Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!

Soup brings back some funny memories of when my friends and I would try to make our own soup! Surprisingly enough when we made it, it turned out pretty good! Although, now,  I would probably think there was WAAAYYY too much salt haha! Here in the central coast of California the weather has gotten cold and cloudy. Last night I decided to make my own Chick Noodle Soup. I had it for lunch with my husband today! He said it would go well with a Grilled Cheese Sandwich! Here is how I made my own Chicken Noodle Soup.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 or 2 cups of Egg Noodles.
2. About 1 tablespoon of Butter.
3. 1/2 or 1 cup of chopped Celery.
4. 1/2 or 1 cup of chopped Carrots.
5. 1/2 lb of cooked, and cut up Chicken Breasts.(I just cooked the chicken in a skillet)
6. 1/2 teaspoon of Basil.
7. 1/2 teaspoon of Oregano. 
8. Salt and Pepper to taste.
9. 4 cans (14.5 oz.) of Chicken Broth.
10. 4 cans (14.5 oz) of Vegetable Broth.

For the Chicken and Vegetable Broth I used Trader Joe's Organic kind. Both of them are 32oz. each and under 2 dollars. If you don't use it all, you can just stick them in the fridge until you need it. And, yes, my celery and carrots were also organic. I try to choose the healthier choice when I can.

DIRECTIONS:

    In a large pot over medium heat, put in your chopped celery and butter. Cook until tender.(5 minutes) Pour in chicken and vegetable broth and stir in chicken, carrots, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and noodles. Bring all this to a boil and put your heat on low and simmer for 20 minutes.

When I made this I just eyeballed the measurements. This should be pretty exact. You can always add more or less depending on how you like your soup.

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Creamy Tomato, Spinach, and Chicken Pasta!

Creamy Tomato, Spinach, 

and Chicken Pasta!

Back home there is a restaurant called Noodles and Co. I LOVE their "Penne Rosa." This dish is very close to it and I kind of put my own spin on it to make it just a little bit different! We had this for the first time last night! It is husband approved! haha!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil.
2. 1/4 or 1/2 of an Onion, chopped very finely. (or no onion at all)
3. 2 cloves of Garlic, minced. 
4. 1 can of Diced Tomatoes.
5. 1/2 teaspoon of dried Oregano.
6. 1/2 teaspoon of dried Basil.
7. A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes. (if you do not want it spicy at all, leave this out)
8. Black Pepper to taste.
9. 1/2 teaspoon of Salt.
10. 2oz.(1/4 cup) or slightly less of Cream Cheese. (use any kind, I used Cooper Cream Cheese!)
11. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese.
12. 1/2 lb.(half a box) of Penne Pasta.
13. 3 handfulls of Spinach.
14. Chicken, grilled. (I used Trader Joes, grilled chicken, for a quick make of chicken. They are strips grilled and frozen)
15. 2 tablespoons of tomato paste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender (7-10) minutes. Drain the pasta.
2. While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and transparent (about 5 minutes).
3. Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and a ½ cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.
4. Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy. Add half of the Parmesan to the skillet and whisk until it is melted in. Add the remainder of the parmesan and whisk until melted in again.
5. Add the fresh spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (3-5 minutes). Add the chicken(if you use the trader joes chicken I used, you will need to heat it up in the microwave just to dethaw it a little bit) and the pasta and stir until it is well coated in the creamy tomato sauce. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve!

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Basil Shrimp Pasta

Basil Shrimp Pasta!

This is a side dish. Well, I guess you could just eat it by itself haha! We like this with steak! I made this one up too! I wanted something with steak and had some bow tie pasta and tomatoes lying around and made this! My husband says it's one of his favorites!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 pounds or less of Shrimp, peeled and deveined. 
2. 3 cloves of Garlic, minced.
3. 1 tablespoon of Dried Basil. (fresh sprigs, or the dried crushed kind)
4. 16oz of Pasta. (I've used spaghetti, and even whole wheat pasta too)
5. 2 cups of Roma Tomatoes, chopped.
6. 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil.

DIRECTIONS:

     Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. Saute the shrimp with the garlic in the olive oil until they loose their transparency.(2-3 minutes) Add basil and tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with warm pasta!

Now that I think about it, this would probably taste really good with spaghetti squash too! haha! For those that don't want all that pasta haha! (I LOVE PASTA!)

Hibachi Dinner: Rice, Meat, Zucchini, and Soup.

Hibachi Dinner!

Yesterday, I made Steak and Shrimp Hibachi for Josh's birthday dinner! It still smells like a Hibachi restaurant in our apartment! haha! This actually pretty easy to make, but it is time consuming! I will show you how and what you need to make all that is part of this tasty dinner! I also made Miso soup. Most Hibachi restaurants I've been to give you the onion and mushroom soup; but the ones I have been to out here have given us Miso. For those who don't know what it is, it's a soup with tofu soup. That might sound gross, and I thought that at once, but its pretty good. So starting with the rice heres how you make a Hibachi Dinner.

Fried Rice!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 cups cooked Rice, cooled. (I used minute rice)
2. 1/2 cup of Onion, chopped in tiny, thin pieces.
3. 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil.
4. 1/4 cup of frozen Peas.
5. 1/4 cup of frozen Carrots.
6. 1 Egg.
7. 2 tablespoons of Butter.
8. 2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put your oil in a skillet with the heat on medium.
2. Put your peas, carrots, and onion in the skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes.
3. Move you vegetables to the side of the skillet and add you egg. Scramble with your cooking utensil.
4. Add your rice and butter, mix with vegetables and egg. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until butter is melted.
5. Add soy sauce and stir in.

