Chicken Parmesan Soup

A couple of nights ago, I went to a friend's Pampered Chef parties. I was flipping through the recipe books and saw one entitled "Chicken Parmesan Soup." I didn't have time to look at the recipe closely and I ended up not buying the cookbook, but the title of that dish stuck with me and so I made my own creation of Chicken Parmesan Soup! One of my daughters asked for seconds so that is always a good sign!
-Amanda

Chicken Parmesan Soup

1 chicken breast
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 can tomato paste
3 tbs butter
lots of garlic, dried basil and oregano
2-3 cups of chicken stock
1 baguette of bread
Olive oil
Mozzarella
Parmesan cheese (have about a cup of loosely packed, fresh grated)
fresh basil (optional, for garnish)

In a skillet (or I just used my soup pot and then rinsed it out) put at least 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat it up. Quickly cube up the baguette (reserve enough to make 1/2 cup of bread crumbs) and add it to the hot oil. Stir it around letting it toast. Add some of the parmesan cheese and some salt and pepper. Remove to a bowl once it is toasted.

Slice chicken into thin pieces, like in a chinese stir fry. In a cleaned out soup pot add more olive oil and start browning chicken. Before it is cooked through, add the tomato paste, seasonings (salt, pepper, dried basil, oregano and garlic) Then add the can of tomatoes and the chicken stock. Bring to a very gentle simmer DO NOT BOIL or your chicken will be rubber. Add 1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs. (This thickens the soup a bit.) Add the butter cubed up to the soup. The butter is a trick I learned from Food Network, it mellows out the tangy tomato flavor and adds an awesome depth of flavor to any tomato soup or marinara sauce. Last, add more parmesan to the soup and stir to melt it in.

Serve in a bowl with cubed up mozzerella (this starts to melt and gives you strings of cheese as you eat. YUM!) And a few pieces of the toasted baquette. Enjoy!

My House is For Sale!

Taking a moment away from my blog to share some exciting news. My husband just got a job in Washington, just across from Portland, OR and so we are moving from Texas up to Washington! I wanted to share the listing and hope you spread the word that my house is for sale. It's an awesome floorplan, with beautiful, mostly private views. It's 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms + office + gameroom, walk in pantry and large closets in all the bedrooms.

The official listing with lots of photos and a walk through video is here:
http://www.houselens.tv/2025highlanddr.aspx

Please check it out and send it to any friends you know who are thinking of moving!

Shrimp Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

At best this is labeled a WIP (Work in Progress.) But it was tasty enough to warrant a mention, so that perhaps I can work on it in the future. Tastes sort of like fried coconut shrimp.
-Amanda

Shrimp Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

4 portobello mushrooms, gills removed
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 stick of butter
3/4 package of cream cheese
2 cups raw shrimp, diced
splash of soy sauce
splash of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp apricot jam
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 1/2 cup toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes
salt & pepper
Olive oil

Coat mushrooms in olive oil and grill or broil to get them started cooking. Chop onion, ginger and garlic and saute it in the butter. Remove to a bowl. Mix in cream cheese, apricot jam, worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Add coconut flakes. Stir until everything is mixed well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Then add raw shrimp. Stir. Mound up on mushrooms. Place in a baking dish and cook for 15 minutes at 425 or until shrimp is cooked through.

Fast & Easy Breakfast Cups

These are a big hit with our kids so I thought I'd share. It's a fast and healthy breakfast go to in our house.
-Amanda

Yogurt Cups

In a small sauce pan mix up some frozen fruit and a heaping spoonful of no-sugar added all fruit jelly. You could probably leave the jelly out, but it seems to help with the consistency. Add a squirt of honey. I make this mixture a bit over sweet, so when it mixes with the plain tart yogurt the sweetness evens out. With a potato masher, mash up your fruit mixture until it is almost pureed. Or if you like, you can puree it in a blender for kids who have texture issues. Above I made strawberry and banana. After the strawberries were mashed down, I removed it from the heat and mashed in a banana.

