Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Hello, everyone! Chicken noodle soup is a classic winter dish. It is really good for those cold winter days when you want to stay inside and keep cozy. This recipe only makes one serving, but you could easily adjust it to make more if you wish. I hope you try it and let us know what you think! Enjoy! :) 

                                               

                Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

                             1 1/2 cup hot water

                             1 chicken bouillon cube

                             1/2 cup elbow macaroni 

                             1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed

                             2 or 3 baby carrots

                             salt, to taste

In a small saucepan, boil the water and add the bouillon cube. Stir until the cube is dissolved. Add the noodles and keep it boiling until the noodles are soft. Add the chicken and carrots and allow it to boil for a minute or two longer. Add as much salt as you like, and enjoy! :) 

Homemade Tortillas

Hello Everyone!  How are you all enjoying the blog?  I hope it has proved helpful!  Today, I made a recipe posted by another blogger.  It did not turn out like their picture led me to believe.  Here is the link to the recipe: Tortillas Recipe. When I first mixed it, the dough was EXTREMELY flaky and dry.  The picture below shows how mine turned out.

I hope you all have better luck than I did!  Comment and tell my partner and I how yours worked out!

Cinnamon Roll Bites

Hello everyone! It has been slightly warmer around here, and we even got a thunderstorm! When I saw this recipe on High Heels and Grills I made these cinnamon roll bites for my dad for Valentine's Day and they tasted surprisingly like cinnamon rolls, without all the complicated process! They are best when they are warm, but you could eat them cold if you want. The ones in the picture don't have glaze on them, but they were good anyways. The glaze just makes it even better! Enjoy!! :) 

                                                       

                            Cinnamon Roll Bites

               Dough:

                              

                         1 1/2 cups water (about 110*)

                         1 Tablespoon active, dry yeast

                         2 Tablespoons sugar

                         1 tsp. salt

                         2 Tablespoons oil

                         3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour

      

                         3/4 cup sugar

                         1/4 cup brown sugar

                         1 Tablespoon cinnamon

                         1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick) 

             Glaze:

       

                        1 cup powdered sugar

                        2-3 Tablespoons milk

                        2 Tablespoons butter, melted

                        1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a medium bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar and let it sit for five minutes. 

Add the salt and oil and mix until well combined. Gradually add in the flour until the dough is well mixed and no longer sticky. Turn onto a floured surface and knead gently until smooth and elastic, then place in a greased bowl and let it sit until doubled in size. (About an hour) 

Preheat the oven to 375*. 

In a small bowl, melt the butter. In a separate bowl, combine the sugars and cinnamon. Break off small pieces of dough and roll them into a ball. Dip each one into the butter, then the cinnamon sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes. 

Place the balls on a cooling rack and prepare the glaze. 

To make the glaze, simply combine all of the ingredients together until smooth. 

Drizzle the glaze over each of the balls and enjoy! 

I liked mine warm best, because they are softer that way. :) 

Dark Cherry French Toast

Hello Everyone!  How was your Valentine's Day?  My mom made up this french toast.  It was amazing!  I think this is the best french toast on the face of the planet.  I hope you like it as well!

Dark Cherry French Toast

2 cups almond milk

6 extra large eggs

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 T. sugar

1 loaf day-old french bread, cut into 3/4" slices

butter for the pan

Cherry Sauce

one 12 oz. package unsweetened, pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed

2 T. sugar

a couple drops vanilla

Garnish

whip cream

chocolate syrup

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly combine milk, eggs, extracts, and sugar with an electric mixer.  Pour mixture into a large, shallow dish (we used a 4.5 liter corningware dish so that we could soak lots of slices at once).  Lay bread slices in the liquid to soak as needed, turning once.  They should be soaked and a little spongy to the touch, but you don't want them sopping! 

Melt some butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add as many slices of bread onto the skillet as will fit at a time. Fry until golden on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary.

For the cherry sauce, lightly process the cherries, extract, and sugar in a food processor or blender.  It shouldn't take long.  There should still be cherry shreds when you are finished.  Alternatively, you could puree the mixture, but we wanted more body in the sauce.

To serve, give each plate a light chocolate drizzle.  Place a few french toast rounds on the plate and top with cherry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.  You could also add a few mini chocolate chips to make it extra special!  Enjoy!

As I said before, this is positively delicious!  I am sure it will be a hit with your family!

Valentine's Day Heart Truffles

Happy Valentine's Day! This recipe is a twist on the Oreo Truffles that I did a while ago. They are a great treat to give to someone on Valentine's Day, or just a snack to bring to a party! Everyone enjoyed them, and I hope you make them and enjoy them as well! <3 

Valentine's Day Heart Truffles

                                             

                              1 package oreos

                              1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese

                              2 bags milk chocolate chips

                              1 bag white chocolate chips

Set aside nine of the oreos from the package. You will not need them later, so you can just go ahead and eat them. :) 

Place the rest of the oreos in a plastic bag and crush them until they are fine crumbs. Mix in the cream cheese until thoroughly combined and smooth. 

