Lemony Chicken Noodle Soup

• This is the time of year when colds and flu abound.  Working in an elementary school, it's pretty impossible to avoid germs.  This week I came down with a bad cold.  I can't complain, as I have been pretty healthy this winter.  But tonight called for a nice bowl of soup..and nothing is better than chicken soup when you aren't feeling great.  This one has the added bonus of lemon which gives you a nice dose of Vitamin C.
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• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 carrots  cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/4  large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 pounds bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed, diced
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup egg noodles
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
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• Put oil in a large soup pot.  Heat on medium heat.  Add celery, onion, carrots, thymne, slat and pepper.  Saute for 10 minutes.  Add chicken and continue to saute until chicken is no longer pink. Add broth and bring to boil.  Add pasta.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Zest lemon and add to broth.  Stir in lemon juice and parsley.

Panda Express Chow Mein

This recipe is one of those restaurant copy cats.  It does use easy to find ingredients and is quick to put together.  If you are craving a Chinese dinner in a hurry this recipe is for you.  If you do not want to use Yaki Soba noodles, cooked spaghetti can be substituted.  To the original recipe I also add some chicken, but if you want a vegetarian version, just leave the chicken out.

• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 (5.6 oz) packages refrigerated Yaki Soba noodles (found in the produce section of the grocery store.. usually the 3 packages are sold together in one 17oz. pack)
• 2/3 c. chopped celery (chopped diagonally)
• 1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
• 2 c. chopped cabbage
• 1 c. sliced carrot
• 1 chicken breast (optional)
• Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and giner together and save as the sauce.
• Heat oil in a large frypan.  If using chicken, cut in cubes and saute til no longer pink.  Add vegetables and saute for 10 minutes.  Cook noodles and add in.  Last, pour in the sauce and ook just until heated through.

Laura Bush's Governor's Mansion Cookies

Every Presidential election year, Family Circle Magazine publishes recipes from the candidates wives.
This is an exceptionally good one that makes a huge batch.  I halved this recipe for my husband and I and we still had plenty!

3 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups chopped pecans (8 oz) (optional - I omit)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Beat butter and sugars together until well mixed.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Add flour, baking soda. baking powder. slat and cinnamon.  Then mix in the cocnut, chocolate chips, oatmeal and nuts.  Drop by tablespoons onto a cooky sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool on pan for several minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.

 These are so good...peanut butter, chocolate chips, peanuts and peanut butter cups.  Everyone in your house will love them!

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup bite-sized unwrapped miniature chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, chopped

1 cup  chocolate chips

1/2 c. peanuts

Mix butter, sugars , and peanut butter well.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Then add baking soda.  Mix in flour and salt.  Stir in chocolate chips, peanut butter cups and peanuts.  Preheat oven to 350.  Drop by large teaspoon onto baking sheet.  Bake 12 minutes.

Crockpot Orange Chicken

This is an easy meal to just tuck away in the crockpot and come home to ready to go.  Crockpots are so wonderful on a busy day.  Nothing like coming home to a dinner almost ready to go.  I served this with some orange yakisoba noodles I found at my local Safeway, but it would be equally good with rice.  This recipe serves 4.
4 chicken breasts or thighs
1/2 bottle honey barbeque sauce
1/2 c. orange marmalade
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 T. ginget
Just put all ingredients in crockpot and cook 6-8 hours.

Wheatberry Black Bean Chili

I had some cooked wheat berries left after I made my delicious salad..hope you saw that post!  So next on the week of grains....a nice vegetarian chili with wheat berries for protein.  This recipe went together very quickly.  Great for a quick meal.  It is spicy and hearty.  Put some avocado on top for a garnish.  This recipe is from Eating Well-so besides being delicious, and high fiber, it is good for you!
Perfect for a rainy night with leftovers for lunch.

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• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large yellow bell pepper,chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 2 14-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 2 cups Cooked Wheat Berries
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat olive oil in a large pot.  Add onion, peppers, garlic. and spices.  Cook 5 minutes.
 Next add the beans, tomatoes , broth, and chipolte peppers. Also add in brown sugar.  Bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Add in wheat berries.  Heat through.  Just before serving mix in lime juice.  Top each chili serving with avocado and cilantro.

Wheat Berry Salad with Red Fruit and Chicken

I am trying to cook a little more with grains and beans...so....this week I will be posting recipes using quinoa and wheat berries.  I originally had planned this recipe as a dinner, but when a friend was coming over for the afternoon I decided to make it for lunch.  Leftovers can always be dinner another night.   I have to admit I went to 3 different grocery stores and could not find wheat berries.  I finally ended up ordering them off Amazon.  Wheat berries take a while to prepare, so if you want this for a quick dinner or lunch, precook your berries.  They will keep 3 days in the refrigerator or can be frozen.

Wheat berries
2 c. wheat berries
7 c. water
1 t. salt
Put all ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and let simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Drain.

