Sopa de Fideo

This dinner was super quick to whip up, done in under 30 minutes. The kids all agreed it was delicious! Serves 8

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, quartered
6-7 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp minced garlic
2 TBSPs chicken bouillon
2 TBSPs tomato bouillon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
pinch of cumin
2 cups of water
2 TBSP olive oil
16 ounce package of fideo (or vermicelli)
another 4-5 cups of water
1-2 tsp fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. In a blender place onion, tomatoes, minced garlic, chicken bouillon, tomato bouillon, pepper, cumin, and 2 cups of water. Puree until smooth and set aside
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering add the fideo. If using vermicelli break up the sticks into smaller sections. Stir for 1-2 minutes until fideo/vermicelli is slightly toasted, but not burned.
3. Stir in the pureed mixture into the fideo until the puree thickens and darkens, about 5 minutes.
4. Add remaining 4-5 cups of water and bring soup to a boil. Add in cilantro, cover and reduce to low heat and cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.
5. Serve warm, topped with more fresh cilantro leaves if desired.

THE BEST baked chicken and rice casserole

Ingredients:
2 cups white rice
1 white onion diced
6 TBSP butter, melted
2 TBSP flour
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4-6 chicken thighs
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.
2. In the 9x13 pan stir rice, onion, 3 TBSP melted butter, and flour together until the flour has no more visible white specks. pour in chicken broth, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
3. Place chicken thighs on top of the the rice mixture. Brush remaining melted butter on top and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes until rice and chicken are cooked through and the chicken skin cripss up. Serve hot.

Crock Pot Salmon and Vegetables

Ingredients:
4-6 salmon fillets
1 package frozen vegetables (stir fry, asian, classic)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 TBSP Soy Sauce
2 TBSP Honey
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 tsp sesame seeds, optional

Directions:

1. Dump the frozen vegetables in the slow cooker.
2. Season the salmon with salt and pepper to taste
3. Place the salmon on top of the vegetables.
4. Mix together the soy sauce, honey, and lemon juice. Drizzle it all over the salmon in the crock pot.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
6. Cover and cook on LOW 3+ hours, until the salmon is done to your liking. 
7. Serve over rice, if desired.
8. Drizzle everything with the sauce from the slow cooker.

Instant Pot 15 Bean Ham Soup

Ingredients:
1 TBSP olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 package (20 ounces) Hurst's Beans 15 Bean Soup
8 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups cooked diced ham
15 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Turn Instant Pot to "saute" and add the oil to the pot. Once the oil is hot, add the carrots, celery, and onion and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
2. Open the bean package and discard the ham seasoning. Rinse and sort through the beans. Add them to the Instant Pot along with the chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaf. 
3. Turn the Instant Pot to High Pressure and set the vent to "pressure." Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
4. Once the soup has cooked for 45 minutes, allow the pressure to release naturally - about 20 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and stir in the tomatoes, ham, and lemon juice. Add salt to taste. Stir well and let set for 5 minutes to allow the ham to heat through.
6. Serve hot.

Skillet Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Penne Pasta

Ingredients:
1/4 cup diced green onion
1 lb milk Italian sausage
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
12 oz penne pasta
3 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
3 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, combine the green onion and sausage. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat into small pieces, and cooking until the sausage is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Scrape the mixture to a plate and return the skillet back to the heat.

1. Add the chicken broth and pasta and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking and the pasta clumping together. Stir in the squash and simmer 5-7 minutes longer until the squash and pasta are both tender. As the squash breaks down, it will help bring a creaminess to the sauce and pasta so add more liquid, if necessary, while cooking if the mixture seems dry.

1. Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Add the sausage/green onion mixture back to the skillet and stir in the mozzarella cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.

1. Off the heat, cover the skillet with a lid or foil and let the pasta sit for 5-10 minutes. Give it a good stir and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

*Adapted from Mels Kitchen Cafe

Easy, Fall-Off-The-Bone Oven Baked Ribs

This recipe is for 3 racks of ribs (which feeds a family of 8 for dinner with some leftovers)

Ingredients
3 racks of ribs
salt & pepper
BBQ Sauce


Directions
Heat the oven to 275 degrees. If the ribs still have the thin membrane covering the back of the rack, remove it by using a knife and gently slide it under the membrane and then using your fingers, pull the membrane away from the bones. Cut the three racks of ribs each in half to make six halves. Using two large jellyroll pans (cookie sheets that are 18x12 with 1 inch sides) place three rib racks on each pan. Season both sides of the ribs with salt and generous amount of pepper. Leave the ribs meat-side up and then tightly cover the pans with aluminum foil.

Bake for 4 hours, until the meat easily falls off of the bones.

Remove the ribs from the oven, discard the aluminum foil, generously brush both sides of the ribs with your choice of BBQ sauce. Turn broiler to high and broil the ribs for 3-4 minutes, just until the BBQ sauce begins to caramelize.

Flakey Buttery Biscuits

We can never get enough of these biscuits. We love to top them with a cut up boiled egg and smothered in country gravy. They are also completely divine topped with homemade strawberry jam.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup butter
1 TB honey
2/3 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 230C/450F
2. Place dry ingredients in a food processor and whiz to combine.
3. Add butter and pulse til the butter looks like peas.
4. Dump into a mixing bowl and add the milk and honey and stir until it comes together.
5. Place on a lightly floured surface (I use a silicone mat because it's easy to clean) and knead several times to work the gluten
6. Then pat the dough with your fingers to about ¾ inch high. You can go lower and get more biscuits but they won't be as high.
7. You can cut them with a biscuit cutter, a tin can or a glass but don't use a seesaw approach as that will reduce the rise.
8. If you want soft edges like I do, place them about an inch apart on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
9. I used a knife and cut them square and had no leftovers.
10. You may brush the tops with melted butter or milk before baking but I always brush with butter right after they come out of the oven.
11. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
12. I like to let them rest for about twenty minutes before baking, but, seriously, I'm usually so hungry by this point that I just toss them in the oven once the oven is hot enough.. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until they are done to your liking.