Creamy Potato Soup

This is one of my favorite soups. I got the recipe from the Food Nanny, but altered it to be a bit lower fat. It's so yummy!

1 lb chicken breast

4 C chicken broth

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

5 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size chucks 

1/4 C flour

2 C evaporated fat-free milk

3/4 C frozen peas

Salt and ground black pepper

1. Put chicken and broth in large pot and bring to boil. Decrease heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 20 min. Remove the chicken to cool.

2. Add the onion, carrots, and potatoes to the simmering broth. Cover and return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 10 min until veggies are tender.

3. Meanwhile, tear chicken into bite-size pieces.

4. In a small bowl, whisk flour and a part of evaporated milk together until smooth.

5. Add the flour and milk mixture, and the chicken pieces to the soup pot. Stir and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Once soup thickens a bit decrease heat to simmer, add the peas, salt and pepper to taste, and cook just until peas are heated through. Serve immediately or keep warm but do not boil.

Serve with bread sticks, hot rolls, or crusty bread. Makes about 12 cups

Chocolate Trifle

1 package brownie mix

1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix (I use sugar free)

1/2 cup water

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (8 ounce) container cool whip, thawed

1 (12 ounce) container cool whip, thawed

1 candy bar, cut in chuncks

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares.   

In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 ounces cool whip until no streaks remain.               

In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12 ounce container of cool whip. Repeat layers. Sprinkle candy bar chunks on top for garnish. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

Naan Bread

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons salt

4 1/2 cups bread flour

 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)

1/4 cup butter, melted

 In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Easy Tostadas

1 large chicken breast (shredded)
1 C. salsa
1 can beans (pinto or black)
Lettuce, shredded
Cilantro, shredded
1 tomato, chopped
Corn tortillas or Tostada shells
Cheese
Sour cream

Cook chicken and salsa together in a Crockpot for several hours. When cooked shred chicken. Next toast corn tortillas in the toaster or oven or use tostada shells; spoon on chicken/salsa mixture. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese. Serve with additional salsa and sour cream.

Missionary Casserole

8-10 oz pkg. egg noodles
1lb. hamburger
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
1 onion (or onion powder and garlic powder/salt)
1 29 oz. can tomato sauce
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (softened)
1 C cottage cheese
¼ C sour cream
1 T butter
Mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles as directed in salted water. Brown hamburger and onion in a skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomato sauce. Simmer on low. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream. Beat or stir until smooth. When the noodles are cooked and drained, stir butter into noodles to prevent sticking. Pour half the noodles into 8x13 casserole dish. Spoon a little hamburger mixture over noodles. Next spread the cream cheese mixture over noodles. Layer the rest of the noodles and hamburger mixture on top. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes

Famous Pork Chops

Ingredients

* 1 cup crushed butter crackers
* garlic salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 4 pork chops
* 1/2 cup butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a shallow bowl combine crushed crackers, garlic salt and pepper; mix well. In a separate bowl beat eggs.
3. Dip your pork chops in the egg batter and then in the cracker mixture. Place the pork chops in a casserole dish. Place chunks of the butter around the pork chops. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.

Notes: I used Saltine crackers instead of Ritz, I used 2 eggs and when you place the butter make sure you don't put the butter on top of the chops. On some of my chops I put it on top of them and it made the cracker mix soggy. The ones I didn't put the butter directly on top of...I LOVED the crunch! Loved this recipe and the simplicity.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Serves: 6 Edit
Yields: About 12 cups or 6 accompaniment servings
Total Time: 5 min
Prep Time: 5 min
Ingredients
* 1 pound(s) strawberries, hulled and sliced
* 2 tablespoon(s) (plus one teaspoon) white balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
* Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
* 2 bag(s) (5 to 6 ounces each) baby spinach
* 3 ounce(s) (3⁄4 cup) goat cheese, such as Montrachet, crumbled
* 1/4 cup(s) sliced almonds, toasted
Directions
1. In blender, puree 3/4 cup strawberries with vinegar, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Transfer vinaigrette to large serving bowl.
2. Add spinach and remaining straw­berries to bowl and toss to coat with dressing. Crumble goat cheese over top of salad and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Side note: I had this salad a few months ago and LOVED IT. As you probably notice I love strawberries b/c I have already put 2 or 3 recipes with strawberries. :)

Best Tuna Salad

Maybe I've only had bad, bland tuna salad in the past, but I've never cared much for it. I've been trying to eat healthier lately, so a couple weeks ago I found myself glaring at unused cans of tuna in my pantry, trying to think of a bearable way to eat them, somehow. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com ("Barbie's Tuna Salad"). It's a recipe originally from a caterer who serves it as an appetizer with gourmet crackers. I made sandwiches. It was so good, my kids gobbled it up--no complaints--and I ate it straight out of a bowl, no bread needed. It was that good! This changed my mind about tuna salad (and sweet relish) forever. I'm surprised to be actually looking forward to eating it again tonight. I didn't have any parmesan cheese on hand; still excellent! Let me know if this changes your mind about eating tuna salad, too. :)

Best Tuna Salad

3 cans (5 oz) White Tuna, drained and flaked

1/4 c. mayonnaise -- or as little or much as you prefer

1 T. parmesan cheese

3 T. sweet pickle relish

1 stick of celery, minced (optional--not called for in original recipe, but I like some crunch)

1/8 t. dried onion or onion powder

1/4 t. curry . . . trust me . . .

1 T. dried parsley

1 t. dried dill

1 pinch garlic powder

Stir together the tuna, mayo, parmesan cheese, relish, onion, and celery. Season with remaining ingredients. Mix well, and serve with crackers or on a sandwich. Makes 3-4 regular-sized sandwiches.

Thai Pizza

This is one of our favorite meals. It's super yummy, light, healthy. I love to serve it with the fruit salad below. The ingredients are easy to find year-round, which is nice. Try it- you gotta try it.

1 regular size Boboli pizza crust
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 Tb. butter, melted
1/3 C. creamy peanut butter
2 Tb. honey
2 Tb. rice vinegar (or just a touch less)
1 Tb. soy sauce
1 tsp. shredded fresh ginger (this is the ingredient that puts it over the top!)
red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, cut in small slivers
carrots, shredded
green onion, chopped
cilantro
bean sprouts

Spread butter and garlic on top of crust and bake at 425° for 7-10 minutes until slightly browned. Cool. Whisk peanut butter, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger in bowl, then spread evenly over cooled crust. Combine veggie toppings in a bowl. Pile veggies on top of peanut sauce. Enjoy.

Favorite Fruit Salad

I love this fruit salad. It's different, quick, and delicious. Doesn't make for good leftovers though, so eat it all.


½ C. vanilla yogurt
½ Tb. orange juice concentrate
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 medium apple, chopped
1 C. green grapes, halved
¼ C. dry roasted peanuts


Beat together yogurt, orange juice, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix lightly. Serve immediately.