Pumpkin Streusel Bread

This recipe is from my favorite cookbook...say it with me...The Best of Cooking Light!

• Topping:
• - 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• - 2 tbsps sugar 
• - 1 1/2 tbsps chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces (I like using butter better than the margarine. The margarine makes the top kind of wet during the baking making you a bit unsure as to whether the bread is done. It tastes fine in the end but I prefer the butter.)
• - 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Bread:
• - 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• - 1/2 cup sugar 
• - 1/2 cup raisins
• - 1 tsp baking soda
• - 1 tsp salt
• - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• - 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• - 1 cup canned pumpkin 
• - 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• - 1/2 cup honey
• - 1/4 cup vegetable oil 
• - 1 tsp vanilla extract
• - 2 large eggs 
• 
  
• Cooking spray 

Preparation:

1. - Preheat oven to 350°.
2. - To prepare topping, combine first 4 ingredients until crumbly. Set the mixture aside.
3. - To prepare bread, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 7 ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine the pumpkin and next 5 ingredients (pumpkin through eggs) in a bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with topping. 
4. - Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Cooking Light 
NOVEMBER 2000

Here is what it looks like:

Did I enjoy it? I love this recipe! It is easy to throw together and it takes so good!!! It is very moist and flavorful.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely.

Will I make it again?  Yes, I will. I have already made it about 10 times. 

If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!

Cole Slaw

I found this recipe in my Cooking Light Way to Cook cookbook. I have modified the original recipe a bit.

Here is the original recipe:
- 4 cups packaged cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw
- 3 tbsps fat-free mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tsps sugar
- 1/2 tsp celery seeds
- 1 1/2 tsps cider vinegar
- 1/8 tsp salt

All you do is mix all of the above ingredients together and serve it.

Here is my modified version:
- a package of broccoli slaw mix
- 3-4 tbsps light mayo
- 1 1/2 tsps sugar
- 1/2 tsp celery seeds
- 1 1/2 tsps cider vinegar
- salt to taste

Mix it all up and you're done! Here is a picture of my coleslaw!

Did I enjoy it? I love this recipe!!!! My 4 year old son loves this cole slaw, too! It is so easy to make and is good the next day or so as well.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Make it! 

Will I make it again?  Many, many times!

If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!

Easy Banana Bread

I found this fantastic and super simple recipe in my trusty, Best of Cooking Light cookbook. (Where else, right?) This banana bread is so quick and simple to mix together, it takes mere minutes!

Here's the recipe (The italicized portions are my changes and findings after making this recipe quite a few times.):
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas) (however, I found that using 3 bananas makes the bread moister!)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg white
- 1 large egg
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsps cream of tartar
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- cooking spray

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350
Step 2: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth
Step 3: Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. (Honestly, I just scoop the flour with the measuring cup and level it with a spoon. I don't know if lightly spooning it makes a difference or not...it is slightly messier.) Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Step 4: Add flour mixture to the banana mixture, stirring just until moist.
Step 5: Spoon batter into an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. (Again, I don't spoon it in, I just pour it from the bowl and scrape it clean with the spatula.)
Step 6: Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (My oven, and my mom's, took at least 45 minutes...if not longer, sometimes closer to 50 minutes. And, when the pick - I use a metal one - is inserted straight done in the center, it will come out clean at 40 minutes. However, if you insert it in at an angle near the top of the loaf, you will see that it is not done and kind of gooey.)
Step 7: Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on rack. (Another lesson I learned - WAIT THE 10 MINUTES!!!! I did not one time and the bottom of the loaf stayed in the pan. So, my advice is WAIT THE 10 MINUTES!)

Here's what it looks like:

Did I enjoy it? I love this recipe! The bread is so yummy and moist. My kids love it. My husband love it. I love it (with some cream cheese on top!).


Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Make it, you will not regret it. Also, this is a great recipe to have the kids help with...let them mash up the bananas with a potato masher. It is great fun!


I have also done a variation on this recipe...adding about a 1/2 bag of chocolate chips to it. YUM!

Will I make it again?  Yes, I will!!!

If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!

Baked Ziti

Tonight I was in the mood for a pasta dish. I had ziti in my pantry, so I thought "Let's have baked ziti." I haven't made this before. I looked up a few different recipes and came up with this.

Here are the ingredients:

•  1 1/2 lbs ziti, uncooked 
• 1 jar favorite tomato sauce (I used Bertolli Marinara) 
• 1 can diced tomatoes 
• 1 15 oz container part-skim ricotta cheese 
• 2 cups or so of shredded mozzarella 
• Parmesan cheese 

Here's what I did:

I cooked the pasta until it was just about done. A bit past al dente. Then, drained the pasta. I put the pasta back into the pot I cooked it in and added the sauce, diced tomatoes, ricotta and about a cup or so of shredded mozarella. Just stir this up until it is well mixed. I then poured the entire pasta mixture into a large baking dish that I had sprayed with cooking spray. Then, topped the pasta cheesy goodness with more mozarella and grated Parmesan cheese. I baked it at 350 for 25 minutes (or until the cheese is melted and looks yummy.)

Here's what it looked like:

Did I enjoy it? I did. It was quite tasty!


Would I recommend it? I would!

Will I make it again?  I will. I think I will put more sauce in it the next time I make it though. And I will use a different sauce...still a marinara, just not the Bertolli that I used in this batch.

If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think! Or let me know if you do a variation on it...I'm always looking for new things to cook!!!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Stew

For St. Patrick's Day, along with the Irish Soda Bread, I make corned beef and cabbage stew. It is pretty easy to make and quite tasty.

Here are the ingredients:

• corned beef brisket (most supermarkets sell these with a seasoning packet in the bag.)
• 3 or 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• carrots, chunked (I usually use the baby cut carrots because that is what I have on hand and you don't have to peel them!)
• a bag of parsnips, peeled and chunked
• 1 onion, cut into about 6 wedges
• 1 head of cabbage, sliced and chopped

Here's what you do:

• Place the brisket in a stockpot and cover with water, adding the seasoning packet and juices from the wrapping. Boil for about an hour and a half to two hours...until the meat is done.
• Remove the brisket and strain the water into another stockpot. Into the water, add the potatoes and bring to a boil. 
• After about 20 minutes, add the carrots and parsnips. 
• Meanwhile, slice the brisket and cut into bite-sized cubes. Add the meat to the pot of vegetables.
• Add the cabbage and onion and cook until the cabbage is tender.
• Serve alone or with some bread. (I made beer bread from Tastefully Simple. I used a Guinness in it! So tasty!!!) And enjoy!

Did I enjoy it? Every year I make it! 


Would I recommend it? I would recommend it. As I said, it is easy to make and feeds a lot. I love the flavors and heartiness of this stew. It's great for those sometimes cool March evenings. (Unlike this year when it was like 80 degrees!!!)

Will I make it again?  Next year at St. Patrick's Day! (I really should make it more often than that!)

If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!

Irish Soda Bread

Every year for the past 10-15 years, I have made Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day for my family. I love it and they seem to like it, too! So, here is my recipe.

What you need:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps baking powder (this is very important!!! do not use baking soda!!!! see pictures below)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup golden raisins
• 1+ tbsp caraway seeds

Here's what you do:

• preheat the oven to 350
• combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl
• in a separate measuring cup or small bowl, beat the eggs with the butttermilk (I use a large measuring cup. I pour in the milk then add the eggs. I use a whisk to beat these two together.) 
• add this mixture to the flour mixture and mix with a spoon or spatula
• stir in the raisins and the caraway seeds
• pour the dough onto a lightly floured board and shape the dough into a round loaf, adding flour if necessary
• This dough is very, very sticky!!! I usually use gloves because it is such a pain to wash off my hands. This last time I made this bread, I poured the dough directly into my pan and formed it there. It worked well. But, if this is your first time making this recipe, use the board and for the loaf before you put it in the pan.
• place the loaf in a greased (or cooking sprayed) and floured cast iron skillet
• sprinkle the top of the loaf with caraway seeds
• use a knife to cut an "X" in the top of the loaf (this is not necessary but looks pretty neat)
• bake for about 1 hour (my new oven seems to cook a bit faster, so I started checking the bread after 45 minutes) or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped

Cool the loaf on a cooling rack. Slice and serve with (or without) butter. (I like it with butter!)

made with baking powder

made with baking soda

You are probably wondering why I am showing you pictures of Irish Soda Bread made with and without baking powder. I am doing this so that you do not make the same mistake I did!!! The first loaf I made was done with baking soda...I don't know why but I made the mistake. As you can see from the pictures, the loaf came out much thinner and darker with the baking soda. The bread made with the baking soda also tasted different. It was drier and not as moist. It really wasn't that good. My husband thought it was fine...different, not as good, but fine. (He still ate it! He is so sweet!)

The lighter one is the one made correctly, with baking POWDER!

Did I enjoy it? I always enjoy this recipe. It doesn't take much time to make and it is so delicious! 

Would I recommend it? I would. This is an easy recipe - especially for those who have never made soda bread before. Just be sure to use baking POWDER!!!!

Will I make it again?  Absolutely!!!









If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!

Bacon and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

I needed a side dish to go along with the flank steak we made for dinner the other night. I love potatoes and my Cooking Light magazine had this recipe: Bacon and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes.

These were so easy to make and took hardly any time to make them. I used more bacon slices than were called for...I mean, 2 slices, that's not enough! I mixed the bacon pieces in with the potatoes...not just put them on top! 

Did I enjoy it? I really did. They were quite tasty and easy to make.


Would I recommend it? I would. It was a quick side dish that went well with steak.

Will I make it again?  I most definitely will.

If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!

Chicken Mini Empanadas

I wanted an appetizer for my son's first birthday party and I found Chicken Mini Empanadas in my December 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine.

I had some issues with this recipe. The filling was great and rather easy to make...very tasty! I could have just eaten the filling with a fork all by itself.

However, the vessel was terrible!!! I used the premade refrigerated pie crust and cut the 3 inch circles to fill with the chicken mixture. I could not get the empanadas to fold nicely at all. I even tried making squares. It was not good. Here is a picture of the finished product.

The next day (I had some filling left over), I tried making the empanadas with gyoza wrappers. The gyoza wrappers were much easier to fill and fold. I baked them in the oven but they did not look too pretty. I'm going to have to try to pan-fry them or broil them next time.

Did I enjoy it? I really like the filling. The pie crust vessel, not so much. The gyoza wrapper was better but I have to find a better way to cook it.


Would I recommend it? I would because the filling was so good. But I warn you, the 3 inch  pie crust round is too small. I would make it bigger.

Will I make it again?  I will. I'll let you know if I come up with an easier way to wrap them up.

If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!

Oyster Cracker Snack

We had a neighborhood crawl over the weekend and our house was one of the stops. I made my Pepperoni Rolls, mini crab cups, and these super easy, super tasty, super addictive oyster crackers.

Here's how you do it:

Whisk together in a large bowl,

• 1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing powder mix
• 1/2 tbsp dried dill
• 1/4 tsp of lemon pepper seasoning
• If you do not have lemon pepper seasoning - which I did not when I made this batch of crackers - you can use black pepper and some lemon juice (just a splash, not too much).
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Once the above is whisked together, add a 12-16 oz bag of oyster crackers. Mix gently, coating all of the crackers. Spread the crackers onto a cookie sheet in an even layer. 

Bake at 250 for about 20 minutes. Give the crackers a stir after 10  minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool. Then eat and try to stop yourself from eating the whole batch in one sitting!

Did I enjoy it? I did so much! This a favorite snack of mine. You can eat them alone or add them to soup. Yum Yum Yum!


Would I recommend it? Absolutely. So easy and quick to make with delicious results!

Will I make it again?  I sure will!

If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!

Mini Crab Cups

I made Mini Crab Cups for two events recently...my son's 1st birthday party and our neighborhood crawl. I found this recipe in my December 2010 edition of Cooking Light Magazine. 


They looked easy. What I liked about this recipe was that I could make the filling ahead of time...up to a day. That made party prep a lot easier. Also, I made the cups earlier in the day as well. Moments before the  birthday party, I filled the cups with the crab mixture and we were good to go. For the neighborhood crawl, we filled these cups about an hour before our guests were due to arrive as we were the second house on the crawl and the cups were still crispy when our guests left that evening a few hours later.


