the best sweet potato fries ever, i promise~

Have you been to Outback and had their sweet potato fries?  They are a.m.a.z.i.n.g.  I'm not sure how much of our Christmas gift card I've used going there to have some.  They are the perfect mixture of sweet and salty.  I finally decided I needed to figure out how to make them since my gift card isn't going to last forever. Plus, I figured they were probably not the healthiest thing ever since they are super sticky.  But have I said they're good?  Oh yes, they are divine.

Now, I've bought a couple of those bags they sell at the store, but they are terrible.  I may try them again in the future and prepare them the following way just for the convenience of having them pre-sliced, but baked straight out of the bag leaves much to be desired.  So, courtesy of pinterest and a little doctoring-up, I present to you the recipe for perfect sweet potato fries.

Ingredients:
* sweet potatos
* liquid coconut oil - I imagine any oil would work
* salt to taste
* powdered stevia or brown sugar - I've used both and my kids can't tell a difference, and they are not stevia lovers

Directions:
* Preheat oven to 450 and line your baking sheet with foil.
* Peel your sweet potatos, or not, and slice into whatever thickness of fries you prefer.
* Toss in just enough oil to lightly coat the fries, they do NOT need to be super wet.
* Place on baking sheet.  Sprinkle generously with salt and amount of sugar/sweetner you think is good.    You can always add more, but you cannot take it back.  Trust me on this one.  A little stevia goes a long way.  One little packet was enough for two sweet potatos.
* Bake in oven for approximately 15-20 minutes.  This will depend on the thickness of your fries and how soft or crispy you like them.  We like the edges beginning to brown.  You'll probably want to stir them around at least once during the baking time so they don't stick.  The bottoms will get black if you're not careful, so keep an eye on them.
* Remove from oven, and this is important - sprinkle more salt on them while they are hot!  It kind of carmelizes and makes such a difference.

They are delicious.  They are not sticky like Outback's fries, but they taste almost identical.  Several of our previously skeptical kids declared their undying love for the new, improved sweet potato fries.

Happy Sunday!

quick & easy three bean chili~

Well, it's Tuesday, the day I'm supposed to blog.  I guess I'm not quite as ready to say as much as I intially thought.  Lots of stuff going on inside my head.  Still processing, I guess.  I'm getting ready to start a 14-week inner healing class.  Something I've needed for a looong time.  I'm excited, yet terrified out of my mind. I've known about the class for a long time, my youngest sister has gone through it twice and has told me repeatedly I need to go.  Like yesterday.  But truthfully, I think I'm just now really ready and I've been trusting the Lord to cause it to work out in His perfect timing...and apparently, that time is now.  So if you think about it, prayers would be so appreciated.  Especially prayers that I wouldn't end up in the corner with my eyes bugging out of my head.  Or passed out.

That obviously had a lot to do with chili.

This originally came from my friend, Andrea, though I've modified it over the years to suit our family more.  I will say first up, if you don't keep pre-browned hamburger on hand in your freezer or if you're a make-your-own-beans kind of girl, this won't be nearly as quick or easy.

Quick & Easy Three Bean Chili

Ingredients:

* coconut oil or butter for sauteing 

* 1/2 - 1 lb ground beef, chicken, whatever

* 1 onion chopped (or ninja-ized - I'm telling you, this ranks right up there with my kitchen-aid mixer, ya'll)

* 2-6 cloves minced garlic depending how garlic-y or healthy you wanna be

* 1 26oz can petite diced tomatos with juice

* 1 can each black, kidney, and pinto beans, drained

* other miscellaneous veggies

   (I often add a can of corn, shredded zucchini, a diced sweet potato, a diced apple or two; really whatever  you want)

* 4c.+ chicken broth

* 1T chili powder

* 2tsp cumin

* generous splashes of worcestershire sauce (I don't know, maybe 1/8c.?)

* 2 faster splashes of liquid smoke (I know, I'm really helpful on these last two.  Sorry 'bout that.)

* desired toppings

Directions:

* Cook your meat if it's not already cooked.  And your beans if you're all crunchy and domestic like that.  But if you're going that route you should've started way earlier.

* In a large stockpot, saute onion, garlic, and sweet potatos in coconut oil or butter.  Add your meat.

