Cranberry Punch

I recently threw a baby shower for a dear friend of mine and wanted to try a new punch recipe for it.  After stumbling across this one, I decided to give it a try but I have to admit to you that I really didn't expect much.  I mean, punch is punch, right?  WRONG!  One sip of this punch and I was in love....this, this would be my new go-to punch recipe!!  And I got so many compliments on it that I just knew I had to share it with you.  Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:
4 cups cranberry juice cocktail
4 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. almond extract
2 quarts ginger ale, chilled

1.  Combine all ingredients except the ginger ale.  Stir until all the sugar has dissolved.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2.  Combine juice mixture and ginger ale in punch bowl or beverage dispenser.  Garnish with orange slices if desired (you could freeze these in advance to keep the punch cold).  Serve and get ready for the compliments!

Source:   adapted from the recipe I got on Pinterest (but I think it linked to DrinkedIn)

DIY Dishwasher Tablets

Ingredients:

1 c. Borax
1 c. Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 c. Epsom salt
3/4 c. lemon juice

Directions:

1.  Mix dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.  Add the lemon juice and mix completely.  You want the mixture to be wet enough to mold without falling apart.  Add additional lemon juice if needed.

2.  These dry very quickly so working quickly and one at a time, portion out a tablet around 2 tablespoons.  I used a small cookie scoop.  With wet hands, form the tablet into whatever shape needed to fit the soap dispenser in your dishwasher. Place on a sheet of wax paper and let dry for a few hours before putting in a storage container.  If a tablet happens not to fit into the dispenser, just toss it in the bottom of your dishwasher.

Source:  mykitchenescapades.com

Quick and Easy BBQ Chicken

This is the most tender, juicy chicken, and it SO EASY!

Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts (as many as you need to serve your family)
Pepper
BBQ Sauce (your favorite bottled sauce, or homemade)

Directions:
1. Cut up chicken breasts into 3-4 pieces each, depending on the size of the chicken breast and the size you would like each cooked piece to be. (I make sure to trim off any fat.)

2. Put them in a casserole or baking dish. Put pepper on them if desired.

3. Pour on your favorite barbecue sauce. WE LOVE the Kraft Sweet and Spicy Chipotle Barbecue Sauce. I just put on enough barbecue sauce to cover the top of the chicken. Do not add water. Cover with tin foil.

4. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is done. (Check the center piece and make sure it is not pink! The chicken should be white and have clear juices.) When I am feeding a large crowd and have 2 pans full of chicken in the oven, it will take about an hour to cook through. 

Note:
This can also be done in a crock pot!

Pictures:

Cut up chicken and place in pan.

Pour on your favorite barbecue sauce. We really like Kraft Sweet and Spicy Chipotle Barbecue sauce. 

Spread out the sauce. 

 Cover with tin foil and bake until chicken is done. (About 30 minutes.) Then ENJOY! You will love how it is so tender!

Itialian Lentil Soup

This is a family favorite. Healthy and delicious. Can be made over the stove or thrown in the crockpot. I have done both ways, just depends on what's going on. It is so easy to throw in what you have. I have used fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, frozen grape tomatoes, it is such a forgiving recipe. I have also made it with real Italian pork sausage (I don't like it that way, too greasy), chicken sausage links that I cooked and cut up, and with ground Italian style chicken sausage (my favorite.)


Italian Lentil Soup

1 lb. package Italian style chicken sausage
1 onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
2-3 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 C. chicken or vegetable stock
tomatoes (one can diced or a couple fresh diced or a bunch of grape tomatoes, whatever you have or want to use.)
1-1/2 C. Dry lentils
Italian seasonings (Basil, thyme, oregano) or and Italian seasoning blend
1 (10 oz pkg) spinach or a bunch of kale, roughly chopped
1/2 C. cream (optional)

In a large dutch oven, brown the chicken sausage over med. high heat.
Add the veggies and cook and stir for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Pour in the liquid and add the tomatoes.
Add the dry herbs. I usually just sprinkle in some basil, oregano and thyme. Add salt and pepper if needed.
Bring the soup to a low boil, add the dry lentils and turn soup down to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the lentils begin to soften (about 15-25 mins.)
Stir in the spinach or kale and the cream, if using. Cook til greens are wilted.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

*If using a crock pot, cook the chicken and then dump in all the ingredients except the spinach and cream. Cook on low for a few hours, until lentils are soft. Then stir in your greens and cream, if using. 

Dairy-Free Chocolate Sauce

My last recipe was for Coconut Sorbet which I have enjoyed pairing with this non-dairy chocolate sauce.  Yes, you can buy plain old chocolate syrup with no dairy, but I really love to make things myself if I can.  And, I had all the ingredients anyway!

Ingredients:
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

1.  Bring all to boil in a saucepan over high heat.
2.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Store in fridge.

Source:  Speed Bump Kitchen

Creamy & Cheesy Potato Soup

Every once in a great while I will pull out my THRIVE Cookbook so that I can make something with food storage items--really important when you want to "store what you eat and eat what you store."  I highlight them in the book if they turn out really tasty.  Today was a soup kind of day so I thought I would try this recipe and it did not disappoint.  Yum, yum.  There are no leftovers.  Just sayin'.

Ingredients: (I will note THRIVE if I used the dehydrated or freeze dried item)

3 cups THRIVE chicken broth 

1 T chopped onions

1 cup THRIVE Potato Dices

2 T butter

2 T all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper (I am using less next time--yikes!)

1 cup THRIVE Instant Milk, re-hydrated

1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese

1.  In a large saucepan, combine chicken broth, onion and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and simmer 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

2.  Remove from heat and ladle 1/2 the soup mixture into blender or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth.  Repeat with rest of soup and set soup aside.  I used an immersion blender right in the pot and blended all of the soup at the same time, then poured it into another container and set it aside.

3.  In the same saucepan, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour, salt and pepper.  Slowly add the milk while whisking.  Cook and stir the mixture until it is thickened and bubbly.  Stir in the blended potato mixture and the cheese.  Cook and stir until soup is heated through.

TIP:  You could serve this with a variety of drop-ins.  We tried fresh cilantro this time.  Next time maybe bacon pieces, or chopped green chilies.

Source:  THRIVE Cookbook, p. 62.

(I am only highlighting THRIVE foods because that is the brand that I store in my pantry. I am not a paid spokesperson for the company.)

Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll

Yesterday my friend Marcia made this for us, and my family went crazy over it! It is delicious and quite easy to make!

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 eggs
1 1/2 cups chopped ham (approx 8 oz)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese)
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and milk. Whisk until smooth. Add flour and salt. Whisk to combine.

3. In larger bowl, gently whisk eggs until blended. Add cream cheese mixture and mix well.

4. Line your pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper is long enough to go over the sides, so the egg mixture cannot run under the parchment paper. She used a "jelly roll pan", which is about 12" x 17". 

5. Pour egg mixture into pan. Bake 30-33 minutes or until omelet is puffy and golden. 

6. While that's cooking, chop ham, shred your cheese if you need to, and slice the green onions. 

7. Remove omelet from the oven, and immediately spread on a thin layer of Dijon mustard. (Optional) It doesn't have to be an even coat. Just spread some around on the omelet. Sprinkle on ham and cheese and onions if you desire (saving a little to garnish the finished omelet roll).

8. Roll up the omelet, removing the parchment as you go. Garnish with cheese, ham and onions. Let sit for 5 minutes or so until the cheese melts. Slice and serve! Delicious!

Notes: I could imagine all kinds of variations with crumbled bacon, ground sausage, different cheeses, sauteed onions and mushrooms, or other veggies. I think I'm doing a veggie bacon omelet roll up this morning!!

The egg mixture has been cooked, and she just sprinkled ham and cheese on it.

Now she is rolling it up, while removing the parchment as she rolls it.

Here is the finished omelet roll. It's so yummy! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Source: My amazing friend Marcia Ennis. I think this recipe was adapted from a Pampered Chef cookbook. 

Gratitude

Today was a special Sunday for those that belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Every six months, we have what is called General Conference. A two day event with 5 sessions, each lasting 2 hours. We hear from the prophet of God and the twelve apostles and other church leaders. I took some notes and really loved President Uchtdorf's talk on gratitude. Here are some bullet points from the notes I took. The quote above is from a previous Conference, but fits well with these ideas.

* Sometimes we feel like the fabric of our lives is torn at the seams

* One thing we can do to make life sweeter and even joyous (even during difficult times) is to give thanks

* We are commanded to give thanks

* The commandments are opportunities for us to practice our agency and receive the promised blessings that come from obedience 

* We should be thankful for our circumstances, whatever they may be

* We can choose to be like Job who suffered immensely but continued to praise God

* We can experience joy in difficult circumstances

* We can feel the warmth of heaven's embrace

* Being grateful in our circumstances is an act of faith. 

* We should show Thanksgiving daily! 

I hope we can all CHOOSE joy! Choose gratitude, even during difficult times in our lives. We will be much more happy and content. 

Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings. Super simple, super yummy, ultimate comfort food. My daughter LOVES chicken and dumplings. I often use leftover roast chicken or frozen chicken thighs. I boil the chicken and thighs in some water and then strain the liquid, remove the meat from the bones and use the liquid and the meat.

Chicken and Dumplings

6-8 Chicken thighs (can use frozen)
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic
8 C. chicken stock
1/2-1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
cracked pepper
salt to taste

Dumplings
1 1/2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. shortening
3/4 C. milk


Place the chicken thighs in a large pot and cover with water. Simmer until chicken is done. Remove thighs to a cutting board. Drain liquid. Dry out the pot.

Pour a small amount of olive oil in the pot, heat over med. heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook and stir til veggies start to soften, about 5-8 mins. Add the garlic, stir til fragrant. Then pour in the chicken stock.

Pick the meat from the chicken thighs and add it back to the pot. Stir in the dried herbs and pepper. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Note: if your soup looks thick, add more liquid. The dumplings really thicken up the soup, so err on the side of more liquid than you think you need.)

Bring the soup to a boil. While it is coming to a boil, make the dumpling mixture by placing the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the shortening and pulse til blended. With the machine running, add the milk til is just comes together.

With the soup boiling, drop in the dumpling mixture by spoonfuls. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Reduce heat slightly. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Serve.