recipe

mm, noodle soup

kdavis Leave a comment

i hadn’t really cooked for myself in a solid couple of weeks, so tonight i decided to take on homemade chicken noodle soup.  ah, yes, because soup is so difficult!  especially when i don’t make my own noodles and buy frozen ones…but, hey, who’s judging?  if you are, well, then, i got nothing…except this excellent recipe!  the inspiration came from the pioneer woman, but since i couldn’t find those ever so convenient egg noodles, i went with dumplings instead and married that recipe with ree’s.  the results?  my very “own” noodle soup recipe!  ah, just like that!  sometimes life is easy to us.

if you’re in the need of some ridiculously simple humor this evening, i urge you to take a read of all the photo captions.  i had a lot of time to think them up, considering this meal is a labor of love and took about two hours…and it helps that i think i am hilarious!

below are the steps i took after combining directions from the other two recipes.  enjoy!

ingredients

a whole chicken, cut-up (mine had the bones in and skin on and came in a cool griller pack from kroger)

2 whole carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

2 teaspoons parsley flakes

24 ounces mary b’s dumplings (use half the package or a little more or all of it if you love carbs like everyone in my household!)

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

look at all these little buddies (almost of varying heights).
stuff, all chopped up.
things are getting steamy!
mary b’s!
carrot peel graveyard.
quite possibly the most uninteresting thing in the world: chicken boiling.

directions

cover chicken in 4-5 quarts of water.  bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low.  simmer 30-40 minutes.

p.s.  the smell of boiled chicken is just lovely!  (please sense the sarcastic tone)

remove the chicken from the pot with a slotted spoon.  using two forks, remove and shred as much of the meat as you can.

bring the broth back to a boil and add the frozen dumpling strips (cut to your desired size) and drop into broth one at a time, stirring frequently.

return the bones to the broth, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 45 more minutes.

remove the bones with the slotted spoon.

add the carrots, celery, and chicken to the pot, along with all the spices, and simmer for 10 minutes more.

*a quick note here:  i found my soup was underseasoned, which is either due to the excessive amounts of water or not enough spices or both.  fyi.

mix the flour with a little water, stirring until smooth.  pour it into the soup, simmering for another 5 minutes or until the broth thickens a bit.

seasoninnnngggssss.
shredding with forks was WAY too tedious. get your hands dirty!
chicken carcass!
more chicken!
these chips are not an ingredient. they are, however, the suggested snack while making the soup.

zesty corn dip

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corn dip

tori was in town this past weekend to tend to wedding activities (it’s only nine days away – eek!), and like always, she had plenty of things to bring to atlanta from home.  for clark, she brought his winter clothes.  for the kessey girl, she brought me a recipe.  ah, yes, she knows me so well!

this zesty corn dip really couldn’t be easier.  well, i suppose the only way it could be easier is if you didn’t have to do any chopping, but even for the most novice cook, you got it!

ingredients

2 12-ounce packages frozen corn

1 8-ounce block of cream cheese

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup diced green onion, white and green parts

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 2.5-ounce package fully cooked bacon, diced

1 4-ounce can diced green chilies

directions

place all ingredients in a crock-pot/slow cooker.

cover and cook on low for 4 hours OR on high for 2 hours, stirring the dip halfway through cooking time.

chicken tortilla soup

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i’ve had a rather relaxing weekend, and i didn’t want to spoil it by slaving away in the kitchen all night to make an outstanding meal.  sometimes i just want something simple, and this recipe for chicken tortilla soup was just the ticket.

my mom made it when we were in high school, and it has become a dish i now know by heart.  i mean, something that only requires a crock pot and no cutting at all has to be a keeper, right?  it’s so insanely easy and wonderfully delicious that i just had to share it with you all.

since this recipe makes quite a few servings, it is great for families.  for those of you who are single like yours truly?  bag this stuff up in single-serve ziplocs, throw them in the freezer, and keep ’em for later when you’re feeling extra lazy around the house.  enjoy!

ingredients

1 box or can (32 ounces) chicken broth

2 cans (15.5 ounces each) chili beans

1 can (15 ounces) great northern beans

1 can (14.5 ounces) mexican-style stewed tomatoes, diced

*sometimes i cannot always find the mexican-style stewed tomatoes.  If you can’t either, just go with the traditional.

1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes & green chiles

2 cans (15.5 ounces each) white corn, drained

*tori thinks just one can of corn is enough, but i like two.

2 packages lawry’s chicken taco spices & seasonings

*you do not have to get the lawry’s brand.  i often use kroger’s brand and love it just as much.

