Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup 'n' a Laugh

OK - I lied...'Laugh' is first!  *-*

This is going to be a slower blogging week for me...posting AND reading.  I am going to be at my daughter's enjoying and spoiling our new grandson, Samuel Gregory Taylor, born March 3rd.  And his big sisters too. And doing lots of cooking. 

Gonna be IN MY ELEMENT for sure! 

I have a few ready posts, but because the pace of my busy life picks up when I return home, I'm wanting to save them for later....hope you'll stay with me til I get back into the blogging swing next week.

BUT FIRST....I must share a very funny story about our daughter Deb's oldest daughter, Claira.  She is truly our Shirley Temple - even her cousins see Claira when we watch a S.T. movie. We just never know what's going to come out of her mouth.  She's 5 going on 15. (Or maybe 50?!)  What an entertainer. With that vivacious and effervescent personality.

Deb called me to say they were driving down the road and Claira blurts out..."I sure am glad Nana (me) isn't dead"...."Well, yeh, so am I" was mom's reply.  Then Claira proclaims, "I would TOTALLY FREAK OUT if one of your parents died!"  

WHHHAAAAATTTT????

We have no clue what could have possibly triggered her thread of thinking, but I do know we will laugh for the rest of our lives to remember this hilarious proclamation.

How thankful I am to know she feels that way.  We live hours away from each other and don't get to be together but every couple of months or so.

I'm really looking forward to some bonding time, as well as reading time, together this week. 

Grandkids really do make life GRAND!

Here's Claira's school picture this year - you can see that twinkle in her eye can't you?  She's sooo much like her mama at this age. Smarter than smart.

All right...onto the recipe part of my post....

While hubby and I were both recovering from colds a while back, I made this tasty soup....though I don't really have a written recipe.

Soon after, I came across this delicious version at

Cooking with K, so please be sure to check out her recipe too. 

She adds some herbs and spices to add to the rich flavor.

This is a picture of MY soup =)

I simply put 3 large chicken breasts in my dutch oven, covered with a mixture of chicken broth and water and let them simmer for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Then I strained it - keeping the broth - cool, rinse and dice up the chicken.

I sauteed some chopped onion, celery and carrots and a touch of garlic.

(good for colds!)

 Place the chicken and broth back in the pot and add the sauteed veggies.

(At this point, I like to add a tsp. or two of a chicken base, but it isn't necessary.  If using the base, omit any salt).

(I normally have the dry kind, but had purchased this not realizing it was a moist base and needs to be refrigerated.  It's delicious just the same.)

Bring broth to a boil and add the noodles.  I dumped them in without measuring...probably about 1-1/2 - 2 c.

Let the soup simmer on medium heat until noodles are done.

You can let it simmer on low until it's time to eat, or dish it up and go for it! I like topping it off with fresh ground pepper.

Add a sandwich, muffin or salad and you are ready to enjoy!

I had 1/2 can of cream of chicken soup leftover from something else, so I stirred that in for a bit thicker texture.  You could add a whole can if you'd like.

We DID feel better after enjoying this comfort food!  I'm convinced that just smelling it while it cooked was the beginning of our healing.

(Keep in mind these measurements are guesstimates=)

HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP

(From The Better Baker)

3 - 4 bone-in chicken breasts

2 - 3 c. chicken broth

2 - 3 c. water (to cover chicken nicely)

fresh ground pepper 

chopped onion, celery, carrot & garlic, to taste

1 - 2 tsp. chicken base for soup

dry noodles

1 can cream of chicken soup, optional

thyme and parsley, seasoning to taste, optional

Place chicken breasts in dutch oven, covering with a mixture of chicken broth, water and pepper and let it simmer for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Strain; keeping the broth - cool, rinse and dice up the chicken.

Saute some chopped onion, celery and carrots and a touch of garlic.

(good for colds!)

 Place the chicken and broth back in the pot and add the sauteed veggies.

(At this point, I like to add a tsp. or two of a chicken base, but it isn't necessary.  If using the base, omit any salt).

Bring broth to a boil and add the noodles.  I dumped them in without measuring...probably about 1-1/2 - 2 c.

Let the soup simmer on medium heat until noodles are done.

Add herbs if using. 

Let it simmer on low until it's time to eat, or dish it up and go for it! I like topping it off with fresh ground pepper.

Add a sandwich, muffin or salad and you are ready to enjoy!

I had 1/2 can of cream of chicken soup leftover from something else, so I stirred that in for a bit thicker texture.  You could add a whole can if you'd like.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This is a delicious way to fix chicken!  I came across the recipe at "SnoWhite's" Finding Joy in My Kitchen and I am sooo glad I did.

I love her blog title - and am always finding J-O-Y in my kitchen...in more

ways than one.  (My middle name is Joy =)

Please check out her recipe as she gives some 'extra' instructions for cooking the rice and a sauce to go with the dish too.

I found some chicken tenders in the freezer and they cooked up perfectly.

A simple and very tasty recipe!

This recipe was inspired by Kraft Foods

PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN

6-8 Ritz or Club Crackers

(I used a mixture of chicken in a biscuit & some whole wheat crackers)

2 Tb. parmesan cheese

2 Tb. olive oil

4 chicken breasts

(or 8 tenders)

Crush crackers and combine with parmesan in a bag or on a plate.

Rinse the chicken in water and then coat with cracker mixture.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in large skillet.  Place the chicken in the skillet and cook for about 5 - 7 minutes on a side.

