Chicken Noodle Soup

The perfect comfort food.

3-4 cups water

4 t. chicken bouillon

2 cups sliced or diced carrots, 3 to 4 carrots

2 cups sliced or diced celery, 3 ribs

¾ cup chopped onion

2 cups dry noodles

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

1 cup milk

2 cups cooked diced chicken - leftover grilled chicken is very tasty 

Heat water and bouillon to a boil.  Add carrots, celery, onions and simmer 10 minutes.  Add noodles and cook through, about 10 minutes more.  Meanwhile, melt butter and add flour to make a roux.  Add milk and stir until smooth and beginning to thicken.  Add to cooked vegetables and noodles.  Stir until broth is smooth and slightly thickened.  Add chicken and heat through.   Add more water if it is too thick.  Season to taste. Makes about 2 ½ quarts. 

The original Lion House recipe uses 2 cans of cream of chicken soup but after reading The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, I make if from scratch and I like it much better. 

Hot Cross Buns

I have always wanted to make hot cross buns for Easter.  This recipe is very simple, works out well and tastes delicious.  (I did have to listen to everyone singing “Hot Cross Buns”, from when they were beginning piano students, all day on Easter)

2 cups milk

½ cup oil

½ cup sugar

1 package (1 T.) yeast

4 cups all-purpose flour

½ cups (additional) flour

½ teaspoon (heaping) baking powder

½ teaspoon (scant) baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Additional spices: cardamom, nutmeg, allspice (optional)

½ cups raisins

Combine 2 cups milk, oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat until very warm but not boiling. Or heat in the microwave for 2 minutes.  Allow to cool until mixture is still warm, but not hot.

Sprinkle yeast over mixture and stir to mix.  Let yeast mixture sit 5 minutes.   Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a tea towel and set aside for 1 hour.

Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till combined.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and whatever other spices you want to use.

Lightly flour surface or tea towel. Press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is “plain” again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used.

Pinch off ping pong or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, and then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes…an hour-plus is better.  For egg wash: mix 1 egg white with a splash of milk. Brush onto each roll before baking.

Preheat oven to 400º. Bake for 20 minutes, give or take, or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

ICING

1 whole egg white

Powdered sugar

Splash of milk

Mix 1 egg white with enough powdered sugar for icing to be very thick. Splash in milk as needed for consistency.

Add icing to a small Ziploc bag and snip the corner. Make icing crosses on each roll, making sure they’re completely cooled first.

I have never done this icing recipe but it made a shiny glaze that did taste nice.

Pumpkin Bites



The easiest cookie recipe I have ever made!  Yummy!

1 spice cake mix
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin
3/4 cup oats
1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Mix cake mix and pumpkin.  Add oats and chocolate chips.  Drop by teaspoonsful onto baking tray sprayed with baking spray.  Make them fairly small.  Bake at 375º for 10 minutes.  The small size just seems to taste better.  A nice little bite!

Feta Stuffed Chicken

Easy and so good!

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese*
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cut a pocket into each chicken breast at the thickest part (not all the way through).  In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup of feta with lemon zest and fill each chicken breast.

Heat olive oil in skillet and add the chicken breasts.  Cook on each side for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.  Top with remaining feta.

Serve with rice and cooked green beans or with a spinach salad. Yum!

*Feta can be purchased for much cheaper at Costco.

Bagels

Courtesy of Nelean Meadows (Olympus 5th Ward)

Dissolve 1 T. yeast  in 1/4 cup warm water and let sit for 10 minutes.  Put in large mixing bowl:

3 T. sugar
1 T. salt
3 T. oil

Add 1 1/2 cups warm milk to sugar mixture, then add yeast.  Beat 2 eggs and add enough water to make 1 cup; add this mixture to the one above.  Add about 6 1/2 cups of flour, one cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.


When dough is stiff turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead well until smooth.  Shape into ball and place in greased bowl and grease top of ball.  Cover tightly, set in a warm place and let rise until double in bulk; about one hour. Punch down and let rise again.

To form bagel, take a piece of dough and form into a ball and press a hole in center, like a doughnut.  Bring 2 quarts of water and 2 T. sugar to a boil.  Drop bagels into boiling water one at a time.  Let cook one minute or until the bagel floats to the top.  Turn.  Boil a little more. Remove from water and drain on a paper towel.

Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Beat one egg and 1 t. water together; brush bagels.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, kosher salt, onion flakes or whatever you like.  Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until crust is brown and crisp.

Strawberry Shortstop Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of Erik Larsen, Heaven Cupcake, Cupcake Wars 2011
Grant Stake Women's Conference January 2013

Cupcakes:
2.5 cups all purpose flour (scoop only don't level off with a knife/may get too much flour)
1 teasp. baking soda
1 teasp. salt
1.5 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups vegatable oil
2 eggs
1 egg white
1/2 teasp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/2 cup diced frozen strawberries (love this added ingredient to the batter!)
1 teasp. vinegar

Strawberry cream cheese frosting

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
10 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces butter
1 teasp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
6 fresh strawberries chopped (I typically put 3 fresh in my frosting - gives it more a pinkish tint) and use the other pieces for garnish...


Preheat oven to 340 degrees F. (yes it says 340)

Line a cupcake or muffin pan with 24 cupcake liners.  Whisk the flour, baking soda, sugar and salt into a large-size bowl.  Set the bowl aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, with a paddle attachment, mix vegetable oil, eggs, milk, vinegar and vanilla on low for about 30 seconds.  Leave mixer on low speed and gradually add in the large-size bowl of dry mixture.  Fold in diced strawberries with mixture and remove bowl from the mixer.

Fill 24 cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter and bake for 20 min. or until golden and baked through.  (large cookie scoop worked good).  Cool the cupcakes completely.

Frosting:
In a food processor combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, strawberries and powdered sugar and mix until creamy.  Put the frosting into a pastry bag and cut 1/2 inch off the tip.

To Assemble:
Generously frost the top of each cupcake with the strawberry cream cheese frosting mixture.  Then, place a fresh strawberry slice on top for garnish.  Lastly, with a small pastry bag pipe the team's logo on strawberry slice. (I didn't do last step..)

these were hearty tasting yet really good - love how it was more bread/muffin batter consistency from scratch vs. super sweet....  Also the cream cheese frosting a hit!

Something Beautiful

Just wanted to show you pictures of something  beautiful.  Leslie Lorimer brought us this tart yesterday from Normandie's to thank us for helping them with their trip to South Africa.  I enjoyed looking at it all day.  It was so inspiring!  Stephen, Dad and I ate three quarters of it last night.  Well...it WAS delicious.  It doesn't look very difficult to recreate. Sweet tart crust, chocolate ganache, pastry cream, fresh fruit and a glaze.  I am going to give it a try.  (Actually, I think I could improve on the crust which was a bit heavy)  Think beautiful thoughts!