Creamy chicken noodle soup

 Natasha's Kitchen

• 6 cups chicken broth, w used low sodium
• 5 cups water
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 chicken thighs, skinless (bone-in or boneless)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, 2 carrots grated, 1 carrot sliced into thin rings or half circles
• 2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped or thinly sliced if you prefer
• 2 cups pasta such as rotini, egg noodles, or your favorite kind or could make dumplings
• 1 cup corn, from 15 oz can, or preferably 1 cooked cob
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp fresh or frozen dill
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash, or your favorite salt-free seasoning

12/5/22 I served this soup with homemade egg noodles

instead of pasts make Dumplings

1. In a large soup pot, combine 6 cups broth, 5 cups water and 1/2 Tbsp salt. Bring to a boil then add chicken thighs (no need to trim fat), and boil uncovered 20 min. Skim off impurities that rise to the top. While chicken is cooking, proceed with step 2.
2. Place a large pan over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add chopped onion and sauté until softened (5 min), then increase heat to med/high and add grated carrots, chopped celery and sauté 5-7 min, stirring often until soft and golden then transfer to soup pot.
3. Remove chicken thighs from the pot and let rest until cool enough to handle, then use forks or hands to shred chicken, discarding any bones and fat (which should come off easily). Return shredded chicken to the pot (by the time it's cooled and shredded, this is usually after step 4).
4. Add 2 cups pasta, sliced carrots and corn to the soup pot and continue cooking 15 min at a low boil until pasta is at desired softness. You can skim off any excess oil from the top at this point if you want the soup to be a little lighter.
5. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbsp butter, whisk in 1/3 cup flour and cook whisking constantly for 1 to 2 min or until just barely turning golden. Ladle 1 cup of hot broth from the soup pot into flour mixture, whisking continually until well blended then whisk in 1/2 cup heavy cream and transfer mixture to the soup pot, stirring until well blended.
6. Season soup with 1 tsp Mrs. Dash (or your favorite salt free seasoning) and more salt to taste if needed. Add 3 Tbsp dill then return to a boil and turn off the heat. Enjoy!

Pico De Gallo and Refried Beans

I received this recipe from Mariana Lucena, She made these items on a camping trip in Oct at The Stake Cabin.

 Pico De Gallo
 9 roma Tomatoes diced
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 bunch cilantro chopped 
olive oil
lemon juice
salt & pepper
pepper flakes



Refried beans
Soaked overnight, then rinsed and cooked in water for 16 min in the instapot, they were still tough (she had to cook for 16 more min to soften) or you can cook for in the slow cooker for 8 hours.

Then take out half of the water and start smashing the beans, add salt, pepper, and some broth

Lynne Pasta Salad

Serves 5-8

16 oz Pasta (I've tried rotini, and large elbows)
Kalamata or black olives (halved)
Peppers (red, yellow, orange) chopped
Red Onions (slivered)
1 pkg of Cherry tomatoes (halved)
5 Mini or english cucumbers (they are more dense and crisp than regular cucumbers)
8 oz Feta
Dill
Olive oil, garlic (powder or minced), vinegar
Salt and pepper

Cook pasta, cut veggies, mix in feta, dill, oil, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Delicious and fresh!!!
Great leftovers for 2 days, then on day 3 the cucumbers tend to go soft and slimey.

Baked pork chops

• Gimme Some Oven
• 
  
• 4 bone-in, thick-cut pork chops (ideally about 1 to 1.5-inches thick)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• optional: lemon wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brine: To brine your pork chops, fill a large bowl with 1 quart of warm (not hot) water and 1/4 cup kosher salt.  Stir to combine until most of the salt is absorbed.  Add the pork chops and let them sit in the mixture to brine for 15 minutes.  Or you can also also cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.  Remove the pork chops from the brine, rinse with cold water, then pat them dry with some paper towels.
2. Cook: Preheat oven to 375°F.
3. Brush the pork chops on both sides with olive oil
4. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, and garlic powder until combined.  Sprinkle the mixture evenly on both sides of the pork.
5. Meanwhile, heat a cast iron skillet (or oven-safe sauté pan) on the stove over high heat for 5 minutes.  Once the pan is super-hot, add the pork chops and use a spatula to press them evenly into the pan, so that the entire bottom surface of the pork chops makes contact with the pan.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the under-sides of the pork chops are golden brown. Carefully use tongs to flip the pork chops.  Then use an oven mitt to carefully transfer the skillet to the oven.  Continue baking for 3 minutes.  Then flip the pork chops once more, and continue baking for 3-5 minutes more, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (62°C).
6. Once the pork is ready to go, immediately remove the pan from the oven, and transfer the pork to a clean plate.  Brush any of the pan juices onto the pork chops.  Then loosely tent the plate with aluminum foil and and let the pork rest for at least 3 minutes.
7. Serve warm.  Or, refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

12/10/18 delicious we all loved it!!!

