Ranch Dressing

I have to admit that I've been making this ranch dressing for quite a while now; and until recently it hadn't occurred to me to actually blog about it.  I have no idea why.  Everyone who tries it loves it.  So, my reason for telling you all this is because the pictures you are going to see (see example above) suck.  I'm just trying not to sugar coat it.  Don't expect anything fantastic here.  In fact, I won't be offended if you just skip down to the recipe below.  Oh, and I should also mention that this recipe is made to my liking but feel free to add more, less or none at all of what you like/don't like.

OK, lets begin:

You'll need 1 cup of mayo.  NOT Miracle Whip!

Add to that, 1/2 a cup of Sour Cream.

You'll need all of these spices, or you can use fresh but keep in mind that you'll need more fresh spices to achieve the same taste as dried.  I recommend dried here.  It'll stay looking much prettier in the refrigerator than fresh.

It's all about looking pretty after all.

Buttermilk to thin it out.  This recipe is a dip or a dressing.  If you are using it as a dip you don't need the buttermilk, or at least not as much of it.  As a dressing however you TOTALLY need it.

That's all the pictures I took.  See? Sucky.

Here's the recipe:

1 Cup Mayonnaise
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
2 Tbsp Dried Chives
1 tsp Dried Parsley
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Dried Dill
1 Cup (or more) of Buttermilk

Put ingredients into a bowl (a mason jar works fantastic here) and stir/shake until mixed well. Enjoy.

Chicken and Noodles

I recently found this recipe on one of my favorite websites and knew I'd be trying it immediately.  I found I had to make some slight adjustments to her recipe but overall it turned out so wonderfully that I'll be making it several times this fall/winter.  She has this in her "comfort food" category and I would completely agree.  It makes me warm and sleepy just thinking about it.

As you can see, I did skip a couple of pictures but I'm assuming you already know how to cut up carrots and celery.  If I'm wrong - please visit the link above for the original recipe because she very thoroughly explains how to do it.
First things first - you'll need a big stock pot filled with water.  The original recipe called for 4 quarts of water which is what I used, but next time I'm going to decrease this to 3 quarts.
Place a whole cut-up fryer chicken in the water and boil for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the chicken from the pot and begin to debone it. Shred the meat as you go along and place the meat on a plate for use a little later.

Now, put the bones back into the pot and bring to a boil, then turn to low and simmer for 45 minutes.
While the bones are cooking, you will want to cut up your carrots and celery.  Onion is optional but I didn't add it.  Also, I recommend you leave the lid off the pot while the bones are cooking because you need some of the water to evaporate.  This might have been my mistake, I left it on and had to use a lot more thickener at the end. 

I found it very helpful to pre-measure the spices while the bones were cooking also.  On this plate you've got Salt, Turmeric, White Pepper, Parsley Flakes, and Ground Thyme.  FYI - at the end I ended up adding a lot more salt but I suggest you start with this and keep checking it as you go.

After 45 minutes remove the bones and discard.

Now add in your carrots and celery. Pour in the herbs and spices and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Turn the heat up and add the frozen egg noodles....

....and the chicken.  At this point you have a delicious Chicken Noodles Soup and if that's how you'd like to leave it, feel free.  However, you're missing out on the delicious gravy if you stop here.  Continue on if you dare.

In a separate dish mix the flour and the water until you get a smooth texture.  Pour the mixture into the soup and cook for about 5 minutes.  I ended up having to add this mixture in two additional times to get it thick enough.

One of my favorite soups for sure, the leftovers were amazing.  Definitely a winter time comfort food that I plan to make every year.

PW's Homemade Chicken and Noodles

The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 whole cut up fryer chicken
• 2 whole carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 medium whole onion, diced (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground thyme
• 2 tsp parsley flakes
• 16 oz package frozen homestyle egg noodles
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Cooking Directions

1. In a large pot, place the chicken and cover with 4 quarts of water. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon (or two) and remove the bones from the meat. Add the bones back to the broth and simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Slightly shred the meat and set aside.
4. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bones from the broth, be sure to look for any small bones that might be in there.
5. Add the vegetables to the broth and the seasonings and simmer for 10 more minutes.
6. Turn up the heat and add the frozen egg noodles and the chicken, cook for 8-10 more minutes.
7. Mix the flour with a little water until smooth. Add the mix to the soup and let cook for 5 minutes or until the desired thickness is reached.
8. Taste and adjust the seasonings and then serve hot.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Guess what I made for our Memorial Day Party?  Oh, you guessed it, you're so smart.  I'm a fan of Chocolate and Peanut Butter coupled together, are you? OK, well these will make you very happy.  They aren't difficult and oh so yummy.  The frosting texture is different then you'd expect from your everyday average glossy frosting, but it melts in your mouth.  I hope you'll give em a whirl.

