21 Aug 2015

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

I don’t know what it is but the moment anyone in my family says they are sick, I immediately jump on the orange juice and chicken soup bandwagon.  Well, last weekend, my husband came down something for the millionth time this year.  I said I would go to the store that night.

I’m not a huge fan of broth noodle soup because after reheating it several times you don’t have any broth left.  And it usually lacks flavor. However, I wanted something creamy and thick and comforting.  This was it!

My boys and my mister have loved it – and my mister is all better. So, was it the chicken noodle soup, who knows? But, I know it didn’t hurt!

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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Author: 
Recipe type: soup
Cuisine: chicken
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8-10
 
Thick and creamy chicken noodle soup
Ingredients
  • 7-8 cups homemade chicken broth
  • 2-3 cups rotisserie chicken, cubed or shredded
  • ½ white onion, finely chopped
  • 1 bag frozen peas and carrots (do not thaw)
  • 2 T unsalted butter
  • 3 cups of medium egg noodles, (measure out 3 cups dry before cooking)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream (or half and half, or more milk)
  • generous amounts of salt and pepper (remember you can always add but you can't take away)
Instructions
  1. In a dutch oven, saute onion and frozen peas and carrots over medium heat with the 2 T of butter for about 5 minutes.
  2. Add in liquid and bring to a boil.
  3. Add in noodles. Cook until al dente.
  4. In a small sauce pan, heat butter and flour, whisking vigorously until all the flour is mixed in and the butter is melted. Add in milk and cream.
  5. It will thicken as it stands.
  6. When the noodles are done, add in chicken and cream mixture.
  7. Let sit for a few minutes off heat. Serve with bread or a side salad.
  8. This soup does get thicker as it sits in the fridge a while. Leftovers are more like a casserole. So yummy.
 

12 Aug 2015

Chicken and Dressing Casserole

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Comfort food is the name of the game in the south.  There is high class comfort food – then there is just down home casserole type comfort food.  This is it.  My mister has a great church cookbook from the church he attended when he was growing up.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

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Chicken and Dressing Casserole
Author: 
Recipe type: Casserole
Cuisine: Southern
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-6
 
Easy casserole comfort food for dinner any night of the week
Ingredients
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 2 cups reserved chicken stock (from cooking chicken)
  • 1½ cup frozen corn
  • 1 5 oz box of chicken herb stuffing mix
  • 1 stick butter
Instructions
  1. Boil chicken until done. You will want to have well-seasoned water because you will be using the water for the rest of the recipe.
  2. Shred or cut up chicken in bite size pieces.
  3. Pour in the bottom of a 2-3 qt casserole dish.
  4. Mix together 1 cup chicken water, and both cans of soup, and corn.
  5. Pour over chicken.
  6. Mix together stuffing mix, melted butter, and 1 cup chicken water.
  7. Pour over chicken mixture.
  8. Bake for 25 minutes at 375.
  9. Enjoy!
 

To make this a complete meal, just add something green and maybe some bread.  You can always have dessert too – and sweet tea!

10 Aug 2015

This Week in the Charming South Kitchen

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French Silk Pie

This week I’m trying to stick more closely to a low carb, high protein, high fat diet at least through Sunday.  I’ve been slacking in the french fry and dessert and sandwich department so I am starting to feel fluffy.  No one should ever like to feel fluffy.

My hubs has his comfort food this week: Chicken herb casserole (complete with two cans of cream of something soup – best convenience food ever invented)

I’m going to also be making some nutty and citrusy muffins for the misters breakfasts this week.

I love beets and had a friend deliver some to me a few weeks ago.  I’m going to be making this detox bake

Plenty of salads for me this week.

And we are going to be having a homemade taco salad with homemade guac tomorrow night for an in house date night.  I’ve got a blog post to do for a skincare line and why not avocados?  So, the mister and I are going to be working on lots of food photos tomorrow night!

And I’m working on a downloadable menu that can be used weekly or reused.  I’ll let you know when its avail!

What are you cooking this week?

22 Jul 2015

Easiest Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

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Easiest Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I’ve mentioned already this month that we are on a very tight grocery budget so I’m making the most of it by using what I already have.  So, I was rummaging through my freezer – and for this meal I only needed to be 1 can of cream of chicken soup.  How effecient is that?