* Stir in tomatos with juice, drained beans, chili powder, cumin, and chicken broth.  

* Add beans and desired veggies along with worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke.

* Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until you're ready to eat.


You could totally top with cheese, and for sour-cream lovers I would imagine it would be good that way, as well.  Chopped green onions would probably also be good.  I also think it would be good scooped out with a slotted spoon and used as nachos.  I should do that sometime to shake things up a bit.

My whole family eats this, there are rarely leftovers.  I would have to double it, but since I don't like chili (true story, I often don't eat what I make) it makes just enough.  Which will probably change in the near future since Caleb has informed me three times in the last week that his newest shoes are now tight.  This makes three shoe sizes in two months.  No joke.  Plato's Closet is my new bff.

Sing with me, "Chilli, chili, bo-bili..."

chicken & bacon wild rice soup~

Can you say yummy?  Wow, this is amazing.  It's the first time I've made it and I significantly tweaked the recipe I had, so I'm making it my own.  :)

Ingredients:

* 32oz chicken broth
* If using homemade stock, add 1tsp of Better Than Boullion or an equivalent
* 2c. water
* 1/2c. uncooked wild rice
* 1/2c. green onions finely chopped
* 1/2c. chopped or diced carrots
* 2 stalks diced celery
* 1/4c. butter
* 1/4c. coconut oil
* 3/4c. brown rice flour or any gluten free equivalent
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp all purpose seasoning (I used Carl's All Purpose Seasoning)
* 1/8 tsp pepper
* 2c. half and half  (I used raw milk since that's what we have and the fat content is pretty high)
* 1/2c. cooked chicken or turkey
* 8 slices of bacon, cooked, drained, & crumbled


Directions:

* In large saucepan, combine broth, water, boullion, rice, carrots, and celery.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until rice is done.  There will still be a LOT of liquid.  Do not drain it.

* In a medium saucepan, melt butter and coconut oil, stir in flour, salt, seasoning, and pepper. Whisk until clumps are broken up.  Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly.

* Gradually stir in milk with the butter/flour mixture and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. You may have to whisk it pretty well.  Add this creamy mixture back into the saucepan with the rice/broth/veggie mixture. Add chicken and bacon. Heat on low, stirring every once in a while, for at least a half an hour. Do not boil.  Like all good soups, the flavors incorporate the longer it sits, so while I tasted it immediately and it was fabulous, I'm sure it will be even better later.  This does thicken up quite a bit, so you may want to add more broth, water, or milk.

* I doubled this for my family, the given recipe is for more of a normal size pot.


Happy Soup-ing!

gluten free chocolate pumpkin muffins~

Not to be confused with pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, but you could totally add chocolate chips if you wanted.

We loved these.  The hint of unsweet chocolate was the perfect balance with the pumpkin.  If you like super-sweet desserts, you may want to add more sugar.  But these were sooo good.

In in the interest of full disclosure, this is loosely the Pamela's Pumpkin Loaf Cake recipe muffin-ized.
And with chocolate added.   :)

Ingredients:
* 12 T melted butter (I use half butter, half coconut oil)
* 6 large eggs
* 4c. Pamela's mix
* 1 T cinnamon
* 3c. canned pumpkin
* 1/4c. cocoa
* slightly less than 2c. sugar, rapadura, whatever floats your boat
* 1 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 1/2 tsp ginger
* dash or two of nutmeg

Directions:
* Grease muffin tins or liners if needed.
* Preheat oven to 350
* Beat together butter, coconut oil, sugar, egg, cocoa, and pumpkin.
* Add remaining ingredients and mix completely
* Scoop into muffins tins.
* Bake for approximately 30 minutes or so.
Actually I can't remember exactly how long, so just watch them.   :)

Makes enough to feed us with leftovers.  That would be two parents who sneak them whenever possible, a 14 year old who loves baked sweets, a boy who has grown two shoe sizes in the last 2 months, and six other muffin lovers, baby included.

