Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

This is yummy comfort food.  Rich and savory, perfect with a nice piece of crunchy french bread for soaking up the last bits in the bowl.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts bone-in skin on
• 2 T. olive oil
• ½ T. kosher salt
• 1 t. black pepper
• 1 C. onions, finely chopped
• 1 C. carrots, chopped
• 1 C. celery, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 qts. (8 C.) chicken stock
• ½ T.  kosher salt
• ½ T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 t. garlic salt
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• ½ lb. of wide egg noodles
• 1 and ½ sticks (3/4 C.) butter
• 3/4 C. flour
• 1 qt. (4 C.) half and half

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Place chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan and bake for 35 minutes.
4. Heat onions, carrots, celery, garlic, chicken stock and all seasonings in a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat until boiling, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for one hour.
5. While soup is simmering, remove the skin and bones from the chicken breasts and cut into small bite size pieces. Reserve.
6. Add the noodles and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
7. Make the cream sauce in a separate pot while the noodles cook.
8. Melt the butter over low heat, while whisking, add the flour a little at a time, then slowly add the half and half and continue whisking until the cream thickens about 5 minutes.
9. Add the cream sauce and the chicken to the soup, stir well and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
10. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

• If you use leftover chicken for this recipe, you’ll need about 2 C. chopped.
• This soup freezes great!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

My Mom and Dad stuffed bell peppers for dinner quite often while I was growing up.  This is a hearty dinner that makes a beautiful showing for a dinner party.    

Ingredients:

• 6 bell peppers, cut in half and seeds and membranes removed
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 C. onion, chopped
• ½ C. bell pepper, chopped
• 3 ribs of celery, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. ground beef
• ½ T. kosher salt
• ½ T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies, finely chopped
• ¼ C. fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 C. cooked rice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a Dutch oven of boiling water, parboil the peppers until tender, 2 – 3 minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.
3. Pour the boiling water out of the Dutch oven and reuse it for the rest of the recipe, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions, bell peppers, and celery until soft, about 10 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the ground pork and ground meat and cook for 8 minutes or until browned chopping the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon and then drain.
6. Add salt, Creole Seasoning, cayenne pepper, tomato sauce, and Rotel, cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add parsley and rice, stir well and remove from the heat.
8. Stuff the peppers with the filling and place the peppers in the baking dish.
9. In a baking dish, pour just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until filling is heated through.

Tips and Tricks:

• Cooking the rice the day before helps.  It dries out a bit and that’s how you want it.  If you do cook it the day you make the stuffed peppers be sure it is cooled before you use it.
• I serve the Scaccia Family Red Sauce on the side with these peppers.
• You can freeze any leftovers for use at a later date, just don't bake them, freeze them after you stuff the peppers.
• I use different colored bell peppers.

Quick Breakfast Sandwich

Here is another breakfast favorite.  I got the basic recipe from "The Pioneer Woman" and made a few adjustments.  Great for a group or just for yourself, several times.  ; )

Ingredients:

• 6 English muffins
• ½ lb. of breakfast sausage
• 6 boiled eggs
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• ½ C. mayonnaise
• ½ T. Dijon mustard
• ½ T. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ t. Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
• ½ t. garlic powder
• 1 C. Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the breakfast sausage for 10 minutes or until fully cooked and crumbled.
2. Remove from the skillet and allow draining on paper towels.
3. Give the boiled eggs a rough chop.
4. In a medium bowl combine the sausage, boiled eggs, green onions, mayo, Dijon, Worcestershire, Creole seasoning and cheese together.
5. Preheat the broiler to low and put a generous heap of the egg mixture on both sides of an English muffin that has been cut in half.
6. Place in the broiler for 3 – 4 minutes or until the cheese melts and the egg mixture begins to brown.
7. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

• You can use bacon in the place of the sausage.  6 thick slices of bacon is about a ½ lb.
• I use Jimmy Dean’s Hot pork sausage.
• I make this on the weekend and I have a hot breakfast for the rest of the week.

Homemade French Onion Dip

I LOVE chips and dip.  I could go the rest of my life without sweets, but I could NOT go on without chips and dip.  This is an old fashioned recipe with simple ingredients.  The perfect cocktail sipping appetizer.  OR addition to your Super Bowl spread.

Ingredients:

• 1 small sweet or red onion, finely chopped
• 2 T. butter
• ½ C. mayonnaise
• 1 (8 oz.) sour cream
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ T. sugar

Directions:

1. Sauté the onions in butter over low heat, until caramelized, about 20 minutes.
2. Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl with a cover.
3. Allow the onions to cool, and then fold into the dip.
4. Refrigerate overnight (or at least 3 hours), so the flavors can “marry”!

Tips and Tricks:

• I use light sour cream.
• I serve this dip with Ruffles.