Chicken Noodle Stoup

A very precise and exact recipe! (by Shauna)

In large kettle, melt three or four tablespoons of butter. Add three or four chopped stalks of celery (with leaves), about 1/3 of a yellow onion, chopped, four carrots, peeled and chopped, and three or four potatoes, peeled and diced. Stir and cook until the vegetables are mostly cooked - it’s okay if they brown a little. Add salt and pepper. Add two or three pieces of raw chicken that have been cubed. Add a dash or two of poultry seasoning. Stir and cook for a while. Stir in about 1/3 cup of flour and cook until quite browned. Add two or three chicken bouillon cubes....kind of mash them in. Add a couple of cans of chicken stock and then water to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil and add a couple of hands full of country style noodles. When liquid comes to a boil, again, turn the heat down and simmer until noodles are done. Entire process takes less than 30 minutes.

Banana Chocolate-Chip Mini Muffins
(from familyfun.com - we LOVE these muffins!)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 large or 3 medium)
1 large egg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup fat free or light sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350º F.


2. Line a mini muffin pan (ours made muffins 1 3/4 inches in diameter) with bake cups or lightly coat the muffin cups with cooking spray.


3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and stir with a fork to blend.


4. In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, egg, melted butter, sour cream, vanilla extract, and milk. Beat on medium until well blended. Reduce the speed to low and blend in the dry ingredients (do not overmix). Stir in the mini chocolate chips.


5. Fill each muffin cup with 1 level tablespoon of batter. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out with some melted chocolate but no crumbs.


6. Transfer the muffins to a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 36 mini muffins.

Cheese Boats (yes, these are real)

So, I've never had these anywhere but Globe, Arizona. I'm not sure how this recipe developed. But, I am certainly glad it did. The key to this recipe is LONGHORN style cheese. If you don't use longhorn style cheese, the cheese will not get yummy and melty as it should. Consider yourself warned.

1 lb longhorn style cheddar cheese, grated
1 small can tomato sauce (2 cans if you can't find El Pato - but you'll be sad if you substitute)
1 small can El Pato hot sauce (look in the Mexican food section of your grocery store)
(1 small jar diced pimentos - optional)
(4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine - optional)
1 can diced green chiles (size of can is up to you!)
1/2 c olives, chopped fine
1 bunch green onion, chopped
4 t vinegar
1/2 C vegeable oil
salt & pepper

1-2 dozen small hard rolls

Combine all ingredients (except rolls) in a large bowl. Slice the tops off the rolls (keep the "lids"). Scoop out bread from inside roll (don't tear through). Carefully fill each roll with the cheese mixture. Place lids back on rolls and wrap in a square of aluminum foil. Bake at 350° until heated through and cheese is melted (approx. 20 minutes).

These can be frozen - but freeze BEFORE you bake and not after or they get soggy. Just bake longer from frozen state - no need to thaw!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This is a healthified recipe - when I find the original, I will post it. It is a deep-fry version.

1-2 chicken breast, cubed or grilled & sliced - or whatever
1 C brown sugar (okay, so not all THAT healthy)
2 C water
1/2 C ketchup
1/2 C pineapple juice
2 t soy sauce
1/4 C vinegar
3 T cornstarch
(pineapple & peppers can be optionally added)

Cook chicken in whatever manner you prefer.

In small saucepan combine other ingredients and heat until thickened.

Pour sauce over chicken. Eat with sticky rice. :)

Mom's Enchiladas

1 lb Ground Beef
2 T grated or minced onion
1 C cream of chicken soup
16 oz sour cream
small can chopped green chiles
8 oz. grated longhorn style cheddar cheese
1 dozen corn tortillas (I like white corn)

cook 1 lb. gd. beef. Remove from heat. Add a couple of T of grated or minced onion. Combine 1 can c of chick soup, 16 oz. so. cream, and small can chopped gr. chiles. Grated cheddar (longhorn is best). Heat 6-8 tortillas at a time in the microwave - I spray them with cooking spray and stack them on a small plate. Assemble enchiladas... smear warm tortilla with soup spoon of green chile sauce, place a soup spoon of meat onion mixture across tortilla, sprinkle with cheese. Roll into enchilada. Continue until 13x9 pan is full, heating more tortillas as they are needed. Put a little milk in remaining sauce and mix. Spread on top of enchiladas, sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

For Julienne...

These are sooo yummy!


Croissant Rolls

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. warm milk
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix above ingredients until sugar is dissolved.

1/2 c. warm water to 1 Tbsp. yeast
1 egg, beaten

Mix together then add to above mixture.

Next add:
3 3/4 c. flour (a mix of wheat & white is fine-on Thanksgiving I think I used 1 1/2 c. wheat flour)

Stir until smooth. (I mix this in my kitchen aid with the dough hook & just let it beat at a lower speed until it appears smooth). Let raise until double in size, then roll out a circle and cut into eight pieces as  you would a pizza. Roll each slice from the longest side to the shortest size (croissant style). Place on a sprayed cookie sheet.

Bake for 13-15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Wonton Salad

1 Head of lettuce
3-4 chicken breasts cooled and cut (cubed or whatever)
2-3 green onions chopped (optional)
2-3 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
small can of water chestnuts (optional)
1/2 package of wonton skins fried, drained and broken (I bake mine)


Sauce: 1/4 C healthy oil
4 T sugar
s&p to taste
4 T white rice vinegar

Prepare lettuce, gently stir in chicken and additional optional ingredients and wonton skins.

In sep. bowl combine sauce ingredients. Pour over salad. Mix & serve.