Tortellini Soup (aka) Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

 I got this recipe from work. It is excellent, and very versatile. You can use most any type of pasta, whether it is tortellini or egg noodles, or another type of pasta. I use egg noodles, but cheese tortellini is also very good.

Based upon a recipe found here.

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6 cups water
1 (32-oz) carton low-sodium chicken broth
2 (10-3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup (may add an additional can, of desired)
2 cups (about 4 breasts) boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked chicken, cut up - I use a rotisserie chicken
small amount of chopped onion, optional
2 large peeled carrots, diced
1/2 tsp basil leaves, or to taste
1/2 tsp oregano leaves, or to taste
12-oz package extra-wide (or dumpling) egg noodles, cooked in a seperate pot and drained

1. In a large soup pot, combine the water, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, onions, carrots, basil and oregano.

2. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

3. Add the chicken and cooked pasta and simmer, covered, for another 15 minutes, or until heated through. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Notes
1. I add a tub of Knorr Chicken Homestyle Stock.
2. If the soup is too thick, add additional water or chicken broth, or may add the additional can - or just a portion - of cream of chicken soup.
3. May add other seasonings such as thyme, poultry seasoning, and/or ground sage.

Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie

It appears that spring is not quite ready to make an appearance, so this comforting meal is perfect for these cooler days. I recently found this recipe and only wish I had found it sooner. If you are a fan of chicken pot pie, then this is the dish for you. This filling can quickly be put together and placed in the crockpot in the morning, and dinner should be ready by the end of the day. This recipe calls for canned biscuits, but I thought it would be really nice to try baking up some packaged puff pastry, cut into squares, and there you have your top crust. This was made where I work, and everyone loved it. The first time I made this, the gravy was somewhat thin, so I thickened the gravy with a slurry of flour and half milk/half water, which gave the gravy an extra richness. The second time I made this, it was not necessary to do so. You may also add some heavy whipping cream for a creamier gravy. See recipe below for directions.

The original recipe can be found at https://pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/the-best-slow-cooker-chicken-pot-pie/ I made a few changes, which I'll spell out in the recipe below.

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4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
yellow or sweet onion (Vidalia onion), chopped (The original recipe calls for a whole onion, but I only had half an onion, plus, I normally cut back on the amount of onion called for in most recipes.)
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley (I used 1 tbsp dried parsley)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt (I used 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp black pepper (I found this to be too peppery, and I love pepper, so I cut down to 1/2 tsp the 2nd time I made this.)
8 ounces low sodium chicken broth
2 (10.5-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (Canned peas can be used if that is all you have on hand.)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn (I did not add the corn.)
16.3 ounce can of refrigerated biscuits (As noted in the notes above, you can bake up some puffed pastry, but the biscuits are good, too.)

OPTIONAL:
For a creamy version, you may add 1/2 to 1 cup of heavy whipping cream


1.  Place the cut chicken breasts and sprinkle with the parsley, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper in the liner of the crockpot. in the liner of a crockpot. Add onion, carrots, and celery. In a large bowl or saucepan, combine the chicken broth and cream of chicken soup and pour over the chicken. Give it a stir and cover. Set crockpot to LOW and cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

2.  Thirty minutes before the end of cooking time, add the peas and corn, mix well. If you want to make a creamy version of this, this is the time to add it. Cook, covered, for another 30 minutes. (I have not added the whipping cream when I've made this.)

3.  Bake the biscuits or puffed pastry and serve over the pot pie filling.

Pizza Sliders

I made these tasty and easy sandwiches for work. Everyone loved them. You can easily make whatever sort of adjustments to the recipe that you'd like. I added some chopped ham over the pepperoni that needed to be used up. You can add or substitute browned Italian sausage, and drained pineapple bits, for a Hawaiian flair, or for more variety, add chopped onion, green pepper and sliced mushrooms.Though not necessary to line the pan with foil, if you do, just be sure to either use Easy Release foil, or spray it with cooking spray, because the sandwiches will stick.  I found the original recipe here at Rachel Cooks.

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1 package (12-count) King's Hawaiian buns
1/2 cup (or more) pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
sliced pepperoni

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves, or Italian seasoning
1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Spray a glass (11 x 8 inch)n pan with cooking spray. Cut entire sheet of rolls in half widthwise, separating the tops from the bottoms, being careful to keep the rolls connected. Place the bottom half of the rolls in the baking dish.

3.  Spread the pizza sauce over the rolls and layer on the pepperoni over the sauce. Sprinkle on the Mozzarella cheese and place the top half of the rolls over the pepperoni.

4.  In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic powder, parsley flakes, dried oregano leaves, and Parmesan cheese and mix well. Pour evenly over the sandwiches. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray to prevent sticking and cover the dish.

