Tomato Bisque Soup

3/4 cup onion, chopped
2 (28 oz.) cans Italian stewed tomatoes
2 c. tomato puree (comes in 28 oz. cans by the tomato sauce)
4 c. chicken broth
2 t. dried basil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon pepper
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

Saute onion and butter. Add all other ingredients except cream. Simmer 10 minutes. Cool (if you have time) and blend in blender. Reheat and add cream. Do not boil after adding cream.
Note: If you don't have Italian style tomatoes, just use regular canned tomatoes and add the Italian spices (oregano, basil, and garlic).

* This makes a LOT so I recommend sharing, freezing half, or just halving the recipe!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

It's taken my a few years to come up with the just right chicken noodle soup recipe, but this is one I make very frequently and my kids love. The cream of chicken soup adds a GREAT flavor and makes the soup just slightly creamy.

1/2 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 C carrots, cut up (or 1/2 bag of baby carrots cut up)
3 stocks of celery, chopped
2 T. butter
1 chicken boullion cube
1/4 C water
dash of seasoned salt and pepper
Put chopped veggies in the bottom of a large pot with butter, water, chicken cube. salt and pepper. Stir and put lid on and steam till veggies and tender or translucent (about 10 minutes).

Then add to the pot and bring to boil:
1 1/2 - 2 cans of chicken broth
4 C hot water
3 chicken bouillion cubes
Once boiling, add 1/2 package of noodles or pasta (8-10 oz.)*. Boil noodles in broth for about 8 minutes (or according to package).

Then add:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded/cubed**
2 cans cream of chicken
1/4 t. seasoned salt
1/4 t. pepper

Boil until cream of chicken soup has dissolved and soup is creamy.
Note: You may need to add 1/2-1 C water if soup is on the thicker side.

*I use whatever pasta I have in my pantry. My kids love bowties, shells, or penne and they work great plus it's easier for the kids to eat.
**I cook my chicken in the crock pot with 1/2 can of chicken broth and a generous sprinkle of seasoned salt and pepper on top for a few hours (2 hours on hight for 2 FROZEN breasts or 3-4 hours on low).

Chex Muddy Buddies

15 minute prep time
18- 1/2 cup servings

9 cups any flavor CHEX cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Measure cereal. Put in a large bowl and set aside.

In 1-QT. microwavable bowl, microwave choc. Chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on HIGH 1 minute. Stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until the mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2 gallon resealable storage plastic bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Cous Cous with Peanut Sauce

It's the new Mac and cheese! At least it might be at my house, since my kids loved it and don't really care for mac and cheese (weird I know). I got this recipe from The Vegan Spoonful (click the link to see a picture). I made a few slight alterations such as using regular milk instead of soy, and also halved the recipe (it was plenty for us plus leftovers), but otherwise my version is almost the same.

Peanut Sauce:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or hot water with bouillon)
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup milk

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in peanut butter and allow it to melt a little. Add vegetable broth and whisk until smoothly incorporated. Add spices and simmer on medium-low heat, covered, for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in milk and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Cous Cous

1 cup dry cous cous
1 T olive oil
1 t vegetable bullion powder (I used chicken)
1/4 t paprika
1 cup boiling water

Stir olive oil, bouillon powder, and paprika into dry cous cous until thoroughly mixed. You can do this right in your serving bowl. Stir in boiling water and cover for 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. Serve peanut sauce over hot cous cous. Enjoy!

Layered Bean Dip

It's game day!!! Here's a great layered bean dip for the crowd!

Ingredients:
2 large, ripe avocados
1 T lemon juice(*OR one container of avocado dip - then you wouldn't need the first two ingredients)
1 can refried beans (16 oz)
1/2 C chunky salsa
2 C sour cream (16 oz)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 can green chiles (4 oz.)
1 C canned corn
1 C Cheese (cheddar or monterey jack)
1 can sliced black olives, well drained
6 green onions, chopped

Directions:Peel, pit, and mash avocados. Add lemon juice and mix well. Set aside.(*OR for quicker and sometimes cheaper opt. use one container of avocado dip). In a small bowl mix refried beans and salsa. Spread beans over the bottom of a large plate. Spread avocados on top of beans. Stir taco seasoning and sour cream together and spread on top of avocados. Sprinkle tomatoes, green chiles, & corn. Top with layer of cheese and green onions & olives. Serve with tortilla chips.

