Easy Biscuits From Scratch

 

You Will Need: 

• 1 cup all purpose flour sifted (I use unbleached)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 Tablespoons salted butter
• 1/2 cup milk (you may not need all of the milk it depends on the humidity in the air, you'll add it into dry ingredients a little at a time)  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together, grate the butter in and mix together with back of a spoon, then use fingers to mix it in better. Add milk a little at a time by the tablespoon. You want a smooth dough that you can roll out. If you find that the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Once the dough can be made into a soft ball that's not sticky, roll it out about 1/2 inch thick onto a floured surface, (I used a chopping block to roll mine out). Cut with a biscuit cutter or glass turned upside down. Place biscuits on a baking sheet 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Makes 5 Biscuits 

Enjoy! 

Cream of Chicken Soup & Chicken Broth (For Recipes)

 

CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP 

You Will Need:

• 4 Tablespoons of butter
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons flour (I use unbleached all purpose)
• 2 cups chicken broth (made from boiling chicken thighs or whole chicken *Recipe is below)
• 1 cup milk (whole milk will make this richer, but 2% milk can be used)
• 1 stalk celery that's been chopped and sauteed in butter, (I use sauteed celery, but 1/4 tsp. celery powder can be substituted) 
• small amount of chopped yellow onion, sauteed in butter, about equal to the amount of celery used, (I use sauteed onion,  but 1/4 tsp. onion powder can be substituted)
• 1/3 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• sprinkle black pepper (optional)

In a small pot warm milk to room temperature set aside. In a large pot melt butter over medium heat, cook about 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour and whisk continuously for 3-5 minutes, mixture will look dry. Remove from the heat,  add half of the chicken broth, whisk well, add the other half and whisk well, add milk, seasoning, and cooked onion and celery, mix well. Return to heat medium-high, continue whisking so that it is smooth, and until it gets thick. Remove from heat once it thickens. It will thicken more after removed from heat. 

Note: this recipe will require constantly stirring with whisk. 

This makes 2, 10.5oz cans of soup that you can use in recipes. This can be refrigerated up to a week and frozen up to 4 months. Recipe can be doubled or tripled for freezing and prepping for future recipes.

Enjoy!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN BROTH RECIPE

(Sorry, I forgot to get a photo of the broth and it's frozen now) 

You Will Need:

• 4 chicken thighs or a whole chicken
• water to cover chicken 
• heaping teaspoon of sea salt 
• sprinkle of poultry seasoning (I just sprinkle a little bit in)
• sprinkled desired amount of black pepper (optional)
• celery, carrots, onions, (optional)

Place ingredients in a large Dutch oven pot or a stock pot, bring to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to a simmer low boil, cover with a lid tilted, and cook for 45minutes to an hour. I cook a whole chicken for an hour, chicken pieces will take a little less time. I check to make sure it's done by poking it with a fork, to make sure no blood comes from the chicken. When done, carefully remove chicken from pot, place on a plate, set aside, to cool, then debone for a recipe. Broth is ready to use in recipes calling for chicken broth. To freeze, let the broth cool, then pour into freezer containers to freeze. Leave about a  1/2 inch space between the freezer container and lid, for expansion of liquid, as it becomes frozen.  A fat separating measuring cup can be used to separate the fat from the broth, if desired. 

Note: I've used both homemade chicken broth and homemade cream of chicken soup in my recipes to  reduce the amount of preservatives in our diet. It tastes better to us than store bought. It does take some planning ahead for meals, like making sure broth and cream of chicken soup is in the freezer, but it is so worth it, because at least I know what went into it. 

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Carrot Muffins

 

You Will Need:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/8 cup melted coconut oil (slightly cooled)
• 2 Tablespoon melted salted butter (slightly cooled)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats 
• 2 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon or 1 1/2 tsp. regular cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• about 1/2 cup  or more of desired add-ins, like raisins, dates, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, cashews, walnuts, or other nuts, and chocolate chips.  Note: I  divide our muffin mixture evenly into two separate bowls, before adding the add-ins, so that I can make half of the muffins with just a chopped date and the other half with the add-ins that my husband likes. He likes to add trail mix with dried fruits, nuts, and coconut, and a few chocolate chips, and a few walnuts. 

Preheat oven to 350, grease muffin pans with butter

Note: Recipe makes 12-14 muffins depending on the amount of add-ins you add. 

In a large bowl mix milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract and melted coconut oil and butter until combined. Stir in dry ingredients, fold in carrots and other add-in ingredients. Spoon into buttered muffin pans, filling each muffin tin to almost full. Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown. Take out of the oven, carefully take a knife and cut around the edge of each muffin, and then let them cool in pan for a couple of minutes, then carefully twist the muffins to loosen them out of the pan, lift out with a fork. Let cool completely on baking racks. Store underneath a glass dome cake plate or in airtight container. Best if eaten within 3 days, can be reheated in the oven, if desired. (We like to reheat them on the 3rd day, for improved texture and flavor, in 350 degree oven for 8 minutes). 

Note: 

For an extra treat, you can add a glaze to the top of these after they are cool. For the glaze you don't even have to measure, just put some sifted confectioner's sugar in a small bowl, add in a tablespoon of milk, and mix, then add in more milk a little at a time until desired consistency, a few drops of vanilla extract can be added as well.....so easy and tastes yummy! 

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken and Potatoes

 

You Will Need: 

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast or a pound of chicken breast strips
• 6 medium russet potatoes, skins left on, and cut into chunks 
• 6-8 carrots peeled and sliced or use 2 cups of baby carrots
• 1 large can of cream of chicken soup (about 24 oz) or a can and a half if using regular size can
• 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix 
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons of butter
• sprinkle of chives (optional)

Grease slow cooker, place veggies in, then chicken, in a bowl mix other ingredients, (except butter), pour it over chicken, top with slices of butter, and sprinkle of chives.

Cook on low 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours

Enjoy!

4 Ingredient Easy Black Bean Brownies

 

You Will Need: 

• Box of Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix Family Size for 13" x 9" pan size  (NOTE: you will not follow the directions on the brownie mix)
• 1 can black beans (drained) 
• 1 can of water (use the can you took the beans out of)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided in 1/2, use half for the batter mixture and half on top 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch pan. Pour brownie mix into a large bowl, open can of black beans and drain, place black beans in Nutri Bullet blender cup, fill empty black bean can with water, and pour into the Nutri Bullet blender cup with the black beans, blend for about 20 seconds, shake the Nutri-Bullet blending cup, then blend again for an additional 20 seconds or so until it's liquified. Pour into bowl and combine with brownie mix, mix until liquid is absorbed, then stir in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Pour into the pan, top with remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. 

Cook 38-40 minutes or until the sides of brownies start to pull away from the edges. 

Cool, cut into squares and store in the refrigerator. 

Special Note: 

These brownies don't have a typical brownie texture.....think of them as a chocolate decadent dessert instead of a brownie. These have a creamy rich texture with great flavor.... to me they are part pudding cake texture and part chewy fudge brownie. A plus is that they are more filling than a regular brownie, because of the protein in the black beans, and another plus is they have more nutrition because of the black beans too...and I did not taste the black beans in these at all. I will definitely be making these again.

Enjoy!

15 Bean and Ham Soup

 

You will need: 

• 20 oz. Bag of Hurst's HamBeens Brand Cajun 15 Bean Soup Dried Beans with Hurst's Cajun Seasoning Packet Inside (don't use the whole packet, only use a heaping teaspoon of the Cajun Seasoning Packet towards the end of cooking time)  
• Package Farmland Brand Smoked Spiral Ham Slices and Pieces In Natural Juices, Fully Cooked, (I used a 1.25 pound package)
• 1 Can of diced tomatoes (undrained) 
• 1 Yellow onion chopped
• 2 Heaping teaspoons of minced garlic (refrigerated)
• 1/4 cup Chopped green and red bell pepper (I used frozen)
• 1 tsp. Sea salt
• Sprinkle of garlic powder
• Sprinkle of pepper and salt to taste when done
• Splash of apple cider vinegar (splashed in the last 30 minutes of cooking to reduce gas)

Place beans on a dish cloth and inspect them to remove any debris from the beans, (I have on occasion found small pebbles in dried beans before, so I don't skip this step). 

