Chicken Noodle Soup

As part of my New Year’s Resolution’s I was supposed to start cooking from the Cooking Light recipe book and try to stay away from Paula Deen.  It’s just not happening.  It’s Paula Deen all the way.  The recipe below is what I use when we are in the mood for Chicken Noodle Soup.  It’s good for what ails you and delicious.

The Lady’s Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

4   bay leaves
3   chicken bouillon cubes
1   onion, peeled and diced
1   tsp Paula Deen Lemon Pepper Seasoning
3   cloves garlic, minced
1   2 1/2 to 3-pound fryer (chicken) or 4 chicken breasts, cut up
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 1/2 quart water
kosher salt and pepper to taste
For Step 2:
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
3/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/3 cup cooking sherry ( I don’t use this)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I don’t use this)
Fresh parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (I don’t use this)
Paula Deen Seasoned Salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
crusty french bread or crackers, for serving

Directions:

For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion. You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin, and cartilage if you used a whole chicken.  Set chicken aside. 
For the soup: bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Moderate

Zydeco Pulled Pork

Made this for Super bowl Sunday for the carnivore’s.  I didn’t hear any complaints.

• 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1-2 tablespoons hickory liquid smoke
• 2 cups water

Use a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Mix spices and rub into pork and place in pot. Add liquids and onions.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat shreds easily with forks. Turn meat over after 6 hours or so. I had to add a little more season after I shredded the meat and tasted it, I used Tony Chachere's. Serve on toasted buns with provolone or over rice.

Ahhhheeeeee!

Record Breaking Snowfall in Cowtown

You are just going to have to forgive me for posting more snow photo’s.  It’s just SO darn pretty! 

North Texas hasn’t seen a winter this white in 32 years.

The 11.2 inches of snow that had fallen by midnight Thursday at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport topped the previous record for snowfall in one day of 7.8 inches recorded in 1917 and 1964.

The 12.5 inches that had fallen by 4 a.m. Friday also broke the 24-hour record of 12.1 inches Jan. 15-16, 1964.

Thursday’s snow also catapulted seasonal accumulation to 15.7 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

That ranks as the second snowiest season ever.

Most snowiest was the 17.6 inches that fell in 1977-78 (I remember this year and my mom has pictures of me and sister building a snowman).

That year, 13.5 inches fell in February alone, also a record.

The snow appeared to have finally stopped falling by 6 a.m. Friday.  This is what it looks like this morning. 

 

Amazing and beautiful and it looks like I will be enjoying a  5 day weekend!  God is good.  I’m off to build a snowman.

Snow Day

It is so rare that we get snow here in Cowtown that I just had to post pictures.  I’m sure you get tired of seeing the front of my house but I just don’t have a lot of yard to show you.  This is real powder snow, the kind they get up north.  No sleet, no ice, just fluffy snow.

The love fern in my tiny back yard.

I worked from home today, it was great.  They didn’t close our schools today so it was quiet all day.  No kids to disturb the quiet beauty.  Hillbilly wouldn’t help me build a snowman.  He is spending his snow day sleeping.  I thought about doing snow angels in everyone’s yards but I thought again.  It is still snowing and will freeze tonight so I might work from home tomorrow too.  Life is good.

Creole Crockpot Crustaceans (aka shrimp)

These are THE best shrimp ever!  I made these on Sunday in honor of Mardi Gras and the Saint’s playing in the Super bowl.

• 2 pounds fresh raw shell-on shrimp (I bought big shrimp because that’s the way I roll)
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup  Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3 lemons, juiced
• 1 tbsp Tony Chachere’s seasoning
• 1 tbsp parsley

Rinse the shrimp and place into the crock pot.  Add the stick of butter, olive oil, and Worcestershire sauce. Next, add the Tabasco, salt, pepper, juice of the lemons, Cajun seasoning and parsley.   Gently toss just a bit with a big spoon to incorporate the flavors.

Cover and cook on high for about 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes. You'll know the shrimp is done when it has turned pink.  My crock pot was in use so I just placed in a big Corning ware dish with a lid and put it in the oven on 250 degrees and checked it in about 45 minutes and they looked done but I went ahead and let them cook another 20 minutes just for the heck of it.

Serve with crusty bread to soak up the juice. These are quite messy to peel but completely worth it.  I have a similar recipe where I peel them first and just pop in the oven and cook faster.  Either way is good.

Laissez le Bon temp rouler!
(pronounced Lazay Lay Bon Tom Roulay)
(translation Let the good times roll)

Navy Bean Soup & Buttermilk Cornbread

This is a quick satisfying soup for days when you are feeling too lazy to cook a real meal. 
Navy Bean Soup

• 4 cans Navy Beans, do not drain
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 C chicken broth
• ham cut into bite size pieces
• Stick margarine or butter (1/2 C)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Melt butter in dutch oven and sauté the ham and vegetables until the veggies are translucent.  I added the garlic last so that it doesn’t get bitter from cooking too long.
Next add 3 cans of the beans and about a cup of chicken broth, you can add more broth to adjust later if needed.  Season and simmer for about 30 minutes or so.  Take the last can of beans and drain and mash with a potato masher and in and simmer a while longer.  Enjoy with cornbread.  Yum!
The Queen’s Cornbread
1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbsp. oil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk together.
Measure buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup. Stir in the egg  and milk.  Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until combined.
Preheat the iron skillet and oil.   Pour the batter into the hot skillet and spread to even out the surface. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Green Chili Ham & Cheese Tarts

aka. Yummy Biscuit Things (because they are)

Ingredients:

• 2 cans Hungry Jack Flaky biscuits
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 (4 oz) cans green chilies, diced
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives, drained
• 8 oz cheddar cheese
• 2 cups chopped ham

Directions: 

Roll biscuits flat and place in a muffin pan.  Combine filling ingredients and spoon into biscuits.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Serve with sour cream and picante sauce. 

*note-You could also use puff pastry instead of biscuits.  Just roll the pastry out and cut to desired dimension.  This would work great for a mini muffin pan.