Not Quick - Chicken Asparagus Soup

Ok, this one is Not Quick. If a recipe is not quick it has to be reallllllly good for me to keep it. And this one is. I usually make the broth and soup base the day before and the soup the next day since it's time consuming.

2 lbs fresh asparagus; 2 large potatoes, peeled or not and diced; 1 lg onion, chopped; 2 T dried parsley; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 T vegetable oil; 3.5 C (2 cans) chicken broth; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp. pepper; 1 bay leaf; 2 C cubed cooked chicken; 2 C half and half, Parmesan cheese 

Make broth - Cut tips off asparagus, set aside. Cover stalks with water in large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 40 min. Strain, reserve 4 C of cooking liquid. Discard stalks.

Make soup base - In dutch oven, saute potatoes, onion, parsley and garlic in oil til vegetables are tender. Stir in broth, salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, asparagus water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce , simmer uncovered 30 min. Discard bay leaf, cool slightly. In blender, a little at a time, puree soup.

Make soup - In soup kettle or dutch oven, put soup base, chicken, half and half, and asparagus spears. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 5 min. or until spears are tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Homemade Magic Shell

3/4 c chocolate chips of whatever type
1/4c coconut oil (it's in the baking goods section if you've never gotten any, usually by the chocolate chips--use it in place of any kind of oil/shortening)

Melt in microwave about 45 seconds, stir until it looks like magic shell. If it hardens on the shelf, zap in microwave for 10 seconds (Put in glass container!)

Shepherd's Pie

This uses up mashed potatoes nicely.

1 lb burger, 1 onion

Brown burger and onion

2 c. frozen veggies, 1/2 c beef broth, 1 tsp worchesterchire, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 can tomatoes drained

Add the above to meat and heat through

Mashed Potatoes (2 cups? Enough to spread on top) and Shredded Cheese

Place the meat mixture in a casserole dish, spread mashed potatoes over the top, top with shredded cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is not a red sauce, it's more like the brown sweet and sour sauce you'll find in .....China. Imagine that. Man, I wish I could go back to China for the food! I've made this since high school, it's great stuff.

Feeds 2 adults and some children. :)

2 chicken breasts cut in short strips
2 T oil
1 c. Chopped carrots
1 garlic clove minced
1 T cornstarch
1/4 c soy sauce
8 oz pineapple chunks with juice
3 T brown sugar
3 T white vinegar
1/2 tsp ginger
prepared rice

Brown chicken in oil. Add carrots and garlic (if freshly minced) to chicken and oil. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until carrots are tender. Mix cornstarch, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and ginger, and garlic if out of jar. Dump this mixture and pineapple along with it's juice in with chicken and carrots. Bring to full boil. Serve with prepared rice. 

Leftover Hot Dog Hamburger Bun Bread Pudding

Around 8 leftover buns give or take a few
3 c hot milk
2-3 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c dates or raisins
1/4 tsp salt
1 T butter
1 1/2 T vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking powder

Grease/Butter a casserole dish. Mix all the ingredients, tear up buns and throw them in. Dump into dish, sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake 350 degrees for about an hour.

Easy Deodorant

1/4 c coconut oil

1/4 c cornstarch

1/4 c baking soda

essential oil or fragrance oil drops (I use tea tree oil for the disinfectant properties and sandalwood fragrance since sandalwood essential oil is expensive and the smell works for either sex)

used or empty deodorant tube or bowl

Melt the oil, mix ingredients. When it becomes semi-solid pack it into an empty deodorant tube if you want. Keep in refrigerator if you want a solid like the deodorant from the store. Or leave in bowl and use it like a lotion/cream application

Garlic Brown Chicken

Original Recipe here: Easy Garlic Chicken
My version:

•  2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
•  2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon onion flakes 
• salt and pepper 

Line baking dish with foil and grease. Mix the ingredients. Smear on top of chicken breast.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 500 degrees about 20-30 minutes.