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Homemade chicken soup recipe

 in Entertaining  tagged cathys original recipes / home / lifestyle / recipes / soups by


Looking for leftover chicken recipe ideas which are family friendly? Then you found one idea! This is a homemade chicken soup recipe I made up myself one day while brainstorming what to make for dinner with leftover chicken.

When I cook, I always have to make sure it is something both my husband, and my kids, will enjoy. My husband likes spicy food; and my kids? Well, not so much. So I designed this soup to have a little bit of kick to it, without turning off my kids. It worked!

The prep time for my homemade chicken soup recipe takes about half an hour. This includes chopping up chicken, and carrots; which is what takes the most time. If you are running short on time, you can always chop the chicken and carrots ahead of time. This way, all you have to do it toss everything in the pot and cook.

Homemade Chicken Soup recipe with macaroni: (Makes about 12 bowls)

  • 1 lb. dry macaroni (my favorite is Barilla Elbows)
  • 12 cups of chicken broth. (if using cans, this is about 6 cans)
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon paprika (this can get spicy fast-season to taste, you may only need a half teaspoon)
  • 1 garlic glove minced
  • 1/4 cup sliced onions
  • Dollop of olive oil
  • 1 full pre-cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast. Cubed (I always use leftovers)
  • 1/2 package of frozen peas or 1 1/2 cup fresh peas
  • 3 chopped carrots
  • Grated Parmesan cheese

Cook everything together in a large pot except for the Parmesan; which should be placed on the table for everyone to serve themselves. It may take about 20 minutes for the pasta to soften; but start checking at ten minutes. Stove-top heat varies. Once the pasta is soft, the soup is ready to serve since the chicken is pre-cooked.

After putting the soup into bowls and serving your family, top with grated Parmesan cheese. Yummy!!!

I use two teaspoons of Parmesan, my husband uses one, and my daughters use three. My son eats the soup without the cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese to your liking.

There you have it! My homemade chicken soup recipe made with leftover chicken. I hope you enjoy it. The weather is so cold right now, this is a great meal, or starter, for a cold day.

Still  building your kitchen tool collection? Here are a few kitchen essentials you may need for this recipe; and these tools will come in handy multiple times per week while cooking!


Sliced baked potatoes recipe

 in Entertaining  tagged cathys original recipes / holiday recipes / home / lifestyle / recipes / side dishes by

how to serve sliced baked potatoessliced baked potatoes
This is a sliced basked potato recipe I created myself. I found myself always serving mashed potatoes or baked potatoes as a side dish at dinner, so I decided to create a new potato recipe in order to mix things up at mealtime.

My kids are ages 12, 10, and 8; and they really enjoy these sliced baked potatoes. If you have kids, chances are, they will enjoy them too! I hope you love the recipe. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

how to make sliced baked potatoes

Sliced Baked Potatoes

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 2 potatoes
  • 1 stick of butter
  • Olive Oil
  • Basil
  • Oregano
  • Salt
  • Paprika
  • Garlic

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees with the stick of butter inside the baker in the oven. When the oven reaches about 200 degrees, remove the baker while wearing an oven mitt, and CAREFULLY slice up the butter stick, and then place the pats around the inside of the baker.

Slice uncooked, peeled potatoes about 1/4 inch thick. Spread out the potato slices in the baker on top of the melted butter. I use a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish similar to this one, but anything similar will work fine.

After the potatoes are evenly distributed in the baker, spray olive oil on top of all the potato slices. If you don’t have an olive oil sprayer, you can find the one I own online here. It is amazing, and very handy! You can also find a less expensive sprayer online here.

Season to taste. Sprinkle basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and paprika over the tops of the potato slices. I use about a tablespoon of each; with the exception of the salt. I only use a few dashes of salt. You can delete any one of these seasonings you don’t like. If you have kids who don’t like mild spice, delete the paprika. If you want to kick things up a notch, try adding Cayenne Pepper; seasoned to taste.

sliced baked potato recipe

*Shown with Paprika on the left, no Paprika on the right.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Some of the smaller pieces will start to get crispy, and the larger ones will be soft. I prefer the crispy pieces, and my kids prefer the soft ones. So this is a plus!

potato side dish idea

I hope you enjoy my baked sliced potato recipe. My kids really enjoy it, so I’m happy to share it!

This is a great side dish with steak, salmon, chicken, or anything you like to serve with potatoes! Enjoy!

Happy entertaining!

XOXO

Cathy

Things you might need to make this recipe:

party side dish idea

Agraria Bitter Orange candle in woven crystal review

 in Fragrance / Home  tagged agraria / holiday gift ideas / holidays 2014 / home / home fragrance by

agraria bitter orange candleagraria bitter orange candle holiday giftPictured: Candle in woven crystal c/o Agraria shown in Bitter Orange.

If you have been following along lately, you may already know I am a huge fan of Agraria home fragrance. I have Agraria AirEssence Diffuser’s in my home already, so I really wanted to try one of Agraria’s candles in order to experience more of Agraria’s home fragrance products. I love burning scented candles in the cool, late-fall, and winter weather. There is something warm and comforting about a candle in cold weather. Since one of my favorite fragrances to wear is orange, I thought it would be amazing to scent my home with an orange laced candle.

I was thrilled when I received my Bitter Orange scented candle from Agraria. Not only did the candle smell amazing, it was housed in a beautiful woven crystal jar. I love the idea of a formal candle and I decided to display it in my formal living room with a crystal turtle, and next to one of my kids baby pictures. Not only did the candle look amazing on my end table, it filled the room with a fabulous, bitter orange scent. Love that! 

Although I tend to wear citrus scents in the warm, summer months, there was something warm and inviting about the Bitter Orange scent from the Agraria candle which fit perfectly into the cool weather. 

This beautiful candle is housed in woven crystal with a silver-plated cap. The cap features Agraria’s crest stamped onto the top. Agraria’s Bitter Orange candle in woven crystal not only looks amazing in my home, it smells amazing too. I cannot wait to fill my home with more candles from Agraria! I also plan to pick up a few to give out as Christmas gifts this year. Perfection!

Agraria’s Bitter Orange candle in woven crystal can be found online here and here.