Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

INGREDIENTS:

4 Tbs butter
1 and 1/2 cups diced carrots (or more)
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup diced celery
3/4 cup wild rice (could probably use any)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 pound of diced chicken breast, raw (I used 1 and a 1/4 pounds and it was perfect)
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 to 1 tsp black pepper
1 cup whole milk (original recipe calls for heavy cream, but that is unnecessary)

DIRECTIONS:

Saute butter, carrots, onions, celery in pot until golden brown.  Add flour and stir for approximately two minutes.  

Add rice, chicken, broth, salt, pepper.  Cover, simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is tender.  Pour in milk and stir until well mixed.  Warm all the way through.  Season with salt and pepper as necessary.  

Chicken Noodle Soup (Instant Pot)

INGREDIENTS:

3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cups sliced carrots
1 Tbs minced garlic
2 Tbs butter
2-4 cups chicken
6 ounces egg noodles
6 cups broth (see notes below)***
1 can "cream of chicken with herbs"
salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS:

Saute butter, celery, onion, carrots, and garlic in instant pot 4-5 minutes. Add chicken, noodles, and 6 cups of broth. Seal up and set for 4 minutes on manual setting. When it beeps, do quick release. Open the pot and add cream of chicken soup with herbs, along with any salt or pepper as needed

***You can add one more can of chicken broth AFTER everything is cooked, if desired. So a total of 8 cups of broth

Taco Soup

 INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 bell pepper (any color)

1 Tbs minced garlic

2 Tbs plus 1 tsp Taco Seasoning

16 ounce can of kidney beans, drained

1 cup corn (frozen or canned)

1 and 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

2 cans beef broth

DIRECTIONS:

Brown beef with onions, peppers, and garlic.  Add in taco seasoning.  Add beans, corn, tomatoes and broth.  Bring to boil, simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Serve with toppings of choice: tortilla strips, sour cream, cheese, avocado, etc.

Meatloaf

 INGREDIENTS for LOAF:

2 Pounds ground beef (85% is great)

1 medium onion, diced small

2 large eggs

1 Tbs minced garlic

3 Tbs frsh parsley, diced small

3/4 cup panko crumbs

1/3 cup milk (I strongly prefer using 2/3 cup milk and just cooking it a little longer)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp italian seasoning

1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper

INGREDIENTS for SAUCE:

3/4 cup ketchup

1 and 1/2 tsp white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

2 Tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray loaf pan with Pam, or line with parchment paper.  

In large bowl, mix all of the LOAF ingredients EXCEPT the beef.  After it is well mixed, mix the meat in.  

Add entire loaf to pan, bake uncovered for 40 minutes.  

Take out of the oven and cover with sauce.  Return to oven for an addition 20 minutes, or longer, until the internal temperature is at least 160 degrees (I went to 172 degrees and it was perfect, very moist, and not overcooked).  

Rest 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve with mashed potatoes, veggies, and rolls

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

 INGREDIENTS:

6 Tbsp butter

1 medium onion, diced 

3 carrots, sliced

2 celery sticks, chopped

1 Tbs minced garlic

1/3 cup flour

8 cups chicken broth

2 tsp salt (can use less, to taste)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 pound yukon gold potatoes, peeled, then sliced 1/4 thick, and then cut in half

5 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup whole milk (can use half and half)

1 Tbs dried parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in soup pot, saute carrots, celery, parsley, and onions 5-7 minutes.  Add 1/3 cup flour, stir for 30 seconds.  Add chicken broth, potatoes, salt, pepper.  Bring to a boil, turn to "simmer".  Cover and simmer for 12 - 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked.  

Add chicken, peas, corn, and milk.  Warm a little more if necessary.  Serve with biscuits or rolls.  

Ziti

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound dry ziti or mastaccioli pasta
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (24 ounce) jars PLUS 1 cup of spaghetti sauce**
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
16 ounces sour cream (fat-free is OK)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded, separated

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook 15 minutes; drain, rinse with cold water.

While pasta is cooking:  In a large skillet, brown onion, garlic and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce; warm through.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a (deep!) 9x13 inch baking dish. Make sure it's plenty deep; this is a large meal!

