Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

  

Image found here

When I saw this recipe on Pinterest I knew I had to try it. I love homemade chicken noodle soup but love thick creamy soups even more. So I knew the comination of both was just too good to be true. Oh no! Let me just tell you, this soup is A-mazing. Even my husband, who is not a fan of soup, said it was one of the best soups he'd ever had. Its definetly a new family fave that I will making regularly.

 Here is what you need:

5-7 C. chicken broth

2 chicken breasts
1 C. chopped carrots
1 C. chopped celery

 (I used peas instead because my kids eat them better)

1 C. diced potatos

½ C. chopped onion

(I just used minced)
1-2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 C. evaporated milk or ½ C. whole milk
8-12 oz uncooked homestyle egg noodles

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken in the broth and then remove and shred.  Then add carrots, celery/peas, potatoes, onions, and noodles. I started out with 5 C. of broth because that is what the origonal recipe called for. But after I added my veggies it had boiled down and there was barely enought left to cover them, so I added two more cups. Simmer until veggies and noodles are tender. Add cream of chicken soup, milk, salt, pepper and shredded chicken. Simmer until heated through and ready to serve. I only added one can of soup and I thought it was plenty thick and really rich. You can add a second one depending on your taste. Also, as a side note. I boiled my noodles separate and added them in at the end. Enjoy!

browned-butter chocolate chip cookies

okay. this recipe is going to change your life. i am not kidding. my cutest friend, chloe, posted these on her blog a while ago, and i finally got around to making them. oh. my. i seriously cannot get over how good they are. these are my new go-to cookies. my picture isn't 100% awesome, but the flavor? totally was. you have to try these!

i'm basically copying and pasting her instructions. i hope she doesn't mind! the process is a little different than the traditional route, but you have to follow it exactly. also, i didn't have parchment paper, so i used pam. i would recommend buying the parchment paper. mine went pretty flat and i think it's because of grease from the pam made them spread out more than they should have.

anyway, no matter what they look like, they are amaaaaahzing ("happy endings," anyone??). also, i was shoving them in fresh out of the oven, and they were good. but the next day, when they were completely cooled, they were blow-your-mind amazing. seriously i love these cookies!

one last thing: don't use your hand mixer. only a whisk!

okay, on with it. here's the recipe:

ingredients:

1 ¾ cups unbleachedall-purpose flour 

 ½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
½ cup granulated sugar 

 ¾ cups packed dark brown sugar 

 1 teaspoon table salt (chloe said sea salt makes them taste awesome)

 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

 1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 ¼ cups chocolate chips or chunks

instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. Put 12 cookies on each sheet (1-2 tbsp. per cookie)
5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 8-9 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

creamy tomato basil soup

we are just slightly in love with the harry's organic creamy tomato basil soup you buy at costco. yesterday, because of all the rain, i was craving some. but we didn't have any, and i didn't want to go to costco. so my next step was google. obviously. i found a recipe on the taste of homes website, and oh my. it was amazing! my husband reheated some late last night and decided that it is just as good as the kind we buy at costco. success! this coupled with a grilled cheese was perfect.

i modified the recipe so that i could use what i had on hand, and it worked great!

 

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2 garlic cloves, minced OR 1 teaspoon crushed garlic (i buy it in a jar)
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1.5 teaspoon chicken boulion granules*
2-1/3 cups water*
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup milk*
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons sugar

in a large saucepan, saute garlic in oil until hot. add the tomatoes, chicken boullion, water and pepper. bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

stir in the milk, basil, and sugar. cook for 1 minute or until heated through.
 
*you could reduce the water by 1 cup, eliminate the boullion, and use canned chicken broth. 
*the recipe called for heavy whipping cream, but i used milk. it was a little runny, so i think using cream would thicken it up