Yummiest chicken noodle soup!

This is my all-time favorite chicken noodle soup recipe. Yummy and simple meal to make for a neighbor dinner as well as for your family.

First things first, buy "Kluski" brand noodles (secret ingredient). Dan's and Fresh Market have it in their pasta aisles. I like stocking up on them when I find them since they are often out.
Next, I love this chicken base @ Costco (but any chicken broth will do)
So here is the recipe:
Boil: 3 qts. of water with 3 T chicken base OR 2 large cans Swanson's chicken broth. Add to boiling water-4 diced carrots & 3 diced celery stalks (boil 5 min.)
Throw in 2 T. dried onion OR 1/2 C. onion
Add 4 diced chicken breasts OR 2 cans chicken (Costco size)
Add Kluski noodles-boil for 16 min.
Salt & Pepper to taste (1-2 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper)
wa-la
serves 6-8

I like this soup "thick" and sometimes do 1 1/2 bags of Kluski. But you may want to increase your broth too.
This meal tastes great the next day too. Mmmmm!!

Chicken taco filling, microwave caramels, and Christmas meatballs!

 

8-10 frz. chkn. tndrs. or 4-6 breasts
1 jar salsa
2 T taco seasoning
1/4 C water
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 can corn, drained or 1 C frz. corn

* Place chkn. in crockpot, add salsa, water and taco seas. Cook on high for 3-4 hrs. Shred chkn. w/ fork. Add beans and corn and cook for 30-45 more min. Serve with crisp or soft corn tort. and lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sr. cream.

this is a nice change from beef taco meat.

 

These are heavenly and pretty easy, and great as neighbor gifts (so you don't eat the whole batch!).

1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C br. sugar
1 C karo syrup
1 can sweetened cond. milk

* Melt butter in a lg. microwave safe bowl. Add rest of ing. and stir. Microwave on high for 5 min., stir. Another 5 min., stir. 3 min., stir. Test for hard ball stage by dropping a drop of the mixture in to a cup of ice cold water; pick it up and squeeze it between your fingers. If it's still soft and sticky then cook for 1 min. intervals, testing with the ice water between each min. (this may take another 10-15 min.) Once it is firm, when tested in the ice water, like caramels should be, then pour into a greased jelly roll pan or a 9x13 dish. Allow to cool for a couple of hrs. or until firm, then cut and wrap with wax paper. YUM!

 

Super easy and yummie!

You can make your own meatballs and cook them, then place them in a crock pot with the sauce and cook for a couple of hrs. on low or until hot.......OR, this way....

1 pkg. frz. meatballs
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 12oz. bottle chili sauce
2 T br. sugar
2 T lemon juice

* Combine, pour over frz. meatballs in crockpot and follow pkg. directions. 2 hrs. on high then one hr. on low, I think.

Delicious Powdered Milk!

April and I were discussing ways to use powdered milk a few weeks back. Of course you can use it in most of the recipes you have that call for milk. However, just for drinking, it may not have as much appeal. I remembered some recipes I had come across, and I thought I'd post them.


"Awesome Powdered Milk"
"I went to my friend's house one day" says the author, "and she had me try this milk. She does lunches for a private school and was looking for a way to get the kids to drink milk, inexpensively. She said the kids LOVED this. The idea is to put a little bit of the milk fat back into the skim powdered milk - this makes it taste like the milk we're used to drinking from the store."
In a 2 quart mixing pitcher first put 3 cups hot tap water, then add 1 Tbs. of sugar, 1/8 tsp. vanilla (optional) and 1 1/4 C milk powder (check directions for 2 qts. on your powdered milk and adjust this amount as needed.) Mix this until all is dissolved. Then add 1 C. of whole milk and water to the 2 quart line. Mix, chill well and serve. Canned evaporated milk can be used in place of the whole milk. (One can evaporated milk and 1 can water makes another substitute for store milk.)

"Powdered Milk Evaporated Milk"
1 1/2 C. water
1 1/8 C. instant dry milk powder (must be a real powdered milk, not a milk alternative)
Mix together with a wire whisk and use in any recipe calling for a 12 oz. can of evaporated milk.

"Powdered Milk Sweetened Condensed Milk"
1/2 C. hot water
1 C. sugar
2 C. instant dry milk powder
1 Tbs. butter
Blend in blender very well. Use in any recipe calling for sweetened condensed milk.

