Nanny’s Chicken Noodle Soup

Hi there! I hope you’re all enjoying your summer, despite this week’s super hot temperatures. Between job applications, work, and planning my own wedding, I’ve been keeping busy. I know most people don’t really crave soup during the summer, but I’ve been craving this traditional Williamson family dish ever since finding a recipe similar to it on Pinterest.

My mom’s mom, Nanny (Mabel), was, hands down, the best cook I’ve ever known. No one ever passed through the doors of her home without being offered something to eat, and everything she made was amazing. I remember staying over at the house during the summer, helping my Nan in the kitchen while my sister would be watching TV with our Pop (Ralph) in the living room. In the afternoons, we’d have toasted PB&J’s on Pennsylvania Dutch potato bread, and with whatever we would have for dinner, there was applesauce on the table. Always applesauce. Even though my grandmother was legally blind, she could still whip up delicious meals. This lead to more of a “to taste” and “to feel/texture” method of cooking, which is why I don’t think we’ll ever be able to make her chocolate peanut butter fudge topping correctly: she never wrote it down, so we don’t know the proportions.

After pinning a recipe for chicken noodle soup, one of my older cousins commented that it sounded like the one Nan would make. This is one of those “puts the meat on your bones” recipes, and I strayed from the Pinterest recipe a little bit to make it more authentic to the taste I remember. Enjoy!

Yes, I *did* realize after I put the soups in the pot that I had forgotten to get a group shot of the ingredients.

Nanny’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients

1 26 oz. can of condensed cream of chicken soup (or whatever adds up to about 26oz.)
1 10.75 oz. can of condensed cream of mushroom soup (I accidentally threw that can out before I took this…)
3 14.5 oz. cans of chicken broth (or one BIG can)
2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. seasoning salt (I left this out to cut down on sodium)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 9 oz. bags of Reames egg noodles*

(My mom reminded me that it has to be Reames egg noodles, since that’s the kind that Nanny always used.)

In a large pot, mix the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, and chicken meat. Season with onion powder, seasoning salt, and garlic powder. Since Nan never really measured the seasonings, I didn’t either. I used the “about right” measurement. Bring to a boil, and stir in the noodles. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

 What are your family’s favorite recipes?

Chocolate Chip “Cookie Dough” Dip — As Good As The Real Thing

Cookie dough. It’s one of life’s little pleasantries. I mean, come on, who doesn’t sneak a little taste of the raw cookie dough while baking? I certainly do, even though my Grandma taught me as a child that one does not eat raw dough because of the raw eggs. What can I say? I’m a rebel. 🙂

Anyway, as great as raw cookie dough tastes, it does not make a real snack. It’s also not very good for you.

So, when I saw all these recipes on Pinterest for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip, I was intrigued and wanted to see what it entailed. I’m the first to admit that dips aren’t always my thing. Non-dessert dips tend to include ingredients that I don’t like — particularly mayonnaise — so I generally am not interested in either eating them or making them.

A few of the recipes actually were very much like real cookie dough and were generally just egg-free versions of the real thing. But, a lot of them were healthier, “fake” cookie dough versions made out of chick peas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans) which are the main ingredient in hummus.

At first I was kind of skeptical. Despite my partial Middle Eastern background, I was never a huge fan of hummus because I usually find it grainy and dry. That being said, however, I wanted to try out the dip.

I made it once last year and it turned out OK, but not great. But, after making it a couple more times this year, I’ve changed ingredients around and played with the recipe and think I’ve ended up with a pretty good version.

So, here’s my recipe for Chocolate Chip “Cookie Dough” Dip:

Note: This picture shows a double recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 can chick peas/garbanzo beans
• 3 Tablespoons oats
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
• 1/4 cup sweetener of choice — I use 3 Tablespoons of Light Brown Sugar and 1 Tablespoon of White Granulated Sugar. You could also use Splenda, Honey, or another alternative sweetener. You can also adjust the amount based on preference.
• 1/8 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Equipment:

• Food processor
• Measuring spoons
• Spatula
• Can opener

Instructions:

1. Safety first! Make sure you properly know how to use a food processor. The blade is very sharp.

2. Open and drain the can of chick peas and rinse them thoroughly. Add the chick peas to the food processor.

3. Turn on your food processor for about 30 seconds and allow the chick peas to break down a little bit before you add the other ingredients.

