A Chicken Soup Recipe

Happy, happy Friday!
Is it crazy where you live?  I think everyone in NWA is out today.  We ran a quick errand so
one of my daughters could finish shopping for siblings and then came home and shut ourselves in--not to leave again.  We also had a temperature drop this morning--65 to 34 degrees so another reason to stay beside a sparkling tree in a cozy home.

Here is the recipe I promised for chicken soup.  Feel free to adapt to your family's tastes.
Chicken (from the chicken you crock pot cook--see post from a couple of days ago)
Broth (from the same cooking session :)
Celery
Carrots
3 Cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Egg noodles or frozen cheese tortellini (or dried in the pasta section of grocery)

Chop chicken meat and add broth (your very own homemade) into a large pan.  Dilute with
water until it is a medium to light yellow. Don't dilute too much at the beginning.  You can always add water if you need to.   Add chopped celery and carrots (about a cup of
carrots, one-half cup of celery).  Chop the garlic and add.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Bring
all of that to a boil for just about 3 minutes.  Add noodles or tortellini--about a half package to
maybe 2/3 pkg.  Let boil and reduce heat until pasta is cooked.  Enjoy--especially on these cold
days.  Don't forget to make this when you have colds or flu visiting.  It is comforting as well as
healthy.  (Also see post on 'staying healthy').

I hope your weekend is restful in spite of the holiday craziness.  We'll visit Monday about a
furniture redo. 

Best Dressing Ever!!

Best dressing recipe ever--I promise!  This was my grandmother's, my mom's and aunt's, and now mine.  My mom was known for her dressing :).  Try it and you'll see I'm right. 

4 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix
32 oz chicken broth
1/2 pkg of Pepperidge Farms Cornbread Dressing
celery
yellow onion
stick of butter
6 boiled eggs
6 raw eggs, beaten
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 or 2 cups of broth from your turkey

Two days before I make dressing I cut up my celery and onions and cook just until tender
in the butter.  After it is cooled, I freeze the celery/onion mixture. 

The day prior to making the dressing I cook my cornbread.  After it is cooked, I break it up and
add the PF dressing mix.  No more than half a package.  I go ahead and add the salt, pepper, garlic
powder, and poultry seasoning.  Stir all that together and let it blend overnight.  I cover it with a
dishtowel.  Needless to say, you'll need a big pan for all of this.  I also boil the 6 eggs I'll be using and refrigerate them.

On the big day, I add the celery/onion mixture (partially thawed), chop up the boiled eggs and add,
add the beaten eggs, the broth (32 oz canned) along with the broth from your turkey.  After that, you will want to add water.  This is where you add your own touch.  Not too much  but not too little or it will be dry.  Sometimes it takes a couple of times of dressing making to get it where you like it.  My mom use to add enough water until it was almost 'floating'.  I add a little less (near floating)  :).  Add the water a little at a time and stir thoroughly so you don't overadd.

Dressing doesn't have to be a scary thing to make.  By doing things ahead of time, it makes it quick and easy to put together just before baking it.  I really think the key to flavor is letting the cornbread and spices blend overnight.  After it's all assembled, bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.  Again, you'll add your own touch by deciding when it's cooked.  Watch it carefully.  And then, you'll be
the cook who is known for her dressing.  Enjoy!  Oh, and let me know how your's comes out!

Christmas Cranberry Salad

Time to start planning our Christmas dinners.  Mine isn't too hard to plan since my family
likes the same thing year after year because ROUTINE.  But I love routine also so that's
okay with me--probably where they got it. :) 

Here is a tried and true recipe that has been a favorite for many years.  It's just the right
combination of sweet and slightly tart. 

Christmas Cranberry Salad
1 Large box cherry jello
2 cups of boiling water (no more water than this)
1 small can of crushed pineapple
1 small container of frozen strawberries (slightly thawed)
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
pecans or walnuts (optional)

Stir boiling water into jello, mix thoroughly, add the strawberries, pineapple, and cranberry sauce. 
After that is all mixed well add your pecans and place in refrigerator until firm--several hours or
overnight.  Put mixture (before you refrigerate it)  into your prettiest glass bowl because this salad
will be gorgeous--just the right shade of Christmas red.  A bowl something like this.  And enjoy!