Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup

When I spotted this recipe at A Mommy's Blessings, I knew I would have to try it. One of Al's favorite things to eat is buffalo chicken (remember how he hoards the buffalo chicken dip?), so the soup would have to be popular as well. And it sure was. I'm fairly certain that there will be a rumble over the leftovers.

Ingredients:

6 c. milk

3 c. shredded chicken

3 cans cream of chicken

1-2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. hot sauce

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. onion powder

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1-2 c. shredded cheese

Directions:

Add all ingredients to crock-pot and stir until combined. Cook on high for 1-2 hours.

My Recommendations:

I cut the recipe in half because we didn't have much milk left and we were still left with plenty of leftovers. Next time, however, we will not be cutting it in half!

I didn't have cayenne pepper so I subbed in chili powder, and also added a good amount of salt and pepper. Other than that, this recipe needs no tweaking, it's that good. It was perfect with some toasted honey wheat bread on the side for dipping.

Taco Soup

With all this cold weather and snow (over 70 inches this winter), I've been pulling out all my "comfort food" recipes. I got this recipe from one of my virtual playgroup moms and it is one of my favorites for cold winter days. It's easy to make and we almost always have all of the ingredients on-hand, so it's a cinch to throw together at the last minute.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix (not dip mix)

1 package taco seasoning (or a homemade version)

1 can chili hot beans

1 can corn

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can rotel

Directions:

Brown meat and onions. Add all ingredients to a pot (do not drain any of the cans), and simmer for one hour.

My Recommendations:

I never brown my meat in a frying pan, but instead boil it. While the meat is browning, I chop up the onions and throw them in the frying pan to brown. And sometimes when I'm lazy I don't brown them at all - doesn't make or break the meal. Instead of cooking this on the stove, you could also just brown the meat and onions and then throw everything together in the crock-pot.

Also, I usually sub out the rotel in favor of plain diced tomatoes, and replace the chili hot beans with just chili beans because my kids can't handle the spice.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I have a phobia when it comes to handling raw meat, so I typically shy away from recipes that call for the bigger cuts of meat, i.e. roasts, shoulder, butt, etc. But this recipe is so easy, and the result is so delicious, that even I can handle it. I just make sure I have Al around to dispose of the yucky meat bits and wrappings, and that I wear gloves. When I say phobia, I'm not kidding.

(This recipe is courtesy of my friend Michele)

Ingredients:

3 to 4 lb. pork shoulder/butt

1 c. vinegar

1/2 c. water

salt & pepper

BBQ sauce

2 T. honey

2 T. sugar

crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:

Put pork into crock-pot. Pour vinegar and water over it, and then sprinkle salt & pepper. Cook for 6 hours on high. After 6 hours, check to see if the meat can be pulled apart easily. If it is tender, it is done. Shred the pork and reserve 1 to 1 1/2 c. of the pork water (dispose of the rest). Put the shredded pork back in the crock-pot, and add the pork water, BBQ sauce, honey, sugar, and crushed red pepper. Stir until the pork is evenly coated. Let the pork cook for an additional hour on low.

My Recommendations:

This is better if you can cook it the day before you want to serve it. You can trim the meat of any fat before you put it in the crock-pot or after it cooks. We (Al) usually does so after it cooks because it pulls right off. Much easier. We usually omit the red pepper so the kids are able to eat it as well. As to whether this is a kid friendly meal or not, I think the look on bubba's face speaks for itself.

Personal Pita Pizzas

Disclaimer: Don't judge me on my crappy cookie sheets. Now that that's settled...

We had a huge, major Nor'easter this weekend. The kids were getting kind of stir crazy so I decided a kids & mom cooking event was in order. MJ and bubba were craving pizza but I didn't have the time to whip up some pizza dough, so we improvised with pita bread!

Ingredients:

Pita pockets

Tomato sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Toppings (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to broil. Slice the pita pocket in half so you have two little circles. Place the pita on a cookie sheet and put in the oven to broil for about 3 minutes, just until they begin to crisp. Take them out of the oven and add sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you would like. Place the cookie sheet back in the oven to broil, about 5 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned.

