Chicken and Rice Soup

This is a copycat recipe from the Demo's Restaurant. It's so delicious and tastes just like the restaurant. It calls for 2 cups of shredded chicken, so rotisserie or grilled chicken will work fine.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
24 oz chicken broth
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian salad dressing mix
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups long-grain rice, cooked

Directions
1. In a large stew pot, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Mix flour with the melted butter and stir until smooth.
3. Slowly add chicken broth stirring continuously until not lumps remain.
4. Add shredded chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian salad dressing mix.
5. Bring mixture to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes.
7. Add milk, lemon juice, white wine, and parsley.
8. Reduce heat to low.
9. Add cooked rice and cover.
10. Cook until rice is heated.

Enjoy!

Grape Salad

I tried this recipe recently at a bridal shower and it has quickly become one of my favorite recipes. How did I survive all this time without it?

4 lbs red (or green) seedless grapes
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Start by washing the grapes and picking them off the stems.
2. Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar until well incorporated.
3. Mix sweet mixture together with the grapes and stir until blended.
4. Sprinkle pecans and brown sugar just before serving.

The grapes can be chopped in half if desired. Store leftovers (if there are any) in the refrigerator.

Homemade laundry detergent

So I heard about people making their own laundry detergent and it working better than store bought. Plus knowing that $30 worth of products should last an entire year was definitely enticing. I was able to find everything at my local grocery store. The laundry soap bar might be hard to find in some areas. Amazon sells all these products.

1 (4 lb 12 oz) box of Borax
1 (3 lb 7 oz) box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 (3 lb) container of OxyClean
3 (5 1/2 oz) bars of Fels-Naptha soap or 2 (14.1 oz) bars of Zote soap
1 (4 lb) box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
1-2 (55 oz) bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener - optional

1. The first step is to finely grate the bars of Fels-Naptha. It's a little time consuming but this is the worse step. Etsy sells some already grated.
2. Find a container big enough to hold all the ingredients and mix everything together. It is a years worth of laundry detergent after all.
3. Measure 1-2 tablespoons per load. This is good for high efficiency machines as well. I use the scooper that came with the OxyClean.

I made a lavender scented and unscented batch and put in mason jars to give out as Christmas gifts.

Mahi mahi with blueberry mango salsa

Ingredients
2 fillets mahi mahi
1 ripe mango
1/2 cup blueberries
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 teaspoon cilantro
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

1. First, salt and pepper both sides of the fillet and cook in a skillet coated with olive oil for 3-4 minutes on each side.

2. While the fish is cooking, prepare the salsa. The salsa can also be prepared ahead of time. Combined chopped mango, blueberries, onion, and cilantro.

3. Once the mahi mahi has finished cooking, it will be white in color. Bring to plate and garnish with the salsa.

This low calorie salsa can be served with a variety of fish, so experiment with your favorite kind or whatever happens to be on sale this week. I've also added a chopped kiwi and 3 tablespoons chopped tomatoes and these make wonderful additions as well.

Cheesy Stuffed Squash Boats

My son begged me for squash at the grocery store this week. I explained it was not a banana, but he insisted I buy it, so then I had to figure out how to cook it so he would eat it. He absolutely loves anything with cheese.

4 squash
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup grated reggiano
1/4 cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

Preheat oven at 425.

Cut each of the squash in half length wise and scoop out the inside leaving a shell approximately 1/4 inch. Chop the insides coarsely and place in a small bowl.

Combine all the ingredients setting aside a small amount of cheese for a nice cheesy topping.

Place the mixture into your squash boats and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes and enjoy.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

I started out coating 2 boneless chicken breasts with the following taco seasoning recipe. I then placed in a refrigerated container and covered with 10 oz light beer. Refrigerate overnight and place in Crock Pot in the morning. Save the remaining 2 oz of beer for later though. If there's no time to marinade, don't worry about it. Just coat the chicken before placing in the crock pot.

Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all the ingredients.

Chicken Taco Chili
16 oz black beans, drained
16 oz kidney beans, drained
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
1 jaleneno, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
14 oz can diced tomatoes
4 oz can green chiles
2 boneless chicken breasts covered with taco seasoning, discard liquid
2 oz remaining beer
1/2 cup water

Combine all the ingredients and place in a crock pot. Add extra spices if desired, but the majority of my spices stayed on the chicken after marinating.

Cook on low for 7 hours.

Stir before serving. The chicken should be juicy, tender, and fall apart.

Serve with cheese, avocados, tortilla chips, cilantro, or your favorite toppings!

Italian Salad Dressing

I decided to make home made salad dressing. I am not sure if I did it because I thought it would be cheaper or healthier- both are yet to be determined. I eat a salad everyday for lunch so it is definitely consumed.

6 tablespoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons garlic salt
3 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons dried parsley
3 tablespoons lemon pepper
3 tablespoons dried red and green bell pepper mix
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon celery salt

1. If you have trouble finding dried red and green bell pepper mix like I did, follow these simple steps. Dice fresh red and green peppers and place on parchment paper in a 200 degree oven with the door open. In about an hour, the pepper should be dry. Place in food processor to grind into flakes.

2. Place any of the larger spices into a food processor and blend to achieve a finer mix.

3. Mix all the ingredient and store in a tightly sealed container.

4. To prepare dressing, whisk 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons water, 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix.