Saturday, January 7, 2012

Crazy Cooking Challenge: Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup




This month, I am participating in Mom's Crazy Cooking Challenge.  Every month there is a new theme challenge.  The great thing about this challenge is that you choose a specific recipe from another blogger.  You then bake and blog the recipe showcasing the blog that you selected the recipe from.  You also get to vote on the best "ultimate" recipe for the month.  The challenge this month is chicken noodle soup.  My family LOVES soup, especially chicken noodle, so this challenge was great for us.

As I was searching for a perfect soup that my family would enjoy, I came across the blog Let's Dish and found Danelle's recipe for Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup.  What grabbed my attention was the fact that it was a creamy soup instead of a broth based soup.  With the addition of frozen egg noodles, I knew that this would be a soup my family would devour.  I was right!

This soup is not only creamy, but hearty, belly warming goodness that my family gobbled up with only enough left for the girl's to have in their lunch the next day (and that is only because they begged for us not to eat it all gone so they could enjoy it again for lunch).  So, thanks to Danelle, we now have a chicken noodle soup recipe that my family not only enjoyed that night, but have requested several times since.

Enjoy!


Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
{slightly adapted from the original recipe by Danelle/Let's Dish}
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups carrots, shredded
  • 1 cup celery, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 6 -7 cups chicken broth
  • 3 boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 cans cream of chicken soup
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 16 oz pkg frozen egg noodles (I used dumpling noodles)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
  1. Thaw noodles according to package directions. My noodles were wide so I cut them in half.
  2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrots and saute until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add 6 cups chicken broth to the pot and bring to a simmer.
  5. Add chicken breasts and boil until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
  6. Remove chicken breasts from the pot and dice; set aside.
  7. Add the milk to the pot and return to a boil.
  8. Gently stir and add a few noodles at a time (if you incorporate the noodles one or two a time, they will not stick together) to the broth.
  9. Add diced chicken back to the pot and cook for an additional 15 to 25 minutes. (Because my noodles were thicker, it took about 25 minutes for them to cook all the way through.)
  10. Once the noodles are tender and cooked through, add cream of chicken soup and simmer for a few more minutes.
  11. If your soup is too thick, add a small amount of chicken broth until desired consistency is reached. If it is not thick enough, add more cream of chicken soup. (I only added one can of soup, because it was super creamy and thick.)
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Recipe: Sausage Potato Soup




My family has an extreme love for smoked sausage.  If given the opportunity, my kids would want a sausage meal at least once a week.  One of their favorites is dirty rice that I make with smoked sausage.  I got to admit, I love it too.  I recently bought a couple of packages and then put them in the freezer and promptly forgot I had them.  So, when I was going through my freezer the other day, I came across those gems.  I thought about making our favorite dish, but I wanted to try something else and shake things up a bit.  I must say that this soup did the trick.  My family gobbled it up.  Even my non-loving potato eater enjoyed it.  I served it with my Pimento Cheese Corn Muffins (recipe to come) and it was the perfect meal for a cold winter's night.

Enjoy!


Sausage Potato Soup
{slightly adapted from Greene Acres Hobby Farm}
Ingredients
  • 1 package fully cooked beef smoked sausage, diced
  • 6 - 8 medium red skinned potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 can corn (or use frozen)
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
  1. In a large pot, brown sausage and drain.
  2. Remove sausage from pot and set aside.
  3. In the same pot, combine potatoes, corn, broth and seasonings.
  4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes for until potatoes are fork tender.
  5. Add milk, cheese and sausage.
  6. Stir soup until cheese is thoroughly melted.
  7. I wanted my soup to be a bit thicker, so I made a cornstarch slurry and added to the soup.
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{#51} Must Try Tuesday: January 3, 2012

Happy New Year!  I pray that you had a wonderful holiday.  As much as I love the holidays, I am glad they have come to end so we can get back to normal around here.  The girls went back to school yesterday so now I can get my house back in order.  My favorite blogs are back in full swing and there have been so great recipes to bookmark.

Have a great week!


My youngest daughter is a cookie dough fanatic
so I can't wait to make these for her!

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This buttercream recipe looks awesome!


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I haven't been on a Carnival Cruise, 
but I might have to now after seeing this...


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Yum! Yum! YUM!!


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This looks like yummy goodness!


All of these recipes have been pinned on Pinterest and Stumbled.

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Monday, January 2, 2012

Menu Plan: Week of January 2, 2012

Happy New Year!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.  I, for one, am kind of ready to get back to normal.  Don't get me wrong, I love the holidays but I am ready to get back to the everyday routine.  I am hoping that this will be an easy week as we try to get back to school so I am keeping our meal plan easy too. 

Have a great week!  

 Meal 1
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Cheesy Toast

Meal 2
 Ham and Cheese Roll-Up
Green Beans

Meal 3 

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan
Salad
Garlic Bread

Meal 4
Creamy Spaghetti Casserole
Salad

Meal 5
Leftovers

Meal 6

BLT Sandwiches
Roasted Potatoes

Meal 7
 Dining Out

BAKING
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Butterbeer Cupcakes