Chicken Lemon Rice Soup

An easy & quick soup to make.  Lots of flavor and a hearty soup.  Great for a nice cool day or days when you don't feel well.  Soups are always a  wonderful comfort food.

CHICKEN LEMON RICE SOUP
(serves 8)

Ingredients:
*2 teaspoons butter
*1 cup carrots, diced small
*1 cup  celery, chopped small
*1 yellow onion, finely chopped
*8 cups chicken stock
*2 teaspoon chicken granules
*1/2 cup rice, uncooked
*1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked & shredded
*3 tablespoons butter
*3 tablespoons flour
*1 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon black pepper
*3 large eggs
*lemon juice squeezed from 1 large lemon
*1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:
~In a large skillet, sauté  carrots in butter over medium heat, for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
~Add celery & onions and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
~In a large stockpot, combine chicken stock, chicken granules, rice, and sautéed carrots, celery & onions.
~Bring to a boil, over medium-high heat.
~Reduce heat, cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
~Mix in chicken and let simmer for 2 minutes to heat up chicken.
~Remove from heat & set aside.
~In a small bowl, whisk eggs.
~In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoon butter over low heat.
~Whisk in flour, salt & pepper until roux is smooth.
~Add 2 cups of soup to roux and whisk until slightly thickened.
~Stir in lemon juice & lemon zest.
~Remove 1/4 cup of soup and slowly pour into eggs, whisking very quickly.
~Very slowly, add egg mixture into soup, stir until mixed well.
~Heat soup over low heat until soup is thick enough to coat a spoon (do not boil).

Instant Pot Directions:
~Put instant pot on sauté mode.
~Sauté carrots, celery and onions until veggies are tender.
~Turn off sauté mode and turn on pressure cook mode.
~Pour chicken broth,  and rinsed rice in to the Instant Pot, stirring it.
~Place on lid and seal valve.
~Pressure cook for 5 minutes.
~Do a natural release.
~In a small bowl, whisk eggs together.
~Stir in lemon juice and zest.
~Remove 1/4 cup of soup and slowly whisk it into eggs.
~Very slowly whisk egg mixture into soup and stir until mixed well.
~Put lid back on and set to vending.
~Cook on slow cooker mode for 12 minutes.
~If it's not thick enough, add a little corn starch to cold water and then whisk it into hot soup.

Oven Baked Pancake

This comes out so very fluffy.   It's important to make sure your pan is very hot before putting ingredients in it.   Very quick and easy breakfast to make.  Raspberries sprinkled over the hot pancake is very good.

OVEN BAKED PANCAKE
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
*6 tablespoons butter
*1 cup bread flour
*1 cup whole milk
*4 room temperature eggs, beaten
*2 tablespoons granulated sugar
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
*2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
~Put butter into a 10-12 inch oven proof skillet (I use my cast iron pan)
~Place butter into skillet.
~Put skillet in oven as it's preheating, until butter is melted.
~While butter is melting, whisk flour, milk, eggs, sugar, salt & lemon peel together in a large bowl.
~Pour misture over hot butter.
~Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until pancake is brown on the edges & a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
~Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar.


Variations:
~substitute bread flour with all-purpose flour.

Onion Strings-Chipolte-Cheeseburger

Wow, this burger is awesome.  Love the different flavors & textures that run throughout this burger.  I love the onion rings on it.  That little crunch makes it so good.  This recipe looks like there are a lot of steps, but there really isn't.  It's well worth the couple extra steps it does take to make this awesome burger.

ONION STRINGS-CHIPOTLE-CHEESEBURGER

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

*1 pound lean ground beef

*4 slices of cheese (whatever is your favorite)

*2 tablespoons yellow onion, chopped fine

*1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

*1 teaspoon olive oil

*1 garlic glove, minced

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*1/2 teaspoon black pepper

*onion strings

*vegetable oil, enough to cook onions in (1 to 2 cups)

*4-6 teaspoons chipotle sauce

*lettuce (optional)

*dill pickles, sliced (optional)

*4 hamburger buns (I use whole wheat)

Directions:

~In a medium bowl, mix ground beef,  2 tablespoons finely chopped onion, olive oil, worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt & black pepper.

~Make into 4 equal patties.

~Place on a plate and cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

~Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

~Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

~Place a wire rack on top of foil

~Place burgers on wire rack.

~Bake 8-10 minutes or until don as you like them.

Assemble burgers

~I like to toast the buns in the oven the last 2 minutes of the burger cooking.

