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 […]
Bananas are not my go-to dessert. I do not like banana splits. Just give me the ice cream! I’ve had Bananas Foster once, but I prefer apple crisp. But my friends served this dessert a couple of weeks ago, and I haven’t been able to […]
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 also watched the HBO series (which is finally back for season 4!), and have been seeing all the Buzzfeed quizzes about “Which GoT character is your mom’s second cousin?”
Don’t let me fool you, you know I LOVE those quizzes.
You might call me obsessed with Game of Thrones, but I disagree. Everyone knows that my real obsession is food, and those books read like hard core foodie porn! George RR Martin is so tantalizingly descriptive of the food that the characters eat, that people have been able to create whole recipe books based off of the GoT series. The food ranges from brown mystery meat stew to entire royal feasts. Food serves as the great equalizer between peasants and monarchs. Everyone’s gotta eat!
So what better way to pass the time until episode 2 on Sunday than by recreating GoT food? And while I’m not willing to attempt lamprey pie or the raw heart of a stallion, strawberry galette I can do.
And you should too!
Strawberry Almond Galette
Makes one rustic pie
Crust
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
1/3 cup buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk, measure out your milk and add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar)
Add the flour, sugar, cornmeal and salt together in a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Pulse several times. Then add the butter and pulse until the mixture starts to look like gravel. Turn the food processor on low and slowly pour in the buttermilk. Stop the processor several times to scrape down the sides, and continue to mix until the dough forms a ball. Press the dough together, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 45 minutes–up to 24 hours.
Filling
2 1/2 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
1 egg white whisked together with 1 tsp of water
Extra sugar and slivered almonds for topping
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Combine the strawberries, almonds, sugar and corn starch in a bowl. Set aside.
Roll the dough out into a large circle and place it onto a baking stone or sheet pan. You may want to use parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Pour the strawberry almond mixture into the center and spread it out, leaving a 2 inch edge. Gently fold the edge over the strawberries and press the dough where it overlaps to make sure it stays together.
Brush the crust with the egg wash, and sprinkle sugar and extra almonds over the top.
Bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving with whipped cream or ice cream.
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 […]