"Spiced Hot Chocolate Powdered Milk"
1 C. reconstituted dry milk
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 square Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, finely chopped.
Bring milk and cinnamon just to a boil on medium-high heat. Add chocolate; beat with whisk until chocolate is melted and milk is slightly frothy.
The last 3 recipes are from everydayfoodstorage.net

Peppermint ice cream cake

8 Tbsp butter cut up
6 oz (Hershey's bar) chocolate bar chopped
3 C. Crispy Rice cereal
6 C. softened peppermint ice cream
2 C. sweetened whipped cream or whipped topping
chocolate syrup


Line inside of a 9 in springform pan with non-stick foil or with regular foil and spray generously with cooking spray.
Place butter and chocolate in large microwave safe bowl and melt on high for about 30 sec. Stir and repeat until chocolate is melted. Pour cereal into chocolate and mix so all is covered. Empty cereal mixture into greased pan and press to make crust. Put that in the freezer for 20 min.
Remove from freezer and spread softened ice cream on crust and put back in the freezer for about another hour. Then spread whipped topping on top, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for another 3 hours.
When your ready to dig in, just grasp the foil to lift out of the pan, peel off the foil from the sides, drizzle on the chocolate syrup, and let it sit for about 10-15 min before cutting into it. YUM YUM!!

ksl.com - Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

ksl.com - Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

PEPPER JAM

I tried this recipe today to give as friend gifts, and it turned out really well! At today's prices, it came to about $1.00 per half-pint jar, and it looks so pretty! And a batch only takes about an hour to make.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Cups finely diced peppers (about 3 lg. red and/or green bell peppers equalling 2 C., and 2 - 3 med. jalapeno peppers equalling 1/2 C.)


• 1 1/2 Cups apple cider vinegar


• 6 1/2 Cups sugar


• 1 - 2 drops red or green liquid food color


• 1/4 tsp. salt (my addition)


• 1 pouch (3 oz.) liquid pectin

Method:

Seed and finely chop peppers (include seeds of jalapeno peppers for flavor and visual interest. WHEN WORKING WITH THE HOT PEPPERS, WEAR PLASTIC GLOVES OR A BAGGIE TO PROTECT HANDS. WASH HANDS WELL AFTER HANDLING PEPPER AND CUTTING BOARD.)

Combine peppers, vinegar, sugar, salt, and food color in large saucepan; over high heat, bring jam mixture to a full rolling hard boil; quickly stir in pectin, and stirring constantly return to a full boil; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, ladle hot jam into prepared 1/2 pint jars, leaving 1/4" head space; cover jars with lids and screw band on snugly. Place jars in boiling water bath (or steam canner) and process jars for 10 minutes once water comes to a boil. Place jars on a dish towel to cool for 24 hours; label and date. Excellent served with cream cheese and crackers; also goes well with roast pork, chicken and other meats.

Makes approximately seven or eight 8-oz. jars.

Barbara's yummie yams!

Here it is, Hicks fam. You all wanted this recipe. Prepare and bake at least 2 days before serving.

6-8 Yams (not totally sure how many)
2 cups dark brown sugar (about that much)
1 stick of butter
pkg. of mini marshmallows
orange

* Boil yams until a little soft, cool and peel. Slice in to 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices and arrange in a 9x13 dish overlapping each other in rows. Put about 1 1/2 cups of the brown sugar on the top. Cut up the butter and place on top. Cut open an orange and squeeze some of it on top of the yams. Bake @ 350 for 45min.-1 hour. If there is a lot of liquid in the bottom of the dish after baking you can pour some off before you bake it the second time. Cool then refrigerate until ready for final bake before serving. Final bake: 350 deg. for 45 min. (you can add some more butter and brown sugar if you want to before baking) Add the pkg. of marshmallows the last 5-10 min. Take out when marsh. are browned. Let stand for 20 or so min. before serving so they can soak up some more of those delicious flavors!

Carrot bisque

 

Ok, I know this sounds weird but it is so good that my kids wanted to have it for breakfast the next morning!

I'm told this recipe freezes well so you could easily double or triple or even quadruple this recipe and freeze it for later.

3 c chicken broth
1 c chopped onion
2 c chopped carrots
1 t crushed basil
2 T parsley (use less if using dried parsley)
4 T butter
4 T flour
1 t salt
dash of pepper
2 c milk

Bring broth, veggies, and herbs to a boil in large pot, then simmer for 15-20 min. Cool slightly and blend in a blender or with a hand blender until mostly smooth (slightly textured).

In the same pot (now empty), melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Stir for about a min. Add milk all at once. Whisk until thickened. Add blended carrot mixture and simmer for a few min. before serving. Great for a light supper with a crusty loaf of bread.