Served it with and a side salad, roasted chopped potatoes, oil, garlic, salt and perper,  400 degrees for 60 min

Pie Dough Recipe

Martha Stewart Makes 2 nine inch crusts

Serve with Bacon Quiche or any pie recipe

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (half white and half wheat), plus more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 and half sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4c olive oil (3/6/17 when I added oil it stopped the dough from being crumbly, it was a smooth liquid dough)1 
• 1T-1/4c water (you decide how much it needs) 3/6/17 I didn't add any water b/c it was already liquidy from the oil.

1. In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
2. Sprinkle with 1T-1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to cup more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overmix.
3. Transfer half of dough (still crumbly) onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form dough into a disk 3/4 inch thick; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days). Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Place one disk of dough on a lightly floured piece of waxed paper/plastic wrap. Rolling from center outward, form into a 14-inch round. Using paper, lift and wrap dough around a floured rolling pin; carefully unroll (discarding paper) over a 9-inch pie plate.
5. Gently fit dough into bottom and sides of plate. Avoid stretching or tearing dough. Using kitchen shears, trim overhang to 1 inch; fold under to form a rim. Crimp with fingertips and knuckle. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.

Freeze the extra pie crust for a dessert or quiche.

1 Next time if you want normal crumbly dough use 1 c or 2 stick of butter and not olive oil.

Sesame Ginger Salad dressing

Serves 10
1/2c honey
2T apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar, or white wine vinegar)
1/2c- 1c olive oil
1-2t mustard
2T soy sauce
1t ginger
1-2t toasted sesame seeds
salt and pepper

Mix everything.  Put 1/4c of dressing in a small container to leave in cupboard, so it isn't solidified, for easy accessible use.  Put the rest in a container in the fridge.

Shelf life of dressings- Taste of Home
The "shelf life" of salad dressings varies somewhat. 
Generally, vinaigrettes can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. 
Dairy-based dressings, like buttermilk, and dressings made with fresh ingredients, like chopped onion, fresh herbs, tomato sauce and chopped hard-cooked egg, will keep up to 1 week.

Can also freeze- I received this recipe from the cook at the Bountiful Temple cafeteria.  But she made a half gallon at a time, so here is the big version:
Serves 100
2c sugar/honey
1 1/2c white vinegar
4 c oil
1/4c Dijon mustard
2/3c soy sauce
2T powdered ginger
1T dry mustard
1t celery seed
1T toasted sesame seeds
pink of salt.

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

The Kitchn

Makes 1 cup

1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar or honey
1 small shallot
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
2 teaspoons mayonnaise, optional for a creamier dressing
1/2 cup olive oil, grapeseed oil, or a mix (See Recipe Note)

Whisk the white wine vinegar and sugar until the sugar is mostly dissolved (it's okay if there is still some undissolved sugar). Peel the shallot and grate it on a microplane or the smallest holes on a box grater directly into the bowl. Add the poppy seeds, salt, and ground mustard, and whisk to combine.

Whisking the dressing steadily, pour the olive oil into the dressing in a slow stream. Continue whisking until completely combined.

Transfer to a covered container and store in the fridge for several weeks. The dressing will separate as it sits; shake to recombine before using.

Recipe Notes

• Oil for the dressing: Olive oil will make a stronger-tasting dressing while grapeseed oil or another neutral-tasting vegetable oil will make a milder dressing. Personally, I like an equal mix of both.

Roasted Asparagus

From- All recipes

1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 
1 clove garlic, minced 
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice(optional)

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Rinse off the asparagus, then cut off the ends. Lightly spray the pan with oil.
2. Place the asparagus in a square cooking pan and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.

My kids (ages 8 and 6) loved this, they couldn't get enough!!!

2/8/16 didnt have parmesan one time and still worked out well.  I served with Salmon and the next time I prepared tilapia the same way as salmon and served with asaparagus

I doubled it and did 2 bunches of asparagus b/c the kids love it.  Put in a sprayed 9x13 pan and cooked the same amount

Can be prepared a day or two in advance