1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

shredded cheddar cheese

chopped cilantro

chopped scallions

directions

set chicken in bottom of large slow cooker (crock pot).  top with chili beans, great northern beans, stewed tomatoes, tomatoes and green chiles, and white corn.

stir in the chicken taco seasonings and add as much chicken broth as needed to fill the crock pot just below full.  there’s a good chance you will not need all 32 ounces of it, but it depends on the size of your cooker.

cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours.  if you need to get it ready sooner, crank the crock pot to high for 4 to 6 hours.  you just need to let everything sit long enough so that the chicken is cooked through and tender.

use a pair of tongs to shred the chicken in the crock pot.  fill up your favorite soup bowl and top with cheese, cilantro, and scallions as desired.

p.s.  i personally also like to dollop on some sour cream.  you could probably even add a little bit of hot sauce if you like things spicy.

banana cream pie

kdavis 4 Comments

i had some overly ripened bananas lying around the kitchen, and instead of going with banana bread this time, i wanted to try my hand at banana cream pie.  i couldn’t let those nanners go to waste, so i consulted my betty crocker cookbook like every good home cook would and found a recipe right there on page 133.

as i gathered all my ingredients and tools, i began to wonder, just who is this betty crocker that we have come to know and love over the past 90 years?  who is this american icon in our homes?  what is her history?  well, i’m so glad you asked.

as i read through and learned about betty crocker and all her fame, i couldn’t figure out a better way to share it all with you besides providing the link.  it’ll be a quick read and is quite interesting, so i highly encourage you to take a look!  as a self-proclaimed baker, it’s fun to learn about how something as simple as answering cooking questions has become tradition.  quite cool!

read on to find the recipe and all its details.  oh, also, i tried my hand at picture-taking while baking this time.  the shots aren’t terribly exciting, but there’s only so much i can do with these two hands at once!

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greek salad with orzo & black eyed-peas

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last night i decided i needed to actually make something for my brown bags this week at lunch.  i don’t mind eating out, but it gets old quickly when you have a limited window for it.

orzo

i rummaged through my recipe box, looking particularly for something that i hadn’t yet tried.  a few soups looked tasty, but i need it to be slightly cooler before i get those brewing.  i came upon this recipe for greek salad with orzo and black eyed-peas, clearly ripped out of the pages of an old real simple magazine from years ago.  although i didn’t have mine fashioned in these stylish and hip mason jars, my tupperware containers suited them just fine.  enjoy!

ingredients

3/4 cup orzo

1 (15-oz.) can black-eyed peas, drained & rinsed

1 large tomato, diced

2 Tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

*i could only find italian parsley at disco kroger and it worked just fine

2 Tablespoons red-wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1/4 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise, cored, & diced (1 cup)

*disco kroger also does not have seedless cucumbers, so a regular cucumber would just have to do

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, slivered

*i have a strong distaste towards olives, so i left these out

1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon finely chopped oregano

*i found a whole Tablespoon to be way too much – i’d suggest cutting it down to half a Tablespoon

2-3 cups coarsely chopped romaine

1/2 pound feta, crumbled (1 cup)

4 to 8 pepperoncini

directions

cook orzo according to package instructions.  drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water until cool.  drain well.

toss black-eyed peas, tomato, and parsley with vinegar, 1 Tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  marinate, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

meanwhile, toss together orzo, remaining oil, cucumber, olives, onion, lemon zest and juice, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

divide black-eyed pea mixture (with juices) among jars and layer orzo salad, romaine, and feta on top.  add 1 or 2 pepperoncini to each jar.

*note:  assembled jars can be chilled up to eight hours and serve four.  enjoy at room temperature with pita chips.

**kelsey’s note:  i assembled my tupperware this morning before work and had it as a salad for lunch.

lemon lime pound cake

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lime

doesn’t that just sound delicious?  i’d been snooping around on ree drummond’s web site in search of a perfect spring treat to make.  thankfully this recipe for lemon lime pound cake was front and center in the desserts section, and with such a beautiful finish, there was no question i’d be making it in the near future.

although i didn’t have a fancy pan like ree, i used my standard bundt pan, and the cake was still incredibly delicious.  the pound cake is dense and moist and perfectly complemented by the zesty and sweet glaze.  this cake was well-received at my office, so i highly recommend you get that grater and mixer out and get to work!

chocolate and more chocolate

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chocolate

i was so kindly reminded recently that it had been a while since i had brought a homemade treat into the office for everyone.  well, way to be subtle…ha.  anyway, i did admit i hadn’t baked in a while, so i made these simple treats for this ravenous crowd:  life by chocolate cupcakes.  they’re so tasty and easy that you need to give them a try yourself!  click on for the recipe.

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