Creamy Tomato Soup

Creamy Tomato Soup

 

28 oz can diced tomatoes, Italian style (I always use Del Monte basil, garlic, & oregano)

1 C chicken broth

1/4 C butter (I generally omit this or just add a tad - it hangs out on the top of the soup as melted oil anyway)

2 Tb sugar

2 Tb onion, chopped

1/8 tsp baking soda

2 C heavy whipping cream (I always add a bit less so the tomato flavor is stronger)

Mix tomatoes, broth, butter, sugar, onion, and baking soda in a saucepan. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Heat cream separately. You may warm it in the microwave for one minute per cup of cream, if you choose. Add the cream to the tomato mixture just before serving. Makes 6-8 servings. 

Like most soups, this is even better the next day. And it is such an easy soup!

Oven Fried Chicken

3/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced parsley
chicken pieces
2 cups dry bread crumbs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. pepper

Melt butter with garlic in it. Combine bread crumbs, pepper, cheese and parsley. Dip chicken pieces in butter, then in crumb mixture. Lay in a shallow baking pan on a rack until parially frozen. Place in labeled freezer bag. When ready to prepare, place again in shallow baking pan. Do not overlap. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Mom's Pizza Dough

2 cups warm water

1 tbsp. active dry yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
5-6 cups flour

Put 2 cups warm water (as warm as comes from tap), sugar, salt and 2 1/2 cups flour in mixing bowl. Mix well. Add yeast. Mix well. Add the rest of the flour a little at a time until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Knead for 8 minutes. Roll onto a pan which has been sprayed iwth Pam and sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with sauce and toppings of choice. Bake at 350 to 375 for approximately 20 minutes.

By the way, I (Jessica) have made this beforehand and stuck it in a ziplock bag in the fridge, then used it a few days later and it worked beautifully.

Also, this was actually a French Bread recipe, so if you want to make that instead of pizza dough, then let it raise once until double in bulk, punch it down, shape it for your French bread, and let it raise again until double in bulk before baking. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I made this soup for Bekah when she was sick, and both of our families love it! Here's the recipe, as requested! Also, it freezes well, so you can make a lot and freeze leftovers.

2 tsp. butter
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 small potato, diced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (see below)
4 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
2 tsp. chicken bouillon
4 ounces egg noodles
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
parsley

Melt the butter in a large pot.  Saute the celery, carrot and onion for 2 minutes. Add potato, thyme, poultry seasoning, chicken broth and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Add the noodles and chicken and cook on low for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Ok, so for my notes: I don't have poultry seasoning, and so add my own spices as an alternative. The spices are what makes it so good. I found a recipe for poultry seasoning, and never actually make it but just add some of each of the spices that are included to taste. I also sometimes have added a little more bouillon or broth depending on how the batch is looking and tasting as well. Here is the recipe I sort of follow to replace the poultry seasoning, which makes the soup so tasty:

Poultry seasoning:
2 tsp. ground sage
1 1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. ground marjoram
3/4 tsp. ground rosemary (I LOVE the rosemary!)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. finely ground black pepper

BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad

I crave this one, pregnant or not.  So good!  This recipe is very forgiving if you don't have all the ingredients it calls for.  Yummy, yummy!

Barbecue Chicken Cobb Salad

12 cups romaine lettuce

8-12 ounces grilled barbecue chicken

8 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 large avocado, pitted and diced

3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced

1/3 cup sliced green onions

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Zesty Blue Cheese Dressing and Dip

1 cup mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip; however, light mayonnaise is a good alternative)

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp minced garlic (1-2 cloves)

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

1-2 Tbsp milk or buttermilk, optional

Mix it all together!!!

Fiesta Salad

Another salad staple at our house.

Fiesta Salad

Dressing:

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded

¼ cup white wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1teaspoon salt

2/3 cup olive oil

½ cup fresh cilantro

In a blender or food processor, puree the jalapenos with vinegar, garlic and salt.  Continue processing and slowly add oil, blending until emulsified.  Add cilantro and blend until finely chopped.

1 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes

1 cup corn kernels (can use frozen)

½ cup chopped green pepper

1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

1 ripe avocado, sliced

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Combine salad ingredients, toss with dressing and serve.

ADD SHREDDED CHICKEN FOR A MAIN COURSE

Chinese Chicken Wonton Salad

Salads were the answer to all my pregnancy cravings this time around.  We started making this salad in January, and it lasted all summer long.  Even the kiddos looooove it.  Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Wonton Salad

3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

1 head iceberg lettuce, torn into pieces

1 romaine heard torn into pieces

1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained (we omit)

1 (4 ounce) package slivered almonds, toasted (we don’t toast)

¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted (we buy the pre-toasted kind)

1 bunch green onions

A few generous handfuls of Extra Crispy Chinese Noodles (the big fat ones)

Dressing:

¼ cup sugar

1tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cups white wine vinegar

½ cup vegetable oil

Mix together well.

