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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 med. carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
8 c. good quality chicken stock
1 lb. chicken breasts or tenders, diced
1/2 lb. wide egg noodles
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped

Place large pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add vegetables to the pot as you chop in order listed. Add bay leaves, and season vegetables with salt and pepper to taste. Add stock to pot and bring to boil over medium high heat. Add diced chicken and once boiling, reduce heat back to medium. Cook chicken for 2 minutes. Now add egg noodles. Cook for additional 6 minutes or until tender, remove from heat. Stir in parsley and dill, remove bay leaves and serve.
You may adjust the liquid content by adding more or less stock, depending on how thick you like it.

Roasted Butternut Squash Gnocchi w/ Brown Butter Sauce

1/2 butternut squash, chopped
1 1/2 c. AP Flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
sprinkling of pepper
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Cube butternut squash. Toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Once cooled, put in food processor or blender and puree. You want about 1 cup of squash. Begin gradually adding flour and mix with your hands to create a dough. If it is too sticky, add more flour. Do not add too much at once. Bring water to boil in a large pot. Roll dough into thin strips, and cut into 1 inch pieces. Put into boiling water and let boil about 3-4 minutes, or just until gnocchi floats. Drain pasta.
Heat small saucepan on medium heat. Add butter and continue to stir so that butter doesn't burn. Watch closely. Cook about 3 minutes until light brown and bubbly. Pour butter over gnocchi and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Wendy's Frosty

1 cup Milk


1/2 cup Nestle's Quik

3 cups Softened Vanilla ice cream

place in refrigerator for 1 hour

Blend Milk and Quik for 10 seconds on high speed.

"Pulse" in the ice cream until barely mixed.

Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese

2 − 10 ounce packages Stouffer's Frozen Welsh Rarebit


(defrosted)

1 cup elbow macaroni

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat Welsh Rarebit in top of double boiler over rapidly

boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes just until hot.

Cook macaroni following package directions. Drain well.

Pour Welsh Rarebit into a 2−quart casserole; add cooked

macaroni, salt and sour cream. Stir to combine. Sprinkle with

grated cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Fruit Roll Ups

2 Cups Sliced Peaches


2 Tablespoons Honey

Vegetable Spray

Plastic Wrap

Puree sliced peaches in a blender with honey.

Pour into a non−stick baking sheet coated with vegetable

cooking spray. Dry in a 140F oven until the sheets peel away

easily from the baking sheet. Store by rolling on plastic wrap

and keeping in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Chick−Fil−A Chicken Salad

2 Cups Cooked Chicken Breast


1/3 Cup Finely Diced Celery

1 hard boiled egg, minced

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

1/3 Cup Sweet Pickle Relish

2/3 − 1 Cup Mayonnaise

Texas Toast or Thick Cut Sandwich Bread

Boil chicken until completely cooked. Remove from water and cool meat.

You can save the chicken broth, seal and refrigerate no more than a week.

After chicken is cool, cut into tiny pieces. Place in a mixing bowl with

all other ingredients and mix well. Butter one side of sandwich bread and

grill. Place salad in between grilled bread slices and serve.

Chick−Fil−A Chicken Nuggets

2 Cups Chicken Breast (Boneless, Skinless, Cubed)


1 Cup Flour

1−1/2 Cups Cracker Meal

1/4 teaspoon Paprika

2 Cups Water

2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

2−1/4 teaspoons McCormick Season−all

Place cool water in bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon season−all and

dissolve bouillon cubes in mixture. Place cubed chicken in

water, mix, cover and place in refrigerator for 12 hours or

next day. When ready to cook nuggets, mix flour, cracker meal,

2 teaspoons season−all and paprika in bowl. Heat oil for deep

frying. Drain chicken. Coat nuggets in flour, cracker mixture

and fry until golden. Chicken will be flavorful and juicy.

CPK Brocolli and Sun−Dried Tomato Fusilli

1 pound dry fusilli pasta


1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh garlic

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

About 12 oil−packed sun−dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced

1 quart blanched broccoli florets, drained (bite−size pieces)

1 1/4 cups grated parmesan cheese (reserve 1/4 cup for garnish)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until

al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large non−stick frying pan over high heat.

Add salt and garlic; when the garlic just begins to brown, add

thyme and sun−dried tomatoes. Toss and add broccoli. When broccoli

is heated through, add drained pasta (if pan is not large enough,

combine in a large mixing bowl while ingredients are hot). Add

1 cup parmesan cheese to all, sprinkling and stirring to mix.

Serve in warm bowls with a fresh dusting of parmesan cheese.

