Food Friday - Chicken and Dumpling Soup

This is EASY

2 Chicken Breasts (cooked and cubed)
2 C Chicken Broth (you can either use the broth from cooking the breasts or canned broth)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 C Carrots (diced)
1/2 C Frozen Corn
1/2 C Celery (diced)
1 C Potato (diced)
1/4 C Yellow Onion (minced)
1 Bay Leaf
1 t Dried Basil
1 t Garlic (minced)
1/4 t Celery Seed
Pepper and Salt to taste

In a large soup pan add broth and all vegetables. Cook until vegetables are the desired level of softness. Add cream of chicken soup and stir well. Add cooked chicken and herbs. Bring to boil.
About fifteen minutes prior to serving drop in dumplings. Cover and allow to steam (your soup should be simmering/low boiling) for ten minutes to fully cook the dumplings.

Dumpling Recipe
In a small bowl mix:
1 1/2 C Flour
1 T Baking Powder
1/2 t Salt
2 T Butter
3/4 C Milk

Don't over-mix. Drop by teaspoon fulls into the steaming soup and cook for ten minutes.

Southern Mac-n-cheese

We had this Monday night (with Pork Tenderloin - not to be confused with Pork Loin, silly) and it was quite good.

7 oz elbow macaroni (measure prior to cooking)
1/4 C butter
1/2 medium yellow onion (diced)
3 T flour
2 C milk
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 t dry mustard
2 C cubed cheese (I used colby jack)
1 C fresh bread crumbs
2 T parsley (chopped)

• Cook the macaroni according to directions.
• In a medium saucepan, saute the onion in the butter.
• Add the flour to make a paste.
• Add milk and cream cheese and stir until smooth.
• Add salt, pepper, and dry mustard.
• Add cubed cheese and stir until smooth.
• Add the cooked macaroni and mix well.
• Pour into a small casserole (8x8) pan.
• Sprinkle the bread crumbs and parsley on top.
• Bake at 400 at 15-20 minutes.

This was even better warmed up the next day. All three of us loved it!

Food Friday - Yummy Apple Cake

This recipe is from Lion House (and yes it is their title ... including the "yummy").

2 C sugar
1/2 C butter
2 eggs
4 C grated apples (or 3 C applesauce)
2 C flour
2 t soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t salt
1/2 C nuts

Butter Sauce
1 C butter
2 C sugar
1 C light cream
2 t vanilla
dash nutmeg

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cream together sugar and butter in a large bowl.
• Add eggs and beat until fluffy.
• Mix in apples, dry ingredients, spices, and nuts and pour into a greased and floured 9x13-inch pan.
• Bake 50 minutes.
• Pour Butter Sauce over cake and top each serving with whipped cream

I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8x8 pan.
I used applesauce.
I used pecans (because my neighbor gave us some fresh, home-grown, already shelled pecans!)
I used whole milk instead of light cream in the butter sauce.
I used ice cream on top instead of whipped cream.

Next time I am going to try using half the butter in the cake because it was plenty moist and I think it would still be great with half as much butter.

Food Friday - Mexican Party Dip

My brother made this while we were in Utah and it is so good that we made it for Phil's family on Christmas Eve. Everyone really liked it. It is EASY too!

Combine:
3 Roma Tomatoes (diced)
1/2 Yellow or White Onion (diced)
2 Avacados (cubed)
1 can Black Beans (drained)
1 can Corn (drained)
Fresh Cilantro to taste
1 pkg of dry Italian Dressing mix

Voila!

Food Friday - Zucchini Boats

3 medium zucchini squash
1 1/2 C soft bread crumbs (I used crushed Ritz crackers)
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten well
2 green onions, minced (I used yellow)
1 T minced parsley
1/2 t salt (omit if you use the Ritz because they already have salt)
Paprika
Grate Parmesan cheese

• Wash zucchini
• Cut off ends but don't peel
• Cook in boiling, salted water for 7-10 minutes
• Remove from water and cut zucchini in half - lengthwise
• Carefully remove pulp with a spoon, leaving shell intact
• Mash zucchini pulp with a fork and mix with all the other measured ingredients
• Spoon mixture into zucchini shells and place in a baking dish
• Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and paprika
• Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes

This is another recipe from the Lion House. We had it tonight and it was a crowd pleaser (well, Phil and I really enjoyed it ... Eden wasn't enjoying anything tonight).