Tomato Chicken Noodle Soup

This was a pretty fun and simple recipe to come up with. I had some boiled chicken breasts in my fridge and no idea what to do with them. I've been feeling the need for some tomato soup. That is where it started. I didn't want to sit over a pot for forever so I pulled out my crock pot. It's a pretty big batch. Not sure on the servings yet, but it's definitely more than 8.

Ingredients
6 cups of Water
2 cups of Creamy Tomato Soup Dry Blend (My Personal Pantry)
3-4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and diced
4 stalks of Celery, washed and diced
1 bottle of Stewed Tomatoes (a large can of tomatoes would work too)
1 lb Pasta
1-2 tsp Salt
Other Seasonings

1. Pour your water and soup blend into your crock pot. Whisk until soup is incorporated.

2. Add your chicken, celery, and stewed tomatoes. Set your crock pot on High for 2-3 hours.

3. About 20 minutes before you are ready to eat boil some water for your pasta. Then cook your pasta and add it to your crock pot.

4. Add your salt and any other seasoning you'd like. I added 1 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning and a tsp of Garlic Powder.

Eat up and Enjoy!

Safely Storing Food

Whether you are only buying food as you need it or are saving it for emergencies the way that you store food is important. Not only does it waste a lot of money if you don't store things properly, but it can sometimes be dangerous. We want our food to last as long as it can, while keep as much nutritional value as possible. I'm going to touch base on some basic food storage tips.

Grains-
Unprocessed grains (meaning not ground up) can last 8 years and many a lot longer than that. To last that long they need to be stored properly. Before they are ground, rolled, etc it is recommended that they be stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place. After they have been processed or their sealed container has been opened they all have varying times until they have lost their nutritional value. They should still be kept in airtight containers in a cool and dry place. Here are a few examples.
   -Rolled Oats: Unopened- 8 years,  Opened- Use within 1 year
   -Wheat: Unopened - 12 years or more,  Opened- 3 years (Once ground use within a few days)
   -Cornmeal: Unopened - 5 years, Opened- Use within 1 year
   -Rice: Unopened - 30 years, Opened- As long as you keep it dry and in a cool place probably just as long
 
Legumes-
Beans, peas and lentils are the best source of protein that you can get from vegetables. They are also a good source of fiber. When you find yourself in a place where you don't have meat or can't eat it pairing these with a healthy grain creates a complete protein and an excellent substitute for meat.

Legumes will usually keep indefinitely when stored in a cool, dry place.

Here is an information sheet I received while taking a class. Feel free to print your own copy. I love having a list of guidelines for how long I can store things safely. Now the hardest thing is keeping track of when you opened something. It really isn't that hard. I like to keep a permanent marker in my kitchen so I can write the date it is opened right on the container. Works great for me!

Another tough decision that I'm sure EVERYONE has is 'How long can I keep this in my fridge?', 'Is this still good to eat?', and other questions similar to that. Here is another page with great guidelines to follow.

Here are a couple of extra 'rules of thumb' I have learned over the years.

Eggs- The date on eggs is a 'sell by date' you can often use them for a week or so after. The best way to know if an egg is still good is to do the Float Test. Gently place the egg completely submersed in water. If it floats, stands on it's end, etc it is bad. As the egg ages the membrane inside is deteriorating. This lets air in which makes it buoyant. If the air can make it in, so can bacteria.

Baked Potatoes- This is an interesting thing I learned and have tried to pass on. When you have extra baked potatoes left take them out of the foil to cool off and store them in an airtight container. If they are just put in the fridge in the foil the heat will stay in. Potatoes are a great place to grow bacteria. Also make sure you use them within a couple of days.

"When in doubt, throw it out." But also do your part to save your money and store your food safely!

Marble Pumpkin Brownies

http://jjmouthgasm.blogspot.com/2012/10/marble-pumpkin-brownies.html

Oh My! These were divine!

Just thought I'd share my friend's recipe. Thanks Jess! You are inspired!