Happy Baking!

how to be lazy and save money(aka) how to make homemade chicken broth~

I know, I'm supposed to be writing about preparing for a baby, but in trying to put that together I kept running across the fact that I keep chicken broth on hand and seeing as how I had this homemade broth brain block for so long I thought I'd just type up what I do in case some other poor soul ever comes along and things, "Wow, Shyla, thanks so much for posting that.  I never knew."   :)

Anyway, I was always intimidated of making homemade chicken broth.  It just seemed a little too much.  Right up there with grinding my own wheat and canning my own vegetables that I had grown in my very own garden.  I'm busy on facebook raising children and homeschooling, people, what do you think I am, Super Mom?  (If you do these things, and I know many women do, then you qualify for Super Mom AND Super Wife AND Super Homemaker but you should probably keep quiet so the rest of us don't throw things at you.)

I digress...

But I hated buying broth, the good kind was expensive for the amount of soup that I make, not to mention that I have to use it in making sauces for Glen with the whole celiac thing.  So I finally just got over myself and asked someone.  And I found out it was super easy.  And then I found out I could justify doing it the lazy way.

So, this is what I do.  I buy rotesserie chickens from Costco.  They cost $5.  They are amazingly yummy.  I buy one every week and we either eat it plain (as in roast chicken) or I'll use it in a recipe.  If I have time I pick off the dark meat and save it for tacos, soup, or casseroles.  I throw the leftovers in a bag in the freezer.  That was a lot of words to basically say that first we eat most of the meat or save it for later.

Then I throw the entire carcass into the crockpot.  I cut an onion in half or fourths, toss in some carrots, garlic, and whatever else I have on hand, and let it cook on low all night.  Pretty much until whenever I can get to it the next day.  Then when I have time, I put my colander into another large bowl and pour everything into it.  Then I take the broth, set my strainer (it's different than a colander in that it's mesh) over another large bowl, and pour it through again.  My colander catches the big stuff, the strainer catches the grainy stuff.  I let it cool, I skim the fat, then I pour it into containers and put it in the freezer.

Wa la. Homemade, nutritious chicken broth.

But you said be lazy AND save money.

Oh yes.  The lazy part is buying the Costco chicken instead of roasting my own.  For me, the savings of buying an unroasted chicken, plus spices, plus time is insignificant compared to the taste and convenience of the Costco chicken.  They are delicious.  And we don't usually eat them the same day.  I usually reheat them a few days after I buy them and they are still yummy.  The saving money part is because I estimate I can make $10 worth of the good broth from one $5 chicken.  

So there you have it.  You know, since you asked and all.

sesame chicken~

Sesame Chicken~

Ingredients:

Marinade:

2lbs chicken tenders cut into bite size pieces

2T wheat-free tamari sauce

2tsp rice vinegar

4tsp cornstarch

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Sauce:

1c sugar

1/2 c. wheat-free tamari sauce

5T rice vinegar

2c. chicken broth

1tsp minced garlic

1/4c. sesame seeds (optional)

4tsp cornstarch

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, 1/2 cup of the tamari sauce, vinegar, and chicken broth. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine chicken pieces, remaining 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons of vinegar. Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes. Once the chicken has marinated, add egg whites and cornstarch and stir until well-blended.

In your wok, heat oil over med-high heat. Cook chicken (in about 3 batches) until golden on both sides- this will take 3-5 minutes. Remove chicken from wok with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Cover with foil to keep the chicken warm. If you have more than a couple tablespoons of oil left in the wok, discard the remaining oil( leave just a few tablespoons in the wok). Reduce the heat to med. Cook the garlic for about a minute. Then add tamari sauce mixture. Increase heat to med-high and cook sauce for about 15 minutes. Stir four teaspoonfuls of cornstarch into a little water and whisk it into the sauce. Once the sauce is thickened and bubbly, add the chicken and sesame seeds. Top with green onions if desired and serve over jasmine rice.

Adapted from Gluten Free Mommy

**In order to prepare this ahead of time and freeze, I put the chicken (already cut up) into the marinade mixture, minus the cornstarch and egg whites, into a gallon-size freezer bag.

**In a separate gallon-size freezer bag, I mix the sauce ingredients, minus the cornstarch, double bag, and seal.

**I then place both bags (marinating chicken and sauce mixture) into a disposable aluminum pan. I also put the 4tsp of cornstarch needed to thicken the sauce while cooking into a small ziploc bag and place in the aluminum pan. (I usually don't worry about coating the chicken in the egg white and cornstarch when I actually cook it.)

