Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Ingredients:

Yields: 2 quarts or 8 servings

2 14-oz can diced tomatoes, with juice*

1 c. finely diced celery

1 c. finely diced carrots**

1 c. finely diced onions

1 t. dried oregano OR 1 T. fresh oregano***

1 T. dried basil OR 1/4 c. fresh basil****

4 c. chicken broth*****

1/2 bay leaf******

1/2 c. flour

1 c. Parmesan cheese

1/2 c. butter

2 c. half and half, warmed OR milk, warmed

1 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

* I only had Italian diced tomatoes

** We have an allergy to carrots, so I didn't include carrots

*** Because of the Italian tomatoes I didn't add any oregano

**** With the Italian tomatoes I only added 1/2 T. of dried basil

*****I only put in 3 c. of chicken broth

******I 1 small bay leaf instead of a half.

Recipe:

1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil and bay leaf to a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

2. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes.

3. Slowly stir in 1 c. hot soup(from the slow cooker). Add another 3 c. and stir until smooth.

4. Add all in skillet back into the slow cooker. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt, and pepper.

5. Add additional basil and oregano if needed. Continue to cook on low for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

***Can also be made on the stove top. See "Source" link for the whole recipe.***

Rating: 3.5 of 5

LaDon actually really liked this one. Surprise! I thought it was good. Best the day-of. Not so good the next day to me, but that could be because I forgot to take out the bay leaf and the soup was being overpowered by bay leaf flavor. Not my favorite. I definitely thought the canned Italian tomatoes were fine. Super good with some buttered bread dipped in.

Source: Today's Mama.com, Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Easy Cajun Jambalaya

Ingredients:

2 t. olive oil

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces *

8-oz. kielbasa, diced (aka: Polish sausage. Think U-shaped meat at the market)

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 c. celery, diced

2 T. chopped garlic **

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 t. onion powder

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

2 c. uncooked white rice

4 c. chicken broth

3 bay leaves

4 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 t. hot pepper sauce

* We went to the beach today and was just feeling WAY too tired to thaw, cook, and cut chicken. So, I just used canned chicken instead.

** Didn't have any garlic on hand, so I just used minced garlic. Actually, I never have garlic on hand. I always use minced garlic.

Recipe:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute chicken and kielbasa until lightly browned, about 5 minutes

2. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic.

3. Season with cayenne, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 3 minutes or until onion is tender and translucent.

4. Add rice; stir in chicken broth, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce.

5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 18 minutes or until rice is tender. Discard bay leaves before serving.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Loved the kick in this! Not too much, not too little. I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. I was also surprised at how big of a batch this makes. For some reason, 2 c. of rise and 4 c. of broth didn't set off the "cut the recipe in half" alarm in my head. So, now we have a witche's kettle sized jambalaya dish. I also like the kielbasa and chicken combo. The veggies were perfect and I couldn't really tell the bell peppers were bell peppers.

Source: AllRecipe Dinner Tonight, pg. 46

Orange Chicken Salad

I didn't take a picture of this one either. We had it the same night at the Recipe A Wings.

Ingredients:

1/3 c. sour cream

1/3 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 T. frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 t. poppy seeds, optional

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, fully cooked, cut into julienne strips *

1 11-oz. can mandarin orange sections, drained OR one 15.5-oz can pineapple chunks, drained

3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 green onions, sliced

salt and pepper totaste

4 lettuce leaves **

* I actually cut out the chicken in this recipe because we were having chicken as the main dish.

** Definitely used more than 4 leaves of lettuce. I used a whole head of iceberg.

Recipe:

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, orange juice concentrate, and, if desired, poppy seeds.

2. In a large mixing bowl, toss together chicken strips, orange sections, celery and green onions.

3. Pour dressing over chicken mixture; toss lightly to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on lettuce leaves.

Rating: 3 of 5

This is a fairly refreshing salad. Although it's technically a side dish, we think with chicken (which we did not include this time) would be a good enough main dish. The orange flavor wasn't super powerful but not lacking. A good balance. Also, I didn't use nearly as much of the sour cream/mayo mixture as it called for.

Source: Speed Scratch, p. 22

Chicken Grape Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients:

3/4 c. mayonnaise

1/2 t. ginger

1/2 t. salt

3 c. cubed chicken or 2 12.5-oz cans of chicken

1 1/2 c. grapes, cut in half *

1 c. celery, chopped

1/3 c. onions, chopped

1/2 c. walnuts, optional (I've never used the walnuts before)

* I like to use 2-2 1/2 c. grapes.

Recipe:

1. Combine first three ingredients.

2. Add grapes, celery, and chicken.

3. Cover and chill. Serve on rolls or croissants.

Rating: 4.75 of 5

This is one of our favorites! And, when making it with the cubed chicken, it is seriously so easy and quick. Not only that, but it's perfect for a hot summer day! When canned chicken is involved that means I don't add to the heat by turning on the stove! Love it!

Source: I don't know, but I'm guessing my Grandma Norton or Lenhart.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

(It may not looked completely cooked, but it is!)

Ingredients: *

1 can (1o.75 oz) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Potato Soup

3/4 c. milk

1/8 t. ground black pepper

1 c. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

2 cans (4.5 oz each) Swanson Premium Chunk Chicken Breast, drained**

1 c. all-purpose baking mix***

1 egg

*I doubled the entire filling part of the recipe. Glad I did too.

**I used canned chicken as well as frozen chicken shredded.

***Opps! Used flour instead of baking mix. Don't do that!

Recipe:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Stir the soup, 1/4 c. milk, black pepper, vegetables and chicken in a 9-inch pie plate.

3. Stir together the baking mix, egg, and the remaining milk with a fork in a small bowl until the ingredients are mixed. Spoon over the chicken mixture.

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and topping is golden.

Rating: 2 of 5

Not my favorite, but I did mess up the topping since I used all purpose baking flour and not mix (easy to misread that when skimming). It's a little bit of a bland dish. I think it would be better with some other spice or maybe cream of chicken soup instead. I think a non-sweet pie crust recipe wouldn't be too bad as the topping either. The good thing is that the sister missionaries are my guinea pigs and ate it....and liked it enough to have more than one helping.

Source: Campbell's Cooking Companion pg. 197