Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Creamy Herbed Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe Found HERE


Egg noodles, frozen Reams noodles, or homemade noodles 
2 Tablespoons butter (divided) 
2 Tablespoons olive oil (divided) 
2-3 chicken breasts, seasoned 
Season chicken with: 
salt 
pepper 
Italian seasoning 
smoked paprika 
garlic powder 
onion powder 

1/2 large yellow onion, diced 
4 stalks celery, diced 
3-4 large carrots, diced 
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning 
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste

8-10 cloves garlic, minced
 
1/2 cup dry white wine, optional 
6 cups chicken broth 
2-3 cups diced potatoes (optional) 
1 teaspoon chicken bullion 
1 Parmesan rind 
1 bay leaf 
1/2 - 1 cup heavy cream, to taste 
Juice of 1/2 lemon 
1/4 cup fresh parsley, to taste 
2 Tablespoons fresh dill, to taste 
1 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, to taste 
1 Tablespoons fresh thyme, to taste

1 lb egg noodles, cooked separately 

Cook egg noodles in salted water, drain, and set aside. 

In a large pot, heat 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear chicken breasts until golden, about 3-4 minutes per side, then remove and set aside. 

Reduce heat to medium, and add remaining butter and olive oil. Sauté onion, celery, and carrot with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes for 5-7 minutes. 

Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then pour in wine and simmer for 2 minutes. 

Add chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Stir in diced potatoes, chicken bouillon, Parmesan rind, and bay leaf, then return the chicken to the pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender. 

Remove chicken, shred it, and set aside. 

Remove Parmesan rind and bay leaf. 

Stir in heavy cream, lemon juice, parsley, dill, rosemary, and thyme. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve over the cooked noodles.

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Pasta Salad

Nikki H.

1 box of tricolor fusilli
Red bell pepper
Baby cucumbers
Olives
Baby spinach
Little mozzarella balls
Carrots
Artichoke hearts
Sundried tomatoes
Newman's Own Family Italian dressing

No-Bake Cheesecake

Oma J.

Cheesecake Recipe Found HERE, Blueberry Sauce FOUND HERE 

Ingredients for the Crust: 
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, from 14 whole crackers 
1 Tbsp granulated sugar 
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted 

For the Cheesecake Filling: 
16 oz cream cheese, 2, 8-oz blocks, room temperature 
2/3 cup granulated sugar 
2 Tbsp sour cream 
2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed 
1 cup heavy whipping cream 
1 recipe blueberry Topping (below), to serve 

Instructions Blueberry Topping: 

In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the blueberries breakdown and the sauce is syrupy, about 8 minutes. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Stir it into the pan along with the remaining 1/2 cup blueberries. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. 

Spoon over the cooled cheesecake before slicing. 

How to Make No-Bake Cheesecake: 

In the bowl of a food processor, coarsely break up graham crackers then pulse into fine crumbs. Transfer crumbs to a bowl, add 1 Tbsp sugar and 8 Tbsp melted butter. Stir to evenly moisten crumbs. Line a 9-inch round springform pan with a round of parchment paper and press crumbs into the bottom of the pan going 1/2" up the sides. Freeze for 15 minutes or refrigerate 30 minutes for crumbs to set. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric hand mixer on medium/high speed for 3 minutes until fluffy and completely smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add sour cream and lemon juice and beat for another minute until well incorporated. 

Wash the mixer attachments and then in a second large mixing bowl, beat heavy whipping cream on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, or until whipped and stiff peaks form. 

Using a spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully combined, scraping from the bottom of the bowl as you mix. 

Pour half of the filling over the cooled crust. Spoon 1/4 of the cooled blueberry sauce over the first cream cheese layer and lightly swirl over the top. 

Pour on the remaining cheesecake mixture and smooth out the top. Spoon and swirl 1/4 of the blueberry sauce over the top. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight to fully set. To serve, top individual slices of cheesecake with the remaining blueberry sauce. 

TO FREEZE To Freeze, wrap the cheesecake in several layers of plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Tropikale Smoothie

 Yellowbrick 

1 whole banana
1/2 cup pineapple
3/4 cup mango
12 oz milk
2 stems of kale 

Use frozen fruit for a quick cold drink. Blend and enjoy! 

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Mango Jicama Slaw

Inspired by Trader Joe's and recipe here


1/2 cup ripe-firm mango, thinly sliced or julienned 
1 cup julienned jicama 
1 cup shredded green cabbage 
1/8 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 

LIME MANGO VINAIGRETTE 
1/4 cup mango chunks 
2 Tablespoons olive oil 
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar 
2 Tablespoons honey 
2 teaspoons lime juice 
1 clove garlic 
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Prep slaw ingredients and place your cabbage, jicama, mango and cilantro in a salad bowl. Toss to combine. 

Add all ingredients for the mango dressing into a blender and blend until smooth. The batch will make about 3/4 cup. Pour 1/2 cup over slaw mixture and toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing if needed. 

Store any remaining dressing in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Leftover salad will also last 3 days in the fridge.

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Kale (Quinoa) Salad

Prep a big salad to eat for several meals. Add cucumber, tomato, etc. per serving as they do not stay fresh as long prepping in advance to sit in the fridge. 



2 cups cooked quinoa (brown/black rice, lentils, or preferred grain)

8 ounces chopped Lacinato kale (3 bunches,) stems removed 
1/2 red onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup) 
2 red bell pepper, chopped (about 3/4 cup) 
5-7 large carrots, shredded (I buy a small 10oz bag of shredded carrots)
6-8 stalks of celery 
cabbage shredded (I buy it already shredded and bagged) 
1 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
Add protein of choice: chicken, turkey, salmon, etc.


Garlic Expressions Vinaigrette Dressing & Marinade (store bought) 

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Whipped feta dip with spicy honey

Sunny A. 

Recipe Found HERE

7 ounces feta (without brine)
3.5 ounces ricotta full fat
1.5 ounces sour cream full fat
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
5 tbsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove grated or pressed
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp crushed red chili flakes
chopped chives for topping (optional)
1 tsp za’atar for topping
1 tsp black & white sesame seeds for topping
pita chips for serving
naan for serving
raw veggies for serving 

Feta, ricotta, and sour cream should be at room temperature. 

Add feta, ricotta and sour cream to a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Blend on high until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Taste, add salt and pepper. 

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over low. Add garlic, sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Stir in honey, lemon juice and chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Serve the whipped feta drizzled with spicy honey. Top with chives, za’atar, sesame seeds, some extra freshly ground black pepper and chili flakes. Enjoy with pita chips, naan or on a veggie platter. 

NOTES: Leftovers can be used as a spread or a dressing.