Place beans in a large bowl, cover beans with water, soak overnight or 8 hours

Drain beans in a colander and place them in a large pot or dutch oven pot, cover with fresh water, add package of spiral ham slices and pieces with juices, add a teaspoon of sea salt, undrained can of diced tomatoes, chopped yellow onion, minced garlic, sprinkle of garlic powder and pepper, and the chopped green and red bell peppers. Bring to a boil and then cover pot with lid and reduce heat to medium and cook at a slow boil simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 4-5 hours, adding more water as needed and turning down the heat to low after the beans get tender. About an hour before serving and when the beans are fairly tender, add 1 heaping teaspoon of the Hurst Cajun Seasoning that is included with the beans in a packet, I didn't add all of the packet because I didn't know how it tasted, and I didn't want my beans and ham to be cajun spicy, I just wanted some good flavoring. Note: I used a slightly heaping spoon full of the seasoning measured with a small spoon from my kitchen utensil drawer- instead of an actual measuring spoon, to measure out the seasoning..... that amount of seasoning was perfect, for our taste, very flavorful, it didn't need the entire package. About 30 minutes before serving add a splash of  the apple cider vinegar and more salt to taste and pepper to taste. 

Serve with sweet cornbread, we used Jiffy Brand Honey Cornbread

Servings: 6 Bowls

This makes a delicious pot of soup  that would feed a crowd or allow for a lot of leftovers. I have to say this is on our list of very favorite soups of all time! It does not taste like a cajun soup, I guess because I did not use but a heaping teaspoon of the season packet included with the beans, but it just has great flavor.  

Enjoy!

Tip: I've read recently, that anything in the ingredients that is acidic should be added to dry beans in the last 30 minutes of cooking to cut the acid, make the beans soft faster as they cook and cut gas in the beans. I suppose in this recipe that the beans would be tender quicker, if waiting to add in the undrained canned tomatoes until the last 30 minutes or so of cooking. I added my canned tomatoes at the beginning of cooking and it turned out great, but I may try adding them the last 30 minutes of cooking next time to see if there's a difference and to see if the beans get tender more quickly.  I'll update this post at a later date to tell you if there was a difference. I will say that  adding the splash of apple cider vinegar during the last 30 minutes of cooking did cut the amount of gas in the beans and make a difference in digesting the beans easier. I've also read that not adding the salt until the last part of cooking helps the beans get tender faster as well, but I just wasn't willing to take a chance on the beans  being not salted enough, so I added in some at the start of cooking and then more to taste when tender and ready to serve. 

Quick Sweet Carrots

 

You will need: 

• 1 can carrots (undrained) 
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar (more or less to taste)
• sprinkle of sea salt
• sprinkle of cinnamon

In a small pot, place undrained carrots, brown sugar and sea salt and cinnamon, add more water if needed to just cover the carrots, bring to a boil, then simmer on low for about 30 minutes or until ready to serve. 

Enjoy!

Chicken Broccoli and Cheese Quesadilla

 

You Will Need: 

• 1 chicken breast, cooked, deboned and chopped into small pieces,  (I used some rotisserie chicken that I picked up at the grocery store already cooked, but you can bake the chicken or use leftover cooked chicken you have on hand already) 
• 1 Crown of fresh broccoli, steamed until fork tender (to steam, cut off the tops from stems and place in a medium pot with about 3/4 cup of water, cover pot with lid and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and steam for about 5 minutes, drain and let cool slightly, until it is safe to handle, then chop into small pieces).
• Package flour tortilla shells
• Bag grated cheddar cheese