Tomatillo Green Salsa

Easy and good. Great as salsa or to season chicken/beef/pork for burros or enchiladas.

28 oz. can tomatillos with juice (usually found in mexican section of grocery store)
½ bunch cilantro (1/2 C) *I just cut off the top of the bunch and use the top leafy part (not the bottom stems)
Two 4 oz. green chiles
½ C onion, chopped
½ C chicken broth
5 T. sugar
½ t. cumin
½ t. garlic salt
1 lime, juiced (I just squeeze it by hand)
dash salt & pepper...to taste

Dump everything in the blender and blend until smooth and everything is chopped finely.

Tomatillo Cilantro Cream Sauce

My sister told me about this recipe and I knew I had to try it. I LOVE it. We eat a lot of mexican food around here, so this something I will be making frequently.

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
3 T sour cream
1 C tomatillo salsa (I homemake mine, but you can buy cans at the store)
2 spoonfuls of jalepenos (from a 4oz. can), opt.
1 t pepper
1 t seasoned salt
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t cumin
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 T lime juice

*Blend all of the ingredients except the cream cheese and sour cream in the blender or food proccessor until cilantro is finely chopped. Pour into saucepan and add cream cheese and sour cream and heat until creamy and smooth. Serve on top of chicken, burros, chimis, enchiladas. It is great as chip dip. It can be served warm or cold.

Never Flat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm always on the lookout for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe--one that makes cookies that are chewy and soft in the middle and slightly crisp on the outside, and that don't get flat or seem too dense. I found this recipe when organizing my cookbooks/recipes this weekend, and decided to try it. I think my search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie may be over--these cookies were SO yummy!

*Note: this makes a large batch, so feel free to half it if you want a smaller/normal sized batch. I rolled the extra dough into balls and froze them for later use.

Combine the following until creamy:
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 lb. (4 sticks) real butter (softened)
2 cups brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vanilla

Combine the following and then mix with the creamy mixture:
6 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 heaping cups (1 pkg.) chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes.

Oriental Chicken Salad

I don't usually eat large portions of salad, but I do when it's this kind!

Salad ingredients:
1-2 cooked chicken breasts, diced (I dice them when raw, marinade in a little teriyaki sauce, then saute in a skillet)
~1 1/2 heads lettuce, greens, spinach, etc.
1 can mandarin oranges
3 green onions, chopped (optional)
1 pkg. ramen noodles, uncooked
1 small pkg. sliced almonds

Dressing ingredients:
4 T sugar
2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
4 T vinegar
1/3-1/2 cup salad oil (I use canola)

Combine dressing ingredients. Combine salad ingredients. Toss salad with dressing.

Whole Wheat Bread

I got this recipe from Kristin Free's bread-making class over a year ago. I've been making it frequently since then, and we all love it. Sadie will not eat store bought bread but she eats this. Also, Kristin's original recipe is four times this one--I cut it down to one loaf, because that's how much I make at a time and it fits in my bread maker.

1 1/4 cup warm-hot water
1/2 T yeast
3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (I usually use white bread flour for the last cup and a 1/3 just to make it a little lighter)
1/6 cup oil
1/6 cup honey
1/2 T salt
1/2 T gluten (optional)
1/2 T dough enhancer (optional)
1/2 T lecithin (optional)

Measure ingredients into bread maker in the following order:
water, yeast, 1 cup flour, oil and honey, 1 cup flour, salt, 1 1/3 cups flour. Mix on "dough" setting. After cycle is complete, shape dough into a loaf, place in greased bread pan, and let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Brush top of finished loaf with butter.

*More notes: For the oil and honey, I use a 1/3 cup measure and fill it half full with oil, then to the top with honey before dumping it all in. The honey slides right out that way and you don't have to scrape it.
I have never included the last three ingredients but I'd like to get them and see what kind of difference it makes.