Grammy's Chicken & Noodles

Poor Cody is sick this week - we had him tested for the flu and he is in the clear, but he still feels really under the weather. So tonight I made a feel-good favorite to warm him up from the inside out - his Grammy's Chicken & Noodles.

Grammy's Chicken & Noodles

4 Chicken Breasts with skin & bones
Egg Noodles
1/2 cup Peas (optional)
1 carrot, sliced (optional)
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup

Boil chicken breasts in just enough water to cover them for approx. 45 min. Once done boiling, take chicken out of the water and add the egg noodles, carrots and peas, adding a little more water if necessary to cover the pasta. Meanwhile, take the chicken off the bone and discard the skin. Shred the chicken and add back into the mixture once noodles are tender. Remove from heat and add 2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup - mix well. Serve hot.

Yum.

Chicken Parmesan with Homemade Tomato Sauce

Yes, I am Italian. Yes, I have some kick-butt family recipes. No - I can't take credit for either of these!

It may sound funny, but my completely un-Italian husband brought both of these recipes home for me to try. The first he found on the internet during a slow day at work, and it has been a favorite of ours ever since. The second comes from a German co-worker of his, and it is very close to the best tomato sauce I have ever tasted.

First of all, here is the final product combining the two recipes:

Mmmmmm.... :)

Rugar's Pasta Sauce (Rugar is the name of Cody's German Co-worker)

5-6 garlic cloves, minced
4-5 shallots
2 small/med. red onions
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 carrot, diced
2 cans whole tomatoes w/juice
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
3-4 oz. white wine
2 Tbsp. heavy cream (optional - this will mellow it a bit)

Saute garlic until golden, set aside.

Saute shallots, onions, oregano and basil until carmelized, set aside.

Yes, I know it's a ton of onions, but if you can suffer through the tears, it gives the sauce an amazing flavor!

Once the garlic and onion mixture have been set aside, saute the carrot 3-4 minutes before adding the whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and white wine. Be sure to mash the whole tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Let simmer approx. 30 min. Add heavy cream and add the onions and garlic back into the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste and let simmer 10 more minutes. Enjoy!


Next up:

Chicken Parmesan

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 large pinch Italian Seasoning
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into "nugget" sized pieces

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine garlic with melted butter. In separate bowl, mix bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, garlic salt, parsley, Italian seasoning and pepper. Dip chicken in garlic butter then crumb mixture. Drizzle remaining garlic butter over chicken and bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Yum!



These recipes, as implied earlier, receive two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Beef Stew

This recipe is very near and dear to my heart - it's one that my mom and I perfected over several years together and has been our family favorite for a long time. Now it has passed on to my family, and Cody and I (and Jack Ethan :) get to enjoy it together too! Here is the recipe from our families to yours.

Beef Stew

2 lbs. beef, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 large carrots, peeled & sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 can tomato sauce
4-5 cups water (depending on how much you like broth)
1 cube beef bullion
4 potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 cup green beans OR 1 cup frozen peas

Saute meat in 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat until browned on all sides, about 10-15 minutes. Add garlic, onion and mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, green beans, parsley, oregano, and pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add beef bullion cube, tomato sauce, water and potatoes. Let simmer until potatoes are tender.



Sometimes for a little extra flavor, I add a splash of marsala or red cooking wine. We hope you enjoy - we certainly did!