Italian Penicillin Soup

1 qt chicken broth 

6 c water

1 onion

1 lb Carrots

3 Celery Ribs

8 garlic cloves

Tumeric (optional)

Boil. Cover, simmer on medium heat 45 min.

Add:

1 chicken bouillon cube

Blend all in blender with 1 ladel of the chicken broth. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Grated Parmesan cheese 

Orzo pasta, cooked

Add pasta to a bowl & a label of the soup. Top with Parmesan. 

Hubby Lovin' Chicken

6-8 Chicken thighs (skin on)

1 stick melted butter

¾ cup parmesan cheese

2 T parsley 

2 t paprika 

2 t garlic powder

1 t oregano 

1 t salt

½ black pepper 

¼ t cayenne pepper

Melt butter. Mix remaining ingredients together. Dip chicken in butter & then seasonings. Place on wire rack inside a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake @ 375º for 40-50 minutes. 

Monster Bars

 

1/2 cup salted butter softened

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup m&m's

Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy.

Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

Add the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until a sticky dough forms.

Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips and m&m’s.

Place the mixture into the prepared pan and loosely press and pack the dough into the pan.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting.

Enjoy!

Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 cup potato, diced

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrot, diced

1⁄3 cup melted butter

1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

4 cups chicken, cooked and chopped

2 pie crusts (either store bought or your own recipe)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Saute onion, celery, carrots and potatoes in margarine for 10 minutes.

Add flour to sauteed mixture, stirring well, cook one minute stirring constantly. Combine broth and half and half.

Gradually stir into vegetable mixture.

Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper; add chicken and stir well.

Pour into shallow 2 quart casserole dish over 1 of the shells and top with pie shell.

Cut slits to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly and cooked through.

Yummy Chicken

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 ½ tsp onion powder

1 ½ tsp paprika

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

black pepper, to taste

12 skinless boneless chicken thighs

½ lemon, juiced

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1. Position over rack to the middle position and pre-heat to 425⁰.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together all spices. Set aside.

3. To a large mixing bowl, add chicken thighs, lemon juice, yogurt, olive oil, garlic, and spice mix. Mix until chicken is well coated, making sure the seasoning reaches every nook and cranny.

4. Arrange chicken thighs on your baking dish so they're flat against the pan, smooth side down. Minimize any overlap.

5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 165⁰. If desired, finish for 2-4 minutes under the broiler for extra browning.

6. Let your chicken rest for 5-minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Onion Ring chips

2 small white onions, sliced in 1/4 inch thick rounds

7 oz shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 tbs olive oil

salt 

garlic powder

paprika

serve with Lazy Tzatziki

Preheat oven to 400℉. Line an 12×17 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sprinkle the baking sheet with the cheese so that there is a thin even layer of cheese. Next, line up the onion ring slices so that they are not overlapping but right next to one another. Brush tops of onion rings with olive oil. Then season the tops with salt, garlic powder and paprika. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and then break apart. 

Sub in a Tub

Cucumber, sliced

Tomato, chopped 

Red onion, sliced

Pepperoncini

Provolone, chopped

Turkey, chopped 

Olive oil

Mayo

Red wine vinegar

Oregano 

Salt & pepper

Mix all together. Eat right away or let it sit for a few hrs to marinate.

White Chicken Chili

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed & cut into large chunks

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 carton of chicken stock

2 15oz cans of white beans, drained and rinsed

2 4oz cans diced green chiles

1 12oz bag of frozen corn (sometimes I use fire roasted)

Seasonings-I recommend starting here and adding more to suit your preference 

1-2 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp chili powder 

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup of sour cream or heavy cream ( I just use whatever I have on hand) 

minced cilantro (to taste)

*Add all ingredients to your crockpot except for the cream and cilantro (you will add at the end of cooking time). Stir.

*You can also cook the chicken, beans, corn & spices in an instant pot for 20 min. Release pressure & shred chicken.

Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. When the cooking time is done, remove the chicken and shred with two forks.

Return chicken to the crockpot. Check seasonings and add more salt or spices if needed. Add sour cream or heavy cream and cilantro. Stir and turn to warm while serving.

Serve with your favorite cheese, extra sour cream, avocado, and tortilla chips

You can substitute cream cheese instead of sour cream

Crockpot Greek Yogurt

Dump one gallon of milk in the crock pot..turn on low for 2 1/2 hrs..turn crock pot off and let sit for 3 hrs..then stir in 1 c plain regular yogurt. Cover with 2 large bath towels & let it sit over night in the unplugged crockpot..in the morning you have plain yogurt (you can now save out one cup to start your batch next time) then strain your plain yogurt thru cheesecloth or a linen towel that's in your strainer (not terry cloth)...let it sit 6-8 hrs to let it drip the whey...Ta da ...Greek yogurt! So easy!

-For a more sour yogurt let it sit out on the counter to drip. 

-For less sour, put it in the fridge to drip. I just place a bowl under the strainer with the towel or cheesecloth inside it to drip. 

-There are lots of good ways to use up the whey. I haven't done that yet but just look on pinterest. It's pretty useful I guess

Candied Pecans

2 T salted butter

3 c pecan halves

1/2 c light brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 c water

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350⁰. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the pecans and stir continuously for 3 minutes, until the pecans are lightly toasted. 

Add in the brown sugar, and stir for an additional 2 minutes, until the sugar is melted.

Stir in the cinnamon and salt, then add the water.

Cook, while stirring continuously, until the water is evaporated, about 1-2 minutes.

Add in the vanilla and stir until combined. 

Remove the nuts from the heat and spread them evenly on the baking sheet.

Bake for 5-7 minutes, until the candied pecans are fragrant and lightly crisp.

Remove the nuts from oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.

Yummy on Strawberry Spinach Salad

Fruit Pizza

1 batch of sugar cookie dough

Cream cheese frosting (below)

Strawberries 

Kiwi

Blueberries 

Oranges

Grapes 

Raspberries

1 T Apricot jam

2 T Honey

Mint leaves, optional

Sugar Cookie Dough:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Cream Cheese frosting:

1 cup butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, cold

3 tspn lemon juice

2 tspn vanilla

5 cups pwd sugar

Preheat oven to 350⁰. Press dough in pizza pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes. Should  be set but not brown. Allow to cool completely.

Top with cream cheese frosting. You may not need all of the frosting. Design fruit as desired. Brush fruit with Apricot & honey glaze. Serve in wedges.