Chicken Noodle Soup

On a cold day, sometimes this is exactly what you need.  When a friend made this for me with home made noodles, I never went back to store bought. Here is my version.  FLAMBO!

Home Made Chicken Noodle Soup

3 Boneless Chicken Breast
4 quarts water
1 stalk of celery, broken up into chunks
a few Baby Carrots
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 Bay leaf
about 5-6 peppercorns
salt

In a large pot, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 1 hours, till chicken is no longer pink.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Remove all solids from the water and place them in a small bowl.  Strain the cooking water and return to pot.  Break up the chicken into sizes that suit yourself, chop the carrots, celery and onion and return to pot along with the bay leaf.

Add 2 large cartons of a good quality Chicken Broth.  I use an organic brand, either Imagine or Pacific from the Health Food section in my grocery store.  Bring to a boil, then add a half pound fresh Broccoli, cut into small pieces or a 12-oz package of frozen Broccoli.  If you wish, peel and slice  carrots and add to the pot.  Bring to a boil.  (If you prefer to use canned sliced carrots, that works just fine)  Salt and pepper to taste.

Make a batch of homemade noodles (I use the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook). I prefer to use a lighter, not so heavy flour, such as White Lily.

2 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
1/3 c. water
1 tsp.  extra virgin olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.  In a small bowl combine eggs, water and oil.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine until it is just barely sticky.

Sprinkle a clean kneading surface with flour (we use plastic cutting boards).

Divide dough in half. Roll out each section

then cut into strips, (we use a pasta cutter, but a pizza cutter or knife will do).

Cut down to sizes you prefer (we use a pizza cutter for this and add to the pot.

   Allow them to cook for a couple of minutes, absorbing the flavor of the broth. Serve hot.

Yummm…..this serves, with leftovers, my family of 5, which includes 1 insatiable teenage son, who eats more than one helping.

Whole Wheat Rolls

When my Katie was little, I found her banging my home made rolls on the table. Yes, Banging!! Then we later found that roll in my husband’s Cowboy boot.  I got the message.  My rolls were terrible and I have never mastered the art of edible dinner rolls.  My rolls qualify as NHL Hockey Pucks.

I have never given up the search tho, for the recipe that even this Queen of the Hockey Puck Roll can’t transform into something horrible!  It was in a coupon flier that came with the Sunday Paper a few weeks ago. I believe it was an advertisement for Fleishman’s Yeast.

Flambo!!   They turn out right every time.

Classic Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 envelopes Fleishman’s RapidRise Yeast (I use 4 1/2 tsp yeast in a jar)
2 Tbl sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk (I use unsweetened Almond Milk)
1/4 cup water
2 Tbl butter or margarine
1 to 1-1/4 cups all purpose flour (I end up using about 1-1/2 cups)

**Combine whole wheat flour, dissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Add flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed on electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally.  Ad 1/4 cup all purpose flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed.  Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Cover; let rise 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces shape into balls.  Place in greased 8 or 9-inch round pan.*** Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 30 minutes.****

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; brush with additional melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.

**I used my Kitchen Aid mixer, using the dough hook, allowing the mixer to knead my dough through the entire process, until smooth and elastic.  Flambo does not knead anything.  *;-.)

***I use a 9-inch square pan.

**** for a real treat, roll them in milk, or spray them with Pam, then dip the tops in, sesame seeds. or poppy seeds, garlic powder with italian herbs…the possibilites are endless.  Make them checkerboard style…

Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Onions and Pecans

I have been looking for a sweet potato recipe that I will make again, and I have found it in my local newspaper. It’s not sweet, it’s not gooey, it’s not mashed and it does not contain Marshmallows!  Flambo!!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Onions and Pecans

2-3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 TBL olive oil
Salt and ground pepper to taste

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, onion, garlic and pecans.    Toss with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. 

Makes 6-8 servings.

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

In my search for something different and wonderful, I happened upon a link for this  recipe (original found at Chocolate on My Cranium).  What I have here is my version with a couple of changes and doubled (I like to make and freeze them)

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles 

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour  (or I may use *all* whole wheat)
* 6 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 2 teaspoon nutmeg
* 2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 pinch salt
* 4 eggs, separated
* 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 1 14-16  oz. can pumpkin puree
* 3 1/3 cups milk (your preference.  I use coconut almond milk)
* 4 TBL olive oil

* Spray oil (such as Pam or the equivalent)
Directions

1. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl. 
2. Separate eggs. Pour egg whites into a small bowl and whip until fluffy and white. 
3. In a second larger bowl, add egg yolks, sugar, pumpkin, milk, and oil. Beat well. 
4. Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture and mix well 
5. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
6. Bake according to your waffle iron directions. These come out a nice golden brown. 
7. Serve with maple syrup or honey butter.

Lemon and Rosemary Chicken

I love the Thanksgiving holiday almost as much as I love the Christmas Holiday (which starts in August in my house).  The smells, the flavors, the gatherings, just linger in my heart.  One day, I was perusing a favorite recipe site for crock pot ideas, when I found this heavenly fragrant whole chicken dish.  It smells like Thanksgiving Day.

The original recipe claims a 9 hour cooking time, for a 3 lb chicken.  Mine, and always a bigger chicken, is done in about 6 hours. Work with your own slow cooker to see how long it takes in your home.  Flambo!!

Below is the link for the original recipe:

Fragrant Lemon Chicken

Here is what I do with it.  I put this in the Crock Pot every Sunday and it’s ready for us when we get home from church.

 Ready to start cooking.

