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November 10, 2013

Chicken Noodle Soup and Homemade Biscuits: Soup Sunday Recipe

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Soup Sunday: Homemade Chicken and Noodles and Biscuits.  Today marks my first time EVER making biscuits from scratch and I have to admit, I was a little leery, but they turned out great!

Recipes Below.  Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 Bag Baby Carrots (cut to preferred size or leave whole)
  • 4 ribs celery (cut to preferred size)
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp. Dried Parsley
  • 1/2 tsp. Dried Basil
  • 1Tbsp. Butter
  • Rotisserie Chicken (quick method) or 3 chicken breasts (extended method)
  • 16 oz. Frozen Egg Noodles
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Quick Method Prep:

Cut carrots, celery and onions to desired size.

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Sunglasses.  Saving eyes from deadly onion vapors since 2013.

In a large pot over medium heat add olive oil, chopped onion, garlic, carrots, celery, basil and parsley and cook till the veggies soften.  Roughly 10 minutes.

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While veggies are cooking, shred rotisserie chicken.  Discard any skin and fat.

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Once the veggies are softened add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and add chicken and frozen noodles.

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Allow to cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.  Season with salt and pepper according to taste.

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** For the extended method, throw everything into a pot (except noodles) to cook on medium-high for several hours.  Shred chicken after cooked through, add back to pot, add noodles and cook for an additional 30 minutes to allow noodles to soften and soak up the multiple flavors.

Homemade Biscuits
 Ingredients
  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 4 tsp Baking Powder
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic Salt
  • 1/3 Cup Salted Butter
  • 3/4 Cup Milk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°.
Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Cut in the butter and mix with a fork. Add milk and stir to form dough into a soft ball. If too dry add extra milk 1 Tbsp. at a time if needed
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Press dough out onto floured surface.  Use a circle cookie cutter or a small cup to cut biscuits.  I used a coffee mug.
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Bake on greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. Brush melted butter on top of biscuits immediately after removing from oven.
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Serve with Chicken Noodle Soup for a perfect home cooked comfort meal.
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Other then making soup and biscuits, our Sunday has been pretty lazy.    Our security team spent a little time scanning the neighborhood.
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but quickly succumbed to nap time…
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November 1, 2013

An Appropriate F Word?

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Anyone else stoked it is Friday? 

This was a crazy week for me.  I started teaching Turbo Kick at a local YMCA this week.  It has been 6 years since I have taught group fitness classes.  Needless to say, I jumped back in with both feet!  I teach Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 5:30AM (which means a 4:40AM wake-up call in order to make the 20 minute drive).  OUCH!  I also teach on Wednesday and Friday afternoons at 4:30. 

So far, so good!  Turbo Kick is really intense, incredibly fast paced and contains a lot of choreography, but it is so. much. fun!  And the calories burned are CRAZY TOWN!  I will set my HRM next time I have class just to see how much I am burning.  Especially now that I am talking through the entire thing.   I was so proud of my class today.  They seriously killed it and this was only their second class.  Impressive! 

Friday Fave 1:

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I attended TK certification in St. Louis the end of September and I am studying for my AFAA certification in December.  (I let my group ex certification go 6 years ago, so have to study and test for re-cert).  I’ll touch on that another time.

 

Friday Fave 2:

Random Acts of Kindness.  On Wednesday, I dropped off a mixture of popcorn, candy corn and peanuts in our break room at work.  I just wanted folks to enjoy the snack and know that others appreciate them, so I didn’t tell them who it was from (look closely at my note).  Where my office is located is also where a large chunk of faculty offices are housed.  They work their tails off and since it is mid-term time, things get stressful.    I think they enjoyed the snack.  The bowls were empty by the end of the day.

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Friday Fave 3:

This guy.

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Even though he woke me up at 4:30AM this morning (and I didn’t have to be up until 6:15!)  Grr.   When he needs out or is over the idea of sleeping, he will come up on my side of the bed and breath heavily into my face until I get up.  Or, he shakes his ears while standing next to the wall so it makes a terribly loud noise.  He does it on purpose for sure.  What a punk.

 

Friday Fave 5:

Humor.  This sign, located in a bathroom at a bar, in place of a mirror.  Classic.

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Happy Friday, all!  Make it a good one.

 

What are you all doing this fine Friday eve?  Are you one of the above? 😉

October 31, 2013

Spinach Mushroom Garlic Lasagna Recipe And Happy Halloween!

Before we get to the yummiest vegetable based recipe I have made yet, I must first say,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!  We have had the cutest little kiddos visiting our house tonight.  Love their tiny voices saying “trick-or-treat“!

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I asked Champ if he was ready for some Halloween candy.  His reaction is much like mine when talking chocolate.

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Tonight for dinner was Spinach Mushroom Garlic Lasagna.  Apparently, I am on a spinach, mushroom, garlic kick lately.  I am rolling with it.

Spinach Mushroom Garlic Lasagna

Ingredients:

  • Box Lasagna Noodles (I used whole grain)
  • 8oz. mushrooms, chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 9 oz. bag spinach, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. basil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 24 oz. Garden Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce
  • 15 oz low fat ricotta
  • 12 oz low fat cottage cheese
  • 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 3 Tbsp. Egg White (or 1 whole egg)
  • 8 oz shredded mozzarella
  • 2 Tbsp EVOO

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Directions:

Boil noodles in pot of water.

Saute chopped onion, mushrooms and garlic in EVOO over medium-low heat.

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While mixture is sauteing, chop spinach and add to pan once mushrooms and onions have softened.

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While spinach wilts in pan, mix together egg whites, ricotta, cottage cheese and shredded mozzarella in a medium size bowl.  Set aside.   Once spinach mixture has reduced, add in Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce.

Yum!

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At this point you are ready to assemble the lasagna.  In a greased 9×13 pan, overlap four lasagna noodles, top with mushroom/spinach mixture, dollops of the ricotta mixture and a handful of shredded mozzarella.   Repeat layers four times.

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Place in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.  Let set, cut, serve, devour.  Try to have just one serving.  Not. Possible.

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Hope you all had a wonderful Thursday!

What was your favorite costume of the evening?