4. Next, add the oil, oats, vanilla, sweetener, and baking soda. Turn the food processor back on and let it run until the mixture is smooth.

5. You may find that the mixture is slightly dry. If so, add a splash of water until it is a smooth, creamy consistency. If, for some reason, the mixture has too much liquid, add an additional tablespoon of oats.

6. Pour the mixture in your favorite serving bowl and stir in the chocolate chips.

7. Serve with graham crackers, Nilla Wafers, or other cracker or cookie of choice and Enjoy!

So what do you think, would your friends be able to tell the difference?

 

Fantastic White Garlic Chicken Pizza

Who doesn’t love pizza? I’m certainly a fan of this versatile dish, but even I admit that sometimes I get tired of the normal plain cheese or pepperoni pizza. One of my favorite varieties of pizza is White Pizza, with an olive oil and garlic sauce and mozzarella cheese. A lot of people get their White Pizza with banana peppers and/or bacon, but I like mine simple and plain.

A great twist on White Pizza is to add pieces of chicken which makes the dish even tastier.

Here’s my recipe for Fantastic White Garlic Chicken Pizza.

Makes 1 Large thick crust Rectangular Pizza or 2 thin crust 14″ round pizzas

Ingredients:

For Dough —

• 4 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 package instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 cups water, heated to approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit

For the Topping —

For the Chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

For the Garlic Sauce:

• 1/2 stick of Margarine
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 heaping tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried, chopped Parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Pizza:

• 1 8oz. package of shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Kitchen Equipment:

• Stand mixer with a dough hook**
• Large rectangular cookie sheet or round 14″ pizza pans
• Large bowl, greased with olive oil
• Large skillet
• Small saucepan
• Non-stick cooking spray

**Note: A dough hook is almost certainly necessary if you want to make the dough in a mixer. Otherwise, you’ll have to mix the dough by hand. You also could probably make it in a bread machine.

Instructions:

1. In the mixer,add the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Combine them until all ingredients are blended together.

2. Once the dry ingredients are blended, add the warm water and olive oil. Slowly increase the speed of the mixer from low to medium and mix until the dough forms into a ball.

3. If the dough is too sticky, add a little bit of flour at a time until it loses its stickiness. If the dough is too dry, add a little water at a time.

4. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. In the bowl add a small amount of flour and kneed the dough in the bowl until it forms a smooth, firm ball. Transfer the dough into another large bowl that has been lightly greased with olive oil.

5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm dry place for approximately 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Meanwhile…

6. While the dough is rising, take your four skinless, boneless chicken breasts and cut them into cube size pieces.

7. Place the chicken in the large skillet and add a small amount of olive oil to that chicken. Season the chicken with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

8. Saute the chicken until it is fully cooked, set it aside.

9. Now it’s time to make your garlic sauce. In a small saucepan, combine your margarine, olive oil, minced garlic, parsley, and Italian seasoning. Simmer on low heat until the margarine is thoroughly melted and all of the ingredients are heated through.

10. Spray your baking pan with cooking spray. Remove the raised dough from the bowl and spread it on your cookie sheet (or divide it and spread it on you 2 pizza pans). You should be able to do this with your fingers and not need a rolling pin. If the dough is sticky add a little flour to the top of the dough and to your hands before spreading.

11. Spread the garlic sauce over the top of the dough. You may have more than you need, so don’t feel that you need to use all of it.

12. Evenly distribute the chicken over the top of the pizza.

13. Add the mozzarella cheese over top of the chicken.

14. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the dough is cooked through.

Slice, Serve, and Enjoy!

 

What’s for Dinner: Cheesy Breaded Chicken

If you’re like me, when it comes to making dinner you just want something easy and uncomplicated.

I spend a lot of my free time on Pinterest trying to come up with different things to make, and sure, there are a LOT of great ideas in Pinterest-land. But they’re not always easily executed and often at least require a trip to the grocery store, if not a lot of preparation.

So, I’ve had to come up with some old stand bys — recipes that never go out of style and are always good. One of my favorites is a breaded chicken recipe that I came up with myself.

Now, I’m sure you’re saying, “but it’s breaded chicken…how hard could it be? And how much creativity does that take?”

Well, in a way you’re right. But at the same time breaded chicken has its issues too — it can be bland, soggy, and (worst of all) exit the pan breading-less.

Luckily, I’ve perfected my version of breaded chicken. The secret is in the breading.