LAYER AS FOLLOWS:
1/2 of the ziti mixed with the sour cream
Provolone cheese
1/2 sauce mixture
remaining ziti
Most of the mozzarella cheese (save some to sprinkle on top!)
remaining sauce mixture

Remaining mozzarella cheese!

Bake uncovered for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted and ziti is bubbly and warmed all the way through.

Allow to rest on counter for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!

**Be sure to buy a nice, flavorful sauce or it will be bland! We choose Ragu Mama's Special Garden Sauce.

Marry Me Chicken

Ingredients:

1 package thin-sliced chicken breasts
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 Tbs minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional, I prefer 1/4 tsp)
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon thyme
⅓ cup sundried tomatoes chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour and shake off any excess.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and melt the butter on medium heat. Swirl pan to coat with oil and butter evenly.

Brown the chicken (do not overcrowd and work in batches if needed) for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer onto a plate, cover, and set aside.

Saute the garlic for a minute or until it's fragrant. Add the chicken broth, and deglaze the pan scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Adjust the heat to medium-low, and add the heavy cream and the parmesan cheese to the skillet. Allow the sauce to simmer for a couple of minutes, then season with chili flakes, thyme, and oregano.
Season with salt and pepper to your taste, add the sundried tomatoes then put the chicken back in the sauce and let the sauce simmer and thicken for a few more minutes.

Garnish with chopped fresh basil leaves and serve warm over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes.

9 Chili

Ingredients:

1 can chicken broth
2 lbs ground beef
3-4 cooked, shredded chicken breasts
3 cans "ranch style" beans
2 cups sweet corn (frozen 12 ounce bag is great)

1 cup brown sugar
64 ounce bottle of pace picante sauce 

Directions:
Brown beef and cook chicken. Mix all other ingredients in the crock pot. Add meat, mix well, and cook on high for 3.5 hours, stirring occasionally.

*Be sure to add wet ingredients first, meat last, otherwise the meat may get stuck to the sides of the pot and burn.

**I have now made the chili with 56 ounces of salsa or picante sauce of any flavor and it's just great.  

Mississippi Pot Roast

1 chuck roast, approximately 3 pounds

1 packet au jus

1 packet ranch dressing

1/4 cup butter (half a stick)

6 mild pepperoncini peppers

1/3 to 1/2 cup juice from the pepperoncini jar

Put roast in the crock pot, add everything else.  Cook on high for 8-10 hours.  If desired, can add carrots half way through.

Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS

7 tortillas
1/2 cup diced onion
1 and a half tsp garlic
1 tsp coriander 
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
8 ounces sour cream
1 can chicken broth  (don't get reduced sodium)
1 can diced green chili peppers 
1 and half cup shredded cheese, divided
4 cups diced chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spray casserole/cake/enchilada pan with Pam

For sauce, in a saucepan cook onion, garlic, coriander, and pepper in butter til onion is tender. Stir flour into pan and stir for about 30 seconds.  Add sour cream into the pan. Stir in broth and diced chili peppers into the pan.  Keep stirring.  Cook and stir until warmed completely. Remove from heat, stir in 1 cup cheese into the sauce.

Put chicken all by itself into a mixing bowl.  

For filling, stir 1 AND A HALF CUPS of sauce cup of sauce into chicken. Using a half cup scooper, put half cup filling (saucy chicken) on each tortilla, spread around on half of the tortilla and roll up. Arrange rolls seam side down in a lightly greased 9X13 baking dish. Take the rest of the sauce that was left behind in the pan  and spread it on top of the enchiladas. Top with 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake, covered in tin foil, in a 350 degree oven about 15 minutes.  THEN take off the tin foil and bake, uncovered, about 20 more minutes.  Keep an eye on it and take it out when it is the color you like.

Chicken Alfredo

Sauce:

1/2 cup butter
2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs minced garlic
5 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Do NOT use the grated cheese in the green can)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Fettuccini or rigatoni noodles

Chicken:

Cook and shred chicken.

In separate bowl, mix 1 part "Dale's sauce", 2 parts "57 Sauce", 1 part water.  Add desired amount to chicken, to taste.

