Lasagna Lover's Soup

I am a soup girl. Chicken Noodle, Cheesy Potato, Regular Potato, Minestrone, Chili...... I  just love the cozy feel of soup on a cold day!  So when I found this recipe on Pinterest for a Lasagna Soup , I knew I had to make it! When my husband learned I was going to attempt to put Lasagna in soup form, he wasn't quite sure what to expect, but after his 3rd bowl I'm pretty sure he loved it;) This soup is the perfect winter soup that classifies as some serious comfort food! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 lb lean ground beef

garlic powder to taste

onion powder to taste

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 3/4 tsp dried basil

3/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite size pieces (6.5 oz)

1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (5 oz)

1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (2 oz)

8 oz ricotta cheese

Directions

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, crumble beef into pot, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Drain fat from beef and set aside. In another pot  Add in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel seeds, thyme, sugar, parsley, the cooked ground beef and season with salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder  to taste. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare lasagna noodles according to directions listed on package, reserving 1 cup pasta water before draining pasta.

Add cooked pasta to soup along with 1/2 cup - 1 cup pasta water as desired. In a mixing bowl, using a fork, stir together mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta.

Ladle soup into bowls, dollop with a large scoop of the cheese mixture and sprinkle with chopped parsley (you can help the cheese melt better by cooking in the microwave after dolloping over soup for a bit but mine melted and mixed just fine!)

General Tso's Chicken

I am not a big Asian food eater. I am always a little questionable at the meat and what they consider "real" meat. This annoys my husband, who LOVES to eat Asian food.  So 99% of the time, if we eat Asian food, I cook it at home. This recipe is a little lengthier BUT so worth it! You can make the sauce and breading mixture in advance to make it go quicker the day of as well!

Ingredients

(Chicken)
– 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1-inch cubes
– 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
– 1/4 cup salt
– 3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
– 3 cups vegetable oil for frying, plus 1 tablespoon for stir-frying
– 5 dried red chilis, roughly chopped
– 2 tsp minced garlic

(Marinade)
– 1 tablespoons soy sauce
– 1/4 C. of Rice Vinegar
– 2 egg whites

(Sauce)
– 1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
– 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
– 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
– 1 teaspoon chili paste (If you don't have this you can substitute 2 tsp cayenne pepper and red       pepper flakes)
– 1 teaspoons sesame oil
– 1 tablespoon sugar
– 1 teaspoon cornstarch

 Steps:
(1) In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites. Coat the chopped chicken in the marinade mixture and let sit for 10 minutes.
(2) In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, sugar, and the 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
(3) In a large bowl or deep plate, mix the cornstarch with salt and pepper. Add the marinated chicken and toss to coat. Shake off any excess before frying.
(4) In a large thick-bottom pan/skillet. Heat vegetable oil on high until it begins to bubble and sizzle/pop. Turn heat down to medium, and start frying your chicken.
(5) Working in 4 or 5 batches, add the first batch of chicken cubes (about 6 cubes per batch) and fry until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all your chicken is cooked.
(6) Turn stove off, drain the oil into a heatproof container and save for discarding. Leave about 2 tbsp oil in your wok.
(7) Reheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped dried chilis and garlic, and stir-fry until just fragrant, about 20 seconds.
(8) Pour in the sauce and stir until it begins to simmer and thicken, about 1 to 2 minutes.
(9) Serve on a bed of rice. Pour sauce over chicken.

Dijon Chicken Panini

It's Here! It's Here! I know you had dreams last night about this recipe and woke up with drool on your pillow.... and rightfully so. This Panini was so delish, it had my husband asking for seconds and thirds and quite possibly fourths! So enough about the amazing-ness of this sandwich, here is the recipe: 

Ingredients
       Dijon Chicken Marinade: 

• 1/3 cup of Dijon mustard
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 2 T. honey
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

       Panini: 

• Slices of whole wheat bread
• Smoked mozzarella cheese
• Cooked bacon
• Dijon chicken
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions: 

Combine mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add spices and stir. Pepare chicken breast and place in a large plastic storage bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Gently shake chicken in closed bag to cover chicken completely. Refrigerate 1 hour. Grill or bake chicken. If baking, preheat oven to 350 cook 20 minutes flip and cook another 20 minutes. Once chicken is cooked, butter one side of each bread slice, spread mustard on non-buttered side of one slice of bread. Add one slice of cheese, as much bacon as you'd like:) and chicken. Top with second slice of bread and toast in a George Foreman Grill, Panini press, or you can toast in a frying pan and flip, or oven. Cook until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown. Enjoy!

Ranch Cheddar Chicken

I know sometimes I get in a rut with my cooking. Working full time with a husband who's schedule is almost never predictable make it hard to enjoy cooking, especially when a lot of nights it's just me. So I get in this rut where I buy the same groceries each week, and make the same meals each week, because they're easy!

Well, the husband challenged me to get creative in the kitchen, like I used to when we were first married. Not such a subtle hint, huh ;) So this week I took the challenge and did, and boy was it worth it. I have the BEST chicken recipe I have ever eaten and it is so easy to make! So here it is.

Ranch Cheddar Chicken:

Ingredients:

•        4 Bonesless skinless chicken breast ( I used tenderloins because they were on sale)
•        1/2 C. Mayonnaise
•        2 T. dry ranch dressing seasoning
•        1/4 C. grated cheddar cheese
•        1/4 C. panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken in a large baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ranch, and cheddar cheese. Spread on top of the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the panko crumbs on top and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

That is it! One of the easiest recipes I've made and perfect for the working homemaker. I made enough to eat leftovers 3 times this weekend for lunch while Joel was at work..... but he ate every last crumb last night! Definitely going on the menu rotation! Hope y'all enjoy this chicken recipe as much as I did!