**If you don't typically have fresh or frozen stir-fry veggies on hand, you may want to put some in the aluminum pan as well so you have them when you go to prepare the meal.

gluten free chicken pot pie~

I'm just posting all my recipes here as I get time in order to have them (the way we like them) all in one place. By no means am I claiming these are awesome and everyone just really should know about them :o)

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie~

Ingredients:

For the Filling:

4c. cooked, chopped/shredded chicken

30oz+ frozen mixed vegetables (can be thawed)

For the Gravy:

1/4 c. butter

spoonful of minced garlic (however much you like)

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. rice flour

4 c. chicken broth

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried mustard

garlic powder to taste (sorry, I never measure)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2T basil

3T sour cream (optional)

For the Crust/Topping:

1c. cornmeal

1/2c. rice flour + 4T

4T tapioca flour

1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2T honey

1 1/2c. milk

2T oil (olive, vegetable, etc.)

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 425.

*Oil a 9 x 13 pan. Arrange chicken and vegetables in pan. Set aside.

*To make gravy: In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Saute onion and celery until tender and fragrant. Add garlic and cook for a minute or so more, don't let the garlic burn. Sprinkle flour over top and stir. Add broth and stir to dissolve flour. Add seasonings. Bring the gravy to a boil while stirring frequently. Gently boil for several minutes to blend flavors. Pour hot gravy over chicken and vegetables in pan and stir thoroughly.

*To prepare crust: Combine dry ingredients from crust section in a small bowl and mix well. In a large bowl, combine honey, olive oil, and milk. Heat briefly in microwave to allow honey to mix easily. Add dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Spread over top of casserole. I have to use my hands to spread it out as it's slightly thick. I also don't spread it all the way to the edges in order to avoid spillover in the oven.

*Bake uncovered until hot and lightly browned, approximately 15-30 minutes.

**Adapted from Gluten Free Mommy and Hillbilly Housewife**

chicken tortilla soup~

Stacey, if you end up trying any of these and liking them, let me know! And if there are any others you want feel free to ask. I would eventually like to get all my freezer meals on here under the celiac, recipes, and preparing for baby categories, but we'll see :o)

Chicken Tortilla Soup~

Ingredients:

*2c. cooked chicken (Can quickly sautee in olive oil just prior to cooking if needed. I try and keep bags of cooked, shredded chicken in my freezer for quick meals.)

*1/2 tsp minced garlic (I'm sure I use more as we like garlic and I just kind of dump some in.)

*1/4 tsp cumin

*4c. (32oz) chicken broth

*1c. corn (It's been awhile, but I think I probably just dump in a can of drained corn.)

*1c. chopped onion (Again, I probably use more as we like onion. I just mince a whole onion in the processor and use however much it makes.)

*1/2 tsp chili powder (My kids usually think this soup is spicy, so I'll reduce it next time.)

*1T lemon juice

*1c. preferred salsa

Directions:

**Sautee chicken in a little olive oil, butter, or whatever you prefer if not yet cooked.

**In large stock pot, sautee onion.

**Add chicken, garlic, and cumin. Mix well.

**Add broth, corn, chili powder, lemon juice, and salsa.

**Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

**Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, monterey jack cheese, etc.

******I usually freeze my soups in double bagged gallon size freezer bags. I often still get leakage when thawing, so be careful. I probably shouldn't fill them so full :o)

barbeque beef brisket, take two~

I had posted my barbeque beef brisket back in the fall here.   I have since then come up with a much easier (and cheaper) way.  Basically, I get whatever beef roast is on sale, brown it briefly, and then gently boil it all day in a large stock pot with water, worchestershire sauce, onion, and garlic.  When it is fork tender I cut off the fat, shred it, and add either homemade or store bought barbeque sauce.  Easy peasy.


**This is such an easy recipe to prepare, very yummy, and makes for a super quick meal when grabbed out of the freezer.
**Since my family doesn't eat bread, we just eat it as bbq with veggies on the side. It makes a great sandwich with melted cheese, but I have to sneak it that way so no one is sad :o)
**I freeze in quart-size freezer bags. If I pack it full, one bags feeds our family with just a little bit left over. Sometimes none depending on how much grazing Caleb does after dinner :o)

cheesy chicken vermicelli~

Here you go! Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Vermicelli~

Ingredients:

**16oz (1lb) vermicelli, angel hair, spaghetti...whatever...cooked according to package directions (I use gluten free pasta and it works fine.)