I love comfort food.  My mister finds that strange.  Do you love comfort food?  I’m talking about mostly foods that you can eat with a spoon: my Granny’s chicken and rice, pie, ice cream, macaroni and cheese, cereal, mashed potatoes, guacamole.  The list could go on.  My mister knows that I have a relationship with food because I’ll sit down on the couch with a big bowl in my hand and sometimes sigh as I dig into my favorite dessert or pasta goodness (I don’t do that as often but the relationship still exists.

The biscuits I used were leftover from a 4th of July cookout I went to.  I just saved some of the biscuits in the freezer and used them here.

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Easiest Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Southern
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
A homemade comfort food staple in short time
Ingredients
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 T unsalted butter
  • ½ bag of frozen mixed vegetables (no need to thaw)
  • 3 cups shredded chicken (I had some in the freezer)
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 Leftover Joy the Baker biscuits
Instructions
  1. Saute your onions in the butter.
  2. Add the mixed vegetables and cook until thawed.
  3. Add everything else (not the biscuits) and stir until combined
  4. Pour into a shallow baking dish.
  5. Top with thawed biscuits.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes or until biscuits are warmed.
So, if you need a quick comfort food meal to put on the table in less than 30 minutes, here is one for you.

7 Mar 2014

Eat This: White Beans & Greens with Fried Egg and Avocado

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white beans

At the end of a long week I just want quiet, slippers, a few NCIS episodes, my mister, the boys asleep, and a bowl of comfort food.  Yes, I said a bowl.  I think most comfort foods are probably comfort foods because they are bowl worthy.  Bowl worthy: sitting cross-legged on a roomy couch, flannels on, slippers kicked up, wrapped in a blanket, holding a bowl filled with warm food you eat with a spoon.

Delicacies that you could easily put in this category: paella, macaroni and cheese, chicken and rice, or this bowl of white beans with all the extras.  I’m very thankful for the beautiful photography of Jessica over at How Sweet Eats for making a bowl of legumes look exciting.  I wanted to try it.  Knowing me, I tweaked it and added some of my own.  People have asked if it turned out well and I said yes – grab a spoon!

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White Beans & Greens with Fried Egg and Avocado
Author: 
Recipe type: Beans
Cuisine: Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Classy legumes filled with other comforting tastes
Ingredients
  • ¼ lb bacon, chopped
  • ½ large onion, diced
  • ¾ tsp red pepper flakes
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
  • ¾ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp sweet Spanish paprika
  • 1 box chicken broth
  • water to cover the beans
  • 1 lb great northern beans (soaked overnight)
  • 3 parmesan cheese rinds, diced
  • 1 bunch kale, chopped
  • 1 bunch spinach, chopped (just the leaves)
Instructions
  1. In a big pot, fry up the bacon
  2. Saute onions in bacon grease
  3. Add spices and sauté for a few minutes until aromatic
  4. Add in broth, water, and beans and parmesan rinds
  5. Bring to boil, cover, and simmer until beans are done, about 80 minutes.
  6. Take a potato masher and mash some of the beans. Add in the greens and cook for about another 15 minutes with the lid off.
  7. Fry an egg. Chop and avocado. Add them to the top of a big steaming bowl of beans.
Two years ago: Two New Journeys

17 Dec 2010

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

by | posted in: Uncategorized | 1
Very warm comfort food that has a deep rich flavor. One of my favorite things. Wish it was healthier – but at least it is yummy and comforting.

4 cups medium shells (almost a whole box)
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cups flour
2-½ cups skim Milk
2 teaspoons dry Mustard
1 egg
1 pound cheese, I used sharp cheddar and an italian blend
½ teaspoons Salt (and don’t forget to salt the water when boiling the pasta)
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
½ teaspoons ground pepper
Optional Spices: Paprika, hot sauce (which I put some in)

Cook pasta till firm and drain. Melt butter and add flour and stir for 5 minutes. Don’t let it burn. Add spices and milk, stir until combined. Add cheese and everything else. Dump in the pasta and stir. Put into an oven-proof pan at 350 for about 25 minutes. I topped mine with homemade croutons and parm cheese.

Delicious!