Cadbury Eggs

1/2 cups light corn syrup


1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teas. vanilla

1/4 teas. salt

3 cups powdered sugar

4 drops yelllow food coloring

2 drops red food coloring

1 − 12 oz. bag milk chocolate chips

2 Tbls. shortening

Combine corn syrup, butter, vanilla and salt in large bowl. Beat well with

electric mixer. Add sugar, one cup at a time, mixing by hand after each

addition. Remove about 1/3 of the mix and place in small bowl. Add yellow &

red coloring and stir. Cover both mixes and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

When mixes are firm, roll a small ball from the orange filling and wrap

around it a portion of the white filling that is twice that size. Form into

the shape of an egg and place onto a cookie sheet that has been brushed with

shortening. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate 3−4 hrs. Combine

chocolate chips with shortening in glass bowl. Microwave on high for 1

minute. Then stir and microwave another minute. Use a fork to dip each

center into the chocolate. Place candy onto wax paper to dry. After 1−2

hours of chilling, dip each candy one more time and chill.

Bailey's Original Irish Cream

1 cup light cream


1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)

1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey

1 teaspoon instant coffee

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed

for about 20 seconds.

Transfer to a clean bottle with a tightly fitting cap.

Store, refrigerated, and shake well before using.

Auntie Ann's Pretzels

1 1/2 cup warm water


1 1/8 tsp. active yeast (1 1/2 pkg)

2 Tbs. brown sugar

1 1/8 tsp. salt

1 cup bread flour

3 cups regular flour

2 cups warm water

2 Tbs. baking soda

To taste coarse salt

2−4 Tbs. butter (melted)

Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add

sugar, salt, and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth

and elastic. Let rise at least 1/2 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm

water and 2 Tbs. baking soda. Be certain to stir often.

After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope

(about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel into soda solution

and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzel to rise again. Bake in a

450 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted

butter and enjoy!

Toppings:

After you brush with butter try sprinkling with coarse salt.

Or for Auntie Anne's famous cinnamon sugar, try melting a stick of butter

in a shallow bowl( big enough to fit the entire pretzel) and in another

bowl, make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. dip the pretzel into the

butter, coating both sides

Three Muskateer Bars

3 cups granulated sugar


3/4 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup water

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 egg whites

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 bags milk chocolate chips (12−ounce bags)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar,

corn syrup, water, and salt. Heat, stirring, to boiling, then continue

to cook using a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature.

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and form peaks. Don't use a

plastic bowl for this. When the sugar solution comes to 270 degrees F,

or the soft−crack stage, remove from the heat and pour the mixture in

thin streams into the egg whites, blending completely with a mixer set

on low speed. Continue to mix until the candy begins to harden to the

consistency of dough. This may take as long as 20 minutes. At this point

add the semisweet chocolate chips. Remember that the candy must

already be at the consistency of dough when you add the chocolate;

the nougat will thicken no more after the chocolate is added.

When the chocolate is thoroughly blended and the nougat has thickened,

Press it into a greased 9x9−inch pan. Refrigerate until firm, about 30

minutes. With a sharp knife, cut the candy in half down the middle of

the pan. Then cut across into 7 segments to create a total of 14 bars.

Melt the milk chocolate chips in the microwave for 2 minutes on half

power, stirring halfway through the heating time. Melt completely, but

be careful not to overheat. Resting a bar on a fork dip each bar into

the chocolate to coat completely and place on wax paper.

Cool until firm at room temperature, 1 to 2 hours. Makes 14 candy bars.

S.e.x. w/ Cap'n Jack in a pan

S.e.x. with Captain Jack in in a pan
1 yellow butter cake mix
1/2 cup Meyers or Malibu Rum
1 cup sugar
1 can crushed pineapple
A big package of vanilla pudding or coconut cream pie pudding if you can find it
1 tub of lite cool whip
1 cup toasted coconut

Bake the cake according to the directions on the box in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Make pudding according to directions and put in fridge and let it set up. Cook pineapple and sugar on stove until sugar is dissolved. Poke holes in the top of cake before it is too cool. Take your rum and brush evenly over the top of cake. Spread pineapple sugar over top evenly. Take chilled pudding and spread over top of the pineapple layer. Then whipped cream, then coconut. Chill it and serve

Because everything is better with a little rum...

Mound Bars

Mound Bars
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups coconut flakes
1 can eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
1 12-ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Mix graham cracker with butter and press into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350° degrees for 8 minutes. Combine the coconut and eagle brand milk. Spread over crust and bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips on top. Set in warm oven for 3 minutes, spread as frosting and refrigerate until set.

Pizzookie

Skillet Cookie a.k.a Pizzookie (for when you are craving Oregano's, yummm)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (about 9 oz.) mixed milk- and semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350° degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten (slightly lower in the middle), covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't over bake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm; top each wedge with a scoop of ice cream.