**3c. (or however much you prefer) cooked chicken

**5c. shredded cheese (recipe calls for cheddar, which I usually use, but would probably be really good with parmesan, mozzarella, etc.)

**italian seasoning (use generously)

**salt and pepper

**1c. milk or half and half (I usually use 2% milk because that's what I have)

**Would probably be yummy to add squash, zucchini, or whatever sounds good.

Directions:

*Grease/spray a 9x13 casserole dish

*Mix all ingredients except milk, reserving some cheese for top.

*Just before baking, pour milk over top, add last layer of cheese.

*Cover with foil, pressing down ingredients if needed.

*Bake at 350 until heated through.

**Disclaimer: I've not actually eaten this, I've made it for the family when I'm going to be out. My husband claims everyone loves it and as he's not the kind of guy to throw out food and lie to make me feel good, I tend to believe him :o)

**Another thought....I've never frozen noodles. Have any of you? Would it work fine?

turkey and wild rice soupaka the best leftover turkey recipe ever in the whole world ever~

I love chicken noodle soup. Love it. But since Glen and Anna are celiac, egg noodles are out, and rice noodles just don't really cut it that great for soup. So I've been looking for a good alternative.
Wa la! Chicken (or Turkey) and Wild Rice Soup

Last week I wanted to experiment with a turkey breast in the crockpot just because (yes, this was the day I forgot to turn it on. Obviously, I remembered later ;o) I had a couple of different things I wanted to experiment with, namely making broth in the crockpot over night and finding a good chicken noodle soup alternate.
So this is what I did. After we cut some of the meat off and had it for dinner (I recommend roasting your turkey the traditional way, the crockpot turkey was nothing to talk about.) I put the carcass, still containing quite a bit of meat on it, back in the crockpot, covered it all the way to the top with water, added two quartered onions and a bunch of garlic, and let it cook on low all night. I probably would have thrown in some celery if I'd had some, and if I'd remembered, I may have thrown in some carrots.

The next morning, my house smelled awesome.

Later on, when I got around to it, I took the carcass out, picked off the rest of the meat, and strained the broth. Straining the broth was the one thing that had always kept me from making broth more regularly as I never really knew how to do it well. Some people use cheesecloth, but that always sounded difficult and potentially messy. So I set my largest colandar/strainer inside my largest bowl, and just poured all the broth in there. A few stray pieces of garlic went through, but no big deal. I then stuck the bowl in the frig, let the fat and misc other stuff the strainer didn't catch, congeal at the top. Later on, I skimmed off the congealed part, and then I had my broth. Full of flavor, vitamins, nutrients, super yummy, and not very difficult.
Onto my soup experiment. I had a couple of recipes I wanted to experiment with and create my own. The result was the best chicken (turkey) soup I've ever had, and by far the best I've ever made. My family ALL ate it, and asked for more. We fought over licking the pot. Almost.
So, since you asked and all, and a lot of you are going to end up with some leftover turkey over the next few days, I'm happy to share :o)

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup or Chicken Noodle Soup (or turkey or duck or whatever... ;o)

Ingredients:
1T butter
1/2 cup chopped onion (I think I used an entire small onion, we like onion)
1/2 cup chopped celery (I didn't have any so I left it out)
1c. sliced carrots (I used baby carrots cut in half and probably used closer to 2c.)
1/2tsp dried basil
1/2tsp dried oregano
salt, pepper, garlic to taste
1 bay leaf
10c. broth (if you're using canned broth, use about 8c. chicken or turkey and 2c. veggie)
1/2 pound chopped chicken or turkey (I just threw in what looked right, Glen likes a lot of meat in it.)
1 1/2 cups egg noodles (I used wild rice instead since we can't do egg noodles. I used about 2 1/2c. *cooked* wild rice and added it in at the end.)

Directions:

Sautee garlic, onion, celery, and carrots in butter. I just sautee in the same pan I'm making the soup in.

Add broth, chicken, sauteed veggies, spices, and salt/pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes or so.

While simmering, cook wild rice. When the rice is done, add it to the soup.

Sorry the recipe is kind of all over the place, I had a base recipe that I went off of, and then tweaked it for us. The rice absorbs a lot of the liquid, so even though it seems like a lot, it wasn't excessive. If you want to do it without real broth, the recipe called for 8c. chicken broth and 2c. vegetable broth.

