cold water to cover by at least 2 inches. Let soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain well. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half. Add the beans and reduce the heat to medium. Add the jalapenos, poblano, and stock and simmer for 30 minutes if using canned beans, or 1 1/2 hours if using dried, until the dried beans are cooked through. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Using a blender or food processor, puree half of the soup and return it to the pot. Bring to a simmer before serving. Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Serves 6-8.

Barefoot Bloggers: Mexican Chicken Soup

Even though today is Thanksgiving, I am posting about a Mexican Chicken Soup for Barefoot Bloggers. I made this earlier in the month (as I sure wasn't going to make it for Thanksgiving and give up all the traditional things) and my husband and I really enjoyed the soup! I scaled it down to serve the two of us and didn't measure the ingredients exact, but that's the fun in making soup, you can alter it as you see fit. I will be making this soup again, especially when I have ingredients around that I need to use up. Thanks Judy for choosing this week's recipe!Mexican Chicken Soup (Barefoot Contessa at Home)
4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas
For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

Happy Thanksgiving, especially to our family and friends! Check back later for a post about my husband and I's Thanksgiving meal!

Soup and Cornbread

Here are two "must-try" recipes which are great for cool weather! The hubby and I enjoyed them both for dinner last week and I am "archiving" them in my files to make again.

Chicken and white bean soup
3 cups chopped white chicken meat
1 Tbls canola oil
3 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced

1 onion, chopped
2 cups water
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook chicken until done with your prefered method. (I baked mine and sprinkled some Lemon Pepper seasoning on before baking, which added a little depth of flavor to the soup.) In a stockpot over medium heat, add oil. Saute the carrots, celery, and onion for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables soften. Add water and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring to combine. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add beans and chicken meat, cook for 5 mintues. If too thick, add broth or water. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Serves 6.
I was impressed with how flavorful the soup was considering it didn't call for a lot of ingredients or seasonings.

Sweet Cornbread (found on my friend Susy's friend Jeni's blog....catch that?!)
1 yellow cake mix
1 box jiffy cornbread

Make both boxes of mix according to their directions and combine. Bake in a 9 x 13 greased pan at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. (I chose to bake mine as muffins and baked for about 15-18 minutes.) This made about 15 muffins, so I froze what I had leftover.
This might be the way I make cornbread from now on, they were so good!

PS. Happy Birthday, Leslie!

Two Soup Recipes

The focus group my husband and I are a part of at our church hosted the Good Friday service this evening. We were encouraged to fast today and we broke the fast with a soup dinner with other members of the church. Some of the ladies and I were at church this morning putting the soup on and getting everything set up. We were smelling the soup cook all day, but we were mindful not to even have that one little taste. When 6:30 (dinner time!) rolled around we were all very hungry, and the soup tasted WONDERFUL! I wasn't able to take any pictures of the soups we made, but I would definitely make both of them again! Thanks to Gina for the recipes!

Cheesy Broccoli Soup
1 pint half and half
1 16oz bag frozen broccoli
2 cans cream of celery soup (we used cream of mushroom and it turned out great)
2 cans cream of potato soup
2 cans creamy onion soup (or cream of broccoli, if you can't find the onion)
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

Dump all ingredients into crock pot or large pot, stir, heat, and eat!

Vegetable Beef Soup
4 lb. ground beef sauteed with 2 lg. chopped onions
4 cans diced tomatoes undrained
1 bunch celery, chopped
5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 family sized bag of mixed veg (corn, carrots, green beans, peas)
1 jar beef bouillon granules (use as much as needed depending on how much water is added)
3 bay leaves
2 T. basil
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef with onions until no longer pink. Dump in all additional ingredients. Mix in enough water to cover all ingredients in pot. Cook until potatoes and carrots are soft. (We put this in the crock pot for 8 hours on high, turned to low for last 3 hours or so.)

Lunch for Book Club

I hosted a monthly book club meeting today for the Warren Spouse's Club (WSC) and prepared lunch for the ladies (and a 4 year old boy, who was much more interested in the dessert!). I wanted to keep it simple, yet filling, along with planning something I thought most people would eat. Everyone seemed to enjoy the soup and salad I chose, so much so, I need to email out the recipes (always a good sign!).

Santa Fe Soup

2 lbs ground beef

2 cans white corn, undrained

1 can kidney beans, undrained

1 pkg ranch dressing mix

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cans water

1 onion

Brown ground beef and onion in pan. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 2 hours or crock pot on low all afternoon. Top with Fritos, cheese and sour cream.

Ramen Noodle Salad

1 lb pkg coleslaw mix

2 pkgs chicken flavored ramen noodles

2 oz slivered almonds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

3 chopped green onions

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

2 flavor packets from noodles

DO NOT COOK NOODLES. Break up the noodles and toss them with the coleslaw mix, almonds, sunflower seeds, and green onions. Mix dressing ingredients in separate container. Pour dressing over salad and mix well. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Dessert consisted of frosted sugar cookies, and a cake decorated for Easter. I use a different sugar cookie recipe each time I make cut-out cookies. I was very pleased with this recipe as the dough was extremely easy to work with. The cookies did not rise much, so I'm glad I kept them thick when rolling them out, and they weren't too sweet on their own (great for decorating!)

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, sour cream and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients, gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness, cut with floured cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lightly greased (I used Silpat mat). Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on pan for 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Peep Easter Cake

I got the inspiration for this cake from a Taste of Home magazine. The original recipe calls for chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, yellow peeps, and chocolate chips. The design ended up looking like a sunflower.

1 package cake mix (your choice of flavor)

2 cans frosting (again your choice of flavor)

19 Peeps

Assemble a two-layer round cake, frost middle layer, top and sides. Place peeps on top outer edge of cake. Fill center with your choice of decorations.

On another note, the wine I took last night to Wine Club ended up being one of the favorites for the whole group!