Lemon and Rosemary Chicken

1 whole chicken, 4-5 lbs
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 Apple, peeled, quartered and seeded

1 Lemon, zested and juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium sized onion, (your choice) chopped
1 sprig of Fresh Rosemary (1 tsp of dried from a jar if you don’t have fresh)

1 cup water or Chicken Broth

Rinse the chicken and place in the slow cooker.  Stuff the cavity with the celery and apple pieces.

Sprinkle the Lemon Zest over the chicken breast, add salt and pepper.  Evenly distribute the chopped onion on top.  Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the onions, then pluck the fresh rosemary leaves off the stem and sprinkle them around the chicken.

Add the water or broth to the pot.

Place the lid on the pot and turn on to High for 1 hour.  After one hour, turn down to Low for another 5 hours (according to my crock pot) or until the chicken legs are easily moved around. 

This chicken can take 6-8 hours to cook, depending on your slow cooker quirks.  Mine takes about 6 hours.  But no matter how long it takes, it smells like Thanksgiving Day.  I love Sundays.

After the chicken is cooked, the juice makes a fabulous gravy. Strain the juices into a juice/fat separator, if you have it, leaving to sit for a few minutes so the fat can rise to the top.  Pour into a pot (after skimming the fat off the top if you don’t have the separator) adding the onions and rosemary to said pot along with more salt and pepper.  I add probably another cup of chicken broth from a carton (a good quality organic brand), about 1/2 cup Almond milk (regular milk will be just fine) a few pieces of  dark meat, shredded, and thicken with a cornstarch and water mixture. 

This is wonderful on Mashed potatoes, on the meat, and saving leftover gravy to pour into a Chicken Pot Pie on Tuesday.

Shazaam!

When I saw an ad for Spice Islands Saigon Cinnamon, portraying it as something exotic and special, I was skeptical.  “Cinnamon is cinnamon,” I thought.  It was pricier than “regular” cinnamon, so I left it alone. Then one day, I was feeling adventurous, Flambo surged to the forefront as I perused the spice aisle, and a jar of Saigon Cinnamon flew into my cart. 

Shazaam! Flambo!  I am now a believer!  I have never tasted a cinnamon such as this.  Zing!  Red Hot Candies! Spicy love!  Be warned: If you are a Foodie, once you go Saigon, you don’t go back, and if you do, you are not satisfied. Worth the extra price.

Saigon Cinnamon from the  Spice Islands web site.  I have learned that cinnamon comes from tropical evergreen trees. Cool.

What am I going to do with my 20 jars of  Cinnamon storage?  Yawn my way through hard times?

Food Storage for September

 

For some of us, the harvest is over.  Canned goods in glass jars, the fruits of our labors, line the shelves. For some, the harvest continues, with fall vegetables sill growing.  The anticipation lingers.

Our food storage item for September is Fruits and Vegetables.*

Fruits and Vegetables: 5 servings (1/2-1 cup)/person /day

OR

desired servings/ week x 52

Time to take an inventory of what you have, see what you need, and build on it.  Check Grocery sale fliers for great deals.  Store openings is a good place to find a “3 for a dollar sale.”  Keep and eye open for good deals throughout the year. 

If you are on the baby step program, go through your pantry, check for canned fruits and vegetables you didn’t use last month and throw them the closet with what you tossed in there last month.  Do you have $2.50? $3.00?  Add an extra 3 cans of fruits or vegetables (depending on what you want)  to your cart next time you shop, then throw it in the closet.  You’ve just added to your food storage!  If you’ve found you can do more, even better.

Using Dried Apples

Dried apples are an excellent snack straight out of it’s can or package. To reconstitute them use equal parts of dried apples to boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes. If you put this mixture through the blender you have Applesauce.

Stewed Apples and Raisins

In a saucepan, cover 1 cup dried apples and a few raisins with 4 cups boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes.

"President Marion G. Romney said, “We will see the day when we will live on what we produce.”  Producing our own food frees us from worries and more importantly, we pass on food preservation skills to the next generation. Canning, freezing and dehydrating skills are like any other.  The first time we try will be the most difficult, but the process will get easier as we gain experience.  If you haven’t canned or grown your own garden, consider starting to learn now, so you are prepared for the next season.   I highly recommend the “Ball Blue Book of Preserving, “ which can be found in garden centers, book stores, and the canning supply aisle in the grocery store.  (Amazon.com , itself, does not this version any longer)

)

This book has recipes for how to can, dehydrate, freeze, recipes for canning salsa, jams, and even soups.

What Amazon carries now, is the newer version, titled,  “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving”

Another option is “Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage and Preservation.”  On this page, I also found a book about gardening on 1/4 acre and other interesting titles.

 

*It is suggested that we store seed.  You may find seeds still available at a Co-op, or farming store, to use for next season.  Also check local dollar stores, and other variety stores for seed packet sales.

Usable Lifetime of Common Seeds

Beans, 3 yrs                          

Eggplant, 4 yrs                             Pumpkin, 4 yrs

Beets, 3 yrs                          

Kale, 3 yrs                                   Radishes, 3 yrs

Cabbage, 4 yrs                      

Lettuce, 4 yrs                             Spinach, 3 yrs

Carrots, 1 yr                         

Melons, 4 yrs                               Squash, 4 yrs

Cauliflower, 4 yrs                 

Onions, 1 yr                               

Swiss chard, 4 yrs

Corn, sweet, 2 yrs                

Peas, 1 yr                                    Tomatoes, 3yrs

Cucumbers ,5 yrs                   Peppers, 2 yrs