Here is a picture of how my Mini Crab Cups came out!

Did I enjoy it? I really did enjoy these cups. They were very easy to make and so tasty. The cilantro and lime really made it refreshing. The jalapeno did not add a lot of heat.  


Would I recommend it? I would. I thought it was an ideal appetizer to make. 


Will I make it again?  I will. They were a great party appetizer.


If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

Today, I made sugar cookies for my son's preschool class. They are having a Valentine's Day party tomorrow.

I used the same recipe I used at Christmas - Grandma's Sugar Cookies. But instead of using Christmas cookie cutters, I used a heart-shaped cutter. And here is how they turned out!

These were a lot of fun to make because my 3 1/2 year son and my mom helped out. 

A Valentine's Day Dinner for Two - Surf & Turf

For Valentine's Day, the husband and I decided to cook ourselves a romantic dinner. Our local grocery store was offering a surf & turf - two lobster tails and two New York Strip steak. YUM! (We had this last Valentine's Day and decided to do it again this year.)


For the steak, we prepared it our favorite way...nice and simple.  All I did was drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil on the steak. Then, I sprinkled it with a good amount of coarse sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Because we have about 3 inches of snow or more and it is in the low 20s outside, we grilled the steak on a grill pan on the stove. It turned out quite tasty!


For the lobster tails, we split them with scissors and gently pulled the meat from the shell. Leave the meat attached to the base (narrow end) of the tail. Baste the tails in the following: 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsps lemon juice, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsps salt. Wisk together and brush all sides of the tails. Broil the tails, meat side down for 4-5 minutes. Baste again and flip them over. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. Repeat until the tails are cooked. (The meat will be opaque and firm to the touch.)


We served this with a romaine salad topped with tomatoes, carrots, green olives, and green onions. I made a Parmesan vinaigrette. The recipe was from my Joy of Cooking book. Whisk together in a small bowl: 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns (lightly crushed - I used a mortar and pestle for the crushing), 1 garlic clove (minced), salt and pepper to taste. To this, stream in 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil while whisking. You can make the dressing in advance, just store it in the refrigerator. However, if you make the dressing ahead of time, be sure to whisk it prior to dressing the salad. It tends to separate as it sits. 

Did I enjoy it? Yes, we really did. This was a relatively light meal packed with flavor. The tails and steak were cooked perfectly and didn't need any additions. The tails didn't even need melted butter, that is how delicious and delicate they were. The salad was refreshing and the dressing was not heavy. However, I don't think I will use the whole peppercorns in the dressing next time. If you bit into one of them, it was a bit strong. I'm just going to use some cracked pepper (pepper mill) instead.


Would I recommend it? Absolutely! It was a romantic meal...the most romantic part was cooking it together. 

Will I make it again?  Yes, we will. Hopefully before next Valentine's Day.

If you make it, let me know what you think!

Beef Vegetable Soup

We are continuing with the soup dinners for awhile. Today, my Husband helped me make my beef vegetable soup recipe. This soup is so easy and, if you make enough, will last for a week in the fridge.


First, in a large stock pot, add a large bottle or can of tomato juice. Fill that bottle/can with water and add to the pot. Use at least one box of beef broth. Fill that box with water and add it to the pot. Depending on how large your stock pot is, you may want to add another box of broth or can of juice plus water. 


To the liquid, add an English cut shoulder roast. (These are good for soup. And pulled roast beef sandwiches, but that is a recipe for another day.) Trim the fat from the meat and cut into large chunks. Also add an onion or two, cut into quarters, and a few ribs of celery. Throw in some salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the meat is done. The meat should pull apart rather easily. 


When the meat is cooked, pull out the meat, onion, and celery. You may need to strain the broth. Discard the onion and celery. Taste the broth...it may or may not need more salt and pepper.


Shred the meat with a fork and add it back to the broth.  Add some chopped potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes. Then, add a two pound package of frozen cut vegetables and a package of frozen soup vegetables. I also add extra corn, green beans, and carrots. (Canned or fresh or frozen...whatever you have on hand at the time.) Basically, add whatever vegetables you like in soup and however many as you want!


Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, and that vegetables are to your liking.


Serve with bread or some shaved Parmesan cheese or all by itself.

Did I enjoy it? I always enjoy this soup. It has a great flavor to it and, really, what is better than a steaming bowl of beef and veggies in a warm, tasty broth.


Would I recommend it? Yes, I would.

Will I make it again?  Yes. We've already made this soup one other time this year.

If you make it, let me know what you think! Or if you make a variation, let me know what you did! I'm always looking for ways to improve my recipes!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I am currently recovering from carpal tunnel surgery and cannot use my hand at the moment. However, my mom made my family some super tasty homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from a combination of her recipe and mine. It was so good...I want to share it with you. 


In a large stockpot, combine: 4 chicken thighs (with skin and bone), 3 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless), 2 boxes of chicken broth, 4 boxes of water (fill the broth boxes with water), 3 ribs of celery, 1 onion (quartered), a sprig or 2 of parsley, and 2 tbsps chicken base. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour and a half to 2 hours. 


In the meantime, you can chop  into bite-sized cubesabout 3 or 4 potatoes and about a cup of baby cut carrots. 


After the soup has simmered for the hour and a half to 2 hours, using a mesh strainer, strain the broth into another stockpot. Then, strain it again into the original stockpot you cooked the broth in. Taste the broth. It should be pretty flavorful. However, if it isn't to your liking, add more chicken base.


Add the potatoes and carrots to the broth. Cut up the chicken. Be sure to use the yummy thigh meat. (Removing the thigh meat from the skin and bone takes some time and is quite messy but soooo worth it!) Add chicken and some chopped fresh parsley. 


In a separate pot, cook your noodles for the soup. This batch of soup, we made egg noodles. I have also used farfalle (bow-ties). When done, drain noodles and add to chicken soup.


Serve and enjoy!!!


Did I enjoy it? I really did. Chicken soup is so good when you are sick, recuperating, or just wanting to be cozy on a cold winter night.


Would I recommend it?  Yes, I would.

Will I make it again?  Absolutely!

If you make it, let me know what you think!

Tomato-Basil Soup

Tonight was another soup night for my husband and I. I made one of our absolute favorite recipes from...you guessed it!...The Best of Cooking Light cookbook. (I know, I know...I should just change the name of this blog to 'Why I love Cooking Light.') Anyway...I made Tomato-Basil Soup. 

This is a very easy recipe to make. The one change I made to it was to use an immersion blender instead of transferring the hot tomato and juice mixture to a traditional blender. The immersion blender - which I received as a Christmas gift a few years ago from my sister-in-law and her husband for this soup alone (yes, that is the only reason I asked for it and the only thing I have used it for thus far) - makes the soup so good and so much easier to make. No transferring it, no unnecessary mess. Easy.


Usually, when we have a garden in the summer, we will boil and peel our excess ripe tomatoes and freeze them. Then, I use those tomatoes in this soup in the winter. However, I did not have fresh tomatoes this time around. I used canned peeled tomatoes and the soup was almost as good! 

Did I enjoy it? Absolutely positively, YES! It is very fresh tasting and easy to make. We serve it with sourdough bread. 


Would I recommend it? Yes, I would!!!

Will I make it again?  Most definitely!!!

If you make it, let me know what you think!

Spicy Mulligatawny

I wanted soup on this cold, wintry night. So, I went to my trusty The Best of Cooking Light cookbook (surprising, I know) and I found this recipe, Spicy Mulligatawny. It looked good and I had most of the ingredients on hand - YAY!


This was an easy soup to assemble. You can chop all of the ingredients before hand - earlier in the day even - and have it ready to put together. You could probably even mix the five dry ingredients together before hand so that all you would have to do is dump it in when it is time.


The ingredients were easy to find. I found the curry powder, ground ginger, and mango chutney in the ethnic section of my local grocery store. This grocery store also sells the brand Badia spices which are a lot cheaper (like a fourth of the price) than the name brand counterpart that everyone knows. Badia is found in the ethnic section of this grocery store as well. 


The only change I made was I used a 32 oz box of broth as opposed to the two 14.5 oz cans. A little more broth. I don't think it made a big difference...the soup was still a nice, thicker consistency.

