Crock Pot Pulled Chicken & Honey Whole Wheat Buns.

I LOVE this chicken recipe. It is so delicious, so simple, so quick (for a crock pot recipe), and did I mention, SO DELICIOUS!! I didn't modify the recipe at all, (well, other than halve it, as I don't need to feed 8-10 people...) so I'm going to send you to the original site for the recipe. Stay tuned for the buns recipe though!!

The buns are delicious in and of themselves. I've used this recipe for burger buns, hot dog buns, simple rolls, and now for this.

Honey Whole Wheat Rolls, originally from Celecia Stoup of Hobart, Oklahoma

Ingredients:

2 packages active dry yeast (or 1/2 oz total, or 4 1/2 t. total)

1 c. warm water

1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted (I used butter)

1/4 c. honey

1 egg

3/4 c. whole wheat flour (I've been using rye flour, as I'm out of whole wheat and want to use up the rye)

1/2 c. old-fashioned oats

1 t. salt

2 1/4 - 2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

Additional melted butter or margarine (opt.)

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in the water. Stir in the butter, honey, egg, whole wheat flour, oats, salt, and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour; beat until smooth. Add enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Shape into 15 rolls, (or whatever shape you need...I can get about 10 hot dog buns...) Place on a greased sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup.

I love making this soup. It's delicious, simple, and extremely comforting on a cold day, or when you're feeling a bit under the weather. My method takes a bit of time, but it's not extremely labor intensive, and you can take shortcuts at any point to make it even easier. Due to the nature of this recipe, there are no exact proportions. You can make a large batch, as I usually do, or simply use less and make enough for a single meal. The amounts I do list will be for a rather large batch intended to have extra for freezing. Adjust as needed, and enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts (or thighs) 3-4 for a large batch (or leftover cooked chicken, if you've got it)

butter

garlic (optional)

celery, with tops

carrots (save peelings!)

onion (save root and peeling!)

half recipe of homemade noodles (Recipe here) or egg noodles

chicken broth, about 8-12 cups for a large batch

oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, bay leaves, or any herbs you like and have on hand. Fresh works best, dried will work too.

water

Directions:

I will note extra steps in italics. Please note, extra step=extra flavor, but it is not necessary.

If you are using leftover cooked chicken, skip this step. Chop chicken into small, bite-size pieces. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté two whole cloves of garlic in butter until brown. Discard (or eat the cloves, they're delicious). Pan-fry chicken till cooked through. Set aside.

In a large stock-pot, (or sauce pan if you're making a smaller batch,) pour 8-12 cups chicken broth or water, and add carrot peelings (not the carrots themselves) onion peelings and root, (not the actual onion), celery tops (not the stalks) and any herbs you care to use. I particularly like rosemary, bay, and parsley, but whatever sounds good to you will most likely work. Let the pot simmer for at least an hour, covered. Strain the broth when you are ready to add your final ingredients. Return to pot. Alternately, you can simply skip this step and add your final ingredients to the plain chicken broth. I highly recommend the former instructions, though, as they'll take this above and beyond delicious. :)

While the broth is simmering, chop your carrots, celery and onion to bite size pieces, or minced, if you like. Also prepare a half batch of your noodles now.  Add your chicken, carrots, celery and onion to the broth, and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add noodles slowly, especially if using homemade noodles, so they don't stick to each other. Let simmer until noodles are cooked through (they'll swell a bit) and then remove from heat. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Onion Sandwich.

This is not for the faint of heart. This is not a pretty dish, nor does it smell like, well, anything other than onions. No, this is not a sandwich for everyone. 

However. If you are one of those people, the people whose steaks are incomplete without sautéed onions, whose burgers are sadly lacking when not topped with this versatile vegetable, whose salads must have a bit of oniony crunch to them, well, let me say you and I are kindred spirits. And so, dear friends, I would like to share this with you.

The onion sandwich. It is beautiful in its simplicity, in its humble adornment. Bread, a touch of butter, and one whole sautéed onion. I like to toss in some greek seasoning as well, but you can season however you like. There's no real recipe to this, but the longer you sauté the onions, the sweeter they'll be. I'm not all that fond of blackened onions, but many people like to let them sauté that long, as it sweetens the onion greatly. Make this to taste, but if you are an onion lover like me, you won't be disappointed.

Enjoy!

Enchiladas, Pioneer Woman Style.

I've been looking for a good enchilada recipe for awhile now. You see, I love ordering them at restaurants, but making them at home. Guaranteed to be a flop, every time. That is, until I was gifted the Pioneer Woman's cookbook and discovered that her recipes never flop. Seriously. Every single one I've tried has turned out famously, and most are simple to boot. When I came across her enchilada recipe, I admit, I hesitated. See, there's nothing obviously wrong with the recipe, nothing at all wrong with it. I was just afraid I'd ruin my streak with her recipes and have yet another flopped enchilada meal. I was so wrong. These are delicious, simple, properly messy (all enchilada recipes I've tried have that in common,) and quite filling. If you've had the same luck making enchiladas at home as I have, please, end your misery, make these. Tonight, if possible. You won't regret it. Enjoy!

Asparagus Cashew Stir-fry.

This was a new recipe for us, but we'll be repeating it often. It's vegetarian, but you don't really miss the meat because there's so much other good stuff in it already! This will be a regular on our menu.

Asparagus Cashew Stir-Fry, from Best Light Recipes 2006, Taste of Home Magazine

(Recipe from Christine Sherrill)

Ingredients:

1 lb. asparagus (We used 1/2 lb. and then added 1/2 lb. broccoli instead)

1/2 c. chopped green onions

1/2 c. chopped sweet red pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 t. canola oil (If using a wok, use peanut oil)

2 T. cornstarch

1 1/2 c. vegetable broth

3 T. soy sauce, reduced sodium if possible

1/4 t. ground ginger (what we used)

-or-

3/4 - 1 t. minced fresh gingerroot

1/2 c. cashews

1 t. sesame oil (alas, we had none, and so used sesame seeds instead)

4 c. hot cooked brown rice

Directions:

Begin cooking your rice.

In a large nonstick skillet or large wok, sauté the asparagus, onions, red pepper, garlic, and broccoli if using, in oil until tender. Combine the cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, and ginger until blended; add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Reduce heat; add cashews and sesame oil (or sesame seeds). cook two minutes longer or until heated through. Serve over rice. Serves 4. Enjoy!