Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

~~Amber~~

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced carrots
4 cups of chicken stock (can also use canned broth, but I think the stock adds more flavor)
2 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
about 1/2 of a Rotisserie Chicken shredded
2 cups dried egg noodles

Directions
In large pot melt butter. Add garlic, onion, celery and carrots. Saute over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and vegetable stocks and all spices. Bring to a boil. Add chicken, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Increase heat to medium and add egg noodles. Cook until noodles are al dente.

Makes 6 servings.
**Note**Prepared stock can usually be found near the broth. Examples of brands of stock - Wolfgang Puck, Emerile and Kitchen Basics.

ASAP

I have need for a recipe for chicken soup or even vegetable. Thanks-Kendra

Salted Peanut Chews

Sweet and Salty. Yum! ~~Amber~~

Base:
1 Package Yellow Cake Mix
1/3 Cup Margarine or Butter, softened
1 Egg
3 Cups Miniature Marshmallows

Topping:
2/3 Cup Corn Syrup
1/4 Cup Margarine or Butter
2 Tsp. Vanilla
1 10 oz. Package Peanut Butter Chips
2 Cups Crisp Rice Cereal
2 Cups Salted Peanuts

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/3 cup margarine and egg; beat at low speed until crumbly. Press in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan.
Bake for 12 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven; bake and additional 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool while preparing topping.
In large saucepan, combine all topping ingredients except cereal and peanuts. Heat just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cereal and peanuts. Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows; spread to cover. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Cut into bars. Store in covered container.

Yield - 48 bars

Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting

If you like rich chocolate cake...then this is the cake for you. ~~Amber~~

3 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Baking Soda
8 Tbsp. Baking Cocoa
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 Cups Cold Water

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into prepared 9x13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost.

*Note: I like to make this cake in two round cake pans and put the fudge frosting (below) in between the layers. Then frost with a homemade white butter cream frosting. With a big glass of cold milk...Yummy!

Fudge Frosting

4 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Baking Cocoa
1/4 tsp. Salt
6 Tbsp. Boiling Hot Water
1 tsp. Vanilla
2/3 Stick Soft Margarine

Directions
Mix powdered sugar, cocoa and salt together in large bowl. Add water, vanilla and margarine. Beat with electric mixer until smooth and thickened.

Grandma's Sunday Chicken

This is a great fix it and forget it meal. You can even make it all up the night before and stick it in the refrigerator then cook it the next day. I like it served with steamed rice or pasta tossed with garlic, olive oil and grated parmesan or romano cheese. ~~Amber~~

3 to 3 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 packages Carl Budding (or similar) honey-ham lunchmeat
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (you can use cream of chicken if you prefer)
16 oz of sour cream
Garlic powder
Ground black pepper
Salt
Toothpicks

Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl mix sour cream and mushroom soup together and season to taste with garlic powder, pepper and salt. Set aside.
Cut chicken breast into pieces that will be small enough to wrap the lunchmeat around. Wrap each piece of chicken breast in a piece of ham and secure with a toothpick. Arrange the wrapped pieces of chicken in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.
Pour soup mixture over the top and cover with aluminum foil. Bake degrees for 3 hours.

Whole wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

I made this recipe up when I was 18, I have since added the ground flax and sometimes I add nuts, the pancakes are really fluffy and good. The recipe can be used in a waffle iron and come out really good as well. Serena

3/4 tsp salt
3 T brown sugar
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour ( I think I add about 1/4 cup more or so of flour for waffles)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 T ground flax (optional)
2 1/2 T oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. buttermilk (can substitute with-1 1/2 cups milk minus 1 1/2 T of the milk and add 1 1/2 T white vinegar)
1 tsp vanilla


Mix dry ingredients first and then add liquids. Cook on a prepared pan or waffle iron.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I first used regular whole wheat and then recently I have been experimenting with whole white wheat, both work great, the white winter wheat is a little closer to all purpose flour, but has more nutrition.

Pastel Cream Wafers

These cookies were a favorite in my family growing up, they are from a Betty Crocker Cookie cook book. Serena

COOKIE:
6 T cold butter (no substitutions)
1 cup flour
3-4 T cream
sugar

FROSTING:
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 T softened butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 drop food coloring
1 T cream (you might need a little more)

Cut the 6 T of butter into flour in mixing bowl until the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 T of cream at a time into mixture. Gently toss with flour and push to the side of bowl. Repeat until all is moistened. Form into a ball and then roll dough about 1/8" thick on a floured surface. Use a small cookie cutter, the size of a spice cap ( I like to use either a little heart of flower cookie cutter), to cut dough. Dip one side of the dough into sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Prick with a fork in 4 parallel rows. Bake at 375 for 8-10 min, or until edges are barely getting a light brown. Stir Frosting ingredients together and spread a good amount of it on a non sugar side of a cooled cookie, then place another cookie on top (sugar side up) making a little sandwich and enjoy!