Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded 1 (4.5 ounce) package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet

1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup butter 2 cups heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.
2.	In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.
3.	Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Chicken in a Sausage??

Oh, Fresh & Easy, if you close my neighborhood store, I'm gonna cry...

Chicken, feta & spinach sausages,
with peas and rice.
Yummy!

Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches

I took this recipe from online.  Thought I'd give it a try.  Full recipe is HERE

Ingredients

Pre-Cooking

After Cooking - the "Shred"

Due to the fact that I waited too long on New Year's Eve to get fresh italian

rolls at Claro's, I opted for a side of beef with linguini tossed with olive oil & 

shredded Asiago and parsley. The beef is moist, and surprisingly not super 'hot' 

despite the pepperoncinis.  Very good! I can't wait to try it on a hoagie roll with 

some cheese.

Traditions Abound!

My grandmother handwrote this recipe for me for Corn Flake Wreaths.  She made them every year for us when we arrived in Spokane for Christmas and they became synonymous with holidays at her house, along with peanut butter kiss cookies!  They're nothing spectacularly difficult, but they're so popular in my house that when I hadn't made them yet, both my boys bugged me about it: "where are the wreaths! There's NO WREATHS!!"  Thus, I give you a simply yet satisfying holiday treat tradition:

Ingredients:  1/3 cup butter, 10 oz marshmallows (large), 1 tsp green food coloring, 6 C Corn Flakes, cinnamon candies, holiday sprinkles

Melt the butter over slow heat, then add the marshmallows.  Melt slowly until completely liquid, then add the coloring and stir until green evenly.

Add the corn flakes and stir until combined.
Drop mixture by 1/4 c measurements onto parchment paper.
Use buttered fingers to shape into wreaths.
Sprinkle with jimmies and add 3-4 cinnamon candies per wreath.

Allow to cool, then use scissors to cut around the parchment and leave each wreath on a circular parchment sheet to store in a cookie tin.

Enjoy.  

Italian Night

Mild Italian sausage,  bow ties with butter & sea salt,  & Claro's garlic bread.  Followed by home made butter cookies. Mmmmm....

Snowstorm Cookies

Courtesy of my sous-chef, here are the first batch of holiday cookies:

Snowstorms
1 stick of butter
1 1/4 c Brown sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c Flour
1/2 c cocoa
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
Granulated sugar
Powdered sugar

Cream butter & sugar.  Add egg & vanilla.  In separate bowl, whisk together flour,  salt,  bkg soda,  & cocoa. Slowly mix into butter mixture. When combined,  refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Roll into balls. Roll in granulated sugar,  then preferred sugar.  Place on cookies sheets 2" apart.  Bake 10 minutes @ 350º.

 

 

Pioneer Woman's Meatloaf

I've seen this twice on Rhee Drummond's Show, so I had to try it.

 Ingredients

• Meatloaf:
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 6 slices White Bread
• 2 pounds Ground Beef
• 1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 3/4 teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/3 cup Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
• 4 whole Eggs, Beaten
• 10 slices Thin/regular Bacon
• Sauce:
• 1-1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• Tabasco To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.
Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

   

With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined.

Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)

   

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

 

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together.

 Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon. 
Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

     

Serve with mashed potatoes. Yummy!