Roll pieces of dough into balls, then press them gently and shape into a heart. Don't worry if they don't look right at first; it doesn't take long to get the hang of it! Place them on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer.

Meanwhile, melt the milk chocolate chips in a double broiler. Dip the truffles into the chocolate, coating it completely. Allow the chocolate to harden. 

Melt the white chocolate in a double broiler. Be very careful! White chocolate burns easily. 

Carefully drizzle the melted chocolate over the truffles, and allow it to harden. Enjoy! :) <3 

Changes!

Hello everyone! It's Nutmeg here! I just wanted to let you know that Koko and I have decided to only post twice a week, as it was putting a lot of pressure on one of us to have to figure out two recipes for a week. Koko will now be posting on Mondays, and I will be posting on Fridays. Just thought I'd let you all know so you don't think we abandoned our blog! :) Happy Valentine's Day! <3 

Gluten Free Fudge Cookies

Hello Everyone!  Today's recipe is wonderfully simple, and delicious.  I really enjoyed it.  The cookies are a little temperamental though.  You CAN NOT under-cook them.  I accidentally did with my first batch, and they fell apart.  The cookie dough will be more loose than usual, but don't worry.  They will turn out fine.

 

Gluten Free Fudge Cookies

3 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large egg whites

1 T. pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Spray mats with nonstick cooking spray. You can also line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with cocoa powder and salt.  Stir in the vanilla and egg whites.  Whisk just until the batter is moistened.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the batter by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheets. Leave enough space between each cookie for them to spread (about 2 ½ ” of space between each cookie).

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  Enjoy!

I hope those of you who can't have gluten enjoy these cookies!  They truly are delicious!

Baked Chicken Fingers

Hello Everyone!  This recipe is amazing.  The ground pecans might have thrown you off for a moment, but don't let them deceive you.  These are delicious.  This has got to be my favorite chicken fingers recipe ever.  My little brother is singing their praises!

Baked Chicken Fingers

16 saltine crackers, finely crushed

1/4 cup pecans, finely ground

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 large chicken breasts, sliced

Directions

 Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first five ingredients in a shallow bowl.

 Whisk egg white just until foamy.

Line a large baking with parchment paper.

Dredge chicken tenders in flour; dip in egg white, and dredge in saltine mixture.

 Bake at 425° for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown, turning once after 12 minutes.  Enjoy!

My family and I greatly enjoyed these chicken tenders!  I hope yours does too!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Krispies

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a good week! We have been getting alot of snow. It is so beautiful. 
This recipe is another one of my childhood favorites. I had the original from my mom, but, when I went to make them, I couldn't find it! I eventually resorted to my own memory and formulated my own. These were a little more crumbly than I would have liked, which made them very hard to cut, but I eventually got some semi-pretty ones. They taste just the same though. Again, it's like eating memories. I was trying to figure out what made them so crumbly when I realized that I put in six cups of rice krispies instead of the five that I remembered. I will put five cups instead of six so you don't have to worry about yours being the same way! It may also help to add more peanut butter or marshmallow cream. I will have to try it next time! Enjoy! :) 

                                                         
                    Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Krispies

                   1 jar marshmallow cream (7 oz) 
                       1/2 cup peanut butter
                       1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
                       5 cups rice krispies
                       1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
                       1 bag butterscotch chips

Butter a glass 9x13 pan and set it aside.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the marshmallow cream, butter, and peanut butter until melted and smooth. 
Pour the mixture over the rice krispies and mix well. 
With buttered hands, firmly press the rice krispies into the pan. Place into the refrigerator to cool. 
Melt the chocolate chips and the butterscotch chips together in a double broiler. Make sure there are no streaks in the chocolate, then pour it over the cooled bars. Allow it to set, then cut into squares and dig in! :) 

Chocolate Velvet Dessert

Hello Everyone!  Today's recipe is not my own.  The credit for this one goes to Taste of Home.  My mom makes this once a year every year.  I did not know that when I made it.  My father was so sad when she told him.  I think this must have been his favorite.  It is a pretty simple recipe.

Chocolate Velvet Dessert

1 1/2 cups oreo crumbs, frosting removed

2 T. sugar

1/4 cup butter

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

6 egg yolks

1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

3 T. baking cocoa

3 to 4 T. milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*.

Grease a 9 in. spring form.

In a small bowl, combine the first three ingredients, and press into the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the spring form.  Bake for ten minutes.  Cool.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Cool. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, cream and vanilla. Gradually stir a small amount of mixture into melted chocolate until blended; gradually stir in remaining mixture. Pour into crust.

Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, vanilla, confectioners' sugar, cocoa and enough milk to achieve a piping consistency. Using a large star tip, pipe frosting on dessert.  Enjoy!

This is definitely one to eat with a glass of milk!  It is extremely rich.