Broccoli Cheese Soup with Potatoes

In a large saucepan, combine and heat on medium:
2 c. water
2 tsp. parsley flakes
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. pepper

When boiling, cook (stirring frequently):
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. carrots
1 c. celery
2 c. potatoes
2 c. broccoli or cauliflower

When tender, combine flour and milk mixture (after having whisked it until smooth):
3 c. milk
4 tbsp. flour

Stir in 1 pound Velveeta cheese and enjoy. Absolutely delicious!

Orange-Cashew Chicken & Rice

So fast and tasty. It's worth remembering to buy the cashews next time you're at the store.

Prep/Total time: 30 min

1 cup cooked rice
1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges
1/4 cup chopped cashews (I didn't chop them and it was fine)
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1 Tbsp. canola oil (I skipped this)
1/2 cup chopped bok choy (didn't kow what it was so skipped it)
1/4 cup minced chives (didn't have any so...skipped)

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain the oranges reserving 2 Tbsp. juice. In a small bowl, combine the cashews, broth, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and reserved juice; set aside.

In a large wok or skillet, stir-fry chicken in oil until no longer pink. Add cashew mixture; cook 1 minute longer. (At this point I wanted the sauce a little thicker to pour over rice so I thickened it with corn starch and water.) Add the bok choy, chives and reserved oranges; cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Fluff rice with a fork; serve with chicken mixture.

Sausage Potato Soup

Ingredients
16-24 oz smoked sausage (put in as much or as little as you'd like), cut into 1/2" pieces
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion (I used half an onion)
2 cans cream of potato soup (or 3 if you'd prefer less corn)
2 cans creamed corn (Next time I make this, I think I will do three pototao soups and only one corn because it made for a lot of corn)
1 1/3 cups milk

Directions
* Over medium heat, melt a tiny bit of butter. Add sausage, green pepper, and onion and cook until sausage is brown. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through. Enjoy!As you can see, I'm a fan of easy. Let me know if you like it.

Spiced Wassail

Ingredients
1 can cranberry juice
1 can pineapple juice
1 can apple juice
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 whole cloves
2 sticks cinnamon, broken

Directions
* In large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Discard orange and lemon slices, cloves and cinnamon before serving.Warning: only make this recipe if you are okay with cranberries. It isn't as strong as straight up cranberry juice, but you can definitely taste them.

Chicken Cranberry Braid

I made this braid for dinner tonight. It was quite a hit! It was so easy and really worked up fast.
I was out of Shirley J Honey White Bread Mix so I made this one out of the Shirley J Honey Wheat Bread Mix.

Mix bread according to package directions, use 1/2 batch recipe. Let bread rest for 15-20 minutes after mixing, per instructions on bag.

Mix filling: 1 (12oz.) canned chicken, 1/2 c. chopped celery, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 4 oz. Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 c. almonds, slivered, 1/2 c. mayo, 2 TB Dijon mustard.

Remove bread to floured surface; roll out into approximately 12x18" rectangle. Place dough rectangle on 12x18" sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Make 4" cuts approximately 1" wide along each edge of the rectangle, leaving 4" in center for filling. Place filling in middle of dough rectangle, smooth to fill to the edge of dough cuts. Fold the edges of the dough over to middle of the pan, covering the fillings.

Alternate sides and tuck strips of dough under each other, giving the appearance of a woven top. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes in a warm place. Brush with egg whites and bake in 350 oven for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.















Slice and serve with Shirley J White Cheddar Sauce over the top.

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

Ingredients
Filling
1 package Cream Cheese (8 oz.)
1/4 cup granulated Sugar
1 whole Large Egg, lightly beaten
Batter
1-3/4 cups All-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups granulated Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 cup Canned Pumpkin
1/2 cup Butter, melted
1 whole Large Egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup Water

Preparation Instructions
-Combine cream cheese, sugar, and egg, mixing well until blended; set aside.
-Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
-In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, butter, egg, and water, then add to dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Reserve 2 cups of the pumpkin batter for later use.
-Pour remaining batter into greased and floured loaf pans. Pour equal amounts of cream cheese mixture over each loaf, then top with equal amounts of reserved pumpkin batter. Cut through batters with knife several times for swirl effect.
-Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes, remove from pan.

Notes:
-This bread freezes beautifully. It's easier to cut when frozen or cold.
-You can add nuts or chocolate chips to pumpkin batter if desired. It's extra delicious.
-My cook time ended up being 40-50 min.

Tomato, mozzarella,and fresh basil

I learned about this delightful combination in New York. I have been making different versions of this all summer and I never get tired of it. It tastes so fresh and light. It looks beautiful on a platter too.

Slice homegrown tomatoes.

Slice fresh mozzarella cheese

Top with fresh basil, chopped

Mix olive oil and Shirley J Pizza Pasta seasoning to taste.

Pour oil and seasoning mixture over tomato, mozzarella and serve.

I have also made it with cherry tomatoes and cubed chesse.