Chicken Enchilada Slow Cooker Soup

This recipe is thanks to the wonderfully amazing Wendy!  She seriously feeds me whenever my husband is off playing Army.  Granted sometimes that meal consists of orange slices, hot tamales, and wine.  However, this meal will go down in my recipe book as a yummy easy dinner.  So delicious!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 (15.25 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

1 white onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (Wendy hates cilantro so doesn't use as much)

2 bay leaves

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp each ground cumin, chili powder, & salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste

Here is how you make it:

1.  Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry, then place into the bottom of slow cooker.  Add all other ingredients.

2.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Transfer chicken to a large plate, then shred meat with two forks.  Return chicken to slow cooker and continue cooking 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Serve over tortilla chips and top with shredded cheese and sour cream.  Serves 6.

I added a little tabasco to mine because I like a little spice in my life!!!!!  Ridiculously delicious!

Easy Drop Biscuits

These biscuits are miraculously easy.  It is too hard for me to go through the process of making biscuits, rolling them out, cutting them, then baking them.  Especially when I have a little person that is convinced she needs to help with everything in the kitchen.  I came across this recipe in Real Simple Magazine... which if you have never read it, you are missing out.  They have some amazing recipes in there, but I digress.  So here is the recipe for the easiest and yummiest biscuits!

Easy Drop Biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter; cubed

1 tablespoon baking powder

1tsp kosher salt

1 cup cold milk



Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

Mix together flour, butter, salt, and baking powder until pea sized clumps form.   Slowly mix in the milk until batter is moistened (Regina, that word usage was for you!).  The mix will still be lumpy, and that is okay!

Spoon 6 large mounds onto a baking sheet.  Bake until golden brown.  The recipe says 16-20 minutes, but if you make 8 smaller biscuits it only takes about 14 minutes to bake them through.  Just keep an eye on them so they don't burn!

Now, these biscuits are lumpy and not flat like the ones you would cut with a cookie cutter, but they are still quite delicious! 

Crockpot Vegetarian Lasagna (no I am not kidding)

I found this recipe in Real Simple magazine and it was one of those that I thought... really!?!  I had never really thought about cooking lasagna in a crockpot before.  This recipe can be a little time consuming to put together so make sure you have plenty of time on your hands before undertaking this recipe!

2- 10 oz packages of chopped frozen spinach,

thawed and squeezed to remove water

1 cup ricotta

3/4 cup grated Parmesan (3oz)

3 cups marinara sauce

6 regular lasagna noodle (not no-boil)

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella

any additional veggies you want to add-in

(I add in mushrooms and zucchini)

In a bowl, mix together the spinach, ricotta, and 1/2 cup Parmesan.  In a second bowl imx together the marinara sauce and 1/2 cup of water.

Spread 3/4 cup of marinara mixture in the bottom of a 4-6 quart slow cooker.  Top with 2 noodles (break to fit), 3/4 cup of remaining marinara mixture, half of the spinach mixture, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella; repeat.  Top with the remaining noodles, marinara mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan.  (If adding in veggies just layer them with the spinach layer).

Cover and cook on low until the noodles are tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.





The very best blueberry muffins

Not all muffins are created equally... these by far are the very best blueberry muffins I have ever made or eaten for that matter!  I hope you love them as much as my husband does!

Blueberry Muffins

3 cups flour

1tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

10 tbsp butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in one bowl.  In a separate bowl cream butter and sugar together.  Add in the eggs one at a time.  Mix in half of the dry ingredients and half of the yogurt.  Beat in the remaining dry ingredients in yogurt.  Fold in the blueberries gently.  Bake 20-30 minutes.  Makes 12-16 muffins.

Maple Pumpkin Pie

I have made so many pumpkin pies in the last few years it is insane.  I think I found this one in a Martha Stewart Magazine.  I don't really remember.  At any rate it is so tasty and perfect for the fall!

Maple Pumpkin Pie

1 pie crust fitted into a 9 inch pie plate

2 large eggs

1 15oz can pumpkin puree

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Set the oven rack to the lowest position.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place pie plate on a foil lined baking sheet.  In a large bowl whisk eggs, pumpkin, cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves together.  Pour the mixture into pie crust.  Bake until the center is set 60-70 minutes.  If your pie starts to burn before the center is set, cover it with foil.  Let the pie cool before slicing.

Alright, this is one of those recipes where substitutions just won't work.  You can not use the cheap maple syrup and make this recipe work.  I have tried, and it did not taste nearly as good!

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

This is one of my all time favorite recipes.  To me, there is nothing better than tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.  My husband even loves this soup and he hates tomatoes!  This is not a soup you want to eat in the dead heat of summer.  It is a heavy and quite filling soup!

Tomato Basil Soup

2-28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

1 can chicken broth

18 fresh basil leaves minced

1 tbsp sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup butter

In a large saucepan bring the tomatoes and chicken broth to a boil. Add in basil and sugar.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and stir in the cream and butter.  Cook soup until the butter has melted.

This recipe yields an insane amount of soup so I always cut it in half!  I also just buy the canned tomatoes that have basil mixed in.  Going back to me being lazy!  I am sure you could also used dried basil as well!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a top-secret recipe that I had to smuggle out of a friend.  She lives on the otherside of the country so hopefully she won't fly out here and shoot me.  She had to sneak it away from her mom!  My friends and I would always get super excited when fall came around because we knew it was time for her mom to make us these cookies again! 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

A whole lotta love!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add in the egg, pumpkin and vanilla.  In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients.  Slowly mix dry ingredients into batter.  Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts last.  (I never put nuts in mine).  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

I hope you enjoy them TARA!!!!