Directions:

1. Warm diced, cooked chicken up in a pan with just enough of the Dale Sauce, 57 Sauce and water to adequately coat the chicken.

2.  Make noodles

3. Melt butter in a separate medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve immediately. Top pasta and sauce with chicken.

Sundried Tomato Pasta

6 cups cooked farfalle (bow tie or mini-bow tie) pasta***

2 Tbs butter
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 TBS from the jar)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2-3 cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut or shredded into bite-size pieces
Approx 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained
4 tablespoons grated Romano or parmesan cheese (not from the green can!)

DIRECTIONS

Cook and shred chicken

In a large pot with boiling salted water, cook pasta until desired softness. Drain, rinse with cold water, set aside. 

While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large saucepan. Add garlic cloves and cook until garlic browns. Add the cream of chicken soup, stir in the dried parsley, salt, and ground fresh pepper. Blend milk and tomatoes gently in food processor or blender and add to pot. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Mix in grated Romano cheese. Toss cooked and drained pasta with chicken and sauce. Serve warm. Add additional salt at table as needed.

***I usually just make a whole box and measure it out after it's cooked, saving the rest in the fridge for a different dish. If you use too much pasta, it will taste bland and dry. Be sure you really only use 6 cups of COOKED pasta.

Salisbury Steak

INGREDIENTS FOR PATTIES:
1 onion, diced
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 Pounds lean ground beef
1 Tbs minced garlic
2 eggs
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs dijon mustard

 
Combine the above ingredients, separate and press into 8 oval patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Put 1 Tbs oil in pan, warn up. Brown the outsides in a pan on high heat, it will be raw in the middle. Place in sprayed baking dish.

INGREDIENTS FOR SAUCE:
1 onion, diced
2 16 ounce packages of mushrooms
1 Tbs minced garlic
1/4 cup butter

Saute above ingredients until onions and mushrooms cooked down, keep covered as much as possible

Then:
Mix together 1 can french onion soup with 1/4 cup flour, pour into sautee mixture

Add:
1 can beef broth
1 MORE can of french onion soup
About 1 Tbs dijon mustard
About 1 Tbs worchestershire sauce
1 can cream of celery soup (I meant to get cream of mushroom, but grabbed celery. Still great, so that's what I do now)
Salt to taste (1 tsp at least)
Pepper to taste (1/2 tsp+)
(Adjust any more seasonings, like the dijon or worch, salt or pepper).

Warm all the way through. Cover steaks generously with sauce. Reserve the rest for surplus gravy. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake in oven on 425 degrees for about 45 to 55 minutes, until temperature thermometer says it is FULLY COOKED.

 
Serve with mashed potatoes and veggies.

Deconstructed Chicken Cordon Bleu (Instant Pot)

INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds of chicken (3 breasts, about 1 pound each)
6 oz shredded Swiss cheese
9 ounces diced ham (I like Hillshire Farms brown sugar deli ham)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (for dredging)
2 Tbs paprika
1/2 cup butter (unsalted)
3 cups white grape juice
2 Tbs plus 1 tsp chicken bouillon granules (or 3 Tbs Better Than Bouillion)
1/4 cup flour (for thickening)
2 and 1/2 cups half and half (or whole milk)
12 oz frozen peas

DIRECTIONS

Mix 1/2 cup flour and 2 Tbs paprika in a bowl. Trim any gross stuff off the chicken. Put the chicken in a gallon zip lock bag. Add the flour, zip it up, and shake it well until it is all covered.

Turn the IP on to Saute. Melt the butter. Add the floured chicken and saute for 5 to 8 minutes, as the chicken gets a little brown.

Mix the grape juice and bouillion well; I usually do it in a measuring cup with a tiny whisk or a fork. Add into the pot. Seal it up and set for manual 30 minutes. Quick Reliease. Remove chicken, shred. Toss it back in the pot.

Turn on saute setting.

Mix 1/4 cup flour with the half and half very well. Add into pot and simmer until it bubbles and starts to thicken. 

While it is warming, shred the cheese and dice the ham.

Add in the cheese and the diced ham. Mix thoroughly and warm all the way through. Turn off pot. Toss in peas, let them cook just a few minutes. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes!!
Add additional salt or pepper as needed to your plate, to taste.