 Layer in your container jam, whole-milk plain yogurt, jam, yogurt. If your kid (or you) likes granola, then put some in a small snack zip bag and store it on top so they can sprinkle it in.

Cottage Cheese Cups

My girls have been eating cottage cheese since they were babies. I didn't put honey in it until they were a bit older, but now it's a favorite, especially with pineapples crushed in! So I just simply mixed some 4% cottage cheese with a bit of honey and topped with crushed pineapples. All ready to be stirred in and enjoyed come morning!

Flank Steak with Asparagus Topping

I'm not sure what to even call this, but it was good! I'm sure a fancier lettuce would have elevated the dish, but this is called using the ingredients on hand. I was really craving THIS dish, but I did not have the right stuff. But it did get me thinking and it led me to this creation.
-Amanda

Flank Steak with Asparagus Topping

Flank or Skirt Steak
2 limes
2 cloves of garlic
splash of vinegar (I used rice wine, but red or apple cider would be fine.)
10-12 stalks of aspargus
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 tsp honey
olive oil

Mix 1 tsp honey, salt and pepper, half a lime and some olive oil (a tsp or two) in a small bowl and pour over flank steak. Either grill the steak or put it under a high broiler. I did the broiler for 7 minutes on one side and about 3 on the second side. Let it rest before cutting it across the grain.

Topping
Mince garlic and add to a small skillet. Cut asparagus in 1/4 inch pieces. Crush nuts and add them. Add a tbsp of olive or two and a splash of vinegar. Saute until asparagus has cooked for 4-5 minutes. Turn off heat and add feta, stir to melt it in. Taste and add salt as needed.

Make a side salad and serve steak on the side or on top of the lettuce. Top with the asparagus topping. I made a simple salad dressing that was the same as the steak marinade.

Fruit Pancakes and Fig Compote

I love fruit pancakes, and they are a great way to use fruit that is getting a little soft.  Right now in Turkey it is fig season.   Fresh figs should almost look too soft to eat.  Stay away from the firm ones.  The ones that are starting to split at the bottom and have a tiny glistening drop emerging from the star shaped fissure are perfectly ripe.  But, since they often get ripe all at the same time, you may have too many and they can get mushy on you.  While I love a soft fig, mushy is not my thing! Also in Turkey it is difficult to get maple syrup, so I am always looking for alternatives.
This morning made fig and peach pancakes with a fig compote.  For the pancakes, follow your own favorite recipe whatever that may be and throw in any fruit that is slightly soft. 
Fresh Fig Compote
1-1 1/2 cups of over-ripe figs (they are the sweetest)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4  cup of water
Roughly chop soft over-ripened figs, put in saucepan with lemon juice and water.  Boil down while pancakes are cooking.  If needed add more water, or boil down longer to desired consistency.  I like my chunky, but you could mash it if you would like it smoother. 
Drizzle anywhere you please…pancakes, yogurt, ice-cream—use your imagination!

-Jules

Garlic Butter Chicken Wings

I'm so excited these came out exactly like my mind pictured them when I decided to make this recipe. I'm sure you've heard me mention before how much my twin daughters (4.5 yrs old) love chicken wings. I usually make the balsamic wings and was afraid to deviate from that recipe, figuring it was the glaze that they liked and not necessarily the chicken wings. But they ate these up just as heartily as the others. The bonus is that these wings were a lot easier to make!
-Amanda

Garlic Butter Chicken Wings

20-24 wings and drummettes
2-3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup of olive oil
4-5 cloves of garlic
sea salt
pepper
parsley
hot sauce (I put it on at the table, since my kids don't like spicy)

Grate or finely chop the garlic in a small sauce pan. Add the butter, salt, olive oil and pepper. Simmer on very low for 20-30 minutes. This mellows the garlic out. Pour over raw chicken wings and let marinade for at least an hour. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the marinaded chicken wings out where they are not touching. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Chop parsley. Put chicken wings in a serving bowl, pour the run-off pan juices on top and sprinkle the parsley on and toss. Enjoy!