~Place toasted buns on a plate.

~Spread chipotle sauce over bottom side of the top bun.

~Place lettuce on bottom half of bun.

~Place hot burger over lettuce.

~Place a slice of cheese over burger.

~Place pickles over burger.

~Place onion strings over pickles.

~Cover with top bun and enjoy.

Onion Strings

These are wonderful on burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads or just as is.  They are also great to use on the a green bean casserole.  If you are going to use these for a green bean casserole, I would double the recipe.

ONION STRINGS

Ingredients:
*1 medium-large yellow onion

*1 cup buttermilk

*1 cup all-purpose flour

*1/2 teaspoon baking powder

*1/2 teaspoon paprika

*1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

*1/2 teaspoon season salt

*vegetable oil, enough to cook onions in (1 to 2 cups)

Directions:

~Slice onion very thin and separate.

~Place sliced onion into a medium bowl.

~Pour buttermilk over sliced onions.

~Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

~In  small bowl, mix flour, paprika, garlic powder, baking powder & season salt.

~Heat oil to 375 degrees in a large skillet (I like using my cast iron skillet).

~Pick up a small handful of onions and let milk drip off.

~Drop into flour mixture and toss.

~Shake off excess mixture and fry in hot oil.

~Remove when coating is a golden brown.

~Set aside and repeat until all the onion strings are done.

Oreo Krispy Treats

Mixing Oreos into rice krispy treats is awesome.  Such an easy treat to make.

OREO KRISPY TREATS
(serves 24)


Ingredients:
*1 cup light corn syrup
*1 cup granulated white sugar
*1 cup peanut butter
*1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
*6 cups rice krispie
*20 oreos, crushed
*2 cup white or milk chocolate, melted

Directions:
~Spray a 9x13 inch pan with a cooking spay.
~In a large bowl, mix crushed oreos & rice krispy.
~In a large saucepan, combine corn syrup & sugar.
~Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and just short of a boil.
~Remove from heat.
~Stir in vanilla & peanut butter.
~Stir until peanut butter is melted.
~Pour mixture over oreo & rice krispy mixture.
~Stir until well coated.
~Press into prepared pan.
~Drizzle melted chocolate over rice krispy bars.
~Cut once it is cooled.

Canning Apple Pie Filling

I love to can apple pie filling.   It allows me to make apple pie at a moments notice. It has so much more flavor than the store bought pie filling.  If you don't want to make the dough, just pie the refrigerator pie crusts from the store (they are pretty good).  Fill the pie crust with your pie filling and bake.  Fresh apple pie, fairly quick and easy.  You will see that I use Clear-Jel in my apple pie filling.  Many people use corn starch.  The reason I don't use it, is because Clear-Jel is more stable and won't separate or become watery like corn starch can.  Corn starch is also not recommended by the USDA for safe canning.

CANNING APPLE PIE FILLING
(makes 7 quarts)

Ingredients:
*30-35 medium apples (cortland, golden delicious, rome & jonathan are best)
*9 1/2 cups water
*4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
*1 cup Clear Jel
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
*1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
*2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions
~In a large saucepan, mix water, sugar, clear jel, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg.
~Cook until thickened, continuously stirring.
~Stir in lemon juice.
~Slice apples, placing them into a large bowl of cold water with a little lemon juice.
~Place sliced apples into jars a quarter way filled.
~Add some syrup.
~Repeat with apples & syrup until filled, leaving at least a 1-inch headspace.
~Clean top of jars from any residue.
~Place lids (I heat lids up first in boiling water) & rings on jars. Tighten lids.
~Place in water bath for 25 minutes.
~Remove from bath & allow to sit for 24 hours before storing in a cool dry place (fruit cellar).

Variation:
`substitute clear jel for Ultra Gel.
`freeze filling instead of canning it.  You would omit hot bath and put into freezer bags.  Remove air & seal.  You can also use cornstarch if freezing.



To make pie:
~Preheat oven 425 degrees.
~Fill bottom crust with pie filling.
~Put 1 teaspoon of butter (chopped) over pie filling.
~Put top crust on and crimp edges.
~Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over top crust (optional).
~Put aluminum foil over the edges of the crust.
~Put small slits in top crust.
~Place pie on cookie sheets (if pie overflows it won't make a mess in your oven).
~Bake for 15 minutes.
~Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
~Bake for 30 minutes.
~Remove aluminum foil and bake another 10 minutes.
~Cool completely before cooking.