5.  Bake the sandwiches covered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

6. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the Parmesan cheese is melted and lightly browned.

7.  Cut and separate the sandwiches and serve.

Scalloped Potatoes

This is an excellent recipe for Scalloped Potatoes from an old Betty Crocker Cookbook that I've been making for decades. It's my go-to recipe, and I don't think I've made any other recipe, other than to use a box mix. (Those box mixes are good, but don't come close to the real thing!) You can also find the recipe online, but the online recipe calls for one more tablespoon of butter in the sauce than the one listed in the cookbook. Here is the online version of Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes.

Scalloped Potatoes are simply potatoes baked in a white sauce without the addition of cheese. While this recipe calls for chopped onion, I do not add it. It's just a personal preference, is all. You can easily adjust the oven temperature and baking times. I will list that at the end of the recipe. This will come in handy if you are baking something else at the same time, such as a ham, or a meatloaf.


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2 pounds potatoes (about 6 medium, or about 4 cups of thinly sliced potatoes) I use Russet potatoes
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup) I do not add
an additional tbsp of butter for the top


You can either peel the potatoes or leave the skins on. If you are leaving the skins on, scrub them and remove any "eyes". Cut them into quarters or eighths and thinly slice them, measuring about 4 cups. Place them in a bowl of cold water while you are doing this to prevent them from browning while you prepare the white sauce.

To prepare the white sauce, in a heavy saucepan, heat 3 tbsp of butter over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in the milk. Increase the heat and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and spread in a greased 2-quart casserole or a greased 9 x 13" pan. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and cut the additional tablespoon of butter into small pieces and spread over the potatoes. Cover pan with foil and bake in a preheated oven 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake another 60 - 70 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.


NOTE:

Alternatively, you may choose to bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes covered, and then uncover and bake another 60 - 70 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Alison Roman's Salted Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

I stumbled upon this recipe touted as "The cookie that broke the internet". Intrigued, I decided I'd give it a try, as I like shortbread, and I've been intending to make chocolate chip cookies lately. So given these are a combination of the two, why not test it out with the rest of the world? I'd never heard of Alison Roman before, but it seems that everyone else has. I found a video of her making the cookies on Youtube. I watched it a few times, and found it helpful.

It looks like she only uses 2 cups of flour in the video, while the recipe on the NY Times website calls for 2 1/4 cups. Her dough looked softer than what mine turned out to be. I don't actually own her cookbook, so I just followed the recipe found on the NY Times website (you can find it elsewhere, too). 

Here are some of the changes I made:

I used:
- Godiva 51% semi sweet chocolate chips, instead of chopping bittersweet chocolate, because that is what I had on hand
- Turbinado raw sugar, instead of Demerara sugar, because that is what I had on hand
- coarse sea salt, rather than flaky sea salt

It makes for a crispy cookie that is a nice combination of salty and sweet. I think it will become a favorite that will be made often. You need to chill the dough for a couple of hours, so plan accordingly.


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Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tbsp (255 grams total) of salted butter (2 1/4 sticks), COLD butter if using a stand mixer, room temperature if using a hand-held mixer, cut into 1/2" pieces

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (55 grams) light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 (325 grams) all-purpose flour

6 ounces (170 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (not too fine, you want chunks, not little shards)

1 large egg, beaten (this is brushed on the outside of the cookie dough, not actually put into the dough itself)

Demerara sugar, for rolling

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (I used coarse sea salt)

Directions

1)  Line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric mixer, beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla on medium-high until it's super light and fluffy, (3-5 minutes for a stand mixer or 6-8 minutes for a hand-held mixer). Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and with the mixer on low, slowly add the flower, followed by the chocolate chunks, and mix just to blend. If necessary, knead the dough by hand to ensure the flour is totally incorporated. At this point, the dough should be smooth and feel like Play-Doh with no pockets of flour. 


2)  Divide the dough in half, placing each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over so that it covers the dough and prevents your hands from getting sticky. Form the dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help smooth it out. Each log should be about 6" long and 2 to 2 1/4" in diameter. Chill the dough until totally firm, about 2 hours.

3)  Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the outside of the dough with the beaten egg and roll in the demerara sugar (this will make for really crisp edges)

4)  Using a serrated knife, carefully cut each log into 1/2" thick rounds. If you hit a piece of chocolate, slowly saw back and forth through the chocolate. If the cookies break or fall apart, just piece it back together - the dough is very forgiving. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about 1" apart (they won't spread much). Sprinkle with desired amount of sea salt. Bake 350 degrees just until the edges are beginning to brown. about 12-15 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before removing to cool thoroughly on a wire rack. 


Other Notes:

1.  The cookie dough can be rolled into logs and made ahead of time and tightly wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to one week, or in the freezer for one month.

2. Store baked cookies in plastic wrap in an airtight container for up to 5 days.