Creamy chicken soup
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tbsp butter
3 carrots, skinned and cut into coins
1 medium onion
2 tsp hot sauce
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 ½ cups milk
8 cups chicken broth
12 oz alfredo sauce
1 tbsp thyme
2 tbsp sour cream and onion flavoring
1 can green beans drained
1 cup elbow macaroni
Place chicken, onion, butter, thyme, and sour cream and onion seasoning in a dutch oven and saute over medium high heat till chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and cut into bite size chunks. Return chicken to pot and add the carrots, hot sauce, chicken broth, cheese, and alfredo sauce. Bring to a boil and slowly whisk in the flour. Add macaroni and cook till done. Last but not least add the green beans and let them heat up. Serve warm.
Bad bad bad Melissa– No post for 3 days
So I’m sitting here struggling to come up with something edible for you guys, but I am half wondering if I’ve used all my good recipes already. If so, I’m ashamed. If not, why can’t I think of any? Well my first thought is, I do my best cooking in the winter when its enjoyable to have the house all warm and cozy from the oven going full blast. In the summer when we hit the 100’s for real feel temps, its awfully hard to convince myself to get cooking. I look at the fridge and say to myself, whats the easiest coolest thing to make and go from there. Well today, I’m going to share a recipe that is more of a “Oh shoot we haven’t gone grocery shopping in 3 weeks” emergency meal than a fancy pants eat. However it still kicks butt and always gets rave reviews around this household. Oh and I must give credit where its due- this recipe is from my stepmom who discovered when she was young after not having a recipe for Shepherd’s Pie. (I think thats how the story goes)
Mashed Potato Surprise
- 2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- instant mashed potatoes big box
- sour cream
- 2 cans mixed vegetables
- 1 can green beans
- 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
- worcestershire sauce
- fried onions
Okay so here goes. Take the chicken (thawed preferably) and throw it under the broiler checking it at regular intervals (don’t burn it like I did the other day) and let it cook till the center is done. I love doing chicken this way because it keeps it soft and moist instead of crispy and dry. (even when you burn it) While thats cooking get your big box of mashed potatoes and make enough for the 12 servings (this will feed a crowd of 4 or 5 hungry men, if you want less, make less potatoes and use only one can of veggies). Cook the potatoes according to the box, but add in the parmesan cheese while the water is boiling. Once you’ve got the potatoes and chicken cooked, its simple from there. Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks and add the chicken, vegetables, green beans, about 1/2 cup of sour cream, and about 4 or 5 tbsps worcestershire sauce and mix them all in. Top this with the fried onions like you would green bean casserole and serve with shredded cheese. Its easy and good, the picky ones enjoy the veggies, and leftovers are good too. A quick note about seasoning. I use about 1 tsp salt and then add a good measure of onion powder to the mix, but you can season however you choose. I also cut up a crookneck squash, sauteed it in a little smart balance, and added it as well- good way to get some fresh veggies in the mix in a hurry. Bon Apetit!
Chicken Adobu and Garlic mashed potatoes
This delicious dish is a little odd and may take some getting used to, but it happens to be a personal favorite of mine from childhood. Serve this scrumptiousness over rice and you’ve got a winning meal.
- 2 1/2 to 3 lbs chicken chopped into large pieces with bones in or out
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- Water
Put chicken in large dutch oven. Mix all other ingredients except water. Pour over meat. Cover meat with water. Put lid on and bring to a boil. Simmer till meat is very tender and juices are sticky and thick. If liquid evaporates before meat is done, add more water. Serve over rice.
I also like to serve Kim Chee with this dish and altho the adobu is Philipino and the Kim Chee is Korean, the two go very well together. Yum yum! I would like to thank my mom for introducing this dish to me at a young age. It is her recipe and she learned it from a Philipino woman who she became friends with when my dad was in the army. Hows that for some history?
I also seem to recall promising to give you guys a recipe for my garlic mashed potatoes and I wouldn’t want to dissapoint you so here’s my approximate recipe.
- 10 or so new potatoes (red or yukon gold are the best) cooked and mashed
- 1/2 cup sour cream more or less (I use low fat to feel good about it but don’t tell my husband)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup smart balance (it only tastes like butter and its non hydrogenated too!)
- chopped green onions or chives to your taste
- 3 or 4 tbsp minced garlic.
- 1/8 to 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- parmesan cheese to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Its really simple– just mix this stuff all together and dig in. Again- the amounts are not set in stone and if you want more or less feel free- it should still be absolutely heavenly. I have also been known to substitute some plain yoghurt for the sour cream because it still imparts a nice creamy texture but with less bad for you ness.
Really good bad for you Chicken
Okay with this recipe, the amounts are somewhat….. variable as it been a while since I made it but from experience I have learned that it is always good no matter what amounts are used. Also, if you have issues with playing with raw chicken, this is not the recipe for you as it requires you to stick stuff under the skin.
- 1 3 or 4 lb whole fryer
- 10 -15 or more large basil leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1 stick butter
- 3 tsp salt (or more or less whatever you feel like)
- 3 or 4 tbsp minced garlic ( I always use more but I REALLY like garlic so…)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Chop or snip all fresh herbs into fine pieces and place in a small bowl with the ground sage, salt, butter, and garlic. Mix all these ingredients together and prepare to get a little icky. Around the neck hole where the skin has edges, pull skin up gently to create pockets between skin and chicken. If you’re ambitious (and sometimes I am) you can get these to go all the way to the tail and underneath to the drumsticks. You will be filling these pockets with lumps of herby butter and smashing it around. Don’t worry too much about being even with the butter- just try to get half on top and half on bottom. If you really feel creative you can stuff shallots in the cavity and I also take the woody stems from the herbs and fill the chicken with them sometimes. Now that you have your chicken all stuffed with buttery goodness, stick it in the oven and let it cook for a good 30 minutes or so. Then turn the temp down to 375 and let it cook till done. I can never accurately time this as I take it out several times to check, but I know 45 minutes should get it the rest of the way done and if you’ve cooked whole chickens before, you should have a general idea of how long it takes. Sorry, I’m not actually Martha or The Contessa– I just cook at home and have people compliment my cooking.
Things you should know:
Upon occasion when I’m feeling really decadent, I add 4 oz of cream cheese to the butter mixture. Sometimes I also add 1/2 a cup of plain yoghurt. This makes everything extra creamy.
This dish is really good with homemade garlic mashed potatoes. If you want my recipe you’ll just have to wait till next time. Cheers! Oh and Toi? I shall try to continue to supply you with the recipes altho they may not all be gardeny 
hellesbelles86