Paula Deen's Chicken Noodle Soup

The name of this is The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup.  It sounds heavenly...especially now that I think the cold is here to stay.  Here's the recipe, slightly modified by Jessica Sprague, a scrapbooker like me looking for more ways to simplify cooking.

• 1 rotisserie chicken
• 2 32-oz boxes of chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 2 cups sliced celery
• 2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, optional
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional
• Seasoning salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Bring the stock and the water to a boil, add carrots and onion, cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package.

While the noodles cook, remove the skin from the chicken and shred the chicken breasts finely. When noodles are done, add chicken, parsley, and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread.

Avocado Basil Pasta

I just found this recipe. Doesn't it look yummy?

Avocado Basil Pasta

8 ounces dried bow tie pasta
2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 slices bacon, crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled
2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely shredded asiago cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the avocados, bacon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper and salt. Add the hot pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese. Makes 4 servings.

It doubles just fine. This makes a great chilled pasta salad too if you wait to add the avocados right before serving.

Another good pork recipe

And again from Pioneer Woman.  Clicky

Amazing Roast Pork

I am not usually a big fan of pork.  But when I got an amazing deal on some pork roasts I went to Allrecipes.com  in search of a recipe I might like.  I made this in the crock pot for some friends and it was a huge hit!  And it even uses green chiles...which in Santa Fe makes it a winner.  It says it is for tacos, but it is just as good plain.  Super tender and moist and makes great leftovers.

Dee's Roast Pork for Tacos (copied from Allrecipes.com)

"This is a dish that will make your tongue jump out of your mouth, slap you in the face, and say 'Oh yeah'. Put meat and maybe some Pico De Gallo or salsa into warm tortillas to make tacos."

INGREDIENTS:

4 pounds pork shoulder roast 2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chilies, drained 1/4 cup chili powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon taco seasoning 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2.	Place the roast on top of a large piece of aluminum foil. In a small bowl, stir together the green chiles, chili powder, oregano, taco seasoning and garlic. Rub onto the roast. Wrap foil around the roast so that it is completely covered, using additional aluminum foil if necessary. Place on top of a roasting rack in a baking dish, or place a cookie sheet on an oven rack below to catch any leaks.
3.	Roast the meat for 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until falling apart. Remove from the oven, and shred into small pieces using two forks. Season with salt to taste. Variation: Make it in the crock pot on low all night. I used a boneless pork center cut loin (because that is what was on sale) and it was wonderful.

Two recipes from the Pioneer Woman

Here are two great looking recipes...two of her favorites.  A sandwich and a cake.  I'm excited to try them!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

This recipe uses two of my favorite ingredients: cream cheese and crescent rolls.  Update...we had this for Easter and it was amazingly good.  And rich.  We recommend fresh strawberries and whipped cream to top it off.  Oh, and eat it warm.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans crescent rolls
2 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened - not low fat - go for the good stuff!
2 C sugar (divided)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C butter
ground cinnamon

*Roll one can crescent dough into bottom of greased 9x13 baking pan.
*Stretch dough and pinch seams together to form crust.
*Blend together cream cheese, 1 C sugar and 1 tsp vanilla
*Spread over dough - not too close to edge
* Stretch second can of crescent rolls over cream cheese layer to form top crust
*Melt butter and 1 C sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and pour over crust
*Sprinkle with cinnamon
*Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Brownie in a mug

I found this recipe on facebook.  Why haven't I tried it yet??

Brownie in a Mug

4 Tbsp of flour
4 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
a dash of salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp vanilla
Chocolate chips (optional)
Whip cream (optional)

Mix together dry ingredients in a large coffee mug. Add oil, water and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Mix in a few chocolate chips if desired. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Cool a couple of minutes, add whip cream and enjoy! (This is also great with a small scoop of ice cream and some hot fudge!!)

Variations:

My friend Andrea says she cooks this in a large cup for 3 minutes and it is cake.

Make a lower calorie version by using splenda instead of sugar, sugar-free pudding or yogurt instead of oil.