Clam Chowder

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups russet potatoes (peeled and chopped into small pieces)
1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup diced green onion
2 cups diced peppers (red, orange, yellow, green, doesn't matter)
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup flour
4 cans (6.5 ounce) minced clams (with all the juice)
2 teaspoon salt (you may need a little more, "to taste")
4 cups half and half (I always use regular whole milk, doesn't matter)
1 cup milk (so I use a total of 5 cups whole milk when I make it)
2/3 cup bottled clam juice

DIRECTIONS:
Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water; cook on medium heat until tender. Remove potatoes from heat, drain and set aside. 

On medium-low heat, melt butter. Add diced onions, celery and peppers and cook until veggies are tender. Add flour to butter and stir briskly. Mixture will start to thicken. Add half and half (or milk) a little at a time while stirring briskly. Mixture will be creamy and will look like thick cream. 

Place salt, clams and juice from cans, bottled clam juice and milk with mixture. On medium-low temperature, bring chowder to a slow boil. Turn temperature down to low, add potatoes, and let chowder simmer gently for just a few minutes. 

Serve with rolls, crackers, and/or cheese!

Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups peeled and cubed potatoes*
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups diced carrots or matchstick carrots
2 Tbs "Better than bouillion"
4 cups water
1 tbs dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt**
2 pinch ground black pepper
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
2 cups chopped/diced ham -- One 9 oz package of deli lunchmeat brown sugar ham works perfectly

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, chicken bouillon, water, parsley flakes, salt, and pepper and simmer covered until vegetables become tender (approx minutes.) Stir occasionally.

When veggies are tender, in a separate bowl, mix flour and milk. Once it is well blended, add to soup mixture and cook until soup becomes thick (approx 5-7 minutes).
Take a potato masher and gently smash around the pot, just enough to squash some of the potato chunks, but not all. It makes the soup creamier!

Stir in cheese, cooked ham and simmer until cheese is melted (approx 1-3 minutes). Serve! 

*Try not to make any changes until you have tried it this way first! Adding more potatoes, water, or milk totally changes the end result. When you are boiling the veggies, it may look like there is not enough water. Trust in the process!!

**Add more salt if needed, but remember that with leftovers, the salt will have had a chance to leak out of the ham, so be careful you don't overdo it!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Orange Sauce

Pancakes:

6 eggs
2 cups of cottage cheese
1 and 1/4 cup flour 

Mix together in a blender until smooth. You might have to stir a few times with the power off to make sure it is blending thoroughly. *Update: I sometimes blend the eggs and cottage cheese in a blender -- without the flour. Then pour the mixture into a bowl. Add flour and use a handmixer to beat until smooth. Use a 1/4 cup scoop to make 15 pancakes. Drop onto the griddle and spread it out a little with a spoon. Makes 16 pancakes 

Pour on griddle and cook on medium heat. These take a little longer than normal pancakes. Cook till golden brown. Makes approximately 16 4-inch pancake medallions. They reheat just fine in the microwave! A nice make-ahead breakfast.

Orange Sauce:
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice 

Melt butter and sugar in saucepan, being careful not to let it burn. Add orange juice and set mixture aside to cool for 5+ minutes. Whisk eggs and add to juice mixture. Bring to little bubbly boil and boil for one minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat, pour sauce through a strainer to catch any eggs you accidentally scrambled. Serve over pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Syrup

Beat 2 eggs, then add:
3/4 cup Pumpkin
2 Tbs Sugar
1/2 tsp each: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda , salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup apple sauce (I like cinnamon applesauce)

Mix until smooth using a hand-mixer with beaters.
Now add:1 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 cups of milk (skim is ok)

Mix until smooth. Batter is loose. Use a 1/3 cup scoop to measure.
Cook on the griddle and serve! Makes about 15 pancakes, 98 calories each.

Syrup:
Mix in a saucepan:
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs Corn Starch
Add:
2 cups Apple cider or juice
2 Tbs Lemon Juice

Whisk

Bring to boil; Boil two minutes, letting it get wild and frothy, whisking several times while it is boiling; serve over pancakes