Boil chicken breasts until cooked and slice into small pieces.  In a large salad bowl, mix together chicken and Chinese Noodles with lettuce, oranges, water chestnuts, almonds, green onions and sesame seeds.  Toss with dressing and serve.

White Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter or 1 cup margarine
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring butter and water to a boil.
2. Remove from the heat; stir in flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, almond extract, salt and baking soda until smooth.
3. Pour into a greased 15x10 inch baking pan.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until cake is golden brown and tests done.
5. Cool for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, for frosting, combine butter and milk in a saucepan; Bring to a boil; remove from heat; add sugar and extract and mix well.
7. Stir in walnuts; spread over warm cake.

Mustard Poppy Seed Dressing

This is a recipe I got from my mother in law. The first time I had it I loved it so much I basically wanted to lick the remains of my salad plate! I make it fairly often, and usually use it with a salad that contains things like avacados, mangos, strawberries, etc. The salad she uses it with contains grapefruit, mandarin oranges, and avacado.  I lost her little recipe book for a few months and was so upset that I no longer had this recipe that, upon finding it this morning I immediately decided to post it so that I couldn't lose it again!

Ingredients:
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. prepared mustard (French's)
3/4 cup salad oil (I just use Canola, and often use a little less)
1 tbsp. minced, dried onion

Blend the first five ingredients, then add oil gradually and stir in the onion. Refrigerate, and shake or stir thoroughly before serving. Will keep several months.

Chocolate Truffle Pie

A very rich, yummy chocolate pie, often requested from my Sunday School class for birthdays.  I had to make it for one of my class member's birthdays tomorrow, and thought I had lost the recipe, so when I finally found it decided it was about time to add it to the blog even for MY own sake in keeping track of it!

Warning: This pie is very rich, so don't serve out too large of pieces unless you know you can handle it! :)

Crust:

1 ¼ cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I crush enough oreos to make about 1 ½ cup)
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted

Filling:
1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
½ pint (1 cup) whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg yolks

Topping:
½ cup whipping cream
1 tbsp. powdered sugar
Unsweetened baking cocoa, if desired

In a small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter. In ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate, press crumb mixture in bottom and 1 inch up the side.

In a double boiler set over hot simmering water, heat chocolate chips 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Do not allow any water (even drops) to get in the chocolate, as it will make it grainy. Gradually add 1 cup whipping cream, stirring constantly, until combined. Stir in vanilla and egg yolks until well blended. Cook over medium-low heat 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened and hot. Pour filling into crust. Refrigerate at least 3 hours until firm.
If want whipped topping, beat ½ cup whipping cream and the powdered sugar with an electric mixer on high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Top individual servings with whipped cream, and dust with cocoa if desired.

Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce

Grandma Wood made this for us a while back and we both loved it.  I'd been craving it for a while, finally got the recipe from Grandma, and made it tonight. Yummy! So quick, so simple, yet so satisfying. Danny rated it a 10!

1/3 cup light mayonnaise
4 salmon steaks (6 ounces each)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. dried dillweed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat broiler.  Coat a broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Place salmon steaks on the pan.

In a small bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients; mix well.  Spread evenly over the top of the salmon steaks, then broil for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Serve immediately. 

While broiling, the mayonnaise mixture puffs up and seals the juices in, and makes for one yummy, amazing, comforting dish!

Peanut Butter Brownies

Thank you, shimmerchk from food.com, for this incredible recipe which has been said to create possibly the best brownies ever eaten by those members of our family who have tried them. I am finally officially adding this incredible recipe to our collection!

WARNING:  The recipe below is only for one 9x9 pan, but I doubt you will be making so little.  I just double it and put it in a larger pan, about 10x15.

Brownie Base Layer:
2 ounces unsweetened high quality chocolate squares
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 ounce semisweet chocolate square

Peanut Butter Topping:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2-3 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Glaze:
1 ounce semisweet baking chocolate
1 tbsp. butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. In a small saucepan, melt unsweetened and semisweet chocolates with butter over low heat.  Set aside to cool slightly.  In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and pale colored.  Mix in 1 tsp. vanilla. Add flour, salt, and melted chocolate. Stir to combine.  Pour into a greased 9x9 baking pan.   Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until brownies test done with a toothpick coming clean but with moist crumbs clinging to it (this is important to make sure they are nice and rich and not too cooked and cakey!).  Cool.

For filling, add peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly combined and smooth.  Slowly add powdered sugar.  Mixture will be a bit crumbly.  Blend in cream until the mixture is fluffy and reaches your desired spreading consistency.  Spread over the cooled brownies.  Cover and chill until firm.

For glaze, melt chocolate and butter in saucepan, stir until smooth.  Drizzle over the filling.  Chill well before cutting. Let sit at room tempterature for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.