Did I enjoy it? Yes. Yes, I did. It was sooooo tasty. It was also spicier than I had expected but it was good spicy. My husband thought it was spicy but that it could have been spicier. Too each his own. I think he would have liked it if I had used a spicy mango chutney instead of the sweet chutney. I liked the sweet chutney and I think it would have been too much heat. Again, to each his own.


Each step smelled so good. The sauteing of the apples, onions, carrot, celery, and pepper was delightful. Then that smell changed and got better when the dry ingredients went in. And, oh my, the rest was heavenly. It made me look forward to eating it. That's how good it smelled.


Would I recommend it? Yes, I would especially if you like spicy food.

Will I make it again?  Yes, I will!!!!

If you make it, let me know what you think!

Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken

Tonight, I didn't feel like cooking soup. I felt like cooking though. So, I found this - Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken - in my January/February 2012 issue of Cooking Light Magazine. The picture looked tasty.


It was fairly easy to make. The ingredients were simple enough. The stone ground mustard was probably the most difficult thing to find...I had to search in the mustard section for a few minutes before I found a small jar of it. I used the syrup I had on hand, a reduced calorie light syrup. 


I served it with rice (sushi rice) and edamame. (I didn't have any other vegetables on hand that I felt like cooking.)

Did I enjoy it? I did but my husband liked it more than I did. I was expecting it to be sweeter, but it wasn't. And I expected more garlic flavor, but there wasn't that much garlic taste. My three year old son ate it and seemed to enjoy it. 


Would I recommend it? Yes, especially if you are tired of the same old chicken recipes. It is something different.

Will I make it again?  Yes because my husband really liked it. I would like to try the glaze on pork. That may be good as well. Hmmmmmm.....

If you make it, let me know what you think!

Wedding Soup

In an effort to eat a bit more healthily...and not eat so much...the husband and I are eating a lot of soup. So, tonight I made wedding soup. I cannot remember where I got the recipe or from whom - it may have been a cousin. Here it is:


In a large stock pot, combine:

• 2 boxes chicken broth
• 3 boxes water (I fill the broth boxes up with water)
• 4 chicken wings or thighs (I usually use thighs - bone in, skin on)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Cook for 40 minutes to an hour. Add 2 tbsp chicken base. If you do not have or cannot find chicken base, you can use chicken bullion for the flavoring. I've used bullion in the past and it does work, just not as well. Cook for a half an hour. Taste the broth at this point, add more base if it is needed or desired.

Remove the chicken from the broth, strip the wings/thighs from the bones and skin, cut it up into small, bite-size chunks/pieces.

Prepare the egg mixture.

• 2 eggs, beat with a fork or a whisk
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• beat or whisk together
• add grated Parmesan cheese to the mixture and whisk
• add enough to make it thick

Prepare the little meatballs.

• 1/2 - 1 lb ground meat (I use the 92% lean ground beef.)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 - 1 tsp parsley
• 1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
• mix above
• roll into little tiny meatballs
• do not precook!

Bring the broth to a boil, turn down the heat. Slowly pour in the egg mixture. Cook for 10 minutes. Cut through egg mixture with a spoon after the 10 minutes have elapsed.

Add to the broth and egg mixture:

• the cut up chicken
• chopped carrots (However many you want. I usually use about a cup of the baby cut carrots and cut those into thirds.)
• 3/4 cup small pasta (I use the little pasta balls. You can use any kind of little pasta that you would like...orzo, small shells, etc...just use however much you want. You do not want to overload the soup with pasta.)
• spinach (1 package of frozen, chopped spinach - thawed and drained.)
• little meatballs 

Cook soup until the meatballs are cooked through. 

Serve and enjoy!

Did I enjoy it? I did and so did my husband.


Would I recommend it? I would. As I said, it is tasty and relatively easy - just a bit time consuming when rolling the meatballs and cutting the chicken. I had forgotten how easy it was. The last time I made this soup was about seven years ago. (I kind of forgot about it. Oops!)

Will I make it again?  Yes, I will. And sooner than seven years from now!!! Probably in a few weeks or so. =)

If you make it, let me know what you think!