Chicken Corn Soup

Well, Buttercream is simmering away on the stove and I couldn't be happier. If I could share the way the house smells, I would! It isn't the coldest of nights, but this soup has been calling my name ever since I read it's recipe on Monday.

A high school friend recently started a new blog about their move from all things Southern to the cold North! She makes some yummy looking things and BAKES the most incredible breads, pies and cookies, all the while staying connected to home with her recipes.

Here's her blog...check it out!

Belle of the Kitchen

I knew I had to try this soup when I read the recipe. It seemed so quick and easy and has all the tastes that The Dish Washer and I love. I'm just sorry he isn't here to try it. I've helped myself to a sample bowl tonight and MAN it is good! I'm having company tomorrow night for dinner and wanted to have it ready so that all I have to do is come home and warm it up! I even bought some crusty bread at her suggestion.

Chicken Corn Soup

Click on the link for her recipe and pictures!! Mmmmmmmmmmmm!

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In other news, we have been busy! I recently started off the soup season with Pork Green Chili. Last weekend we tailgated and had grilled chicken thighs using the Cha Cha Cha marinade, I doubled us a recipe of Spinach Dip because we were putting it away quick and I made cake balls that (hopefully) looked like pumpkins.

I used carrot cake, cream cheese frosting and colored the vanilla almond bark orange and green. I even took some to My Buddy when I met the whole gang for a train ride to the pumpkin patch.

Luncheon Chicken Salad

(The bread isn't burned, it just looks that way because I am a bad picture taker!)

Whew!! We've been busy since my last post and I can't believe it is already October!! Lots and lots has happened and lots and lots of cooking has been going on!

Let's first start with the most important news of all...Skittle has arrived!! My Buddy is the most excited big brother you have ever seen in your life and Skittle is such a sweet baby. I am dying to see him again! While I was home, I made Sister and her bunch their first dinner as a family of four. It included: Roast, mashed potatoes, corn salad and fried squash. My Buddy helped me make some box brownies (The Chicken Farmer's favorite) and we served that with ice cream.

Then the next weekend, we had some more spend the night company at our house. We love having them come because we love having company. Being the ones who live "away," we don't get many visitors too often so when we do it is so exciting. In honor of The Dish Washer's birthday, we had meatballs (that I made from scratch instead of using frozen for this recipe this time), Lady's green beans, squash casserole and Not Yo' Mama's banana pudding. He loves some banana pudding and it is exactly what I made last year, but I think what he loved most about his birthday this year was finding out that The Bun in the Oven is a mini Dish Washer! We get to eat BLUE birthday cake icing for the rest of our lives and are so excited!

Oh, and we have tiles falling out of our shower. The Dish Washer's dad is helping to fix that, so I am in the process of making them lunch for tomorrow since I will be at work. It will be a trio of salads...creamy dill slaw, sweet potato salad and this new recipe for chicken salad. I've never been good at making chicken salad, but The Dish Washer requested specifically chicken salad with grapes so I am giving it a try.

UPDATED**** If you like grapes in your chicken salad, this is SOOO YUMMY!! I didn't add the honey because I thought the grapes would be plenty of sweetness for us. This is definitely a keeper for me!

Luncheon Chicken Salad

2 c. cooked chicken, diced and cooled
1/3 - 1/2 c. mayo
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 c. green seedless grapes, sliced
3 green onions, chopped (including green tops)
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey, or to taste

Combine all ingredients. Add more mayo as needed. Allow to chill at least 8 hours before serving.

Spinach Dip (Cold)

Today I was supposed to finally meet The Former Roomy's precious baby girl, but woke up feeling like I might be getting a cold. This is the second time I should have been around this baby but started feeling like something might be coming. Better safe than sorry this sick season, so I decided to postpone the meeting yet again. Bummer!

Yesterday was our first tailgate of the season and it was so much fun! The weather forecast threatened rain, but it held off and was a nice, cloudy, breezy Saturday gameday. We certainly ate well too. Here's what we had:

Garlic Dijon Marinated Pork Chops
Pioneer Baked Beans
Corn Salad
Spinach Dip

You'll remember that I shared a recipe for Spinach Dip that was warm and so good! Well, this is my absolute favorite recipe for a cold Spinach Dip. I just use the Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix recipe without the water chestnuts. I leave those out because I just personally don't care for them. Of course, it is long gone to be able to take a picture but you can click on the Knorr link and see their picture. Mine was in a bowl of plastic instead of bread, although we had to smell fresh baked bread all night and that would have been good to have! :)

Country Style Chicken Cutlets

First, take a minute to look at the best gift My Buddy made for me. It stays in the kitchen all the time and I think of him every time I look at it. He helped me marinate some corn one time a LONG time ago, but I found the picture of him helping so I will post that recipe soon.

These chicken breasts are very easy to make and very good.

Country Style Chicken Cutlets

1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
3/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
6 chicken breasts (obviously, you see I used more but the breading last the whole way)
1 egg
1 tsp. water
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, combine soup mix, bread crumbs and cheese. Dip chicken in egg beaten with water, then bread crumb mixture to evenly coat. Arrange chicken on sprayed baking sheet and drizzle with butter. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning once.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

This could be considered somewhat of a cold version of the Roasted New Potato Salad that I have made. In our office building, there is a deli that at least one person in our office relies on for breakfast or lunch. He has the best breakfast sandwich (that The Bun and I are certainly enjoying regularly), very good Chicken Pot Pie that I have to get every time, and he also has a cold potato salad with bacon and ranch flavor. I've had the same salad at a restaurant before, and I believe it can be purchased at Sam's. I finally saw a similar recipe in Paula's magazine and changed up a few things to make her version more like the deli's. This was what I made to go with the Sloppy Joes.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

1 bag new potatoes, unpeeled and sliced (so still in circles)
1 pound bacon, fried and crumbled
1-1/3 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 (1 oz.) pkg. ranch dressing mix

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and allow to cool. Place in mixing bowl and add bacon. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix in with potatoes. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Sloppy Joes

We have had such a baby boom in our church! In one week, I made three meals for three separate families. It was so much fun. One of the things I decided to make was this recipe for Sloppy Joes. It is the easiest recipe to be able to make something from "scratch." Manwich is pretty good, but I prefer this recipe. Very quick fix!

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. mustard
3/4 c. ketchup
2 Tbsp. flour


Brown ground beef and drain fat. Add other ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle with brown sugar and flour over top and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Other things I made for those new babies and their families were Sweet and Sour Chicken over Rice(instead of Pork), Squash Casserole, Oriental Slaw and a yummy new potato salad that you need to look for in the next post.

Sour Cream Pork Chops

This picture is terrible and doesn't do the chop justice. I love my plates (Vintage Port by Casafina) but I have decided their color isn't the best for taking pictures of foods that are of the same color! I had made these pork chops one time before but it was so long ago that I couldn't remember if I liked them or not. I thought they were okay, but the boys (The Dish Washer and The Best Friend Cousin) said they loved them. Maybe they had one that was seasoned a little more than mine. Since The Dish Washer liked them so much, I guess I should make them again. The one thing for sure about them, they were very tender. I wish the "sauce" was a little thicker too. It will give me something to play around with next time. I can't even remember where this recipe came from. I have it written on a card, but it doesn't say who it is from.

Sour Cream Pork Chops

4 Pork Chops
salt and pepper
flour
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. sour cream
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp. vinegar

Season pork chops with salt and pepper; dredge in flour. Brown in butter. Place pork chops in a baking dish. In same pan where pork chops were browned; add sugar, water, sour cream, bay leaf and vinegar. Bring to boil, pour over chops. Tightly cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours.