Easy Chicken and Rice Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots cut small how ever you like
2 celery ribs cut into 1/2 inch slices
(personally I like to use the celery leaves instead because where else will you use them that the kids won't know what they are eating?)
4 fresh thyme springs (had no clue how much a spring was so I just put in some)
1 bay leaf
2 quars chicken stock or broth (low sodium or other)
1 cup water
1 cup long grain white rice ( I used about 1 1/3 cup brown rice. Yummy)
1 of the large cans of chicken we can at the cannery or 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
Kosher salt and black pepper (yep, we bought Kosher salt)

I put some olive oil in a soup pot and heated it up. I added the rice right away so it could brown also. Makes a great flavor. I also added the onion, cloves, carrots, celery, thyme and bayleaf. I stirred them around a while until the vegies were getting a little soft. Then add the chicken broth and water. I used the broth in the can, too. I did take any fat off the top. I cooked the chicken in with everything for a while. It all needs to come to a boil to start the rice cooking. Brown rice does take a bit longer to cook. After about 20 minutes I took the chicken out and let it cool so I could cut it up. Then I put it back into the pot and cooked the soup until I thought the rice was done. It took about an hour all together I think. Tate says it is the best soup he ever ate.

Saucy Chicken over Rice

This recipe doesn't really have a name because I made it up one time, although it reminds me of a dish that I often ate in Germany. I'm sharing it with you because it has become one of our favorites. It's fast, easy, and delicious. Also, I'm just giving you general guidelines, not an exact recipe, and you can adjust to how much your family generally eats.* Really, try this dish and you won't be sorry.


Yumminess

• red bell pepper, cut in strips
• mushrooms, sliced
• onion, sliced
• chicken, cooked and diced or shredded
• whole milk
• sour cream
• salt
• pepper
• onion salt
• paprika
• rice

Saute pepper, mushrooms, and onions in butter until tender. Add chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with onion salt and a liberal amount of paprika. (I don't have any guideline for you, but I use quite a bit.) Pour in milk (enough that mixture is nearly covered but not quite) and let simmer a bit with the lid on the pan. Then add a couple spoonfuls of sour cream and stir. Don't add too much or the sour cream taste will overpower the dish rather than simply giving it depth.

The sauce won't be thick, but it will be yummy. Serve over rice.

*I'll give you an idea of the amounts I used tonight so you can adjust accordingly: one red bell pepper, two huge mushrooms (probably the equivalent of 6 normal ones), one small onion, and half a can of chicken.

Buckwheat Pancakes

If you like pancakes, you need this recipe in your life. I got it from the family Dave stayed with in Vegas a few summers ago. Since I never have buckwheat flour, I usually use whole wheat flour instead.

Mix together thoroughly:

1 c. buckwheat flour

1 c. sifted all-purpose or whole wheat flour

2 tsp. double-acting baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

You may substitute 2 tsp. molasses for the sugar. If so, add it to the buttermilk, below. Stir into flour mixture:

2 beaten egg yolks

¼ c. melted butter

2 c. buttermilk

Whip until stiff, but not dry:

2 egg whites

Fold them into batter until it is blended only. Cook on a greased hot griddle.

Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese

We originally got this recipe from Rebecca Shurtz, so you know it's southern . . . Somehow it's morphed into Cindy's recipe.

1 cube of butter (I always use less)
16 oz. cooked macaroni noodles
12 oz. can evaporated milk
2 eggs beaten
6 cups shredded cheese (I usually use less of this as well. But the full amount is tasty . . . )
salt to taste

Grease crock pot with butter, melt the rest in the bottom. Combine other ingredients in the crock pot. Cook 3 hours on low, 1.5 hours on high (stir frequently if on high).

Scones!

I'm talking about frybread-type scones, not English scones. I have tried a million scone recipes over the years, and they all seemed to be either too time consuming or too rubbery and tough in the end. These, however, are the perfect scones and I'm completely in love. I've made them a few times and they've always turned out well. They're pretty quick, too. I know Rhodes rolls work in a pinch, but these are definitely worth the extra 5 or 10 minutes they take to make.

One recipe probably makes 8 smallish scones. Double it if you're making it for the whole fam. Of course they're great for Navajo tacos or simply with jam, cinnamon & sugar, or honey. Please, if you like scones, give these a try!

Oh yeah, and I got this recipe from a sister in my ward. It's in our RS cookbook.

Quick, Never-Fail Scones

1 c. milk (scald)

1 ½ Tbs. Shortening (add to milk, cool to lukewarm)

1 pkg. yeast (dissolve in ¼ c. warm water)

Combine the following dry ingredients and add to the liquids above – blend well.

2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. sugar

Knead 20 times.

Let rise 10 minutes. Roll out to ½” thickness. Cut into squares. Deep fry.

Noodles (for chicken noodle soup)

Cynthia makes these and I always want to know her recipe, so here it is. Enjoy.

2 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
2 tbsp. water

Mix together dry ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients.
Flour your counter.
Roll out dough onto floured counter.
Cut into strips with pizza cutter.
Drop into boiling soup.

Voila!

Cheddar Chicken & Penne

I found this recipe in a magazine ages ago, and I love it. It's simple and incredibly fast--you can have it on your table within 20 minutes of beginning to cook. A few nights ago I served it with a toasted baguette and a fresh green salad. Without further ado, here's the recipe:

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 3/4 cup chicken broth (14 oz.)
• 8 oz. (1/2 pkg) penne rigate, uncooked
• 16 oz (1 pkg) frozen vegetable mix
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese*

In 5-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Sprinkle chicken with garlic powder, cook in butter until no longer pink, about 5 minutes, turning occasionally.* Add broth; heat to boiling. Add uncooked pasta and frozen vegetables, stirring to coat pasta with liquid. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender and most of liquid is absorbed, stirring every 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted.

*Notes: The last couple of times I made this, I cooked the chicken separately and then added it at the end so I could do it all faster. Also, I probably only use 3/4 cup cheese and it seems like plenty to me.

Toffee Bars

Cindy and I have been in love with this recipe for years. We got it from an older version of the Better Homes and Garden cookbook--it's no longer in their cookbook, which is a shame because it's the best. But here it is for your eating pleasure.

Crust
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup flour

Filling
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla

Topping*
semi-sweet chocolate chips


For crust, beat 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt until combined. Stir in 1 cup flour and then pat mixture into an ungreased 13x9 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. or until edges are golden brown. (Will work well with a mixture of white and wheat flour.)

While crust is baking, make filling. Stirring CONSTANTLY,** heat sweetened condensed milk and 2 Tbsp. butter in small saucepan over low heat until bubbly. Then continue heating (and stirring constantly) for about 5 min. more. It will become thick and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Spread on baked layer and bake 12-15 min.

For topping, sprinkle chocolate chips on toffee and return to oven until chips are soft (usually less than 5 min.). Spread chocolate with a rubber spatula. Let toffee bars cool slightly before serving, but remove them from pan and store in another container before completely hard or they will be stuck to the pan forever.

*I no longer have the original recipe for the fudge icing because the chocolate chips are so much easier and just as tasty. Ask Cindy if you want it.

**Also, I'm not kidding about stirring the filling constantly while you are cooking it. Just invest 7 minutes of your life in this and it's easy. Today I let a toddler drag me away for a couple of minutes and it very quickly turned into a black, burned disaster. Just a fair warning.

P.S. I'm trying to figure out how to make these not only taste good, but look good. They are usually a bit ugly because they get crumbly when you take them out of the pan, but you have to take them out early or they get too hard. Next time I'm going to line the pan with parchment paper so I can remove the whole thing from the pan without cutting it, and then once they're cool I'll cut them. I think that will do the trick.

Beef Stroganoff

This is the best beef stroganoff I've ever made. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com but tweaked it enough that I'm posting an updated version here instead of just giving you a link.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles, cooked and drained
• 6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
  
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 cup sour cream
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook egg noodles in boiling water until done, about 8 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet, cook mushrooms and onions in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until soft; remove from pan.
3. Using the same pan, brown ground beef. Drain and rinse. Melt remaining butter and mix in flour. Stir in beef broth, and cook until slightly thickened. Add worcestershire sauce. Add mushroom and onion mixture; stir in sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until sauce is hot, but not boiling. Serve sauce over egg noodles.

A few thoughts: I probably did less beef than is listed and it was fine. I also like to serve this over rice instead of noodles sometimes. You might want to add half the worcestershire sauce and then taste it before adding more. I like the full amount, but it's a different kick so you should just make sure it fits your taste buds before adding too much.

*If you want to see the original recipe, go here.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This has become one of my favorite recipes. It's completely yummy and flexible and can easily be prepared ahead of time.

• chicken, cooked and cubed (I usually do one chicken breast for my family)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped (I use minced garlic from Sam's; so much easier in my opinion)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
• 1 small carrot, sliced (I usually julienne them, just because I like it)
• 1/2 can drained canned pineapple chunks (save the juice for the sauce)
• 2 Tbsp malt vinegar (I've never used malt vinegar, just whatever vinegar I have--if you use white, only do half the amount)
• 3 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp cold water
• salt
• ground black pepper
• rice, to serve

Cook chicken however you want. You could broil it, but I usually cook it in a frying pan with garlic powder, onion salt, salt, pepper, etc. Then set meat aside while you cook the rest.

