Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

I got this from http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/ and LOVED it. We all did. Enjoy!

2 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup finely diced onions
1/2 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large slow cooker, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil (if using fresh oregano and basil; if using dried oregano and basil add those two ingredients in the last hour of cook time). Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

About an hour before serving prepare a roux: Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour; stir constantly with a whisk for 5 to 7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup from the slow cooker. Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth.

Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Boursin Chicken

This recipe it so yummy! I thought I had posted it here, but alas I have not, so here it goes.

1 small onion diced
1 pkg mushrooms sliced
4 chicken breasts, sliced in strips (like for stir fry)
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup cream (or you can use milk or 1/2 and 1/2 or a combination of them all)
2 Tbs. sour cream
1 pkg Boursin Cheese

Saute the mushrooms and onions in the oil. (You can of course, leave these out if you are not big fans, I however, love them in it.) Once the onions are translucent, add the chicken and cook over low heat until it is cooked through. Add the milk and sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Crumble the Boursin into the sauce and slowly stir it in until melted and smooth. Bring to a low boil for just a second and then serve over rice, mashed potatoes, egg noodles or just eat it plain.

Fish Tacos

Took some of the ingredients from another recipe and made them my way...EASY. Used fish sticks that I already had. This was really good its what we had for dinner tonight.

Yummy white fish sticks
1 orange peeled and seperated
2 avocados
1 oz Lime juice
green onions (I used yellow because that is what I had)
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
lemon pepper to taste
tortillas

Cut up oranges and avocados into cubes. Mix in a bowl with lime juice, onions, and seasonings for salsa.

Bake the fish sticks. And then put it all in a tortilla and eat....yummo and super easy.

Chicken Stir Fry

I do not contribute very often, and I am sick and tired of the same old foods and having stuff in my freezer that I never know what to do with. So, when I find a recipe, then I want to put it on here so that I can go back to it often. I really wish cooking was one of "my" things.

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth or Swanson® Chicken Stock

1 tablespoon soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce

Vegetable cooking spray

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips

5 cups cut-up fresh vegetables (broccoli florets, green or red pepper strips, sliced mushrooms, carrots, celery and green onions)

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup regular long-grain white rice, prepared according to package directions (about 3 cups)

• Stir the cornstarch, broth and soy sauce in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth.
• Spray a 12-inch skillet with the cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken and stir-fry until well browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
• Add the vegetables, ginger and garlic powder to the skillet. Stir-fry until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
• Stir the cornstarch mixture in the skillet. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Return the chicken to the skillet and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Serve the chicken mixture over the rice.

Berry Quinoa Salad

This can be for breakfast or a side salad, or lunch or just a midnight snack.

2 cups dry quinoa
4 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups berries (any combination)
1/2 cup sour cream (can use fat free) or plain Greek yogurt
3-4 tbs. brown sugar

Rinse dry quinoa, then add to salted water and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Allow quinoa to cool completely. Add sour cream and sugar and mix thoroughly then toss in berries. You can always adjust amounts on everything to suit your liking.

Quinoa Chicken Stew

Found this here and made it tonight for dinner. So good! I didn't have any peppers so I omitted those, but everything else was in there. However, if you don't love it all, you could just use the veggies you like. I think next time I would cut out the zucchini because no one (but me) in my family likes it. You could really vary this however you want. Definitely worth a try.

Oh and it makes a TON! It fed my little family, plus my friend's family (4 people) and I still have at least two servings leftover. Not sure how well it freezes, so you might want to half the recipe.

Also, Alicia, would you post some of your other Quinoa recipes on here? Jacque made a request for Quinoa yummies. Thanks!

2 T extra virgin olive oil (I always skimp on this just a little)
1 large onion, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 Cups sweet pepper, chopped
1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced
64 oz chicken broth
15 oz can diced tomatoes
5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1" pieces (get the Yukon potatoes, it's worth the extra few dollars)
3 cups cooked quinoa
4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
2 T Dijon Mustard
1 T Hot Sauce (Cholula brand is good)
Kosher Salt, fresh cracked black pepper, Garlic Salt (Lawry's is good), and Parsley to taste
1 1/2 cups fresh parsley chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots, peppers, and zucchini until softened. This takes about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, and potatoes. Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, chicken, dijon mustard, hot sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, garlic salt. Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve.

Apple Dumplings--soooo good!!!

Apple Dumplings
2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls (16 rolls)
2 sticks butter (not margarine!)
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Cinnamon
8 oz. Mt. Dew
Peel and core apple. Cut apple into 8 slices. Roll each apple slice into a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
In a saucepan, melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. The butter/sugar mixture should look grainy. Add vanilla, stir and pour over apple rolls. Pour Mt. Dew around the edges and down the center of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake @ 350 for 40 minutes, it should look really brown. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream. Spoon some of the sweet sauce from the pan over the top. ENJOY!