Tomato Basil Soup

It took a long time and many less than great bowls of soup but I've finally found a homemade tomato soup that is similar to the canned stuff but tastes even better! My husband had never had tomato soup until we were married and now this is one of his favorite soups, served, of course, with grilled cheese.
This soup is easy to put together and can withstand a long simmer time so it's perfect for days when dinner needs to be started early. However, it can also come together quite quickly. Since I try to keep chopped carrots and celery in the freezer I've definitely pulled this together spur of the moment.

Tomato Basil Soup
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Adapted from: Kate's Great Crafts & 365 Days of Slow Cooking
Yields: 6-8 generous servings

Ingredients:
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
28 oz can tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 T basil
1 small bay leaf
3 T butter
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
dash garlic powder
1/4 tsp basil

Directions:
   1.  Saute onion, carrots and celery in olive oil. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, 1 T basil, bay leaf and butter. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer.
   2.  Remove bay leaf. Blend using either an immersion blender or regular blender {in batches}; add milk and remaining seasonings. Heat until warm.
   3.  Serve with grilled cheese and buttery crackers.

Pear Chicken Salad Sandwiches

We are blessed to have two pear trees in our backyard. I never would have thought to put fruit trees in so it was definitely a bonus when we discovered them in the backyard. We got about fifteen pounds of pears this year so definitely lots of pears for experimenting.

When grapes were on sale I knew one great use for some pears would be a chicken salad. I looked at a few recipes for inspiration and then just started putting things in the bowl. It turned out quite well and thankfully I took notes!

Pear Chicken Salad Sandwiches

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Yields: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 cup grapes, halved

1 medium pear, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 cooked chicken breasts, diced

3 T onion, diced

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup mayonaise

salt & pepper

1/8 tsp dill

1/4 tsp parsley

dash nutmeg

dash ginger

Directions:

   1.  Mix ingredients in a medium bowl; refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve on bread or rolls.

Crockpot Smokey Sesame Chicken

My husband loves this recipe for Sesame Chicken. However, though it is quite tasty it does take a little bit of time to make. Right now I'm usually more interested in easier, less labor intensive meals. So, the hunt was on to find an easier Sesame Chicken recipe. After browsing a variety of recipes I ended up modifying my original recipe for the crockpot with fantastic results.

Crockpot Smokey Sesame Chicken
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Yields: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chicken broth
~1 cup sugar
2 T vinegar
2 T soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
~1 T chili powder
~1 T garlic powder
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
sesame seeds
3 cups cooked rice

Directions:
   1.  Place whole chicken breasts and chopped onion in crockpot; top with chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili powder and garlic powder.
   2.  Cook on low for 2 hours. Remove chicken and cut into pieces; return to crockpot and cook two hours longer.
   3.  Forty five minutes before serving combine cornstarch and water in a small dish; stir into sauce. Add celery. Cook on high until slightly thickened. Serve over rice, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Cranberry Chicken Sandwiches

The first time we had this sandwich my husband was not that impressed. However, after I made a few tweaks to the recipe he said there was a night and day difference. Now everything blends nicely together to create a fantastic sandwich.
This sandwich is different from many similar sandwiches because it doesn't have mayo or extra sauce in it. It goes without saying that this would be an excellent recipe to keep in mind for after Thanksgiving as turkey would work just as well as chicken.

Cranberry Chicken Sandwiches
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Yields: 8 sandwiches 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup onion, diced
olive oil (not pictured)
1 lb cooked, shredded chicken
1 can cranberry sauce
2 stalks celery, diced (not pictured)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup dried cranberries
bread or rolls (not pictured)

Directions:
   1.  In a small fry pan heat 1 tsp olive oil. Saute onion until softened.
   2.  In a medium bowl combine all ingredient except bread. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
   3.  Serve on bread or rolls.

This is linked to Good Cheap Eats and Tasty Tuesday.

Mom's Sloppy Joes

Growing up we always called these BBQs but somewhere along the line I've evidently converted because I now call them Sloppy Joes (as it seems most people do). Whatever you call them though this is a delicious sandwich. It's so simple to make with just a few ingredients but the combination is wonderful. I love how moist the sandwich is while still having a little bit of crunch from the celery.

Mom's Sloppy Joes
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Yields: 4-6 sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup ketchup
1 T mustard
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
3 T tomato paste

 
Directions:
   1.  In a large skillet brown hamburger, onion and celery until hamburger is no longer pink.
   2.  Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine.
   3.  Simmer 15 minutes. (If the mixture isn't wet enough add a small amount of water at a time until it reaches the right consistency.)
   4.  Serve on hamburger buns or bread.

Source: My mom

Pineapple Chicken Casserole

This dish has a lovely sweetness from the pineapple that contrasts well with the slight saltiness from the soy sauce. I love it just the way it is; my husband likes to add a little extra soy sauce to his serving.
This dish is fairly easy to put together, especially if you do some of the prep work (such as cooking the chicken and cutting the celery) beforehand. I like to reserve some chow mein noodles from the dish so that we can add some crispy noodles after we reheat the leftovers.

Pineapple Chicken Casserole
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Yields: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 can cream soup (I've been using this recipe instead with great results.)
1 can pineapple tidbits or chunks
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 T green onion, chopped (not pictured)
1 T soy sauce
2 cups chow mein noodles
2 cups cooked rice

Directions:
   1.  Combine chicken, cream soup, pineapple, celery, green onion and soy sauce. Fold in 1 cup chow mein noodles.
   2.  Spread mixture in 2 quart baking dish or 9x13 pan. Spread remaining noodles on top (reserve some for leftovers, if desired).
   3.  Bake uncovered at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Serve over rice.

Hawaiian Tuna Sandwiches

My husband has not always been a huge fan of tuna so the first time I made this it was not without a little apprehension. I'm glad I tried it because we both love the combination of all these flavors, even the tuna! It's very fresh and pleasing.
It doesn't take a lot of work to put together the sandwich filling, just a little bit of chopping and stirring. I've used a variety of breads for these sandwiches, from homemade rolls, to hamburger buns and other sorts of rolls and it's always been good.

Hawaiian Tuna Sandwiches
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Yields: 6 sandwiches

Ingredients:
2 cans tuna, drained
1/2 20 oz can pineapple, drained and chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3/4 tsp ginger
salt and pepper
6 rolls

Directions:
   1.  In a medium bowl combine tuna, pinapple, green pepper, carrots, celery, mayonnaise and spices.
   2.  Serve on rolls with optional lettuce and tomatoes.

Source: All You magazine

This is linked to Tasty Tuesday and URS.

Orange Chicken

My husband loves Asian food. The first time I made this recipe he liked it but missed the thick sauciness found in many Asian dishes he enjoys. Once I changed the recipe to produce that desired sauce he decided he approves of this dish.
I appreciate how easily this dish comes together. In an effort to make dinner time easier I typically mix the sauce and cook the chicken earlier in the day. With that done there is very little left to do besides putting things together. Sounds great to me!

Orange Chicken
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Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
1 can mandarin oranges
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 T soy sauce
3 T teriyaki sauce
2 chicken breasts, cut in bite size pieces
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 T cornstarch

 Directions:
   1.  In a medium sauce pan, bring water and rice to a boil. Cover and reduce to simmer 35-40 minutes.
   2.  In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and juice from oranges.
   3.  While rice is cooking, warm olive oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken until no longer pink.
   4.  Add sauce and celery to skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. Add cornstarch and bring to a boil; reduce to simmer until thickened. Add oranges; warm for 1-2 minutes. Serve over rice.

Adapted from: Taste of Home

This is linked to Ultimate Recipe Swap.