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A Spoooooooky Chicken Noodle Casserole From Scratch. Actually, Only Thing Spooky Is There Is No Canned Soup In The Recipe.

10/30/2017

BOO!

So this is on my way home from Iowa City.

I see it from Hwy 1 and it just tickles me to no end.

Know what else tickles me?
This picture of our neighbor's newly married children setting up home on their property a couple months ago.

And I will tell you this comforting
Chicken Noodle Casserole recipe tickles me too, cause it is from scratch and includes no cans of soup!

I did make
one change,
I used potato chips instead of panko for the topping.

Potato chip topping is reminiscent of my childhood.
Plus, mmmmmm,
potato chips.

Here's the fine fixins for this Chicken Noodle Casserole (From Scratch) recipe.

This recipe is from
Spend with Pennies website.
Click HERE to go directly to her site where you can print off the recipe with full directions! Be sure to check out her other recipes, too!

Chicken Noodle Casserole from scratch
Straight outta www.spendwithpennies.com
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion , diced
1 1/2 cups each sliced celery & carrots
6 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon thyme
pepper to taste
3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (ready to serve)
1 cup milk
4 oz cream cheese (block, not spreadable)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 package medium egg noodles (15oz)
4 cups cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/4 cup finely diced red pepper
TOPPING
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

Quick notes: I subbed edamame for peas cause Tim still needs therapy for being forced to eat peas one time as a kid. (DON'T USE EDAMAME, USE PEAS!!!) Also I try to use Kalona Supernatural (local organic dairy) for the majority of my dairy products.

Okay, so prep all the vegetables and shred the cheese.
I used both white and yellow cheddar.

Saute away!

Add flour, chicken broth and milk.

Let it bubble, add the cheeses and stir...

Combine all ingredients.

Very Important! The recipe doesn't say but trust me, YOU WILL NEED TO ADD SALT AND PEPPER AT THIS POINT!

Topping calls for panko, I went with potato chips from my childhood.

Pour into greased dish.

Spread topping over noodles. I used a full 5 oz. bag.

In oven.

Recipe calls for 30-35 minutes,

I left mine in around 45 minutes.

DONE and YUM!!

This is a nice creamy, tasty
Chicken Noodle Casserole made from scratch!

A nostalgic comfort meal.
The flavors really are spot on!

Creamy!
Just the right amount!

Next day the leftovers were even better!

Again, click HERE for the full recipe from Spend with Pennies!

In closing, I'd like to share all the spooktacular decorating in the house.
And by "all the spooktacular decorating", I mean the tiny amount I put in the entry. Don't be scared :)

Vintage Boy Scouts pinewood derby cars.

Vintage cake and cupcake toppers I picked up from Sister's Garden.
I think those little cars are from Cracker Jacks boxes??

Vintage telephone lineman's test phone.

Old-timey Trick or Treat snack bags,
how cute are these?!!!

I picked up much of my Halloween decorations from Sister's Garden on Hwy 1.
Look at these ultra cute hay bales in their field!

And of course my favorite big goblin and little goblin in all of PumpkinPatchLand.

Okay y'all! Thanks for checking in!!!
Have a fun Halloween whether you dress up and take the kiddies
trick-or-treating or whether you close the shades and hunker down for
a cozy night in!
Stay warm and we'll talk at ya soon!

Better Homes and Garden BHG.com

Lip Smackin' Caramel Apple Bowls...Oh My Gosh, AMAZING!!!!!

10/29/2017

C'mere!!! Shhhhhh....Shhhhhh.....Baked apples are inside here along with brown sugar and caramel sauce.
YES I said caramel sauce! Buttery, delicious caramel sauce, sliced apples tossed in brown sugar and a nice flaky, buttery puff pastry crust!

Apples
Brown sugar
Ooey gooey caramel sauce
Buttery flaky pastry top

This rustic fall dessert reminds me of the song Autumn in New York.
Just push play and Ella Fitzgerald and Louis B Armstrong will transport you to your cozy space that includes a good book, warm cup of spiced tea
and a fuzzy soft throw.

It certainly is Autumn here.

Soon, the days of hanging laundry on the line
will come to a temporary close.

Days are getting shorter.

And work continues to hum along.

