Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Courtesy of my mom! Since she loves Bread Co.'s chicken and rice soup she wanted to make her own and found this recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups of water
• 2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded (boneless skinless chicken breasts)
• 1 package Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice with seasoning packet (I like Herb Roasted chicken flavor)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups heavy cream

Directions

Inl arge 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.

In a small bowl, combine slat, 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.

Stir in cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10-15 minutes.

Who Ha Cookies

1 pkg almond bark melted
5 c. Rice crispies
1 c. Peanut butter
2 c. Dry roasted peanuts
2 c. Mini marshmellows

Melt bark on stove then combine ingredients in large bowl. Drop on wax paper let sit 4 hours or overnight.

CRISPY PARM-CRUSTED FILLET OF FISH AND BOWTIES WITH PEAS

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

3 eggs

4 tilapia or sole fillets (6 ounces each)

2 cups breadcrumbs or crushed crackers

3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided

1 tablespoon thyme, finely chopped

2 lemons, zested, then cut into wedges, divided

Salt

1 box bowtie pasta, regular or whole grain

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted

1-2 tablespoons butter

3 sprigs mint, chopped

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Freshly ground pepper

1 head butter lettuce, for garnish

Serves 4

PREPARATION

Pre-heat the oven 250˚F.

Set up three dishes for breading the fillets: In the first, combine the flour with the Old Bay. In the second, beat the eggs with a splash of water. In the third, combine the breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, thyme and lemon zest. Dip each fish fillet first in the flour mixture, then the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Place the coated fillets onto a sheet tray and reserve.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add some salt and drop the pasta. Cook to al dente, according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, pre-heat a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons EVOO. Add the onion and garlic to the hot skillet and cook until tender.

Pre-heat a large skillet with about 4 tablespoons EVOO and sauté the first two fish fillets until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Once the first two fish fillets, place them in the hot oven to keep warm while you cook up the other two.

While you are cooking up the fish, add the peas and butter to the skillet with the onion and garlic. Ladle a spoonful of the pasta cooking water into the peas, remove them from the heat and toss in the mint and parsley.

When the pasta is done, drain it well and return it to the pot it was cooked in. Add the peas and sauce to the cooked bowties, then season with a bit of salt and pepper and the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

To serve, place one or two leaves of butter lettuce inside each serving bowl, then fill the lettuce cup with some of the bowtie pasta with peas. Plate the fish on a separate large serving platter with lemon wedges alongside.

Chicken Parm Pasta Toss

One of my favorites from Rachael Ray. It's so easy too! Just make sure you have your chicken cut up before you start. I sometimes half or quarter the recipe if I'm the only one eating it and depending on how much of leftovers you'd like to have. I usually leave out the arugula though (and that's because I can't ever find it at my grocery store.)

INGREDIENTS

1 pound whole wheat penne pasta

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

1 large red onion, chopped

2 pints grape tomatoes

2 cups fresh basil, chopped

3 cups arugula or baby arugula, roughly chopped

1 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Serves 4

PREPARATION

Fill a large pasta pot with water and place it over high heat. Once the water comes up to a boil, salt it and drop in the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to the package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve a mugful of starchy cooking water, then drain and reserve.

While the water is coming up to a boil, place a large skillet over high heat with three turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Season the chicken pieces with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, then add it to the pre-heated skillet. Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side.

Once the chicken is golden brown, add the garlic and onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cover the pan with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes burst open and begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes (if they haven’t started to burst open by that time, mash them lightly with a potato masher or wooden spoon). Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Add the drained pasta and reserved starchy cooking water (about 1 cup) to the skillet with the chicken and tomatoes, and toss over the heat until combined, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil, arugula and cheese. Serve.

Mom's Shrimp Dip

I finally got this recipe from mom. It's sooo good.

You'll Need:

• 2 packets of cream cheese
• 8 oz. of Mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip) or 9 oz since that's all I could find
• green onions chopped
• 1 stalk of celery chopped
• 2 small cans of shrimp

Directions:

1. Make sure you wash the shrimp very well before you add them in.
2. Combine the mayo and cream cheese.
3. Add all the other ingredients and mix well.
4. Serve!

I usually eat them with potato chips since that' what my family always did, but feel free to try other things. This makes a pretty good portion too. I think I used my 2 quart bowl.

Easy Southern Hash

Something I didn't much care for as a kid but as an adult this is good! It's also quick and easy! (That's what's important now.)

You'll Need:

• 1/2 to 1 pound of ground round
• Garlic Salt
• Seasoning Salt (I prefer Lawry's)
• Elbow Noodles or Shell Noodles (amount depends on the pan size and how many mouths you're feeding)
• 1 can of Tomato Soup
• 1 can V8 Tomato Juice

Directions:

1. Season your thawed ground round then brown in the pan. At the same time prepare your noodles. I use about half of a 16 oz box.
2. Drain off excess fat from the meat. add the can of tomato soup and mix well. Then add the can of V8 and mix well.
3. Finally once your noodles are cooked add them in the pan as well and mix.
4. Let simmer until warm then serve.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Okay so I totally love Bread Co.'s Broccoli Cheddar Soup! So I did a search online and I found a recipe for it. Not the same as Panera's but good all the same.

You'll Need:

• 1 Tbsp butter melted
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 1/4 c. melted butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c. half-and-half
• 2 c. chicken stock or bouillon
• 1 c. carrots, julienned
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 8 oz. grated sharp cheddar

Directions:

1. Saute onion in butter and set aside. (They look slightly browned.)
2. Cook melted butter and flour over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. [I find it's easiest to do a little at a time. It usually doesn't take 3-5 minutes. It usually only takes a couple. Just make sure it's mixed well.] Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half. (This is called making a roux.) Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. [*Note: if you're using bouillon cubes I suggest making the stock before starting step one.] Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook low heat for 20-25 min. [I don't always use julenned carrots; baby carrots work fine.] If desired add the salt and pepper.
4. Once the soup is thickened, pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in nutmeg. [I prefer not to add the nutmeg because it doesn't blend well.]

((Courtesy of CDKitchen.com))