Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

My mom taught me how to make this when I was in college because she was sick of me eating cheap, unhealthy food. It's hard to cook for one, and easy to end up buying mac and cheese! I would make a whole batch and freeze servings for later meals. Really easy, inexpensive and makes you feel better than microwaved store bought dinner...Enjoy! Remember to be creative and add or take away ingredients as you like (more carrots, less onion, etc...)

3/4 pound cooked chicken (about 2 cups cut up)

2 medium stalks celery

2 medium carrots 

1 medium onion

2 garlic cloves

4 cans (14 1/2 oz each) ready-to-serve) chicken broth

1 cup frozen green peas

1 tablespoon parsley

1 tablespoon thyme

1 cup gemelli or rotini pasta (4 oz)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces. Chop celery. Peel and chop carrots. Peel and finely chop garlic (tip if you have not done this, smash garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and the skin will crack). Heat the chicken, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, broth, peas, spices, in boiling water over high heat. Stir in the pasta, stirring occasionally. Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat just enough until it's simmering. Cook uncovered 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender and veggies are tender when pierced with a fork. 

Bjorn Makes His Favorite Cookies

Chocolate Crinkles

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 sq. unsweetened (4oz) melted in the oil

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup confectioner's sugar

Mix melt chocolate/oil and granulated sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill over night.

Heat oven 350. Drop teaspoon balls of the dough into the confectioner's sugar. Place 2" apart on a greased or parchment papered cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 min. Do not over bake!

Enjoy!!!

Mom's story about Dad for his memory book!

I think being married for 55 year is amazing!

I love what Mom wrote about Dad for his memory book. But I think it's interesting that she wrote why Dad picked her but never wrote why she picked him

. I'm going to go ask her why.

Mom/Grandma/Great Grandma's Homemade Frosting

Double Batch - (Freezes Well)

1. 2 cups of Crisco (mix smooth)
2. 2/lbs. powered sugar
3. 1 cup flour
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1 tablespoon clear vanilla
6. 1 or 2 teaspoon
7. 1 or 2 teaspoon coconut
8. 2/3 cup of milk

Add 1/2 of the powered  sugar with the Crisco, milk, flour, mix and then add the flavoring. Add the rest of the powered sugar. Beat well.



Great Grandma James
Scott, Declan, Chloe, Olivia & Cordelia

Kenzie



River

 

Jen's recipe

 

Oyster Soup

Oyster Soup is a Christmas Eve tradition that is loved by some and feared by others.

Ingredients:
3/4 gallon whole Milk
1 1/2 sticks Butter
3T Salt
3- 8oz extra small Oysters with juice

Instructions:

1. Warm the milk with a double boiler

2. Add butter and salt

3. When milk is warm add oysters

4. Allow oysters to warm, plump,  and curl

Stuffed Mushrooms

Yet another use of pizza dough. This simple appetizer is great for those pesky social events were you want to bring something that everyone will enjoy, but don't want to spend too much time or money.

Ingredients:

2 T- Olive Oil

1 T- Yeast

1 t- Salt

1.5 t- Sugar

2 C- All Purpose Flour

1/2 C- Self-Rising Flour

1 C- Water

Mushrooms 

4 Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Chorizo Sausage or Pepperoni

Tomato Sauce

Crushed Red Peppers

Salt And Pepper 
1 Egg
1 T Butter

Instructions: 

1. Start by adding the water (warm), yeast, and sugar into your mixing bowl or bread machine. Let the yeast and sugar do their magic for 30 mins or so. 
2. After the yeast is bubbling, add all the remaining ingredients. Turn-on you bread machine or kneed/mix. 
3. Either let your machine do all the work, or punch down and kneed your pizza crust every 30 mins for 1.5 hours. It is worth it in the end, and you can save half in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 
4. Roll out your crust and cut it into 6 inch circles.
5. Cook chorizo Sausage (other toppings) into your marinara sauce (any store bought sauce will work).
6. Place a mushroom with the stem broken out of it in the center of the dough.
7. Fill the mushroom cap with meat sauce.
8. Spice with crushed red peppers and black pepper 
9. Add a 1/4 inch segment of a mozzarella cheese stick to the pile.
10. Pull the corners of the dough up and around the mushroom, pinching them at the top.  
11. Melt butter and add egg into a bowl. Mix and wash dough covered mushrooms lightly with a brush. 
12. Salt dough covered mushrooms. 
13. Place in the oven at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden.

Homemade French Fries

Ingredients:

1- Large Potato

Corn Starch

Cooking Oil
Salt

Instructions:

1. Slice potatoes into small sticks
2. Rinse with cold water
3. Dry well
4. Dust with cornstarch
5. Fry in cooking oil at just under 400°F in small batches not to cool the oil too much. Low smoke oil (like peanut or canola) will keep it from "smoking" up your kitchen. 
6. When golden, take out of oil and dry with paper towel. 
7. Season as soon as possible.