For the salad
4 c. mixed green
1 chicken breast cooked and sliced
1 apples, unpeeled and diced
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. nuts (your choice)  I used walnuts

Put greens on salad plates.  Top with wheat berries, apples then cranberries and nuts.

Dressing
1/3 c. orange juice
3 T. raspberry vinegar
3 T. olive oil

MIx dressing ingredients and  put on salad as desired.

Look at this great ladies lunch!

Cranberry Rosemary Stuffed Pork

Remember that bag of cranberries I had in my freezer?  Well after baking the bread there was still more left.  A great opportunity to try this recipe.  Now this is not a recipe to make after work.  I prepared it on a Sunday and just put it in the oven at 250 all day while I was at work.  It is wonderful to come home to the smell of dinner all ready in the oven.  This is great with some sweet potatoes or butternut squash.  The original recipe came from Eating Well and called for a pork loin.  I had a sirloin roast so I used that.  I think this stuffing would be good sandwhiched between pork chops.

Brine

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cups boiling water
• 12 ice cubes

Pork Loin & Stuffing

• 1 3-pound pork loin, trimmed or pork roast
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped pancetta or prosciutto
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries (see Tip)
• 1/2 cup fresh coarse whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided

Mix brine and place pork in it for 2-4 hours.  Drain brine and rinse pork.
Cut pork lengthwise.  Spread filling onto the prok and roll or close back up.  Bake at 250 all day in the oven or 350 for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Sausage Potato Cheddar Soup

 My brother in law has been making this soup and telling me how great it is.  I finally got him to send me the recipe, and tonight I gave it a try.  A big rainy and windy storm is blowing in.  A perfect night for a bowl of soup.  This soup comes together very quickly.  It is an easy recipe to put together after work.

1/2# smoked kielbasa, diced
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 c. diced carrots
1 c. sliced celery
2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. milk
1 t. parsley
1/2 t. onion salt
1/2 t. garlic salt
2/3 c. grated Cheddar cheese

Saute kielbasa, potatoes, carrots and celery in 1 T. olive oil in a large soup pot.  Cook 5 minutes.
Add in broth, onion and garlic salt.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in milk. cheese and parsley.

Cranberry Orange Twist Bread

I love the tart taste of cranberries.  I still managed to have a bag of fresh cranberries stashed away in my freezer from Thanksgiving.  When I saw the recipe for this bread, I got them out and just had to try it.  Don't be fooled into thinking this is a quick bread like banana or zucchini.  This is a yeast bread with a tangy orange cranberry filling and a bit of streusel baked on the top.  Yummy!  Right?  Go to your grocery store and get some cranberries now if you don't have any and bake this bread.  Then listen to your friends and family heap on the praises!


For the bread:
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
2 T. butter

Heat the milk, water and butter until just a little warmer than lukewarm (about 120 degrees).
In a mixing bowl mix
1 T. yeast
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 c. flour

Add the milk to the yeast mixture and beat for 2 minutes.  Add enough additional flour--about 3 c. to make a soft dough that is kneadable.  In other words, not too sticky.  Knead 6 minutes.  Put into a buttered bowl and let rise in a warm spot for one hour.
While the dough is rising cook the filling.
Filling:

1 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
1 T. butter
1 T. orange juice
1 T. orange zest
Put all these ingredients into a saucepan and cook for 10-15 minutes over medium heat.  The berries should pop and the mixture thicken.  If desired add
1/2 c, nuts
Cool this mixture

After the dough raises for one hour, punch down and roll out to a 10 x 20 inch rectangle.  Spread the cranberry mixture over the entire dough.  Roll up starting at the long end...like you would do for cinnamon rolls.  Pinch the ends together.  Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan.  Place the dough into the pan in a zig zag pattern to fit.

Melt 1 T. butter and spread on the top of the loaf.  Then sprinkle on the topping:

Topping:
2 T. flour
2 T. sugar
1T. butter
Mix the topping ingredients, until the butter is crumbly.

Allow the loaf to raise in a warm spot for 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Panera Bread Minestrone

I love minestrone...the basil, the tomato broth, the nice fresh veggies.  This recipe comes from Panera Bread's own site so no it is not a copy cat recipe.  It is the real thing.  The only thing I did different is I left out the potatoes because I felt there was enough carbs with the pasta.

1 small zucchini chopped
1 c. diced onion
1 c. diced carrot
1 c. sliced celery
1 14 oz. can chicken broth
1 can (14 oz) tomatoes, diced
 1 c. ditalini pasta
1 15 oz. can white beans, drained
pesto
2 T. olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot.  Add onion, celery, carrot anf zucchini.  Saute for 5 minutes.  Add in chicken broth, tomatoes and beans.  Bring to a boil and add pasta.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Serve in a bowl with a tablespoon of pesto on top.