Creamy Chicken and Noodles

This was such an easy meal to make but had great flavor. I love meals that remind me of family dinners from growing up! My kids gobbled this up. It would have been delicious served over some mashed potatoes, but we ate it with some bread and butter because it was already so creamy. This is to serve my large family of 6 with some leftovers, so halve it if you need.

12 oz wide egg noodles
8 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
10 oz bag frozen peas and carrots
1 cup cream or milk
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp flour

Place noodles in large pot. Add stock and olive oil; stir. Add peas and carrots. Cover and heat over medium heat until noodles are soft, 10-15 minutes. Add the chicken and stir in cream/milk.

Mix water and flour so there are no lumps. Add gradually to the noodle mixture, stirring constantly. Heat to boiling and simmer for 5 minutes.

(This could also be frozen after it is cooked -- let cool and put into large freezer bag. Freeze flat, then thaw and reheat on stovetop.)

Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs

When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. My family loves food with Asian flavors. Although we like spicy and the recipe as is was fine, my 8-yr old daughter thought hers was a little too spicy once the glaze was on it so halve the sriracha sauce if you want to cut it back a bit. When it's done, feel free to serve either chopped cilantro or green onion on top for some extra flavor.

2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (8-10)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp sriracha sauce
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp corn starch

Put chicken into large ziploc bag. Add all the ingredients except corn starch to a bowl. Stir to combine. Add the corn starch and whisk until dissolved. Pour half the marinade into the bag with the chicken and save the other half. Refrigerate chicken for at least 30 minutes (or if freezing, you can freeze both the chicken and extra marinade at this point).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add chicken and its marinade into a 9x13 baking dish (thaw if frozen first), keeping it all single level. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

While chicken is baking, add reserved marinade to a small saucepan. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat while stirring. It will thicken to a glaze. When chicken is finished baking, spread the glaze over each piece of chicken.

Southwestern Pork Chili

This would be delicious with ground pork, beef, turkey, or chicken... or even some cooked, shredded pork. A nice change from traditional chili, it was delicious with some shredded cheese, tortilla chip crumbles, and sour cream on top. Or serve with some cornbread. :)

1 lb lean ground pork
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, chopped
14.5 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Add all the ingredients to your crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

If you want to freeze, put all the ingredients in a gallon freezer bag with the pork last. When ready to cook, thaw and add contents to crockpot.

White Beans with Tomato and Sausage

This was a quick recipe to make for dinner on a busy night. It was delicious served with some crusty bread.

1 tbsp olive oil
4 links pre-cooked chicken sausage (I used three-cheese Italian), sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
pinch red pepper flakes
freshly cracked black pepper
2-15 oz cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz frozen chopped spinach
salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until starts to brown. Add onions and garlic to the pot and saute until onions are soft and transparent. Add crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, pepper flakes, and lots of black pepper. Stir to combine. Add beans to the pot along with the spinach (no need to thaw). Stir and let everything heat thoroughly, about ten minutes. Add in salt to taste.