Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a super easy recipe.  I don't do mine in the crock pot but you easily could.

Ingredients:
About 40 ounces of Chicken Stock
2 Chicken Breasts
1/2 Tbsp of Salt
1/2 Tbsp of Pepper
A few shakes of Oregano and Basil
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery sticks, chopped
1/3 of a bag of Egg Noodles


In my cast iron pot, I add about 40 ounces of Chicken Stock and 2 Chicken Breasts and seasonings.  I put the lid on and cook in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.  I take it out and shred the chicken into large chunks.  I then add the vegetables and cook for 20 minutes.  I take that out and add the noodles and cook for another 10 minutes.

If you wanted to do it in the crock pot, you basically just follow the same directions but obviously cook each interval for longer.  Don't add the veggies in the beginning of you will end up with pure mush.  And let's be real, no one likes mushy veggies.  Or hard ones so don't put them in too late, either.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Ingredients:
Green Peppers
Red Peppers
Pineapple
Meatballs - fresh or frozen

Ingredients for the Sauce:
1/2 cup Pineapple Juice
1/2 cup Vinegar
5 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Ketchup
1/2 Tbsp. Salt

Mix well and add to either a crock pot or a sauce pan with other ingredients. Be sure not to overcook meatballs and veggies as they will become mushy. If you're using a crock pot, cook on low for about 3 hours.

Prepare Minute Rice as directed on box.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Usually when people make these, they have tons of different toppings to choose from. Which is fine.  I however, like mine very simple. Mainly because I'm really picky.

Ingredients:
2-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Cup of Chicken Broth
1/2 Cup Sour Cream (optional)
3 Cups of Minute Rice
Salt & Pepper to taste

Toppings:
Chow Mein Noodles
Green Onions
Pineapple
Coconut
Celery
Bell Peppers
Cheddar Cheese
Tomatoes
Lettuce

Directions for Crock Pot:
There are several ways this can be done. If I've planned ahead, my choice way of cooking would be in the crock pot.
Put Chicken, Cream of Chicken Soup, Chicken Broth, and Sour Cream in crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken.

Directions for Oven:
Place chicken and chicken broth in baking dish. Bake at 350 until cooked. Cube or shred and add cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until hot.

Directions for Stove:
Place chicken and chicken broth in pan and boil until fully cooked. Add cream of chicken soup and sour cream and cook until hot.

Prepare and serve over Minute Rice.

Pork Chops & Rice

This is a super easy dish. And the pork comes out so tender, it's great!

About 4 pork chops
Olive Oil
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pepper
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Cups Minute Rice
1 Cup Water

Brown pork chops in olive oil. Place pork chops and all drippings into a crock pot. Add the cream of chicken soup, salt, and pepper. Cook on low for about 4-6 hours. When it's cooked and tender, add rice and water.

Sweet Pork Burritos

I apologize for not posting for so long! I have been super busy lately with family visiting and we are moving in just a week and a half. I won't be posting much for a while but I'll do my best.


I can't believe it has taken me this long to post this recipe. It is one of my absolute favorites! For those who love Cafe Rio and Costa Vida, this is very similar to their Sweet Pork. Since I live no where close to one of those restaurants now, I have to make this a lot.

16 oz Tomato Sauce
1 Can Dr Pepper
1 Cup Brown Sugar
Pork Boneless ribs or roast
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1 minced clove of garlic

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook for 4-6 hours on low. Serve on salad or tortillas with rice, lettuce, etc.

Pot Roast

When I make this, it's usually for Sunday dinner. But it sounded soo yummy I couldn't wait.

1 Boneless Beef Chuck Roast
1 package of Lipton's French Onion Soup Mix
1/4 Cup Water
Salt & Pepper to taste
Carrots
Potatoes (I use red)
Celery

Put the roast in your crock pot. Add the water and then French Onion Soup Mix. Add the salt and pepper. Cook on low for about 6 hours. About 3 hours before it's done, wash, cut, and add the vegetables. I used to add them at the beginning but then they get too soft. I also like to put them under the roast so they soak up all of the flavor.

Gumbo

My inspiration comes from Princess and the Frog. I've never had Gumbo, never really thought about trying it. In the movie, it's her dream to open her own restaurant and serve her daddy's Gumbo.
I looked at about 5 million recipes for Gumbo. Each one is different. Everyone has their own take on Gumbo. I took what I liked from each one and made my own.

Ingredients:
1/2 C. Flour
1/3 C. Vegetable Oil
1 Can Beef Broth
2 Cans Chicken Broth
1 Clove Garlic - minced
2 Stocks of Celery
1 Medium Green Bell Pepper
1/2 White Onion
3/4 Tbsp. Salt
3/4 Tbsp. Pepper
1 lb Shrimp
1/2 lb. Hot Italian Sausage

Directions:
Wash and chop veggies. Put them in a frying pan to cook a little.
Put oil and flour in a separate frying pan. Brown for a few minutes. Then add beef broth and whisk until thick.
Brown the sausage in a separate frying pan.
Add all ingredients except Shrimp to crock pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. About 2 hours before serving, brown shrimp with a little oil in a frying pan. Then add to Gumbo.
Serve with rice and crunchy bread.

I'm not sure that making the roux is crucial. It's supposed to thicken the gumbo but it really wasn't that thick. Maybe I didn't make enough. But I thought it was fine how it was.

Also, I am not a huge fan of spice. This is super spicy! But we still really liked it. To make it less spicy, just use mild Italian Sausage instead.

The perfect way to end this meal, Deep Dark Chocolate Moist Cake. Mmm!