Easy Veggie Soup

This recipe was given to me by my mother-in-law.  She is a weight watchers leader and this is one of the recipes she makes to just keep in the fridge for easy reheating and eating.  It is so simple and so delicious!

Veggie Soup

2 bags frozen stir-fry mix (whichever mix you like)

1 package zesty ranch dressing mix

1 can diced tomatoes

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 cube chicken bouillon

Just dump all of the ingredients into a pan.  Mix them together and bring them to a boil.  Turn heat down to a low boil and cook until all of the vegetable are hot and you are ready to eat!  So easy.  If you want to make it vegetarian friendly just replace the chicken bouillon with vegetable bouillon....someone makes that I am sure... if not, well a little chicken won't hurt you!

Popovers

Because I was feeling ever so British, or perhaps it was because I found this recipe in a magazine and thought to myself what in the heck is a popover... I decided to make some.  This is one of those recipes that you could do add-ins with very easily.  Oh, and the ingredients are all things you should have lying around the house!  Well not lying around the house hopefully, but in your kitchen.

Popovers

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

4 tbsp unsalted butter



1.  Mix together flour and salt; make a well in the center.  In a separate bowl mik to gether eggs and milk.  Pour the egg mix into the well.  Gradually stir into flour until the batter is the consistency of heavy cream yet still lumpy.  (Apparently the lumps are the key to an excellent popover).  Allow batter to rest for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

2.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Place 1 tsp butter in each cup of a 12-cup muffin tin.  Or you can use two 6-cup popover tins.  (Who has popover tins?  No really, who are these people...)  Heat in oven until butter melts, about 1 minute.  Divide the batter amongst the cups filling each about 3/4 full.  Bake until popovers are puffed and golden brown.  About 20 minutes.  Serve immediately.

For being so small, these little guys are really quite filling.  I made them at dinner time and I think that they would have been better as a breakfasty treat.  I, being the southerner that I am, smothered mine in butter!  They were quite delicious. 

This recipe came from Country Living Magazine Vol.33 No.9

Acorn Squash Soup

This one is a little more time consuming but well worth the effort!  It is a super creamy soup that my dear friend Wendy tried to drink straight out of the bowl.  Apparently it is so good you don't even want to take the time to use a spoon!  So if you are starting to feel the chill, try this soup on for size.  Oh, and I should also mention that this is like the fifth squash soup recipe I have tried and it is by far the best!

Halloween Acorn Squash Soup

7 slices pumpernickel bread

4 tbsp butter; divided

1 tbsp olive oil

dash of salt

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tsp chicken bouillon granules

1/4 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp curry powder

dash cayenne pepper

2 cups chicken broth

1 can (12oz) evaporated milk

3 cups mashed cooked acorn squash

And here is how I cooked my acorn squash... I used 2 by the by.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut squash in half.  Clean out all of the seeds and the other slimy gunk.  (Yes, gunk is the professional term for it).  Lightly grease a baking pan with olive oil.  Place halves face down on pan and bake for 45 minutes- 1 hour.  Check to make sure a fork easily slides into the meat of the squash.  Take a spoon and scoop out the meat.  Place it in a large bowl and mash it with a potato masher or whatever you like to mash things with.

Here is how you cook the soup:

1.  In a large saucepan, saute onion and celery in 2 tbsp of butter until tender.  Stir in flour, bouillon, dill, curry,      and cayenne until blended.  Gradually add broth and milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in squash and heat through.  Cool slightly.

2.  In a blender process soup in batches until smooth.  Return to pan and heat through.  Garnish with toasted pumpernickle bread.

Here is what I changed because I can't leave well enough alone!  I don't really like onions or celery, and I am lazy so I just used a few dried onion flakes and went to town with the rest of the recipe.  Feel free to mix it up however you choose!

This recipe also came from Taste of Home Halloween 2010

Easy Dip Recipe

This dip was ridiculously easy to make.  I ate almost all of it within 4 days.  Don't judge me people!  Okay so here is what you need to make this tasty little snack!

Black Widow Dip

1 package (8oz.) cream cheese cubed

1 cup chopped roasted sweet peppers

2 tbsp minced fresh basil or 2 tsp dried

2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

1 to 2 tbsp lime juice

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

In a food processor, combine the first eight ingredients; cover and process until blended.  Serve with pita chips or vegetable.  

So, as always, I improvised because I didn't have all of the ingredients in my house.  I used lemon juice instead of lime and I used dried garlic powder insted of the garlic clove.  I mostly do the powder because I really hate the way my hands smell after handling garlic!  Oh, and I don't have a food processor, so I used my blender and it worked just fine thank you very much.

This recipe came from Taste of Home Ultimate Halloween 2010 magazine.

Pumpkin Cookies are so yummy!

I scoured the web looking for a pumpkin cookie recipe and found this one.  Granted, I did make a few changes to the original recipe.  I used pumpkin pie spice instead of the nutmeg and cinnamon.  I also didn't use the glaze.  I made cream cheese icing.  The recipe for homemade cream cheese icing is super easy and I will put it after the cookie recipe!

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Cookies

2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Salt

1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick) Softened

1 cup Canned Packed Pumpkin

1 large egg

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat ove to 350 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  In a separate bowl cream butter and sugar.  Add in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.  Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the edges are firm.

This is the website where I got the recipe in case you want to try out the glaze!!!!  http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1910,139160-225202,00.html



Cream Cheese Icing

1 block cream cheese softened

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

Fall is by far my favorite time of year for baking... expect more recipes to come your way!!!