Anyway, it was really easy and so, so yummy. I think I'm more excited about having more of it than I actually am about the main meal tomorrow :o) And while it is excellent the first day, it is even better in the following days.
Let me know if you end up trying it and liking it. It is a 5 star, blue ribbon award winner in my book just because ALL of my kids ate it willingly. With smiles. AND asked for more. All of them! With no complaints. I also love it because I feel like it's super healthy being made with genuine stock :o) Plus...that means I'm not going to have to deal with the turkey mess until Friday...shh...

Barbeque Beef Brisket~

We try and not eat very much pork around here, so we really enjoy having this bbq. It's a little more work than picking some up from Whitt's, but I just make it in bulk and then grab a bag out of the freezer when we want barbeque. It is adapted from Don't Panic, Dinner's In The Freezer!

Barbeque Beef Brisket

**This is a little tricky, measuring wise. I will list the amounts for what it gives as 2 servings, but once it is made, just bag up however much you think your family would eat at a time.

Ingredients:

*8 lbs beef brisket (this is definitely cheaper if you can get it from Sams or Costco) (can substitute chuck steak, but I've never done this.)

*1/4c.+ liquid smoke

*2tsp crushed bay leaves (I always have whole, so I just tear them up into little pieces.)

*1/4c. chili powder

*1T. pepper

*1T. salt

*several bottles of your favorite barbeque sauce, depends on how saucy you like your barbeque

Directions:

**Combine salt, pepper, chili powder, and bay leaves in a small bowl.

**Rub meat completely with liquid smoke.

**Place meat, fat side up, in large roasting pan. (I think I usually use 2 9x13 cake pans.)

**Sprinkle dry seasoning mixture on top. Cover tightly.

**Bake for approximately 4 hours at 325 degrees.

**Scrape seasoning and fat off meat. Cut in very thin slices across the grain or shred.

**Mix with barbeque sauce of choice.

**Freeze in desired portion sizes. I freeze in quart size freezer bags.

White Chicken Chili~

There is always a mad dash at our house between Glen, myself, Anna, and Caleb whenever we have this. The little kids could care less. More for us!

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

*5c. chicken broth

*2c. chicken

*1 small can chopped green chilis

*pinch cayenne pepper (I omit this)

*1/2c. chopped onion (or more, we like onion)

*2 cloves minced garlic

*2-3 cans great northern beans, drained (or any other bean you prefer)

*1/2 tsp. oregano

*1/8 tsp. cumin (or more if you prefer)

*2T. cornstarch mixed with 1/4c. water

Directions:

*Combine all ingredients in large stock pot.

*Cook 30 minutes at medium heat. Stir often and watch carefully, it will stick.

*Reduce heat to low, cook an additional 20 minutes. Continue to stir often and watch carefully.

**Like most soups, this is better if it sits for awhile. It's yummy from the beginning too, though.

**This sometimes is more watery than I like. You could either use less broth, use more ingredients, add more cornstarch, or remove some of the mixture, blend in a blender, and then add back to the pot.

**I freeze this like I freeze other soups. In a gallon size, double lock ziplock bag, and I double the bags.

**If you keep the ingredients on hand, this can be made in a flash. I always try and have bags of shredded chicken and chopped onion in the freezer, as well as chicken broth on hand.

**For a large family, you would probably want to double.

**Thanks to my wonderful book club friend, Julie, for another winner! Yes, I get most of my recipes from friends. :o)

James' Tomato Basil Soup~

I want to make sure and say up front, loud and clear, that this recipe is from my friends, James and Lori Todd. It is completely theirs, and it is fabulous! It gets rave reviews and recipe requests every single time I take it anywhere or give it to anyone.. I am only posting it here on my blog so that I can save it as a url to my delicious site.

Chef James' Fabulous Tomato Basil Soup~

Ingredients:

*28oz. crused tomatos (I use Tuttorossi w/ Basil, I always find it on the bottom shelf at the store)

*(3) 14.5oz cans Del Monte Petite Cut Diced Tomatos w/ Garlic & Olive Oil (brand here is important!)

