Feel Good Chicken Noodle Soup

Good evening!

It's another busy weekend at home. Today I had a dishwasher installed by a friend and my daughter's fiancé. I ended up removing the old backsplash. Removing the backsplash was a complete nightmare for me. I've never removed one before so it was definitely learn as I go and very sore upper arms. I can't wait to get all my home remodeling done.  Of course my deadline goal is by Thanksgiving so no better time than this weekend to make chicken noodle soup and have it to eat it all weekend. Plus this is super easy! :-)

Feel Good Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves approximately 10

Ingredients

3 Chicken Breasts, cut in halves (boneless and skinless)
4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 cup Celery, diced
1 cup Carrot, diced
1/2 cup Onion, diced
5 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
12 cups Low Sodium Reduced Fat Chicken Broth (or organic)
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1 tablespoon Dried Parsley Flakes
1 teaspoon Sea Salt (or regular salt)
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 cup Frozen Peas, thawed and drained
2 cups No Yolk Egg Noodles (optional)

Directions

First, in a medium pot and filled half way with water, boil your chicken breasts until done.  Remove chicken breast and set on a plate to cool.

In a large dutch oven size pot and on medium high heat, start to melt the unsalted butter.  Add the celery, carrots, onion, and minced garlic. You want to slightly saute your vegetable mixture stirring occasionally and making sure to not burn the garlic.

Add your chicken broth, onion powder, parsley flakes, sea salt, and black pepper.  Now shred your chicken breasts and add to the pot and stir well. Turn heat to medium and let simmer for about 8 minutes.

Turn the heat to low.  Add your peas and noodles. Stir all ingredients together. Let simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Stir the soup occasionally making sure the noodles aren't sticking together.

Taste test your soup.  You can add more salt and pepper if needed.  The good thing about this soup is that it taste even more delicious the next day. :-)

Enjoy!

'I fooled you' Spicy Chili

Chili! Chili! Chili!
I must admit that I love chili and can eat it all year long! This recipe is by far my favorite chili recipe of all time.  It combines that perfect balance of spice and savory. The reason I call it 'I fooled you Spicy Chili' is because you won't believe how tasty but healthy this chili is! It is a super simple one pot dish and it makes a very reasonable amount of chili.  I love to freeze the leftovers and save it for a cold rainy day or if I'm having a long work week and don't have time to cook.
I lived in San Antonio Texas for about a year.  I began to notice that avocados were a staple in Texas homes and I myself began to love them.  In this chili recipe, I garnished my chili with a couple slices of fresh avocado instead of using sour cream.  The creamy texture and flavor of the avocado brought this dish to a whole new level.  But if you don't like avocados please feel free to use fat-free or light sour cream.  Considering how low in calories and fat this recipe is, the sour cream won't hurt a bit. You won't even believe this recipe is healthy! :-)

'I fooled you' Spicy Chili

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds White Ground Turkey
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Red Bell Pepper (chopped)
1 large Onion (chopped)
4 cloves Garlic (finely minced)

1 teaspoon Crushed Pepper Flakes (optional, I like it quite spicy)
6 tablespoons Chili Powder
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
4 teaspoons Sea Salt (low iodine salt is fine)
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

2 (28 oz) cans Diced Tomatoes (no salt or organic)
2 cups Chicken Broth (low sodium or organic)
2 (14 oz) cans Cannellini Beans (drained and rinsed)
2 (14 oz) can Light Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed)

Directions

In a large pot on medium heat, add your 2 tablespoons Olive Oil then add the ground turkey.  Chop the turkey up well during cooking.  About half way through, add 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, chopped Red Bell Peppers, chopped Onion, and minced Garlic.  Continue to mix until the turkey is done and the vegetables have softened, which is about 6 minutes or so. 

Add all your spices and dried herbs to the pot mixture, stirring well. Turn the heat up to medium-high and continue to stir the mixture for about 2-3 minutes.  Your kitchen will smell wonderful!

Add the Diced Tomatoes, Chicken Broth, Cannellini and Light Kidney beans to the pot.  Stir until well combined.  Let the pot come to a very light boil for about 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  I like to keep a lid on the pot but I don't completely cover it.  This will help prevent any additional mess on your stove or counter tops.

Garnish ideas are fresh avocado, fat-free or light sour cream, reduced fat cheese shredded cheese, and fresh chopped chives.  If you love a loaded chili, you can top it off with everything! Feeling like you need a little more on a well deserved cheat day?  Tortilla chips would make an excellent choice topper. :-) 

Please enjoy!

'Kickin' It In The Sticks' for PINK!

