Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

This was delicious. Very light and fresh! It does have some similarities to Demos' Baked Chicken Soup if you are from the Middle TN area and know what I am talking about. The spices aren't quite the same and if anyone figures that out, please let me know. It was a favorite all around and I will definitely be making it again! Perfect for a cold winter night.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

adapted from multiple recipes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 8-10 

Ingredients

4 TBS butter

1/4 cup flour

2 - 26 oz cartons of chicken stock 

4 cups shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken since I was short on time)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 packets of dry Italian dressing mix

2 cups of whole milk

4 TBS lemon juice (1 whole lemon)

3 TBS white wine

4 cups cooked white rice

Directions

Melt 2 TBS butter in a pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and mix until smooth. Slowly pour the stock in while continuously whisking, making sure there are no lumps. Add the chicken, garlic powder and Italian dressing mix. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add in the milk, lemon juice and wine. Stir until well blended. Add the rice and remaining butter, cover and simmer until rice is heated through and butter has melted, about 10 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Copycat Hashbrown Casserole

At first, I thought that it wasn't right. That there was something missing, but I went to Cracker Barrel over the weekend and compared notes. I actually think this is pretty close to being the real thing. The only difference is that I think they add butter to their casserole. At least that is what I think I tasted. I would also try turning on the broiler at the end to make the top just a little crispy. I will definitely be making this again and this time adding a little butter!

Copycat Hashbrown Casserole

adapted from Copycat Recipes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 45-60 minutes

Servings: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

2 lb bag of frozen shredded hash browns

1/4 cup diced onion

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cups shredded colby cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. 

In a stand mixer, put all of the ingredients to the bowl. Mix together using the paddle attachment. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can just do this by hand.

Put the potato mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes and broil before removing to get a nice, golden top. 

Enjoy!

Pancakes

So I thought that these were a little to thick for my taste. I also thought they tasted like funnel cake. Now if you are into that then these are the pancakes for you. I personally will keep looking for an awesome pancake recipe.

Pancakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 8-10 pancakes

Ingredients

2 cups sifted flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 heaping tsp salt

1 TBS sugar

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients together until just blended. Heat canola or vegetable oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, pour about a 1/3 of a cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake. Once it gets really bubbly in the non-cooked part, flip it. 

**To keep the pancakes warm while you cook the others, turn your oven to warm or 200 and place them on a paper towel lined baking sheet.

Top with your favorite syrup, fruit, whipped cream or chocolate chips.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice

I definitely thought this was yummy, but my hubby and niece were not fans. Maybe it was the nuttiness of the rice? You could always swap it out for plain white rice or make both and just serve the chicken over the rice instead of putting it in the crockpot. Also this is so easy it's ridiculous.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice

adapted from Southern Plate

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 hours (in Crockpot)

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 TBS butter

2 tsp onion powder 

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/4 tsp paprika

1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice w/ seasonings

Directions

Cube the butter and place it and the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Sprinkle the paprika, onion and garlic powders over the chicken. Pour the soups over the chicken. Set the crockpot on low for 8 hours. 

Before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions and then stir into the crockpot. 

Enjoy!

Aunt Cindy's Chocolate Pie

This is probably one of my favorite desserts. My aunt makes it every year for Thanksgiving and since we didn't go away this year, I just had to make it for my family. I made 2 pies for 7 people and yes, every last bite was gone within 2 days of Thanksgiving.

Aunt Cindy's Chocolate Pie

Ingredients
Frozen or refridgerated pie dough or crust
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
3 TBS whole milk
2 TBS granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 oz heavy whipping cream
2 TBS confectioners' sugar

Directions
Make the pie crust according to the package directions. **I say dough or crust because I use the pre-made crusts. I have a hard time making the edges of the dough look nice.

Combine milk, chocolate chips and granulated sugar in a large microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave for about a minute, checking every 30 seconds, until the chips begin to lose shape. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Let it cool until it's still fluid, but not hot.

Add the egg yokes one at a time and beat well with a mixer after each one. Add vanillla at the end and mix.

In another bowl with clean beater (I use my KitchenAid mixer for this part), beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold this into the chocolate mixture by hand. Fill the pie shell and chill. This can be made a day ahead of time.

About 30 minutes to an hour before serving, put the beaters and bowl (again I use my KitchenAid) in the freezer. If you don't have time for this that is okay, it just helps the whipping cream whip up easier. Whip the cream and confectioners' sugar together until they form stiff peaks and spread it over the pie.

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu - December 4-10

 

It's PW week! Not completely on purpose. I went to her website with the intention of seeing what was new and then remembered some of her other recipes that I haven't made in a while. I also wanted something quick and easy since it's finals week. 

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

Crash Hot Potatoes

Fried Round Steak

Smashed Potatoes

Easy Chicken Sandwiches

Taco Soup

Holy cow this was delish! This is definitely a keeper. And the bonus? It's so easy! Now, personally I didn't think it was necessarily a "taco" soup - maybe more like southwest soup? Next time, we are going to try swapping out the pintos for black beans and maybe adding some cooked rice at the end. I topped mine off with Mexican cheese and a dollop of sour cream. You can also use Fritos or tortilla chips.

Taco Soup 

adapted from Food Network

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 of a 15.5 oz can pinto beans

15.5 oz can pink or light red kidney beans

1/2 of a 14.25 oz can of whole kernel corn

14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes with jalapenos

Can of Rotel Mild

4.5 oz can of diced green chiles

1 package low-sodium taco seasoning

1 package dry ranch salad dressing mix

Directions

Cook the ground turkey and onions together until the onions are translucent. Drain off any grease or fat. Without draining any of the cans, add the remaining ingredients. Simmer on low heat for one hour.

Enjoy!