2nd annual soup night 2010

Friday night we had an all-adult dinner party (thank you to Grandma & Pap for having the kids overnight) with Josh's high school buddies and spouses/friends. It was so much fun!

We did this about a year ago and decided to make it an annual occurrence, or possibly BI-annual occurrence. There were 11 of us total, everyone brought something.

Josh made his delicious chili (which I'd post if he'd write it all down for me; he kinda "cooks from the hip"), I made my "too easy clam chowder", and our friends brought their chicken corn chowder. We also had spring rolls and veggies and dip as appetizers, I made Italian sodas for everyone (recipe to follow). We also had yummy bread from Panera to go with our soups, along with double vanilla bean cupcakes and strawberry pie for dessert. We were all STUFFED by the time we were done eating.

Great job everyone! Soup night 2010, part 1, was a big success!

Italian sodas

Serves: about 15

16-20 oz. red party cups
Ice
3 liters club soda
3 bottles of flavoring (aka non-alcoholic martini/cocktail mixers; found in the sodas/water/drinks isle)
6 pts. half & half
2 bottles whipped topping
bendy straws

1. Fill 1 party cup 1/2 full of ice.

2. Then, fill 1/2 full with club soda.

3. Pick your flavoring and fill cup 1/4 more with flavoring.

4. Fill the last 1/4 of your cup with half & half. Stir with a straw.

5. Remove straw. Spray on whipped topping and add straw.

ENJOY! You too can do this simple, yet fancy addition to your next special occasion.

PS: My favorite flavor is MANGO, although we've also tried Pear, Wildberry, and Pomegranate (which was probably my 2nd favorite).

too easy clam chowder

We LOVE this recipe! It's a hit every time!

It's so easy, I almost feel bad taking credit for it. :)

1 small onion, diced and sauteed in 1 T. butter
3 - 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of potato soup
2 - 10 3/4 oz. cans New England clam chowder
1/4 c. butter, cubed
1 pt. 1/2 & 1/2 (regular or fat-free, makes NO difference in taste)
2- 6 1/2 oz. chopped clams, rinsed thoroughly
1 T. dried parsley
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. thyme
1/8 t. pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover, and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours.

cookie dough truffles

I found this recipe on my friend's blog who found it here and I've been saving it for Valentine's weekend to try.

Let me tell you! I think this is going on the annual rotation. (I say annual because I can only eat 2 of them MAX per day because they're so sweet and delicious!) FYI- This is a Paula Deen/Food Network recipe SO YOU KNOW IT"S YUMMY & RICH!

**Note: THERE ARE NO EGGS in this recipe so it's completely safe for eating. Pig out!

Thanks to How Sweet It Is for providing this pic for me to borrow.

Click on her link to see some great pics of "how to"

adapted from FoodNetwork
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
14 oz can sweetened, condensed milk
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

To coat: 1 lb chocolate disks or chocolate chips (original recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs. disks; I had a lot of extra melted chocolate so I'll cut down the amount for next time.)

1. In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour and add milk. Add chocolate morsels, mixing well. (Chill in fridge for about 30 minutes. This really helps since the dough is so soft and sticky.)

2. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on waxed paper; chill 2 hours.

3. Since the dough is sticky, roll your fingers into flour. This will make it easier to roll.

4. Melt chocolate chips or disks in a double boiler. Using 2 forks, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Place on waxed paper and chill to set. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Keep them chilled when they're not being consumed. :)

herbed chicken & mushrooms

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet. It's one of our family FAVORITES and it's QUICK!

2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. pepper
1-3 t. basil (do you like a lot or a little?)
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
2-3 chicken breasts, sliced or diced into chunks
16 oz. can of mushrooms (or 2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced)

1. Heat oil in 12" skillet. Sprinkle in pepper, basil, salt & garlic powder.

2. Add chicken breasts to pan. Saute on medium heat about 3-4 minutes per side so they are almost done. Take the chicken out and put in a covered dish to keep warm.

3. Add mushrooms to the pan. Saute until cooked. Return the chicken to the pan to reheat and finish cooking (just a few minutes more). **Do not overcook.

tasty bundles

WE LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! It's also called "Turkey Bundles". It's great to use with your Thanksgiving leftovers, but this time all I had was chicken breasts, so I changed the name to be less poultry-specific. ;)

Picture from Taste of Home

Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 T. whole milk
• 1/2 t. dill weed
• 1/4 t. celery salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 2 c. cubed cooked turkey (or poultry of your choice)
  
• 1/4 c. chopped water chestnuts, OPTIONAL
  
• 2 T. chopped green onion, or use 1/4 t. onion powder
  
• 2 tubes (one 8 ounces, one 4 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 2 T. butter, melted
• 2 T. seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk, dill, celery salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in the turkey, water chestnuts and onion.
• Separate crescent dough into six rectangles; seal perforations. Spoon 1/3 cup turkey mixture onto the center of each rectangle; bring edges into center and pinch to seal.
• Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place your tasty bundles on it. Brush with butter; sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Yield: 6 servings.

Check out this link if you need help with your chopped, cooked chicken

cheesy chicken & stuffing bake

This another tasty recipe from Kraft Foods. I thought it was pretty good but Alivia LOVES it!

You have to prepare almost all your ingredients beforehand, then you mix it all up and bake it to get it all warm. **Check out this link for how to poach a chicken breast. This is what I generally do when a recipe calls for chopped, cooked chicken (unless I have leftover grilled or roasted chicken).


Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 35 minutes

1 - 6 oz. pkg Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
2 c. chopped cooked chicken (see link above)
1 - 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1/2 lb (8 oz.) Velveeta Cheese product, cut up

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on packaged. Stir in remaining ingredients; mix well. **Be sure to mix well or you'll end up with Velveeta bites...or maybe that's a good thing.

2. Spoon into 2 qt. (8x8) baking dish. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through.

Yield: 6 servings

how to poach chicken breasts

I'm sure most of you seasoned cooks don't even need a recipe for something like this, but being the "follow the recipe" type of gal that I am, I need something to follow. For those of you who are in my boat, here you go.

Poaching chicken is a great way to prepare chicken breasts without using any fat. Heat them in barely simmering water for a few minutes until cooked through. They will stay moist and tender for all your recipes.

Image from Cookography

Ingredients:

* Chicken (Boneless chicken breast, split chicken breast or chicken thighs)
* Salt
* Liquid (Water or broth)
* Flavorings (rosemary, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, lemon zest, ginger, garlic, celery, onions, carrots… etc), optional

Direction:

1. Place chicken in pan (either a saucepan or a skillet).
2. Add enough of the liquid to cover the chicken.
3. OPTIONAL- Add salt and flavorings.
4. Bring to a boil, cover and then reduce to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 5 minutes, longer for bone-in pieces (~5 additional minutes)
6. Remove pan from heat and cover.
7. Let sit for 12-14 minutes.
8. Drain, cool and shred for recipes, or...
9. Place chicken in container, cover with liquid and refrigerate.