EXTRAS FOR THE RICE:

    You can remove the rice from the skillet and put in a pan with a lid on it to keep it warm. The closer you get done with the rest of the food you can put the pan on the stove on low. Also, if you buy just one really large onion thats all you will need for then entire meal. For the rice 1/2 cup onion is usually only 1/4 of the extra large onion.

Zucchini! 

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil.
2. 1 medium Onion, chopped thinly.(or just use the rest of the extra large onion.)
3. 2 medium Zucchinis cut into thin strips. (i cut them in half, then the halves in halves.)
4. 2 tablespoons of Teriyaki Sauce. 
5. Black Pepper to taste.

DIRECTIONS:

     Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, and cook 5 minutes. Add zucchini, and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Stir in teriyaki sauce and soy sauce. Cook until zucchini are tender. Stir in ground pepper.

EXTRAS FOR ZUCCHINI:

     I cover them with lid so they get all the moisture needed and to not let the liquids spit all over the stove. Once they are tender you can just keep the heat on low until ready to eat. Also, you can add sesame seeds if you want to. I usually don't unless I have some around.

                                                                     

                                             Hibachi Meat!      

                                            you can do this with steak, chicken, and shrimp.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Chicken, Meat, Shrimp, or all of the above!
2. Soy Sauce.
3. Teriyaki Sauce.
4. 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat your oil in a skillet on medium heat.
2. Cut your meat into 1 inch cubes. If you have shrimp, de-tail.
3. Put your meat in the skillet. Add the Soy Sauce and Teriyaki Sauce. Put enough to fill and small layer to fill the bottom of the skillet. Cook until done.

Miso Soup!  

I found this at Whole Foods. Before you think, "ew..vegan? Organic?.." haha! It was the probably the best I had. Plus I couldn't find it anywhere else. All you need was 8oz of hot water!

EXTRAS FOR THE MEAL:

You can use any kind of Soy and Teriyaki Sauce but I use a specific kinds. I've tried many types these two are the best:

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Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti Sauce!

Spaghetti is probably one of my favorite meals! When I was little I use to eat it if cold for breakfast!

Gross I know, haha! I use to even eat soup cold, right out of the can! Don't get me wrong, the store bought kind can be good, but homemade is so much better and better for you! This recipe you actually have to use your hands and squeeze the tomatoes! It's fun! haha!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 3 Medium, finely chopped Onions.
2. 8 cloves of, finely chopped Garlic. 
3. 3-4 tablespoons of Olive Oil.
4. 2 cans of 28oz. Whole Peeled Tomatoes.
5. 2 cans of 28oz. Tomato Sauce.
6. 1 can of 6oz. Tomato Paste.
7. 2 tablespoons of Parsley.
8. 4 tablespoons of Basil.
9. 4 tablespoons of Oregano.
10. 2 teaspoons of Salt.
11. 1/2 teaspoons of Pepper.

DIRECTIONS:

    Saute the onions in the oil until nicely browned. Add the garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Reach into your pot and mash the Whole Peeled Tomatoes with your hand. (you can turn the heat down if needed, but its never that hot when I do so) Cook on low heat for 2-3 hours and stir occasionally. Cook the next day for 2 hours. (the reason for the two days is because all the ingredients mix and taste better if done this way. as my grandma use to say, "It tastes better once it's been married!")

EXTRAS:

   You can add ground beef or sausage to your sauce, but i usually cook that in a separate skillet and just add the sauce to it. Because, the meat will go bad before the sauce does if you just add it into the pot. You can also freeze it better if you just cook you meat when needed. Mushrooms taste great added in with the meat as well!! Also, if your not a big onion person you can always do 1 and 1/2 onions. I do sometimes.

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Chicken Bow Tie Pasta

Chicken Bow Tie Pasta

To say I love pasta is a understatement! This is something new to me. I have had several versions of this sort of dish, but I think I like this one the best. The others were too dry, too many onions, not enough chicken, etc. We just had this last night. Its easy to make. You can even make it a few hours before and just reheat it and it's still good, as well as for left overs the next day!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 tablespoons Olive Oil.
2. 1 clove minced Garlic.
3. 4 cups Baby Spinach Leaves.
4. 2 cups cooked shredded or cubed Chicken Breast.
5. 1/2 teaspoon Salt.
6. 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper.
7. About 1 1/2 to 2 cups of Philadelphia Cooking Cream. (I used italian herb flavor because there wasn't a regular flavor. It seems to be tasty so I am going to stick with it.)
8. 1 Box of Bow Tie Pasta.
9. 1 1/2 cups of shredded Mozzarella Cheese, or to your liking.
10. 9x13 inch pan.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
2. Put oil in a pan the stove to medium. Add the garlic and let it come to a sizzle, then turn the heat down to 3 or 4.
3. Add the spinach. Stir and let cook until the leaves look wilted.
4. Add and stir in the chicken, salt, and pepper.
5. Add the philadelphia cooking cream.
6. Cook the bow tie pasta as it says so on the box.
7. Pour the pasta into the 9x13 pan and mix in the other ingredients.
8. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of it all and put it in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

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