Groovin' in the kitchen, dancin' in Missoula.
These are the brownies. The. Brownies. Sure, it takes three bowls, but look at that fudgy layer under that crispy layer! And yeah, I added salted caramel sauce. It was the next logical step. If I’d had ice cream, I’d have done that too. HOWEVER! […]
Holy moly. You know when you’ve been really busy, and then when someone asks you what you’ve been up to, you automatically say, “Not much.” What’s up with that? I think it’s mostly because you can’t just say, “Well I’ve been dancing and working and […]
Look at that steamy goodness!
Yes please.
For some reason, there was some confusion over whether or not I liked chicken noodle soup. When I told my husband that this is what I was making for dinner, he said, “But you hate chicken noodle soup.”
Come again?
“I’ve tried to make it before, but you wouldn’t let me. You’ve never liked chicken noodle soup.”
I wasn’t really sure how to respond. Maybe he was thinking about canned chicken noodle soup? But he wouldn’t have tried to make canned chicken noodle soup. Or maybe I really had said at one point that I hated chicken noodle soup. There’s no accounting for my tastebuds before I actually started cooking. It’s like I was a different person back then or something. Momentary lapse in sanity?
I don’t know.
Anyways, chicken noodle soup. THIS chicken noodle soup. I could eat this stuff every day for the rest of my life. I texted this very thing to my husband when I was eating leftovers the next day. And if you froze leftover turkey from Thanksgiving? Turkey noodle soup!
It starts with an onion.
And then chicken.
And tons of broth.
And you might think I went a little overboard on the herbs.
I mean, I can see why you’d think that. I, too, had a momentary panic (as I do every time I don’t follow any sort of recipe). But just trust me. It’s totally worth it!
Broccoli was next.
And of course, you need noodles! I did not think far enough ahead to put egg-noodles on my grocery list, and this is what we had. It worked great! They’re noodles, so really it couldn’t have gone terribly wrong. But you never know, so I was a little nervous.
This is like happiness in a bowl. Think of a cliche about chicken noodle soup–this is it. I think I might actually make enough of this to eat it every day of my life.
And all those “extra” herbs? Maybe you can read my fortune?
Chicken Noodle Soup
Makes around 8 servings
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 medium onion, diced
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound dry pasta noodles (or 1/2 cup dry rice for chicken and rice soup)
Combine the onion and diced chicken in a large stock pot over medium heat.
When the chicken is cooked through, add the chicken stock and water. Then add all seasonings, minced garlic and broccoli.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil.
Add the pasta noodles and boil for 15-20 minutes, until the noodles are cooked fully. Serve warm!
My sister texted me to ask if I had a chili recipe that was any good. My first thought was, “Are you kidding me? I must make chili once a week! It’s awesome!” But I told her to go to my blog and find the […]
You guys!! I did it!! I made pretty bread! Actually, I’m going to say that this bread is beautiful. Not even sorry about bragging here, because if you guys know me, you know how much I struggle with bread. I have cried, laughed, given up, […]
I was one of those kids who would decide something didn’t look good, and then convince myself it tasted terrible.
At least I know I’m not the only one, but now I kick myself for cheating myself out of years of delicious foods.
Like Tapioca pudding.
It looks lumpy. And maybe a little slimy. It must be gross! *Sigh*
I’ve now become obsessed with the stuff. Fortunately for me (and you), it’s really easy to make!
Although I’ve learned the hard way that there is a huge (huuuuuuge) difference between quick-cooking and regular tapioca pearls. (Duh! Are these honestly things I still struggle with? Apparently.)
You get to temper eggs, so you’ll feel very fancy. But that’s the hardest part.
Milk bubbles
Frothy foam!
This seems like it should be at least 6 servings, but it’s really just one. For me.
I’d better get more pearls soaking!
Tapioca Pudding
Indeed, this recipe will make 6 servings. Use that knowledge as you will.
Place 1/2 cup tapioca pearls (NOT the quick-cooking kind***) into a bowl and cover them generously with whole milk. Allow the pearls to soak for AT LEAST 8 HOURS. You may have to add more milk periodically as the pearls soak it up. The pearls will expand and become soft. After soaking, you will need:
3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Place the soaked tapioca pearls, milk, sugar and salt into a large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir fairly constantly and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Cook for about 5 minutes longer.
Slowly whisk about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture in with the beaten eggs to temper them. Then pour the egg mixture back into the milk mixture and bring everything to a gentle simmer for about 2 more minutes. The pudding will start to thicken considerably.
Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
At this point, you can serve the pudding warm, or you can refrigerate it for later. I found that the pudding is best served the day you make it. Which is great because it doesn’t usually last longer than a day or two at my house.
***If you use quick-cooking tapioca pearls, skip the soaking process and just start the pearls, milk, sugar and salt in the saucepan together.
Otherwise known as the most tropical dinner I’ve ever made. Aloha! I feel like this also got me out of my chicken rut. Lately, my chicken dinners have been so blah. Completely edible, but not exciting and only just…decent. I’ve just gotten out of my […]
I’ve read the Game of Thrones series. Twice. I really enjoy them, and I was trying to bide my time until the next book in the series came out. Oh poor, naive Jo. Can we please please please have the next one? Pretty please? I’ve […]
You all know that I hate the cold.
I would take 97F over -25F EVERY. TIME.
And spending two hours shoveling my driveway, while a great workout, is not my idea of time well-spent.
But I have to say, getting a four-day weekend is pretty spectacular.
Guys. We got snow days!! Not one, but two!!
If you’re from Montana, this is basically unheard of. It could snow an entire foot over night and we’d still have to go to school.
Last week though, we got Friday off because it snowed a foot over night and then we had 50mph wind. I had to pretend I was hearing ocean sounds in order to sleep. It actually worked really well. There still weren’t enough streets cleared by Monday to safely open the schools, which meant that we got to stay home again.
So my mind naturally came up with this frozen treat. If you’re all bundled up and you don’t have to brave the cold, why not?
All you have to do is make some whipped cream
We make whipped cream by adding heavy whipping cream and maple syrup into a mixing bowl. Beat until fluffy and add maple syrup in small amounts until it tastes right.
Get some graham crackers
Spread on some peanut butter
Then the whipped cream
Sprinkle on some chocolate chips. Drizzle on as much caramel as you can.
More caramel! Caramel recipe can be found here.
Top them off and freeze them for a couple of hours.
These sandwiches don’t get rock hard like you’d expect. Even after they’ve been in the freezer overnight! They were shockingly easy to break in half and bite through. The whipped cream retains its fluffy texture, and frozen caramel might be the best thing in the world. As my husband says, “These things will change your life.”
If I would have known I could celebrate the cold with treats, I would’ve had a completely different outlook on winter.
I love making pizza. I have this magical bread machine that makes the pizza crust for me. It’s so fluffy! I highly recommend getting a bread machine. Even if all you ever use it for is pizza dough, it’s totally worth it. I do stray […]