*2/3 stick of butter

*fresh torn basil if handy (I don't usually have this, and I'm not sure how it would freeze)

*2/3 tube Gourmet Garden Crushed Basil (this is in a tube, I find it in the produce section at Publix, it is like a paste.)

*salt/pepper to taste (I find the canned tomatos are pretty salty, so I don't usually need extra salt.)

*fresh grated parmesan for topping

*4oz. heavy cream (I have made it without this before for my dairy-free friends. It is still very yummy, but it is yummier with it.)

*can add two cans of mixed veggies (or frozen) to make more of a tomato veggie soup (this is what I do when I make it for us.)

Directions:

**add all ingredients except parmesan and cream

**heat through without boiling

**add 4oz heavy cream before serving (If freezing, I do go ahead and add the cream.)

**garnish with grated parmesan

**serve with gluten free cornbread

**This freezes fine. I usually freeze it in gallon size double lock freezer bags, and I double the bags to avoid potential mess.

**This is also a very, very quick and easy soup to make for company or friends having babies, etc. and if you keep the ingredients on hand, can be thrown together in about five minutes.

**For our family (currently feeding 8), I have to double it if we want leftovers.

**I have added zucchini, squash, corn, etc. to this as well instead of the mixed veggies

**Thanks again to James and Lori for the recipe EVERYONE raves about!

Chicken Enchiladas~

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

*app 4c. rotesserie chicken meat or however much you like (or any cooked, shredded chicken, I get the chickens from costco)

*2 cans green enchilada sauce (this is the mild kind)

*1/2 can red enchilada sauce (you could use more if you like it spicier)

* large block monterey jack cheese, shredded

*2-3 T. butter

*2 yellow peppers sliced into strips

*2 onions cut up

*1 can green chilis (optional)

*any other veggies you want to add

*corn or flour tortillas to layer with
(I pour some olive oil on a plate and dip the corn tortillas in the oil quickly before layering them, I don't really know if it's necessary or not. I'm pretty sure if you use flour tortillas this wouldn't be necessary, but the corn tortillas are kind of grainy.)


1. Cook peppers and onion in butter until tender (and any other veggies you want to add)
2. Mix chicken meat with enchilada sauce and pepper/onion mixture.
3. Spray bottom of a 9x13 pan.
4. Layer chicken mixture, tortillas, and cheese. Top with extra cheese.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.


**If preparing for the freezer, just layer and freeze. I cook it when thawed.
**You could also put some of the mixture into a tortilla, roll up, and freeze that way. I would then pour a little more enchilada sauce and shreeded cheese on top. Since we have to use corn tortillas and they are so small, I just layer it like a casserole.

**Depending on your family size, this could make anywhere from 1-3 meals.

**This is loosely adapted from my friend, Jennifer Brewer. Thanks, Jennifer!

Chicken Soup w. Barley & Lentils~

Chicken Soup w. Barley & Lentils

or double lentils if you're gluten free,

which we are,

for the last few years anyway.

But whatever.

Ingredients:
2c. Chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
4T. Butter
60oz + chicken broth
3c. Water
3c. Cooked chicken

1c. Dry lentils, rinsed and drained
1c. Barley (substitute 1c. lentils if gluten free for a total of 2c. lentils)
1/2 tsp. each basil, oregano, and rosemary
3c. + sliced carrots (I use baby carrots halved to make it easy)
(2) 14.5 oz cans cut tomatos


Directions:
** In a large pot (I use my largest stock pot), cook onion and garlic until tender.
** Stir in water, broth, lentils, barley, and herbs.
** Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
** Stir in chicken and carrots. Simmer, covered, for an additional 20 min or until carrots are just tender. Stir frequently as sometimes it sticks.
** Add undrained tomatos and heat through.



**This is good when first made, but even better if it sets up for a day. You can leave it on the stove for a long time to enhance the flavor, just watch it carefully. It does stick. After a while, it may thicken up, I just add more broth, water, herbs, etc. and you can do this numerous times and really make it stretch with no loss of flavor.

**If you keep cooked chicken and chopped veggies on hand, this is a very easy and very quick meal to make.

**If freezing, I usually freeze in double seal ziplock bags, and I double the bags to protect against potential mess. If I had more freezer space, I would freeze in gladware containers.


**I originally got this recipe from my good friend, Heather Norman. Thanks, Heather!