Heat oil in nonstick frying pan until very hot. Stir-fry the garlic and onion for a few seconds, then add the green pepper and carrot and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in pineapple chunks, vinegar, ketchup, pineapple juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Add cooked chicken to vegetable mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Mix cornstarch to a paste with the water. Add mixture to pan and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened. Serve with rice.

**I follow this recipe very loosely. I often mix the sauce together before putting it in the pan, including the cornstarch and water. That saves a step and works really well. Sometimes I add more sugar or pineapple juice to taste. Also, I often add other veggies. I really like it with chunks of yellow or red pepper. Pretty much just use this recipe as a guide and do what you want. If you like a lot of sauce, double the sauce.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.

Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Stand above the pan (but not close enough to scald your face) and inhale. Ahhh...butter and garlic. Okay, now get cooking again. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.
Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.


When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites


6-8 oz. bacon (1/2 of 1 package)
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small (or 1/2 larger) green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 28-oz. can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/8-1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce (no need to measure it, just add a few shakes and go from there)
1 1/2 c. long-grain rice


Cook bacon until crisp in a Dutch oven if possible. Remove from pan and drain the grease, reserving 2 tablespoons in the pan. Return the pan to medium heat and add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent. While the onions are cooking, place the tomatoes in the jar of your blender and pulse 2-3 times to chop them. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked, stirring occasionally to make sure the rice is not burning. Serves 6-ish and makes great leftovers.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

I love having muffin batter for fresh muffins whenever I want them. Sarah says these are good without the dates, as well. I got this from the Lion House cookbook, I really don't know what the difference is between this and what mom used to make.

2 cups boiling water
4 cups bran cereal (Bran Buds, All Bran, or Fiber One - I prefer All Bran)
1 pound dates, pitted and chopped, or 2 cups raisins
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup oil (I substitute most of the oil with unsweetened applesauce)
2 cups sugar (reducing the sugar a little works with applesauce)
4 eggs, beaten
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups bran flakes cereal or Raisin Bran

Pour boiling water over bran cereal and dates. Sift dry ingredients together. Cream oil and sugar; add eggs, hot bran mixture, dry ingredients, and buttermilk. Add the 2 cups bran flakes cereal. Mix just enough to combine. Bake in greased and floured muffin tins or line with cupcake papers at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 6 dozen muffins. Batter may be stored in a covered container in refrigerator up to 6 weeks. Bake any amount as desired.

Cherry-Pineapple Sunrise Cake

This recipe came from Kathryn's aunt, Anne Goodman. They've always called it "dump cake," but I thought you might like a name that's a little more appetizing. The beauty of this cake is that you just dump all the ingredients into a 9x13 pan with no mixing (hence the name), bake it, and eat a delicious cake an hour later. Super easy and super delicious. So, here you go.

Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Put ingredients into pan in order listed below:

• 1 can cherry pie filling (21 oz)
• 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 white or yellow cake mix
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Biscuits!

If you know me, you might know how much I love biscuits. I've never found the perfect recipe, but this one just might be it. I actually did everything wrong because I didn't have enough flour and I halved everything except the liquid (whoops), but I added a random amount of extra flour and baking powder and turned them into drop biscuits instead, and they were still amazing! And that's without using any real measuring spoons, too. Just imagine if I had actually followed the recipe.

I got this recipe here, from allrecipes.com. Instead of shortening, I used all (real) butter. Many reviewers said that half shortening, half butter preserved the flakiness but added flavor. Your call, of course. All I know is that I loved the butter version.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup milk

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg with milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
2. Turn onto a well-floured surface; knead 20 times. Roll to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Spicy Chickpeas & Rice

Prep time: 30 min.

This "recipe" is the result of not having anything to eat for lunch and rummaging around for something to keep us from going to the grocery store hungry. Here's what I found:

• half a jar of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• a tin full of spices
• basmati rice

I started off thinking "spicy" and ended up thinking "Indian." The result, as you might imagine, was both spicy and Indian. I used a heaping teaspoon of chili powder, which was definitely more than necessary. Our mouths were on fire throughout the meal. But it turned out well enough, so I'll try to give you the quantities I used so you can try something similar the next time you are out of food.

1 c. basmati rice

1½ c. chickpeas

½ t. chili powder

1 t. tumeric

1 t. cumin

1 t. curry powder

¾ c. plain yogurt

1 c. chicken broth

a little salt

Follow the instructions on the package for cooking your rice. (Or don't, since our package instructions called for a 3:1 water:rice ratio and we've found 2:1 to work better.) Put your chickpeas in a saucepan and salt the heck out of them until they taste like French fries. Add chicken broth. Stir in the other spices and yogurt.

