Lasagna Soup

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/white-chicken-lasagna-soup/

We loved this and it is a definite make again kind of soup.

1. Creamy White Chicken Lasagna Soup
   YIELD: SERVES 8
   This makes a big ol' pot of soup, so feel free to halve the recipe for a smaller crowd.

   Also, if you don't have cooked chicken on hand, never fear! In the first step, before adding the vegetables, heat the oil and add diced, uncooked chicken (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds) that's been seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Cook it through, 5-7 minutes and then remove to a plate and proceed with the recipe, adding the chicken back in at the end.
   INGREDIENTS
   Soup:
   • 1 tablespoon olive oil
   • 1/2 cup chopped onion
   • 1 cup chopped carrots (about 2 large)
   • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
   • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
   • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
   • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
   • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
   • 1 teaspoon salt
   • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
   • Pinch red pepper flakes
   • 12 to 16 ounces tri-color rotini (depending on how noodly you want it)
   • 8 cups milk
   • 1/4 cup flour
   • 2 to 3 cups cooked, shredded or chopped chicken
   Creamy Topping:
   • 2 cups ricotta cheese
   • 1 teaspoon dried basil
   • Salt and pepper to taste
   • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
   • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
   • Chopped, fresh tomatoes
   • 
     
   In a large 8-quart pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 5-7 minutes.
2. 
   
3. Add the chicken broth, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and rotini.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the rotini is al dente (it will continue cooking a few more minutes in the next step).
5. Whisk or blend together the milk and flour.
6. Add the mixture to the soup and simmer for 4-5 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the chicken and heat through.
7. For the topping, stir together the ricotta cheese, basil, pinch of salt and pepper, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
8. Serve the soup topped with a scoop of the ricotta mixture plus a smattering of fresh tomatoes.

Recipe Source: inspired by this recipe by Jen at Carlsbad Cravings (lightened it up with less butter, using milk instead of cream, changed up most of the ingredients and noodle type, and added my own topping/tomato blend, because, yum!)

Yum Yum Rice Bowls

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/yum-yum-bowls/

This was one that was yummy and healthy. Mark said that they were like a way better version of Hawaiian haystacks. I thought I didnt' have cashews or almonds for this but then I realized I had a whole bag of trail mix in the closet so I just picked out the cashews and the almonds and threw them in the Blendtec with the other sauce ingredients. It worked great. 

We ate the leftovers burrito style and loved having the sauce inside the burritos. 

1. Yum Yum Rice Bowls with Knockoff Yumm Sauce Recipe
   YIELD: SERVES AS MANY AS YOU WANT (SAUCE MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS)
   You'll notice I didn't give amounts for the ingredients listed in the Yum Yum bowl section because this recipe is SO customizable and dependent on how many you are serving. Plus, you can add or take away some of the ingredients based on preference/allergies.

   You could sub in spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles (i.e. zoodles) for the rice or quinoa. The options really are endless.

   As always, my favorite curry powder in all the world is the Sweet Curry Powder from Penzey's Spices (no affiliation; I just love it very much and it's the only curry powder I use).

   I haven't ever subbed anything in for the nutritional yeast in the Yumm sauce recipe, mostly because it's an ingredient we keep on hand (as we sprinkle it on our air-popped popcorn all the time). I've bought Bragg's, Bob's Red Mill and Hoosier Hill farm brands; all are great. I've also seen it in the bulk bins at my grocery store (Winco).

   If you're wondering about a sub for the nutritional yeast, it has a salty, cheesy, nutty flavor with a powdery/flaky consistency, so if you leave it out, try increasing the salt and/or using a handful of roasted/salted cashews.

   The sauce recipe, as written, makes about 4 cups, which is more than we use in one sit-down meal of Yum Yum Bowls. You can halve the ingredients or store the leftovers in the refrigerator to use for dipping fresh vegetables and spreading on sandwiches (among many other things; it's delicious).

   Having said all of that, my father-in-law always nixes the Yum Yum Sauce completely and uses ranch. So there is always that option.
   INGREDIENTS
   Yum Yum Bowls:
   • Warm, cooked brown or white rice, quinoa, or other "base" (see note above)
   • Canned black beans, rinsed and drained (warmed lightly, if desired, or for extra yumminess, you could use this black beans recipe)
   • Chopped olives
   • Chopped red, green, yellow or orange peppers
   • Chopped tomatoes
   • Chopped or shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
   • Chopped avocados
   • Chopped, fresh cilantro
   • Sour cream
   • Salsa
   Yumm Sauce:
   • 1/2 cup avocado, canola, or vegetable oil
   • 1/2 cup slivered almonds (Beth used almonds from her trail mix bag)
   • 1 cup canned Great Northern or Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
   • 1/2 cup water
   • 1/2 cup light coconut milk (from a can)
   • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 large lemons)
   • 2 garlic cloves, minced
   • 1/2 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
   • Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper
   • 1 teaspoon curry powder
   • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
   • 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
   • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast (see note above)  (Beth used cashews from her trail mix bag)
   • 
     
   For the Yumm sauce, add the oil, almonds, beans and water to a blender. Process until very smooth, 1-2 minutes (or as long as needed).
2. Add the coconut milk, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, curry powder, oregano, cilantro and nutritional yeast. Process again until creamy and smooth. Add additional water to thin out the sauce, if needed. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve (this tastes best after it's had time to rest - even several days - but you can also use it right away).
3. For the Yum Yum Bowls, layer rice or quinoa in the bottom of a bowl. Add black beans and a healthy dollop of Yum Yum sauce and salsa. Follow it with all the toppings your little heart desires (peppers, olives, cheese, tomatoes, avocados, fresh cilantro, sour cream, and more salsa and yum yum sauce, if desired).
4. Dig in!

