Monday, April 26, 2010

Linda's Crockpot Creamy Chicken and Noodles

This recipe is something I made up, but did go along the guidelines for a similar recipe found in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced carrots (4 medium)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (3 medium)
1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
3-4 large boneless chicken breasts, cut into large pieces (or you can leave them whole)
2 cans cream of chicken soup or substitute one of the cans for cream of mushroom or cream of celery
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 cups Dried wide noodles (or you favorite)
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
In the bottom of the crockpot place the carrots, onion, celery, parsley and bay leaf.  Place the chicken on top of veggies. 
 
In a bowl, mix together the soup, water, thyme and 1/4 tsp pepper.
 
Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high 4 - 4 1/2 hours.
 
Approximately a half hour to an hour befor serving, add in the uncooked noodles and a little extra water, as the noodles will soak up the water.  Once the noodles are cooked, add in the sour cream, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook a little while longer.
 
Remove bay leaf and serve.
 
You can also add frozen peas at the end as well.  This is a very versatile recipe that can easily be adapted to your own tastes.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Join the Mixing Bowl - A Social Network for those that love Food!

I'd love to invite you to join my network on MixingBowl.com, a social networking site centered on food.
On Mixing Bowl, you can:
* Join or start groups to create a network of friends with similar cooking interests, passions, and needs. These groups can be public or private.
* Post and share recipes that suit your interests, whether it's a special diet or a new idea for dinner tonight.
* Post and share photos with just your groups, or the entire Mixing Bowl community.
* Write your own blogs on any food topic, and read blogs posted by other Mixers.
* Compete in bake-offs or cook-offs -- and win prizes.
And more!
Click Here to Join My Network

Friday, April 9, 2010

Potato Bread - Bread Machine

This is taken from my Red Star bread machine recipe book.

Use Basic Cycle for 1 1/2 lb. loaf.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup water, room temperature
3 Tbsp Oil
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Lemon zest (I use Watkins dried Lemon Peel)
1/2 tsp white pepper (I use black)
2 tsp dried minced onions
1/2 cup Potato Flakes
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Add ingredients according to your manufacturers instructions.

Onion Soup White Bread - Bread Machine

This is taken from my Red Star bread machine recipe book.

Use Basic Cycle for 1 1/2 lb. loaf.

Ingredients:
1 cup water, room temperature
3 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp Dried Onion Soup Mix
3 Cups Bread Flour
2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Add ingredients according to your manufacturers instructions.

Egg Bread - Bread Machine

This is taken from my Red Star bread machine recipe book.

Use Basic Cycle for 1 1/2 lb. loaf.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon room temperature water
2 Eggs
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Add ingredients according to your manufacturers instructions.

 

French Bread - Bread Machine

This is taken from my Red Star bread machine recipe book.

Use Basic Cycle for 1 1/2 lb. loaf.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon water, room temperature
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 Cups Bread Flour
2 1/4 Active Dry Yeast

Add ingredients according to your manufacturers instructions.

Cheese Herb Bread - Bread Machine

This is taken from my Red Star bread machine recipe book.

Use Basic Cycle for 1 1/2 lb. loaf.

Ingredients:
1 cup water, room temperature
3 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
3 cups Bread Flour
2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Add ingredients according to your manufacturers instructions.

Enjoy :)

Linda's Crockpot Stew

I took a couple different recipes and made my own version.  It came out perfect.

Ingredients:
1-2lb stew meat
1 package Dried Onion Soup Mix
2 cups beef broth (I used Watkins Beef soup mix)
2 medium onions, chopped in big pieces
3-4 carrots chopped in big pieces
1-2 celery ribs chopped in big pieces
2-3 large potatoes chopped in big pieces
1 Large Bay Leaf (or 2-3 small)
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp tapicoa
Garlic powder or fresh to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a ziploc bag, toss onion soup mix and stew meat.  Put into crockpot (you could probably skip the bag - but just make sure it is all coated evenly)

Add the remainder of the ingredients and stir to coat evenly.

Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 8-10 hours.

Serve with homemade bread, optional :-)

If you have any leftover veggies like peas or green beans, you can add them in at the end.