Here’s the recipe:

Cheesy Breaded Chicken

Makes: 4 chicken breasts

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup regular, seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese (or whatever shredded cheese you have)
• 1 egg
• water
• olive oil
• garlic powder
• ground black pepper
• Italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, basil)
• Non-stick cooking spray

Tools:

• 1 Large skillet
• 1 glass or ceramic baking dish
• Aluminum foil
• 2 large shallow bowls

Instructions:

1. In one of the shallow bowls, crack the egg. Add a small amount of water to the egg and scramble it. Set the bowl aside.

2. Take the skillet and place it on the stove. Add a small amount of olive oil to the bottom of the pan — enough that the entire bottom of the pan is lightly coated. Turn the burner on to medium high heat and allow the pan to heat while you prepare the bread crumb mixture.

3. In the second shallow bowl, mix the Panko breadcrumbs and the regular bread crumbs together. Season to your preference with the garlic powder, ground black pepper, and Italian seasoning.

4. Once the bread crumbs and seasonings are mixed, add the shredded cheese and mix it thoroughly with the bread crumbs.

5. Now that the bread crumbs are mixed, the pan should be thoroughly heated and you can start breading the chicken breasts.

6. Using a fork (or your fingers), thoroughly coat each piece of chicken in the egg wash and then place it into the bowl with the breading mixture. Thoroughly bread each piece of chicken and lightly press the breading mixture into the surface of the chicken breasts so that they are adequately covered.

7. Place each piece of chicken into the skillet and reduce the heat slightly.

8. Cook the chicken for approximately 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken breasts are brown and crispy.

9. Spray the baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and turn on the oven to 350 degrees.

10. Place the chicken breasts into the baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 25 minutes.

11. Remove from the oven, serve, and enjoy!

These breaded chicken breasts are amazing and so easy to make. They go great with a simple side dish and a vegetable, and are great as leftovers the next day too!

Let me know how they turn out if you decide to make them!

 

Easy Taco Stack-Up

Spring’s almost here!

You know what that means? Picnics. Yeah, I know, I know…who wants to think about picnics when it’s still snowing…but warm weather will be here before you know it.

So, today, I’m offering up one of my go-to picnic and/or party recipes: Easy Taco Stack-Up.

While it may not look like much, Taco Stack-Up is definitely a delicious little casserole that is easy to make and really versatile. You can dress it up or dress it down however you like! And, it’s not just good for a picnic or a party — it’s also a really great and easy dinner recipe too!

Easy Taco Stack-Up

Makes: One 13×9 in. casserole.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 cans Campbell’s condensed cheddar cheese soup
• 2 packages of taco seasoning
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 package of at least 8 burrito (large) size flour tortillas (If you prefer corn tortillas or another variety, feel free to change it up)
• 1 package shredded cheddar cheese

Tools:

• One 13×9 baking dish (I use a clear glass Pyrex dish)
• One large skillet
• Aluminum foil
• Colander/strainer
• Ladle
• Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Place the ground beef into the skillet and brown it over medium heat until it is cooked thoroughly.

2. Once the ground beef is cooked through and no pink remains, drain the beef. Once drained, return the beef to the skillet.

3. Add the taco seasoning, cheddar cheese soup, and water to the ground beef and stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Just in case you’ve never used it, this is the Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese Soup.

 

4. Simmer the beef mixture on medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened and is no longer watery.

5. Once the beef mixture has simmered thoroughly, prepare your 13×9 baking dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray.

6. Using a ladle, transfer enough of the beef mixture into the baking dish to cover the bottom. Layer one and 1/2 tortillas over the mixture and start alternating layers until you are out of beef mixture.

7. After you have done  the last layer of the beef mixture, place two whole tortillas on top of the stack-up. (If you feel the top is not completely covered by those two tortillas, you can tear smaller pieces off another tortilla and cover open spaces.)

8. Cover  the stack-up with aluminum foil and place it  in a 350 degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

9. After 20 minutes, remove the aluminum foil from the stack-up and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top of the stack-up. Return to the oven uncovered until the cheese is melted (approximately 5 minutes).

10. Remove the stack-up from the oven.

11. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

At the beginning of this post I talked about how versatile this recipe is:

To jazz it up, add beans, onions, and/or green peppers to the beef mixture. Also serve it with your favorite taco fixings like sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.