Completely Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Recently I've been doing more batch cooking to make dinners easier for myself during the week. I prepare a big batch of meat all at once, then use it in multiple meals. Not only is it cost-effective, it really does make pulling dinner together much quicker. Last weekend I wanted to make a few pounds of chicken to shred, and I decided to poach the chicken so I could make my own stock. Of course, chicken noodle soup was one of the first meals I thought of, to use both the stock and the shredded chicken.

I've been making chicken noodle soup for a long time -- first with boxed stock and store-bought noodles, and later, with boxed stock and homemade noodles. This was the first time I'd ever made it completely from scratch, and it was a huge success. I can say with certainty that any semi-homemade version I make going forward is just not going to measure up.

This does require quite a bit of time to prepare -- making the noodles and drying them, simmering the stock for a couple of hours -- but it was a great weekend activity for us. The boys loved helping me make the noodles, and I was able to get other things done while the stock was simmering. And the time spent was beyond worth it. The flavor of the stock was so deep and rich, and the noodles were so chewy and flavorful, rich with the flavor of cooking in the stock. Chicken noodle soup is one of the humblest yet most delicious dishes in the world, in my opinion, and this version is just perfect.

I'm giving you the full recipe for the noodles below (you'll only need about 3/4 of the noodles it yields, depending on how noodle-y you like your soup) and the full recipe to make a gallon of stock (you'll only need about half of the stock and a quarter of the chicken for the soup). But having egg noodles, stock, and chicken on hand is never a bad thing, right?

Completely Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

For the noodles:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 egg yolks
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Make a well in the center of the flour. Add egg yolks, egg and salt; mix thoroughly. Mix in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is stiff, but easy to roll. Knead for about 5 minutes adding additional flour if necessary to make a dough that is not sticky. Divide dough in 3 or 4 equal parts. Roll dough, one part at a time, into thin rectangle on well floured board, to less than 1/8 inch thick. Make sure that your dough is well floured. Roll up each piece of dough into a log, then cut across the log in 1/4-inch strips. Cut the long strips into shorter strips, to the length you desire your noodles. Place cut noodles onto a baking rack to dry, for at least 2 hours.

For the stock:

3 pounds bone-in chicken, light and dark meat (I used chicken legs and breasts)
Salt and pepper
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
1 onion, peeled, quartered, root attached
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
16 cups water

Rub chicken generously with salt and pepper and place in the bottom of a stock pot. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay, and thyme. Pour in the water and cover. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred; reserve. Return the chicken bones to the pot and increase heat to high. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking, uncovered, until stock is rich in color and reduced slightly, at least 1 hour. Strain into a plastic container.

For the soup:

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery from the heart, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup white wine
8 cups chicken stock
1/2 to 3/4 pound egg noodles
1 cup frozen peas

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until vegetables are tender. Stir in the shredded chicken. Add the wine and cook, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until reduced. Add the chicken stock and heat to boiling. Stir in as many noodles as you want; cook until noodles are chewy, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Reduce heat and stir in the peas. Serve.

Smoky Meatloaf

I don't know what the weather is like where you live, but around here, it seemed to go from SUMMER! to FALL! within the span of 24 hours. Last week it was in the '80s, and this week it's in the '60s. It's got me craving comfort food in a major way -- and does it get any more comforting than meatloaf? Not in my book!

I love making meatloaf for lots of reasons, not the least of which is because of the name my boys have for it. They call meatloaf "sauce cake". I think it's pretty much the most fantastic thing in the world; who doesn't want to have sauce cake for dinner? Sauce cake (as it will ever be known in our house) happens to be one of their favorite meals, too.

As much as we love traditional meatloaf, sometimes I get the hankering to make a different version. This one, inspired by a Paleo meatloaf recipe I found, has all of my favorite smoky/roasted ingredients in it: roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked cheddar cheese, and bacon. It's topped with a smoky chipotle ketchup. Honestly, it couldn't have been any more delicious -- and the leftovers made for the most delicious meatloaf sandwiches ever. I highly, highly encourage you to give this sauce cake a try.

Smoky Meatloaf
inspired by Civilized Caveman Cooking

1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1 small onion
1 14-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 roasted red pepper*, peeled and chopped
1 head roasted garlic**, pasted
1/2 cup shredded smoked cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo puree***
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain. 

2. Add the ground beef and the bacon to a large bowl. Using a small grater, grate the onion into the meat mixture. Add the tomatoes, roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, cheese, eggs, oats, paprika, salt and pepper and gently mix just until combined. Shape into a loaf and place on a cookie sheet or in a 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

3. Stir together the ketchup, chipotle in adobo puree, and Worcestershire sauce. Brush onto meatloaf and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*I don't have a gas stove, so I roast my peppers under the broiler. To roast your own red bell pepper, turn the broiler to high and place the pepper on a cookie sheet. Leave the oven door ajar so you can keep an eye on the pepper, turning it after each side is blackened. Place it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam the skin loose, then peel it and remove the seeds. I like to leave a little bit of the char on it for flavor. The peppers will keep in an airtight container for a week in the fridge, topped with a little bit of olive oil.

**To roast garlic, cut the top off of a head, leaving the bulb intact. Place on a sheet of foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roll up the foil. Cook in a 350 degree oven until your house smells amazing (about 1 hour). Squeeze the bulb to release the cloves and mash the garlic.

***When I buy a can of chipotles in adobo, I puree the entire can when I open it. Then I place the puree in a plastic baggie, roll it into a log shape, and freeze it. Then I use a grater to grate the frozen mixture when I need it for a recipe. You can also freeze the puree in ice cube trays, but the plastic baggie works just fine for me.
  

Pumpkin Pancakes with Whipped Maple Topping

Full disclosure: This is an Instagram photo. See, every once in a while, I get so excited to eat a meal that I get all verklempt when I'm taking photos. In this case, I was so excited to devour these pancakes that I took the pictures really quickly and all of the photos turned out blurry. Of course, I didn't realize this until I was editing them. I can only assume the blurriness was because my hands were shaking with anticipation of eating this meal. So this photo will have to suffice until I make these pancakes again (which will be soon, but I still couldn't wait to share these with you).

Breakfast for dinner is a huge treat in our house, especially when it's really dessert masquerading as breakfast -- which, let's be honest, is exactly what these pancakes are. They're loaded with pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and dolloped with a topping made of cream cheese, maple syrup, and whipped topping. They are so good. 

This recipe makes a ton of pancakes and a ton of topping, which worked out great for us because we ate them for breakfast throughout the week. You can reduce the amounts below if you want to, but really, I don't know why you would want to.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Whipped Maple Topping

For the pancakes:

3 cups pancake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups whipped topping
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat a greased griddle over medium high heat. In a large bowl, combine all of the pancake ingredients until thoroughly combined. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour the pancake mix in batches onto the griddle. Cook until the edges bubble, then flip and continue cooking until the opposite side is golden brown. Keep the pancakes warm in the oven.

2. Meanwhile, whisk all of the topping ingredients together in a large bowl.

3. Serve the pancakes with the topping. Serve with additional maple syrup. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Apple BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Apple Topping

I know that's the longest recipe title ever. But I just couldn't leave anything out. All of those ingredients listed up there are such important components to this delicious sandwich that they all deserve to be mentioned. 

Since the title is so long, I'll try to keep this post short and just tell you to MAKE THESE SANDWICHES. If you're anything like me this (and every) fall, you probably have more apples than you know what to do with right now. Use a couple of them in this savory application and I promise, your entire family will love them. The flavor combination is just fantastic, with the salty, sweet, and smoky elements working together so perfectly.

Also, make double the chicken and use the leftovers in these BBQ chicken taquitos, and your family will practically fall at your feet. I know this from experience.

By the way, if you're a fan of The Bachelor, you should know that I found the inspiration for this recipe from the blog Mix and Match Mama, which is written by Bachelor Sean's sister Shay. She is adorable, and she posts some really amazing recipes. Go check her out!

Apple BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Apple Topping
inspired by Mix and Match Mama 

For the chicken:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups apple juice
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

For the onion-bacon-apple topping:

6 strips bacon, diced
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced
1 large apple, sliced (I used a Honeycrisp, my fave)
1 thyme sprig
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon maple syrup 

For the sandwiches: 

Sandwich buns, toasted if desired
Mayonnaise

1. Place the chicken in a Crock pot and season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, thyme sprigs, and apple juice. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours. Before serving, remove the thyme sprigs and shred the chicken with two forks. Add the BBQ sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Turn off the slow cooker and cover while preparing the topping.