For  Salsa Chili Dipping Sauce, You Will Need:

• 3 Tbsp. sour cream (plus more for to top quesadilla, if desired)
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder (or less, to taste)
• salt, pepper, garlic powder sprinkled to taste

Mix ahead of time and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve

Other Toppings You Will Need:

• A soft ripe avocado (mash the avocado to make guacamole dip, cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, scoop out the flesh into a bowl, mash the flesh with the back of a fork and mix until semi- smooth, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste). Make the dip just before serving. 
• Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• honey mustard (optional dipping choice)   

 In a medium bowl, mix the cut up chicken with the chopped steamed broccoli, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, set aside. Turn stovetop heat to medium high, place tortilla in skillet, 

 Sprinkle cheese on one half of the tortilla, then add the chicken broccoli mixture over the cheese, then top again with cheese

Fold the flour tortilla in half and turn down heat to medium 

Cook until golden brown turning with a spatula as needed, to desired crispness

 Serve with dipping sauce, guacamole, sour cream or even honey mustard. My husband liked dipping his quesadilla in a mix of salsa chili dipping sauce, guacamole and sour cream.  I thought the guacamole tasted the best with it along with sour cream, but I did like the salsa chili sauce too. I thought the honey mustard was good with it also though for a different taste. These are also good with no dipping sauce.  

After making the first quesadilla, I decided to make it a little different to speed up the cooking process, so I'm sharing this way of doing it as well, you will need a large spatula for flipping it.... 

Place one tortilla in skillet, sprinkle cheese on the whole tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Next, add the chicken broccoli to the whole tortilla, then top with cheese, next place another tortilla on top 

Tip: You want there to be an even amount of cheese on the tortilla and enough cheese along the edges of the tortilla to hold it together, but not so much cheese that it oozes out as it cooks and comes out of the sides of the tortilla and burns on the pan. 

Tip: You are layering in this order; the tortilla, the cheese, the chicken broccoli mixture, the cheese, then lastly another tortilla.

Cook until bottom is golden brown and slightly crispy. With a large spatula flip the tortilla and cook the other side until golden brown, remove from skillet and place on a large plate....

Let cool on a plate for about a minute or two, then use a pizza cutter to cut the quesadilla into slices. 
 

Recipe makes about 4- 6 whole quesadillas, (depending on how thick you make them).

It makes 4-6 servings

Enjoy! 

Crockpot Boneless Turkey Breast

 

You Will Need:

• 3 lb. Butterball Boneless Turkey Breast (Savory Herb or Regular)
• Salt, Pepper, Poultry Season

Thaw turkey breast in refrigerator for 2 days before ready to cook. Remove netting from turkey breast, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a little poultry seasoning,  place turkey breast in a lightly greased crockpot slow cooker. Put slow cooker on high for 10 minutes then reduce heat to low. Cook for 4 1/2- 5 hours, until meat thermometer reaches 170 degrees. Remove from slow cooker and place on platter. Let stand on platter for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Turkey will be moist and delicious! 

Enjoy! 

SOS

 

You Will Need:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 small yellow onion chopped up
• 1 small can (8.5 oz).  LeSueur sweet peas drained and set aside (don't go cheap on the peas, buy this name brand)
• 2 heaping tablespoons flour 
• 2% or whole milk start with about roughly 2 cups and add more as needed for desired consistency 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• sprinkled garlic powder to taste
• toasted white bread 

Brown ground beef with onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a skillet on medium-high heat. Once browned, drain excess grease, leaving a little grease, return meat to the skillet, stir in flour and mix well, then begin adding in the milk, turn temperature up to medium-high until it gets bubbly, stirring constantly. Add more milk as it thickens and keep stirring. Once it's reached desired consistency add drained peas and turn down heat to medium low, stirring occasionally until peas are heated. At this point you can add water or milk if it begins to get too thick. You want it to be the consistency of a thick white gravy, not soupy. Serve on opened face toasted white bread. Add more salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. 

Enjoy!