Check chicken after about 5 minutes as you don't want the crackers to burn. Try not to flip early because that reduces the cheese melting and crackers toasting, which makes an excellent crust on the chicken.

(You can also bake the chicken tenders at 400* for about 25 - 30 minutes, turning over halfway through baking time) 

Serve with rice and a vegetable and you will enjoy every bite!

I'm sure it won't be long and we'll enjoy this again.


Linked to Melt in Your Mouth Monday
         Hunk of Meat Monday

Healthier Watergate Salad

TOP O' THE MORNIN' TO YA!

I'm not a big St. Patrick's Day party girl, but I do love going with a theme...and since GREEN is the color of today, I've decided to share a couple of recipes to add to the fun...

This salad/dessert makes a great dish to share with company.

And this version has a tad bit more of 'healthy eating' added. This recipe calls for fat free yogurt which makes this creamier than the traditional recipe without the yogurt.

You just can't beat a dish that whips up in just a couple of minutes now can you???

HEALTHIER  WATERGATE SALAD

1 pkg. (4 serving size) pistachio flavor (fat-free sugar-free) instant pudding & pie filling

8 ozs. can crushed pineapple in own juice, undrained

8 ozs. fat free vanilla (Greek) yogurt

2-1/2 cup thawed (fat free) whipped topping, divided

1-1/2 cups mini marshmallows, divided

Stir pudding mix, pineapple with juice and yogurt in large bowl until well blended. Gently stir in  2 cups of the whipped topping; add 1 cup marshmallows; cover. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve. Top with remaining whipped topping and marshmallows before serving. (Or just stir them in if you want the green to show=) 

 Yield: 8 servings

Weight Watchers points - 2  (Prior to Points Plus)

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Nutritional info: Calories: 100; fat: 1.5 gr.; Fiber: 0 gr.



Linked to Weekend Potluck
           Meal Plan Monday

For some added GREEN fun - check out St.Patty's Day Candied Popcorn at Skip to My Lou...I LOVE Cindy's simple and fun ideas!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Mint Chocolate Cookies - MMMM!

I came across this delicious cookie recipe at Angie's A'lil Country Sugar and knew I had to try them.

After all, I am a cookie monster (& a chocolate monster to boot!)

I wasn't disappointed!

Wonderfully chocolate-y. Mint-y too!  MMMM!

I only made a couple of minor changes...

Instead of using the store-bought Andes chips, I chopped my own.  I had found a pkg. of Andes mints on sale, and scooped them up, just waiting for the right recipe to come along....

This was it!

I chopped them in larger chunks and used a full cup.

Then...because I was making these for an upcoming bake sale, with plans to freeze the cookies until it's time, I rolled them in balls so they would be smooth.  (more pleasing to the eye?)

They were a bit messy (you could use a spring-loaded scoop), but were nice and thick and sooo yummy.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c. all-purpose flour

2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

10 TBS butter, soft

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. Andes baking chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until blended.

Add the flour mixture slowly, and mix until combined. Fold in the Andes mints.

Drop dough by teaspoonsful onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (I rolled them between my hands for a smooth cookie - a bit messy, but fun)

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until no longer doughy. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Linked to Mandy's Totally Tasty Tuesday, Full Plate Thursday

Recipe of the Week

Slow-Cooker Cheeseburger Soup {WW style}

We've enjoyed many soups this cold and snowy winter. 

Trusting spring is just around the corner, but I wanted to share another soup recipe before it warms up too much outside.

Thick creamy soups are at the top of my list!

The same day I printed this recipe for Cheeseburger Chowder at my good friend Angie's A'lil Country Sugar, I came across this revised version from my Weight Watchers file.

Be sure and check out her version before making, just to get a variety of ideas!

I was sooo excited!  I decided I was destined to make this delicious dish!  *-*

I didn't have time to wait for the crockpot, so I just cooked mine on top of the stove.

I'll share the ingredient revisions I made below...

SLOW COOKER CHEESEBURGER SOUP

2 sprays cooking spray

(I used a little olive oil too...WW wants you to have oil daily, soo)

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium stalk celery, chopped

1 lb. uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)

2 Tb. all purpose flour

(I used 3 because I like it thick)

3 cups canned chicken broth, divided

1 cup low-fat evaporated milk

8 ozs. Velveeta 2% reduced fat cheese, cubed

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

baked lowfat tortilla chips, crumbled

I also added a can of fire-roasted tomatoes - it gave it great ZIP!

Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over med-high heat for about 30 seconds.  Add garlic, onion, and celery; cook, stirring frequently, until veggies are tender, about 5 - 10 minutes.  Coat a 3-qt. or larger slow cooker with cooking spray; spoon in vegetables.  (A crockpot liner would work nicely too).

Place same skillet over medium-high heat and brown beef; breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 - 6 minutes; pour off any liquid and add meat to slow cooker.

In small cup, combine flour and 1/2 c. broth; stir until lump-free.  Pour flour mixture into same skillet; add remaining 2-1/2 c. broth.  Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in bottom of skillet with wooden spoon, then pour into slow cooker; stir in evaporated milk, cheese, paprika, salt and pepper.  Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 2 hrs. Serve soup topped with crumbled chips. 

Yield: 8 servings - 3/4 c. of soup and 3 Tb. of chips per serving

Weight Watcher points per serving: 5  (Prior to Points Plus)

And without my revisions...

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Linked to Melt in Your Mouth Monday

Made it on Monday

Recipe of the Week
Mix it up Monday
Gooseberry Patch Roundup - Cheese 
Weekend Potluck
Whatcha Crockin Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday
Meal Plan Monday