MOM'S POTATO SOUP

Over Christmas Break, my mom made potato soup. I have made potato soup many times, but this recipe was one of my favorites.

• INGREDIENTS:
• 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 2 cups milk


• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.
4. Recipe from All Recipes

ITALIAN CHICKEN SOUP

Last night, I tried this new soup that showed up on my facebook feed. The recipe was intended for using leftover turkey, but since I didn't have any of that we went with chicken. Maybe someday we will try it with turkey. I followed the recipe pretty closely except I used lactose free milk instead of cream. We had it with garlic bread and salad.

• ½ box pasta, I used Ditalini or a short macaroni type pasta
• 2 C shredded turkey or chicken
• 4 C chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 whole jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 15 oz. cans petite cut tomatoes
• 1 can water
• 1 C heavy cream
• 1 tsp dry oregano
• 1 tsp dry basil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Be sure and cook it al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In a frying pan add olive oil, onion, celery, green pepper, jalapeno and saute until tender.
3. In a large soup pot combine chicken broth, water, shredded turkey or chicken, tomatoes with their juice and sauteed vegetables.
4. Add in herbs. Salt and pepper to taste
5. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add in pasta and cream.

GRILLED CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD

I have made this salad as a main entre as well as a side without chicken and we love it. It is light and delicious and probably the best caesar salad I have ever had. Plus, no anchovies.

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1.5 Tbsp dijon mustard
3-4 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbsp milk, if needed
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1-2 heads romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese, extra for garnish
1 batch homemade croutons
lemon wedges for garnish

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a blender. With blender running add oil. Divide dressing and add half to a bag with raw chicken as a marinade. Let marinate overnight or at least 30 minutes.

2. Cook chicken on medium heat until it reaches 165 internal heat. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Slice, then refrigerate.

3. Wash and tear or chop letttuce. Place lettuce in a bowl with cheese, chicken and croutons. Toss salad mixture with dressing, to taste. Add extra cheese and lemon wedges for garnish.


Homemade Croutons:

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1 Tbsp butter
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups bread cubes
1-2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine seasonings
3 Melt butter and combine with oil-- drizzle mixture over bread
4. Toss bread with hands and make sure they are covered with oil/butter mixture
5. Toss with seasonings and distrubute evenly
6. Spread on a sheet pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, flip with spatula and cook 5-10 more minutes
7. Remove from oven and toss with Parmesan cheese

BREAD MACHINE WHITE OR WHEAT BREAD

Cade and I recently got a bread machine. It was my great grandparents but they hardly used it. My great grandma used to make homemade bread, but when she couldn't anymore, they got the bread machine. My grandpa eventually decided just to buy bread though, so we got the bread machine. We are loving it! We make bread pretty much everyday and it tastes so delicious and makes our home smell amazing. I love that we can make whatever kind of bread we want and that it doesn't have a bunch of preservatives or additives. I also love that I don't have to do any kneading. Yuck, sticky, doughy hands are the worst! So basically I love our bread machine A LOT!

White Bread:

2 and 1/4 tsp  YEAST
1 cup              HOT WATER
2 Tbsp            SUGAR
1 and 1/2 tsp   SALT
3 cups             FLOUR
1/2 Tbsp         VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN


Wheat Bread:

2 and 1/4 tsp  YEAST

1 cup              HOT WATER

2 Tbsp            SUGAR

1 and 1/2 tsp   SALT

3 cups             WHEAT FLOUR

1 Tbsp         VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN

White Bean Dip

I love dips! I eat hummus like crazy and this white bean dip is a great alternative when I get tired of hummus. It's also super healthy and dairy-free so it makes a great healthy snack. I love how quick and easy it is to make, too!

White Bean Dip

INGREDIENTS

1/2 clove garlic
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup packed fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
heaping 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS

1 15-oz. can white beans (canellini or great northern), drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS

1. Place beans, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, oregano, and paprika in bowl of food processor. Pulse until chunky or puree until smooth. Season with freshly ground black pepper and more salt (if necessary), to taste.

Recipe from: A Hint of Honey

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN STIR-FRY

This is a recipe that Cade and I discovered when we first got married. We love it! We make and eat a lot of Asian-American food probably partially because I'm lactose intolerant and Asian food is sans-dairy and also we just love it.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 8 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained and juices reserved
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

3-4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs diced into 1 inch pieces
(you could also use pork tenderloin, or sliced boneless pork chops)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 cups broccoli florets
1 medium bell pepper, stemmed , seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch squares*
hot cooked white or brown rice

Directions

1.    Start cooking your rice so it will be ready.

2.   Combine cornstarch and water in a medium sized bowl and stir to dissolve.  Add the reserved pineapple juice*, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar to the bowl and stir to combine.

*If you’re using a stainless steel pan, save pineapple juice for de-glazing it

3.   Heat 2-3 teaspoons of the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger.  Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked and no longer pink, 3-4 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.

4.   Add the remaining 1-2 teaspoons oil to the pan and add the broccoli and bell pepper.  Stir-fry over medium-high heat until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the broccoli is bright green, 3-5 minutes.

5.   Return the chicken to the pan and add the pineapple chunks and sauce mixture.  Bring to a simmer and cook until everything is heated through and the sauce has thickened, 1-2 minutes.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over the hot cooked rice.  If desired, top with sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.

Serves 4 (or more like 6 if you’ve got some kiddos in the mix)

Recipe from: Our Best Bites

GRANDMA'S WHOLE WHEAT ROLLS

Whole Wheat Rolls

Ingredients

4 cups milk, warmed (I mix up powdered milk)
½ cup warm water
2 Tbsp  dry yeast
½ cup  cooking oil (olive oil)
¾ cup  honey
2 Tbsp  salt (scant)
2          eggs
9 cups  whole wheat flour (I use about ½ hard red wheat and ½ white  wheat ground fresh)
3 Tbsp  lecithin granules

Directions

1. Grind about 7 C wheat on fine. (Or use whole wheat flour from the store.) Sprinkle yeast in warm water and let stand 10 min.

2. Combine milk, oil, honey, salt, eggs and 5 cups of wheat flour in mixer bowl and knead on low speed until well blended.  (Or mix by  hand) Add yeast and water mixture and blend again.  Add the rest  of the flour and lecithin and knead 10 minutes in machine.  (Or  knead by hand and get your exercise for the week.)

3. Put dough in large, greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen  towel and let rise until doubled in bulk.

4. Roll out dough ½ to 1 inch thick on floured board or counter.  Cut with round cutter for rolls. Put side by side on greased cookie sheet. Let rise until double in bulk.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Brush tops with a little olive oil if desired.

Recipe from: Grandma Louthan