At times work comes to a stop for a day,
or a weekend...

Like when there's a birthday party for 6 yr old,
one and only grandchild Little Boy Blue.

Sometimes the beauty of where you live in the fall just overtakes your senses.

...

Okay, let's get back to today's featured recipe, shall we?

Single Serving Caramel Apples is so delicious but really, look at these ingredients,
why WOULDN'T IT BE DELICIOUS??!!

This recipe is from a 2012 Midwest Living fall special publication called
Comfort Food but all the recipes are online too.

Here's the direct link to the recipe so you can
print it off. Just click HERE.

Single Serving Caramel Apples
Straight outta Midwest Living Comfort Food Magazine 2012
Fluffy pastry and tender apples become absolutely irresistible when combined with the caramel and brown sugar in this dessert recipe.ingredients

1 17.3 - ounce package frozen puff pastry sheets (2 sheets), thawed
Butter
4 medium Granny Smith, Jonagold, and/or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, cut up
1/2 cup caramel-flavored ice cream topping
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Whipped cream

directions

Unfold pastry sheets onto a lightly floured surface. Arrange eight* 4- to 5-inch individual quiche dishes, pie plates, or individual shallow casserole dishes atop pastry sheets, top sides down. (If the pastry sheets are not large enough for all the dishes to fit, roll out the pastry sheets until they are large enough.)
Using a small knife, cut out pastry around the dishes. Discard excess pastry. Set pastry aside. Butter insides of dishes; set aside.
In a large bowl toss together apple slices and brown sugar. Arrange apple slices in buttered dishes. Dot with the 3 tablespoons butter. Drizzle apples with ice cream topping.
Place a cut out pastry piece atop each dish. Press pastry against the top insides of the dishes. Brush pastry with egg yolk; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place dishes on a very large baking sheet.
Bake in a 400 degree F oven about 20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and apples are just tender. Cool slightly. Serve warm with whipped cream. Makes 8 servings.

tip

* If you do not have eight of the same kind of dish, use a combination of dishes.

make ahead tip

To make ahead, prepare as above through step 4. Cover each dish with plastic wrap. Chill up to 6 hours. To serve, uncover dishes; bake as directed above.

Now I used four different apples.
Cause I'm a REBEL!

No I'm not, it's just what I had on hand.

And this is the caramel sauce
I used.

Let's begin by thinly slicing the apples and
coating the apple slices with brown sugar in a bowl.

Butter up the ramekins. I thought I would have enough for a small pie pan too but I did not. Instead I just added two more ramekins for a total of 6. My ramekins are deeper. Shallow ones would be ideal.

Arrange the sliced apples and butter dots in the ramekins and drizzle that luscious caramel topping goodness in.
Don't be stingy with that drizzling!!

Struggle to cut out the puff pastry tops.

I need therapy with anything to do with baking.

Now take the puff pastry cutout and press it against the INSIDE of the BUTTERED ramekin/oven proof dishes.
Note: I absolutely hate anything to do with baking (I am HORRIBLE at it) so I did the best I could here, I mean, it really was a struggle for an idiot baker like me
to put these puff pastry tops on.

Yeah, tell me these puppies don't look pretty darn impressive!!! Yee Haw!!!

Brush these tops with an egg yolk and sprinkle with sugar.

Throw these in the oven.

The recipe says 20 minutes.
My ramekins are more deep so they needed 35-40 minutes.
By the way, the thing in the bottom of my oven is a pizza stone that stays there all the time.

Oh hello deliciousness!

Top with homemade whipped topping.

I interrupt this very important blog with a quick tutorial on how to make delicious, easy peasy whipped cream.

Homemade Whipped Cream:
In a chilled bowl (very important, a CHILLED bowl, meaning chill that sucker in the freezer), combine 1 cup whipping cream, 2 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Or continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Madge, I'll take one of those WITH
whipped cream please! And a refill on the coffee please.

Thanks, Madge! You're the best!

Seriously, this is like a caramel apple in a bowl.
The caramel sauce, butter, the apples, brown sugar,
the quality puff pastry all come together
to make a wonderful fall dessert that won't disappoint.

Oh, did I say dessert?
Cause I ate a leftover one for breakfast.
It was my fruit serving for the day.
Best fruit serving I've had all season.

Okay, that's all I got for this overcast, frosty Sunday morning, y'all!

Next recipe Ima post will either be easy peasy crispy french fries that will blow your mind how effortless they are or a chicken noodle casserole that does not use
canned soup.

OH CALM DOWN, NELLIE!!
It may be some tangy chicken wings, too. Who knows.

Thanks for checking in, y'all!
I appreciate it!
Stay warm and we'll talk at ya soon!!

A Kansas City Steak Soup that Hearkens You Back to Childhood

10/27/2017

HELLOOOOOOOOOOO
EVERYBODY!!!!!!

Kansas City Steak Soup!

And by "steak", I mean hamburger!!!!!!!
Mmmmmmm....

Even better, AmIRight??!!!

It's been nine months since I last shared
a recipe with y'all!
I missed you!!

I gotta tell ya, though, when I made this recipe,
I just knew,
this MUST be shared...
All over the world!!!
Or at least on this
here blog wit' mah friends, ha!

Okay, so here's the recipe:
I found this in the Midwest Living Comfort Food Magazine back in 2012.
I paid $7.95 for the magazine at Hartig Drug and kept it,
it's chock full of really good recipes.
Bonus: All those recipes can be found online!

Direct link to this recipe is here: Midwest Living's Kansas City Steak Soup

Kansas City Steak Soup
Straight outta the 2012 Midwest Living Comfort Food magazine

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (sirloin)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)
2 14 - ounce can lower-sodium beef broth or 3-1/2 cups beef stock
1 28 - ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 10 - ounce package frozen mixed vegetables
2 tablespoons steak sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef, onion and celery over medium heat until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain well; return to Dutch oven.
Stir in 1 can of the beef broth, undrained tomatoes, mixed vegetables, steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together remaining can of beef broth and the flour. Stir into mixture in Dutch oven. Cook until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Makes 6 main-dish servings.

Okay, so here's the lineup for these fine fixins of this
old-school lumberjack soup aka Kansas City Steak Soup!

Dude, seriously, look! This recipe is so easy!!!!!
Anyone can make it!! Promise!!

We start by cooking the beef, onions and celery...
cook this on high heat,
don't turn the mixture over too often,
let that beef sear on the bottom and sides of the pan.

d

Stir in the beef broth, the tomatoes, sauces
and mixed vegetables...

Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.
*Angie's note: I simmered for 40 minutes, cause I'm a rebel.
No I'm not, I just forgot how long it was on the stove. SHUT UP!

Next step is to whisk that flour into the beef broth.

And then mix that floured broth into the soup and let it simmer for 10-20 minutes and let it thicken a bit.

Okay, let me tell you what I love about this soup:
1. Tim says this is a lumberjack soup. He ate two and a half bowls. He said he even liked the peas in it.
2. I say the flavor reminds me of soup from when I was a kid, a soup that had hamburger in it and a tomato base.
3. This is a hearty, Iowa Fall soup.
4. The frozen mixed vegetables add a nice element.
5. The steak sauce and Worcestershire sauce bring on a nice tangy zing.

I hope you like this soup and and want to make it sometime this fall!!
Just make sure have a nice loaf of crusty bread to eat with it! YUM!

Okay, so in closing, I want to share some images of life just this afternoon, early evening, of the field next us...

Thanks for checking in me with me, friends!!
I have a more recipes to share in the coming days!

Let me know if you make this awesome Kansas City Steak Soup and what you think about it!

Oh! One other thing!!
Just wanted you to know nuthins' changed...

Exhibit #1:

Exhibit #2:

Yeahhhhh, I still hate doing dishes...cleaning...you know,
all that boring crap, right!

Yup, life moves on.
:)

Okay, y'all! Thanks for checking in and I will be posting again soon,
possibly tomorrow with an apple caramel something thing that just looks too good
to pass up making!

Take care and stay warm!!!

A Spoooooooky Chicken Noodle Casserole From Scratch. Actually, Only Thing Spooky Is There Is No Canned Soup In The Recipe.

Lip Smackin' Caramel Apple Bowls...Oh My Gosh, AMAZING!!!!!

A Kansas City Steak Soup that Hearkens You Back to Childhood

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