Chicken Noodle Soup

So with cooler weather coming along, I have been into making soups and yummy autumn foods. I don't have exact measurements for this soup, but I have a general list and hope you like to experiment! :)

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This makes a lot. (Define that how you will. :))

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Water

6-8 red potatoes (scrubbed and cut in large chunk)

2-3 carrots (peeled and cut into 2" sticks)

2 celery stalks (washed and cut in large chunks)

1/2 medium onion (cut in medium chunks)

1/2 pckg uncooked pasta (8 oz., I used Rotini)

2 cans chicken breast (10 oz. ea, sooo much easier!)

salt/pepper to taste

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Add all vegetables and chicken in large pan of water (make sure you have plenty of water, since you will be cooking your pasta in it too.) Bring to a boil. Turn temp down to medium and add pasta, salt, and pepper. Cook for 20-30 min until tender. Really yummy! (I bet it may be good to add a chicken bullion cube or some chicken broth, I just didn't have any on hand.)

Fresh Salsa

(Large batch)

12-14 large tomatoes
1 large green pepper
4 celery stalks
1/2 medium white onion (or 1 bunch green onion)
2 medium jalepeno
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tsp salt (add more to taste if needed)
1 tsp pepper

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Medium/large-sized diced tomatoes. Medium/small diced green pepper and celery. Small dice onion and jalepeno pepper. Fine chop cilantro. Combine all vegetables, stir in vinegar, salt and pepper. Eat on tortilla chips. (It is also really yummy to melt cheese on your chips first, then eat them with the salsa.) So good! Enjoy!

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By the way...
...if you don't have one of these (see photo above), you MUST HAVE one. It saves so much time! I know it still takes a lot of time to prepare vegetables before you dice them (washing and cutting out bad parts, etc), but this little tool makes it so easy after that! I used the larger sized dice for the tomatoes and the smaller one for everything else. I only had to chop the cilantro by hand and go over the jalepenos a little extra to make them a little smaller. Love it!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cubes butter
2 eggs

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Cream sugars, butter, and eggs. Add and mix all dry ingredients and vanilla. Add chocolate chips. Drop scoops on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-9 min.

Vegetable Chunk Soup

Ok, so I don't have specific measurements for most of the items in this soup, but I will give you the general idea and you can experiment.

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Water
1 can beef broth (optional)
8-10 red potatoes (scrubbed and quartered)
3-4 carrots (peeled and sliced into thick rounds)
2-3 celery stalks (washed and sliced into chunks)
1/2 large onion (large dice)
ham (cut into medium sized chunks)
-I buy cooked/frozen spiral cut ham, reheat it, put the glaze on it, and then refreeze it in smaller freezer baggies to use in different meals.
salt/pepper to taste

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I pretty much add all of the above listed ingredients into a large pot of water, bring to a boil, then turn down to medium and let it cook for 20-30 min until tender. It doesn't take a lot of time because I kept everything in large chunks and threw them in. It turned out great!

Soft Taco

1lb hamburger
1/4 cup diced onions
1 medium carrot grated
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup water
2 tsp taco seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger in medium pan. Place all other ingredients into pan with hamburger, bring to a boil, then simmer until onions and carrots are tender.

Place meat mixture on soft tortilla and roll up.

Optional toppings:
grated cheese
lettuce
tomatoes
ranch dressing
sour cream

Zucchini Crisp

I'm sorry I don't have a picture for this one. I served this tonight to my family and our friends. Only 2 of us knew that it wasn't apple crisp. It tasted great! We served it with vanilla ice cream, and our husbands went back for seconds-looked & tasted just like apple crisp. It was so yummy and made the house smell great!

8 cups cubed peeled zucchini
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
TOPPING:
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cold butter or margarine

In a bowl, combine the zucchini, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
For topping, combine brown sugar, oats and flour in a bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over the zucchini mixture. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and the zucchini is tender

Coconut Cones

¼ c margarine
2 c powdered sugar
¼ c evaporated milk
3 c shredded coconut
½ c chocolate chips

Melt margarine. Blend in sugar and milk. Add coconut. Drop from teaspoon onto waxed paper. When cold, shape into cone with fingers. If desired, dip bottoms in melted chocolate (milk or semi sweet chocolate chips are great). Use 1/2 cup, melt in microwave. After dipping the bottom in chocolate place back on waxed paper. Tastes like Mound candy bars.

* When I made these I came out with 2 dozen, but it could make more depending on the size you make them. You can shape them however you want. I made mine rectangular and then spread the melted chocolate on top with a spoon. I used 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Next time I might make them bite-size. Great treat for coconut lovers!