I think it's best served in a bowl with the rice on the bottom and the other stuff on top. Note: go easy on the chili powder and taste it before you add too much. Sarah and I literally each drank an entire liter of water ourselves. It was really spicy.

One final note. I'm just kind of making up these quantities (and some of the ingredients). I don't know exactly how much of any of this stuff I actually used, since I didn't have a measuring spoon. Also, I think the yogurt I used was actually German quark and it might have been sweetened (not plain). And I'm sure this would be just fine with regular rice.

The moral of this recipe is: "There's probably something to eat somewhere in your house."

Chicken and Wild Rice Salad

Delicious summer salad I almost forgot about this year . . . no!! We originally got this recipe from a Dr's wife during Dad's residency, I believe. So tasty with the homemade french bread.

Dressing
1/2 cup salad dressing (Miracle Whip, mayonaise, etc.)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed marjoram leaves
1/8 tsp white pepper (really just for looks)

Salad
3 cups cooked wild rice, chilled (usually use half white rice and half wild rice)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup diagonally sliced celery
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup diagonally sliced green onion
Lettuce
Tomato wedges
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

In small bowl combine all dressing ingredients and set aside. In large bowl combine cooked rice, chicken, celery, red pepper, mushrooms, and onions. Add dressing to salad mixture; toss gently.

Cover; refrigerate 2-3 hours to blend flavors. Serve with lettuce leaves and tomato wedges. Garnish with toasted almonds. 6 one cup servings.

Spanish Tortilla

Last week I learned how to make Spanish tortilla, which is a traditional Spanish food. It's sort of like a potato omelet, if you're trying to catch a vision for what this is. It's delicious and very easy, although it's a bit time-consuming by the time you peel and chop all of the potatoes. Anyway, it's super yummy and I recommend you give it a try. We had it for dinner along with a salad and something else that I can't remember. Sometimes Spaniards will slice it up and serve it on baguettes as a sandwich, and that's very good too. Dave says the tortilla is even better left over.

Oh, I got this recipe from allrecipes.com, but I altered it based on a Spanish reviewer, so I'm just writing what I actually did.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
  
• 2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 2 onions, sliced into rings
  
• 6 eggs

Directions

1. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add half of the potato slices, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. When done, remove potatoes to a large bowl, leaving oil in the skillet. Cook the remaining potatoes in the oil until tender, then add to the bowl, leaving oil in the skillet. Gently toss potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. (Doing this again, I would only add half the olive oil the first time because I didn't have enough left in the pan for the second batch.)
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion rings, and gently cook until soft and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Spoon onions onto a plate, and allow to cool while the potatoes finish cooking. (I added the onions to the second batch of potatoes partway through.)
3. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in cooled onions and gently fold in cooked potatoes.
4. Heat the skillet with the reserved oil over low heat. Pour in the egg mixture, and gently cook until the sides have started to set and the bottom has turned golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Loosen the tortilla with a spatula if needed, then place a large plate on top of skillet and flip so the tortilla is on the plate. Slide the uncooked side of the tortilla onto the skillet. Return the skillet to the stove, and continue cooking until the tortilla has set in the center, about 4 minutes.
5. Slide the tortilla onto a serving plate and allow to cool to room temperature. Cut into six wedges and sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Southwest Rice Bake

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup tomato juice
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
2/3 cup uncooked long grain rice (I like a mixture of long grain and wild rice.)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

I like to double the above recipe for my family - I like it left over.

In a large saucepan cook onion, sweet pepper, and garlic in hot oil until vegetables are tender. Stir in black beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato juice, corn, uncooked rice, chili powder, red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to boiling. Transfer rice mixture to a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. If you would like, arrange chicken pieces on top of rice mixture. Sprinkle chicken with paprika.

Bake, covered, in a 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until rice is tender. If you are cooking chicken, make sure it is no longer pink.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

I love this stuff! When we make Cafe Rio Salads we always have leftovers and use it to dip quesadillas and slather on taco salad.

Place the following in a blender:

3 fresh tomatillos, cut into quarters
juice of ½ a lime
½ cup of buttermilk
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 pkg. dry Ranch Buttermilk Dressing Mix (regular Ranch dressing mix works fine)
1 cup fresh cilantro
6 stalks green onions, w/ ends
2 cloves crushed garlic
4 tsp. Sugar
5 cross section slices of jalapeño pepper (I'd say put these in one at a time and see how you like it. I like it, but you may not.)

Directions:
Combine well in blender and refrigerate one hour. A bit of salt and cayenne pepper have been omitted, so if you would like it spicier, you can add those.