Recipe Source: introduced to us by my mother- and father-in-law after they ate at Cafe Yumm in the Portland, Oregon, area and decided to recreate the bowls at home and serve them to us; the sauce (knockoff Yumm sauce inspired by this recipe)

How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Pressure Cooker

I can't really remember now of course how I did it but this is what I think I did last time?

put in 4 frozen chicken breasts, 1 cup water, (I think I added a tsp chicken boullion too), and cook for 10 min then quick release.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are not healthy. But I absolutely love the softness and flavor. These are worthy of sharing and it makes maybe 48. Got recipe from Ashley Demille.

3/4 c. Brown Sugar
3/4 c. White sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter-flavored Crisco or butter
1/2 cup margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp  Baking soda
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (use as much as you like)

Beat sugars, butter/marg/shortening and egg. add vanilla and mix. then in separate bowl combine other ingredients except choc. chips. mix into sugar mixture. then add choc chips and stir until just mixed. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 8

The Best Bluberry Muffins

I just made these this morning and they were so good! They were good enough that if I were ever asked to take muffins somewhere, I would definitely choose these.  I even made them whole wheat.  I made them easier by just adding 2 cups of frozen blueberries at the end of mixing (you have to defrost them in the microwave first or your muffins won't be done where the berries are). I didn't make the blueberry syrup. I also didn't take the time to make the lemon sugar topping.  For the buttermilk, I did a tsp. short of one cup of milk plus a tsp of lemon juice and let it sit for a few minutes together before I added to the mixing bowl.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/lemon-sugar-crusted-blueberry-muffins/

The Best Blueberry Muffins

YIELD: MAKES 12-16 MUFFINS

Note: I’ve made these with fresh or frozen blueberries…both work great but use fresh, if you can. I’ve also made them eliminating the blueberry syrup step and tossing both cups of blueberries in with the flour mixture. You don’t get the delicious blueberry syrup effect on top of the muffin, but they do come together more quickly and are packed with blueberries (still top them with the lemon-sugar mixture).

INGREDIENTS

Lemon-Sugar Topping:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• zest from one lemon
Muffins:
• 2 cups frozen blueberries (or 2 cups fresh)
• 1 1/8 cups (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

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1. For the topping, stir together sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.
2. For the muffins, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Rinse one cup frozen berries under cold water and spread on a double layer of paper towels to dry well. Bring remaining one cup berries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with a spoon several times and stirring frequently, until the berries have broken down and the mixture is thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Toss the berries that have dried on the paper towels in with the flour mixture. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in the butter and oil until combined. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. The batter will be lumpy with a few dry spots of flour – don’t overmix. This is the key to moist and tender muffins.
4. Using ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill the muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full. Spoon a teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into the center of each mound of batter. Using a skewer (or a chopstick), gently swirl the berry filling into the batter using a figure eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over the muffins.
5. Bake until the top of the muffins are golden and just firm, 17-18 minutes. Cool muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Breadstick and Pizza Casserole

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/breadstick-and-pizza-casserole/

This was really good.  I was actually excited about eating leftovers the next night.  I used her breadsticks recipe and then cooked the extra breadsticks it made and we had extras to dip in the casserole. I only used one zucchini because I thought two looked like too many.  The more work you do ahead of time the better. I already had grilled green peppers, cooked onions, and cooked ground and seasoned sausage left over from Mark's breakfast he made for the elder's quorum so that saved me alot of time.

Breadstick and Pizza Casserole

YIELD: SERVES 6-8

Note: This recipe is really adaptable for filling ingredients. If zucchini aren't in season, sub easily with another type of vegetable (corn, winter squash, green beans, etc.). The meat can also easily be subbed with ground beef or turkey, pepperoni, cooked chicken, etc. Even though this recipe only uses 1/2 of this homemade breadstick recipe, I make the full batch and bake the other half of the dough as normal breadsticks because seriously, who doesn't want extra breadsticks hanging around?

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, green, red or yellow
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into rounds
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, drained
• 16 ounces tomato sauce
• 9-12 ounces fully cooked chicken or turkey sausages, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 recipe homemade breadstick dough (see note above)

DIRECTIONS

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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and diced pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the pepper is tender. Add the zucchini and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until just tender. Stir in the drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken sausage, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the liquid is somewhat reduced. Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and stir into the mixture. Spoon half of the sauce mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese over the top. Spoon the other half of the sauce over the top of the cheese and sprinkle another 1/2 cup mozzarella over the top. Arrange bread sticks in a lattice pattern (see pictures below) over the sauce, trimming to fit, if necessary. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan and mozzarella on top.
3. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the breadsticks are golden brown and cooked through and the filling is hot and bubbly. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.