I live in a small country town. Amish horse buggies roam the streets, the local Dairy Queen has the best burgers, 'Trading Days' still exist, and a new stop light is usually front page in the local paper.  To many it may seem about as country as it can get, but I love this area and it's amazing how our town and communities come together in time of need.
On September 19, Mandolin Farms, family and friends came together to help one of our own, Kathy Stacy.  Kathy has been battling breast cancer and our community along with her family and friends wanted to help and support her as much as possible. The fundraising event was called 'Kickin' It In The Sticks'. I've not seen a local fundraiser to be so amazing in my life as I did this one! There were games for kids, silent auction, quarter auction, pig roast, dunking booth, corn hole tournaments, a variety of vendors, cruise in, and even a live band during the late evening.  It was amazing to see how much was involved and great to see how much people really cared.
I had made quite a few desserts to set up that day.  I made pumpkin bread, banana bread, zucchini bread, bread pudding with sauce, carrot cake cupcakes, and white chocolate pretzels. My daughter even helped me with the pretzels and we stayed up until about midnight the night before decorating the sweet treats to sale.
I set my table up next to Whispering Breeze Farm, located in Mayslick Kentucky.  I've been long time friends with Chris and Mary Breeze so it was good to sit down and chat with them for a day. All their products are home made and trust me, all of it is very delicious! My favorite is the Fire Roasted Salsa. Please check out their page on Facebook, Whispering Breeze Farm.
I've attached a few photos of my booth along with photos of Whispering Breeze Farm. I wanted to decorate the sweet treats pink in honor of Kathy and her fight and hope this will give other bakers ideas of what they can do as well. 
Breast cancer affects about 1 in every 8 women. Each of us have known or knows someone close to us who has faced the battle.  Breast cancer is a disease that is too close to my family.  I have survivors and I have loved ones who I will always cherish wonderful memories of.
Kathy, all I can say is that you rock! You looked awesome at 'Kickin' At The Sticks', the community was screaming PINK, and I wish you well! You can do it and my prayers go out to you!

Lasagna with half the guilt!

Hello food lovers!

I'm glad to finally be back home in Kentucky! After about a month of getting things organized, I feel like I'm getting settled back in comfortably and getting back into my groove. :-)

I have a super delicious recipe I want to share that I seem to make quite often now days.  It's my spin on a lasagna recipe that is super delicious and with half the guilt! I work in a factory, so I know if the guys loved it then it is pretty darn delicious! The guys couldn't believe it was healthy lasagna. :-)

'No Guilt Lasagna'

Ingredients

4 slices of Whole Wheat Lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

1 pound white ground turkey
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon dried Italian Seasoning

2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoon fresh Garlic, very finely chopped
1 cup shredded Carrot
2 cups Zucchini, chopped
1 large Portabello Mushroom, chopped OR 1 cup baby Portabello Mushrooms chopped
1 tablespoon dried Italian Seasoning
1 jar of Organic Marinara sauce

24oz container Low-Fat or Fat-Free Cottage Cheese
2 large Eggs
1/2 cup Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese (I use Sargento)

1/2 cup Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese (for topping)

Heat your oven at 350 degrees.
Cook your 4 slices of Whole Wheat Noodles as suggested on box. Boil until al dente or slightly firm then drain and set aside.
In one pan, brown your ground turkey with the 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil. Half way through add 1 tablespoon of the Italian Seasoning and stir until meat is done then set aside.
Heat up your Olive Oil in a large pot. Add the chopped Onion, chopped Garlic, shredded Carrots, chopped Zucchini, chopped Portabello Mushroom and cook until slightly tender. Add your Marinara Sauce and 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning and mix well.
In a small bowl, mix the 2 Eggs, Cottage Cheese, and 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese together.

In a 9x13 deep dish or your preferred lasagna dish lightly spray with an Olive Oil spray then spread a light layer of the Marinara Sauce mixture. 
Lay 2 Lasagna Noodles across the dish.
Spread half the Cottage Cheese mixture.
Spread half the Marinara Sauce mixture.
Lay remaining 2 Lasagna Noodles across the dish, spread the remaining Cottage Cheese mixture, and spread the remaining Marinara Sauce mixture. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes.  Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of Mozzarella Cheese over the Lasagna then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

If you don't want the Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles, you can easily substitute with layers of sliced Zucchini or Eggplant. 

Enjoy!

Echo Valley Winery, Kentucky

     Right on the outskirt of my home town in Flemingsburg Kentucky, lies a beautiful grape vineyard owned and operated by the Watson family, Echo Valley Vineyard.  After many years of running the vineyard, they were finally able to open up a restaurant and winery right on the property. I've known the Watson family for several years and this has been a dream in the making for them.
     They have a nice menu and there is an option for anyone of all ages.  The atmosphere is wonderful and don't be surprised if a member of the Watson family comes to your table and greets you with a smile. You'll feel like you've known them all your life before you leave. They have a nice bar if you don't feel like grabbing a table. They have wine tasting available and now have a reception room for personal parties and gatherings.
     I always try to eat there when I come home to visit. There's no better way to enjoy time with my family and friends and with delicious food! In my photos are the delicious sirloin, pork loin, burgers, beef vegetable soup, taco salad, and the fabulous peach cobbler. All cooked to your liking and made to perfection. The chef is top notch and he will even come out to meet you. :-) The views from the restaurant are beautiful!! 
     For more information on Echo Valley Winery, you can check them out on Facebook, Echo Valley Vineyard or www.echovalleywinery.com.  It is worth a visit to the country!  :-)