Let's start with the cupcakes, this is a very simple Hershey recipe.  The nice thing about this recipe is you can add all the dry ingredients in a bowl, and then just pile the wet ingredients right on top of that.  One bowl, I love it.

Start with the sugar.  2 cups.

Next, add the flour.

Now the star of the show, the chocolate.

You must have baking powder ya know.

Surprisingly you have to have baking soda too.

Now a touch of salt. Salt and chocolate are yummy together. Oh who am I kidding, chocolate and anything are yummy together.

Now frantically stir; like my two year old is demonstrating.  Just kidding, well this is my two year old but she just likes to stir stuff.  Although, you probably should give this a nice gentle stir just to incorporate all the ingredients.

Now add the eggs

and the milk...

...then the oil...

vanilla, and hot water (not pictured).

Begin by turning your mixer on the lowest speed until things start to combine.  This mixture will be runny so don't fret.

I transferred this into a bowl with a pour spout to simplify things.

Hopefully you've got some cupcake cups ready.

Fill the cups 3/4 of the way, then pop them in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Aren't they lovely?

Now for the frosting.  In this bowl is a stick of butter (that's 1/2 cup) and 1 cup of creamy peanut butter.

Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar...

 
and the milk until it's creamy.  Then beat for an additional 3 minutes until it's nice and fluffy.

You can see the color has lightened a little and the texture has changed.

Now frost your cooled cupcakes. 

The cupcakes are very moist and chocolaty, and the frosting just melts in your mouth.  Great combination, wish I'd thought of it. The recipes are below.

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Recipe: Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.


Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting: Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

Onion Dip

If you are an onion lover like I am, you must try this dip.  I mean must, really, I'm not kidding.  I first made it for my daughters birthday party and got rave reviews about it.  I've since made it for another party recently and again, rave reviews.  It's super easy, way more flavorful than the dried soup mix variety.

First things first, chop the onions and caramelize them in a pan with olive oil and kosher salt.  This will usually take about 15 to 20 minutes.

See, getting golden and yummy.  My house smelled so good after making this dip.  Once they are caramelized, take them off the heat and let them cool.

Meanwhile, mix your sour cream and your mayonnaise.  To this add your garlic powder, white pepper and kosher salt.

After the onions have cooled, add them to the sour cream/mayo mixture and combine.

Refrigerate this mixture for at least two hours.  Easy breezy.

You can find the recipe here: French Onion Dip

Quick Pan Chili

Sometimes you just want a bowl of chili and not a huge pot of chili.  This recipe does make more than just one serving, but its so versatile that you certainly could just make one serving.  You can change up pretty much everything in this recipe and invent your own favorite.

Start by browning some ground beef.  I used about 1/2 a pound.

While the meat is browning, chop of one medium to small onion.

Add the onion to the meat and cook until tender - about 5 minutes.

Add one can of tomato sauce.  You could used diced tomato's here too.

Add a can of beans, I used kidney beans but Pinto would be yummy too.

I added peas because I love them, but corn would be really good or any veggie - or no veggie at all.

I keep homemade chili seasoning in my cupboard, I'll put the recipe below.

Some people would say this is a very odd ingredient but I really think black olives are perfect here.

I upped the spiciness factor slightly by adding some Red Pepper Flakes.  This is optional of course.  Let all these flavors mix together at a simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes.

I topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.  Delicious!

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 can (14 ounce) tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans
1 medium onion
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 Tbsp chili seasoning - or to your taste
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes - or to your taste

I add didn't really measure anything for this recipe so you'll just have to do some tasting along the way to make sure it's right for you and your family.
Brown the ground beef, then add the chopped onion and cook until tender. Add the tomato sauce, kidney beans, peas and seasonings and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes. 

 Chili Seasoning Mix