My Recommendations:

The kids loved making these with me, and had they not been "starving," I would have been a bit more creative with the toppings. These were really tasty, very easy, and ready in about 15 minutes.

Easy Baked Macaroni

My mom made this for us a few years ago and after only one bite, I demanded the recipe. When I read the recipe for the first time, I almost laughed at how easy it is. Then I recovered and made lots of it, and consumed it in mass quantities. I'm pretty sure this is where all of my baby weight with bubba came from.

Ingredients:

6 T. margarine or butter

2 c. elbow macaroni, uncooked

4 c. milk

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

(Optional crumb topping)

2 T. melted butter

1/2 c. bread crumbs

Directions:

Melt margarine or butter in a 2-quart casserole dish. Dump in uncooked macaroni, milk and cheese in that order. DO NOT STIR. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

For crumb topping: Combine melted butter with bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the top about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

My Recommendations:

If you are like me, serve with heated diced tomatoes. Or if you're like Al, look at me with a bizarre look and make retching noises when I suggest that. (Am I the only one who likes my macaroni with hot tomatoes?)

This would definitely classify as a kid friendly recipe. I barely had time to serve myself some before MJ handed me her empty bowl asking for more. I love it when that happens.

Bourbon Chicken

I have been making this recipe for so long that I can't even remember where I first saw it, and what it is actually called. But in our house, we call it Bourbon Chicken. No idea if that's even close to accurate but it works for us. It does require a lot of ingredients but it is easy to make and the kids love it (so important).

Ingredients:
3/4 c. chicken broth
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. sugar
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. white wine vinegar
1/2 t. ginger
2 t. peanut oil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 t. crushed red pepper (optional)
1 lb. cubed chicken

Directions:
Whisk together chicken broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and ginger. Set aside.

In a frying pan, add peanut oil, garlic cloves, and red pepper. After the garlic cloves have browned, add the cubed chicken. Cook over medium heat for about 10-15 mins until browned.

Add the chicken broth mixture to the cooked chicken and adjust the heat to the low setting. Heat until the sauce has thickened. Serve over rice!

My Recommendations:
I always double the ingredients in the chicken broth mixture because my husband is a sauce hog. Also, I omit the red pepper because the kids can't handle spicy food just yet.

Delicious Homemade Pizza Dough

We *heart* pizza and eat quite a lot of it. In an effort to be frugal, I started researching recipes for good pizza dough. It took a few tries, and lots of researching, but I crafted a recipe that we are pretty happy with. Even hubby likes it, and that counts for a lot since he is pretty picky about his pizza. The best thing about making pizza at home is that you can customize it the way you want. I like my pizza with lots of veggies, MJ and Bubba like it plain, and hubby likes it with lots of pepperoni. This way everyone is happy :)

Ingredients:
1 c. warm water
2 T. active yeast
2 T. honey
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
*Optional: I always substitute garlic salt for the salt, and add basil and parmasean cheese. You really can customize it the way you want.

Directions:
Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order they are listed. I always give the yeast a few minutes to dissolve into the water before I proceed with the other ingredients. Program the bread machine to "dough," and you're ready to go! It takes 1 hour and 20 minutes for my machine. When the dough is done, take it out and put it in a greased bowl. Cover it with a damp towel and let it sit for an hour.

After it sits, I knead it lightly to get any air bubbles out. At this point you can either wrap it up and put it in the fridge for later use, or roll it out. This recipe makes enough dough for two pizzas although we usually make one pizza and one stromboli. We like our crust nice and crispy, so I always roll the dough out, bake it at 350 degrees for ten minutes, then put on our toppings. After the toppings are on just pop it back in the over for another ten minutes and it's ready!

I made this last night and the kids had demolished theirs in less than five minutes. That's a huge feat in our house considering they have inherited their dad's picky gene.