The only difference I did with this recipe is I didn't layer the pumpkin mixture in between. I put all of the brownie batter on the bottom of my Large Bar Pan (Pampered Chef Stone), then poured the pumpkin mixture in stripes across the pan. I then took a butter knife and cut through the batters in both directions to get the marble look and get the pumpkin distributed.


This is what it looks like. Not a picture of the actual brownies.

Enjoy these (I know you will) and check out the other amazing desserts and recipes that Jess has posted!

Aumu

This recipe was introduced to me by one of my first college roommates. Many thanks to Valerie and all of her delicious recipes. A pan of these never lasted long enough to even cool. So good!

Ingredients
2 cans Whole Water Chestnuts
1 lb Bacon cut into 1/3 slices
1 1/2 cups Ketchup
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Dry Mustard
1/4 cup Pineapple Juice
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp Pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a 9x13" pan mix everything but your Water Chestnuts and Bacon.

3. Slice your bacon into thirds and begin wrapping around your Water Chestnuts. Secure the bacon with a toothpick (make sure you've poured your toothpicks out so you don't contaminate the clean ones you'll use later).

4. Place your Bacon Wrapped Chestnuts in your pan and swirl around to cover them in the sauce. Once all are wrapped and covered in sauce (they don't have to be completely covered since the sauce will be boiling and such) cover your pan in tinfoil and place in your oven.

5. Bake for 45 minutes.

Make sure to give them a little time to cool. It is hard, but you do want to be able to taste them.

Taco Soup - TexMex Style

I'm back to trying out some delicious products done by My Personal Pantry. This recipe was a spur of the moment "Ah-Ha" type of thing. I wanted to mix together some Taco Soup (don't you love Soup Weather?). My one dilema here is that I'm never prepared with a list of spices to throw in. I was about to go look something up when I remembered the small little can waiting for me.

It was all very easy from there.

Ingredients

3 cans of beans (I used Black, Kidney, and Pinto)
1 lb of cooked ground beef (I used canned because I was really feeling lazy)
1 bag of freezer corn
4 cups of water
1 cup of TexMex Tomato Soup Mix
Anything else Taco Soupy

1. Rinse your beans really well

2. Pour all of your ingredients in a decent sized pot. Heat over medium to medium-high heat until your soup is boiling. Lower heat to a simmer until you are ready to eat.

3. Top with things like sour cream, cheese, olives, etc.

So Easy! Very delicious!!!

Quinoa with Black Beans

I've been playing around with the idea of trying Quinoa for awhile. I have two friends that have been really good at promoting it on Facebook. Thanks Adree and Tricia! It really is delicious and has lots of benefits. It is pretty much a substitute for things like rice.

Both of my friends recommended this recipe. I did it just like it said (except I didn't have any broth at all so I ended up using chicken noodle soup juice watered down until I had enough). One friend doesn't use the cayenne because she feeds it to her kids (and they like it). I tried it with. It had a fun kick!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-and-black-beans/

Turkey-Stuffed Bell Peppers

I've started participating in Bountiful Baskets again. I figure it will force us to eat more healthy foods. I'm pretty excited about it. If you don't know much about Bountiful Baskets check out their website and see if they have something set up in your area.

When looking in my fridge last week I had a scrumptious idea to make some stuffed peppers. My neighbor brought us some last fall and they were delicious. I went on a hunt.

This recipe was found on the Taste of Home website. It was wonderful!!!

Ingredients
5 medium bell peppers
1 large onion, chopped (I used some onion powder instead)
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1-1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I used Pampered Chef)
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheese (I chose Colby Jack)
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups rice (their recipe calls for soft bread crumbs)
1/4 teaspoon paprika (I skipped)

Directions
1. Cut peppers in half lengthwise and discard seeds. In a large pot, cook peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. in a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the turkey, cumin, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper; cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

3. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the cheese, tomatoes and rice. Spoon into pepper halves. Place in a baking pan and sprinkle with paprika.

4. Bake uncovered, at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated.