Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

From the Kitchen of: Jennie

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Chicken Broth
• 2 cups Water
• 2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
• 1 box Uncle Ben's FAST COOK Wild Rice w/seasoning packet
• 1/2 t. Salt
• 1/2 t. Pepper
• 3/4 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 2 cups Milk

Directions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.
2. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted add flour and seasoning packet, mix well. Once mixed add milk and whisk together until it is smooth. Cook until thickens about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Variations:

1. Use a leftover rotisserie chicken in place of the chicken. Adds a yummy flavor to the soup.
2. Add diced carrots, celery and onion into soup during step 1.
3. Recipe calls for heavy cream instead of milk, however I like to use 1% milk in place of the cream. I can't taste a difference and it lowers the fat content.

Pretzels

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 1 T light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 3 1/4 c flour
• 1/4 c hot water
• 1 t. sugar
• Coarse or kosher salt (optional)
• 3 T butter, melted

Directions:

1. Pour lukewarm water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle on the yeast. Wait 5 minutes, then stir in the brown sugar, the salt and 2 cups of the flour. Stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 100 strokes.
2. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to make a semi firm dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for 7 to 8 minutes, dusting the surface with flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.
3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and roll it around to coat its entire surface. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place until the dough is nearly doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a cookie sheet.
4. Turn dough out onto a flour-dusted surface and knead for 1 minute. Divide the dough in half, placing half back in the bowl and re-covering it with plastic wrap.
5. Divide the other half of the dough into 3 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball and let them rest for 5 minutes on a flour-dusted surface. Then roll each ball under your palms and outstretched fingers until it's about 3 feet long and 1/2 inch thick.
6. Heat oven to 450'. Shape the ropes of dough by making a circle and twisting the ends.
7. Fold the ends back over the circle and pinch the dough. After you finish shaping the pretzels, place them on the baking sheet, leaving as much space between them as possible.
8. Stir the hot water and sugar together in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the water mixture over the pretzels. Tip them with a bit of coarse salt, if desired. Set the pretzels aside for 10 minutes.
9. Bake the pretzels on the center oven rack until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking. Start shaping the other half of the dough into 3 more pretzels.
10. Place a sheet of plastic wrap or foil under a wire rack and transfer the baked pretzels to the rack. Using a pastry brush, apply melted butter liberally over the pretzels;this makes them soft and flavorful. Let the pretzels cool briefly, but enjoy them while they're warm. Makes 6 pretzels.

Tasty Tips:

• Cinnamon Sugar: As soon as you brush your pretzels with the water mixture(Step 8) give them a liberal sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. After baking, brush the pretzels with butter and sprinkle on more cinnamon sugar.

English Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Milk
• 3 T Butter, cut into pieces
• 2 T Honey
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• Cornmeal
• 5 1/2 - 6 cups flour
• 1 t. salt

Directions:

1. Combine milk, butter and honey in a saucepan. Warm the mixture over medium-low heat until the butter starts to melt, then whisk it briefly. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the liquid to cool until lukewarm.
2. While the milk cools, pour the water into a medium-size mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir the liquid gently with a fork. Set the bowl aside for 5 to 10 minutes, until all of the yeast has dissolved.
3. On two baking sheets sprinkle a generous amount of cornmeal. (This is where you'll set the muffins to rise.)
4. Pour the cooled milk into the dissolved yeast and gently stir the mixture until well blended. Add 3 coups of flour and the salt to the liquid and beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth (about 100 strokes). Beat in enough of the remaining flour, about 1/3 cup at a time, so that the dough is firm enough to knead and no longer sticky.
5. Scrape the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour. Flour your hands as well and knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes.
6. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until dough is a half inch thick.
7. Cut the dough into circles with a 3 1/2 inch biscuit cutter.
8. Transfer the muffins to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them apart. Sprinkle cornmeal on the tops. Cover the muffins with a dry, lightweight towel and let them rise until they are almost doubled in height-about 35 to 45 minutes.
9. When the muffins have risen, heat a large, heavy, ungreased skillet over medium heat. (If you have two skillets, you may want to prepare both so you can cook more muffins at once.) Or you can use an electric griddle heated to 300'. Carefully lift the muffins from the waxed paper and place them in the heated pan or griddle, spacing them an inch or so apart. You should be able to fit 4 or 5 muffins in each pan.
10. Cook the muffins for about 10 minutes on each side, using a spatula to flip them. You may have to adjust the heat if the muffins are browning too quickly or slowly. Transfer each batch of cooked muffins to a wire rack to cool before splitting and toasting them. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.

Chicken, Red Potato and Green Bean Salad

Chicken, Red Potato, and Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
· Dressing:
· 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
· 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
· 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
· 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
· 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
· 1 garlic clove, minced
· Salad:
· 1 pound small red potatoes
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 pound diagonally cut green beans
· 2 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 8 ounces)
· 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
· 1 (10-ounce) package gourmet salad greens (about 6 cups)
Preparation
To prepare dressing, combine first 8 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk.
To prepare salad, place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until almost tender. Add beans, and cook an additional 4 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well.
Quarter potatoes. Place the potatoes, beans, chicken, onion, and greens in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Lentil & Brown Rice Soup

From the Kitchen of Michelle

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts water
• 3/4 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1 envelope onion soup mix
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, optional

Directions:

1. In a pot, combine all ingredients except vinegar; bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 35-45 minutes or until lentils and rice are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in vinegar if desired.

Potato & Cabbage Soup

From the Kitchen of Michelle

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 10 cups water
• 6 cups chopped cabbage
• 4 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
• 4 cups cubed fully cooked ham

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan saute onion in butter until tender.
2. Add the water, cabbage, potatoes, bouillon, pepper and garlic.
3. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. Stir in ham; heat through.

Apple Walnut Salad

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces cooked chicken breast, cut into chunks
• 1/2 c celery, chopped
• 3/4 c apples, chopped
• 2 ounces walnut, chopped
• 1 T raisins
• 1/3 c Italian Dressing
• Bibb Lettuce

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, gently stir together the chicken, celery, apple, walnuts and raisins.
2. Pour the dressing over the mixture and toss gently to coat.
3. Serve on a bed of Bibb lettuce.