Chicken Noodle Soup w/Homemade Noodles

Cover boneless skinless chicken breasts with water.
Add spice to taste.  Suggestions:  basil, oregano,
rosemary...
Bring to a boil and cook for approx. 30 min.

Refrigerate overnite.  This will make it easier to
remove the fat and shred the chicken.  Save the
water to cook the soup in.

Skim off the fat.

Shred the chicken.
(You can skip the above steps and use canned chicken)

Cut up celery, carrot, and onion and cover with water.

(Start with the water from the chicken and add to it)

Add spice to taste.  Suggestions:  basil, oregano,

rosemary...

Bring to a boil and cook for approx. 15-20 min.

The vegetables should not be fully cooked at this point.

They will cook further with the noodles.

You can add dried or refrigerated garlic also.

Sam's carries McCormick Chicken Base which is a great

item to keep on hand for making soups.

Make the noodles.

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup flour, 1 egg and

1 half eggshell fill with milk for each 'batch'

(I make 3 batches)

Mix with a fork or a spatula until the mixture holds together.

At this point, knead a few times.

Roll out between 2 sheets of waxed paper.

I used a plastic cutting board.

Cut into strips with a pizza cutter.

If you want to make the noodles ahead of time, you can lay them

out on waxed paper.

Then roll them up and put in the frig til you're ready to cook

the soup.

To finish the soup, bring it to a rolling boil and add the noodles.

The water level should be at least twice as high as the level of

the chicken and vegis.

Drop the noodles in separately so they don't stick together.

Cook for approx. 15 min til the noodles are done.

Enjoy!

Marshmallow Fondant & Buttercream Frosting

Pictures to come...but in the meantime, here is a quick 'how-to' for making MMF

Before you start, lay out three pieces of saran wrap flat on the table

It's best to do this before your hands get all sticky!

In large bowl - 1 lb. mini marshmallows (don't use the big ones) + 2 Tbsp. water

  melt in 30 second intervals til they look like marshmallow fluff

  use a butter knife to stir - less surface area - easier to stir

Mix in < 1/2 c. solid crisco - (I don't measure - that would be one more dirty dish) 

Stir til melted and add 1 cap of Wilton clear butter flavoring

You can use the brown vanilla, but your fondant may take on an ivory shade

Pour in about a third of a 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar

Mix with the knife until the sugar is worked in

Put 1/3 of the goop on each of 2 pieces of the saran wrap

Pour in more sugar and work/knead in with your hands

When it's a nice smooth, non-sticky texture, wrap it in the last piece of plastic wrap

Don't keep adding sugar until it's too stiff because it will harden up over the next

  24 hours and you don't want it to be too stiff to work with

Dump one of the piles of goop into the bowl, add more sugar, & repeat

When you are done, you'll have 3 nice packages of fondant

This can and should be made well in advance of when it's needed

Quick Buttercream frosting for cupcakes

1 c. shortening (6.7oz.) (can be all solid Crisco, all butter, or a mix)

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. clear flavoring

up to 1/4 c. hot water

start mixing on low

gradually add 1 more pound powdered sugar

when all the sugar is incorporated, scrape the sides well

mix on low for 2 minutes

Buttercream can be stored in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer 

I use 21.6oz. shortening to 6lbs. powdered sugar + 1.25c. water

Not enough hands...

I needed to bag & 'ribbon' a bunch of cookies....but I was home all alone and I really needed an extra pair of hands to hold the bags so I could tie the ribbon on...what to do?

Pizza 101

I stopped by Trader Joe's...grabbed some of their yummy pizza dough ($1.19 per ball).  It's ready to go and super easy.  It's also available in wheat.
How to make a yummy pizza at home:
Make your sauce by mixing an 8oz. can of tomato sauce with a 6 oz. can of paste.
We like ours sweet, so I add 4 Tbsp. of sugar. (I have since switched to sugar substitute)  This is enough sauce to make 2 pizzas. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated.
Notice there is no spice in the sauce?  That is added in the building of the pizza.
Build your pizza...
Crust - sauce - dried basil - vegis - pre-cooked meat (hamburger, canadian bacon, sausage, etc.)  shredded mozzarella - pepperoni - bacon - oregano
The best pan is the large round aluminum pan with holes in the bottom (of course, you'll have to roll the dough on the table)...or a pampered chef stone.
Warm the pizza crust to room temp for 20 minutes and then stretch, roll, push it out to fill your pan.
Spread sauce as thick or as thin as you like.  Sprinkle to taste with dried basil, or fresh if you have it.
Lay out your vegis, meat, then top with shredded mozzarella, or fresh if you have it.  Add any pepperoni and or bacon.  (Sam's carries a gold bag of Hormel real bacon 'bits' that lasts forever in the freezer and is great for salads, pizzas, potato skins, baked beans, green beans, etc.)  Sprinkle to taste with dried oregano.
I used less than 1 ball of dough to make this (on a Pampered Chef stone):

and the rest of the dough to make this:

my own little personal pan pizza - with fresh grape tomatoes.

Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes - rotate the pan - bake for an additional 8-10 minutes.

Watch it the last couple minutes, so you don't burn it.

No time to run for pizza dough?

Make personal pizzas with flour tortillas for a super thin crust or use pitas for a thicker crust.

Added 12/3/23 Try this super easy thin crust

https://www.plainchicken.com/st-louis-style-pizza/

1 1/4c. Flour / ½ t salt / ½ t baking powder

2 t olive oil / 1 t corn syrup

½ c warm water

Roll very thin

Poke w fork, prebake 5min @450, flip. If you're not using the crust right away, bake the other side for a couple more minutes. Cool, wrap and save for a couple days. If you are using it, build your pizza (see above) with the cooked side down. It'll be super easy to handle.

Awareness Ribbon Cake

1 oval and 1 pullman loaf pan

level both
stuff the extra pieces in so as not to waste them
....otherwise, you have to eat all the scraps

frost...and done!

Finally...let's make granola bars...

On cookie sheet w/sides spread out 4 c. oats.  (I use old-fashioned, not quick)  Add a handful of coconut (unsweetened if you can) and a handful of some sort of nut, I used sliced almonds here.  I added a couple Tbsp. of ground flax seed.  I keep toasted wheat germ on hand and add that after toasting the oats.  Toast at 350 for 20 min. stir /every 5 min.  This step can be done day(s) ahead. 

In a pan on stove, bring to a boil - 1/2 cup each: butter, brown sugar, and honey.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon each vanilla and baking soda. 

Walgreen's often runs honey and the large bag of blue diamond almonds on special for $5.  These are good to keep on hand.

Cook for 4 to 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon each vanilla and baking soda. Caution - the mixture will quickly expand.

Pour over toasted oat mixture.  Stir well.  When it starts to cool, throw in a handful of butterscotch chips (they'll start to melt a little).  Press into a foil-lined 9x13 pan.  Top with a handful of mini chocolate chips.  Place in frig. to harden.  When hard, cut into 18-24 pieces.  Wrap in saran wrap or place in baggies.  Store in refrigerator.  Be careful eating them cold, they will be hard.

Other ingredients can easily be substituted.  Just start with 4 cups oats and 2 cups of mix-ins. 
Experiment with different combinations.

Two by Two

Happy Pi Day

Building a frog cake...

Single 8" round
Frost the top and add a board for the next
cake to sit on

Single 9" round

Cut off some to smooth out the back
Add it to the butt area
I left the overhang in the front

Frost the top and add yet another board for the next cake to sit on

Add some tops cut from the 8" and 9" to
make the head domed on top

Add bug eyes and brows
I used 'egg' cupcakes

This is chocolate cake scrap molded to make the
thighs

More egg cupcakes for the legs

I didn't end up leaving the last pieces
I did the feet with frosting instead
Crumb coat

Frost the whole cake
Add warts, mouth line, and more lift to the eyebrows
This will all get sprayed

Spray cake
I used brown, green, and yellow

















Add buttercream for eyes
The eyeballs are the only fondant on the cake

Who wouldn't want to work here...

...and, he tried to hide, but look who's at the end of my rainbow...












Remember the Cranberry Crisps I was trying to make to duplicate the ones at Whole Foods...
Here they are:

You can see lots of goodies are mixed in these...

They are yummy!  I just need to find the right spread to serve with them...
Coming this week...HomeMade Granola Bar tutorial and a step-by-step look at building a 3D frog cake.