2. To make the topping, cook the bacon in a large, high-sided skillet until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Drain all but one tablespoon of the bacon drippings from the skillet. Reduce heat to low and add the butter to melt. Add the onions, apples, and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and caramelized. Remove the thyme sprig, return the bacon to the skillet, and add the maple syrup. Heat through, then remove from heat.

3. To make the sandwiches, add a pile of chicken to the bottom half of the buns. Top with the onion-bacon-apple topping. Smear some mayonnaise on the bun tops and serve.

September Re-Make Recap

I feel like every time I write one of these recaps I begin with a statement like, "Wow, another month is gone! Where did the time go?!" So even though that's all still true, I think we can skip it, right? And just get to the food? Let's do it.

(But yes, the time is still going way too fast. Christmas is in three months, people!)

I made broccoli salad for a little Labor Day cookout we had at my stepmom's house, and it was a huge hit as usual. Everyone loves this stuff.

Also on the menu for Labor Day: a batch of these fruit pizza cookies, made with strawberries, blueberries, and white peaches. I used lime juice and zest instead of lemon in the glaze this time, and I liked that flavor a lot.

It had been a while since I'd made two-packet pork chops with ranch-roasted potatoes, so I thought it was high time I put this meal on our menu. Instead of using the onion soup mix this time, I used mushroom gravy mix because I had it on hand. I also used more of a traditional bread-and-fry method for the pork chops, by mixing the ranch seasoning and mushroom gravy mix into the flour, then dipping the pork chops in eggs before dredging them in the flour mixture. If this meal was good before, well, that small change just took it to a completely new level of deliciousness.

This recipe for bacon fried rice is a favorite in our house, and I've made it a few different ways. This time, I did away with the chicken and topped each serving of rice with an egg fried over-easy and a drizzle of sriracha. SO GOOD.

I made a riff on these BBQ chicken taquitos this month using some leftover pulled BBQ chicken I had on hand (look for a great new sandwich recipe here later this week). Since I already had the seasoned BBQ chicken, I didn't need to worry about adding the spices; I just added the cream cheese and cheddar cheese to the chicken, along with some diced green chilies and some bacon I'd reserved from the bacon fried rice for just that purpose. Let me tell you, what a delicious way to use leftovers. I'm already planning to make pulled BBQ chicken again soon, just so I can make these taquitos the next night.

This recipe for chicken and vegetable pasta with roasted garlic cream sauce is my favorite pasta to bridge the seasons. You can still use summer vegetables in it, but it has that warm, heavy, comforting quality that makes you think of fall. I added some fresh broccoli this time as well, which worked great with the rest of the vegetables.

Speaking of pasta, I couldn't wait any longer to make this cheesy sausage penne, which is definitely a favorite in my house. I've made this recipe so often, I could probably make it in my sleep. It is just SO GOOD.

Can you tell I'm in fall mode? I put this best ever roasted tomato soup on our menu on a day that it happened to be about 85 degrees. Why can't the weather agree with my cravings? This soup is so delicious, though, it was well worth heating up the kitchen for.

I have a coworker with a September birthday, and when I asked him what kind of cupcakes he wanted, he didn't even hesitate before he asked for these Oreo overload cheesecake cupcakes. They're the same cupcakes I made for him last year, incidentally, and he said he's been thinking about them ever since. Upon tasting them again, I have to say that I think these are the best cupcakes I've ever made. They're just absolutely perfect.

I made biscuits with sausage gravy on a night that I got home late (which, for me, is like 5:00), and I still managed to have dinner on the table by 5:30. This stuff only takes about 20 minutes to prepare, and it is so simple and delicious that I honestly don't know why I don't make it every single weeknight.

It wouldn't be a fall recipe recap without spicy sausage dip! I typically make this a few times a month during football season, since it's our favorite football snack. I made it last weekend for Joe and me while we watched the Buckeyes beat Wisconsin. Go Bucks!

 

It's time for chili. I just couldn't wait any longer. I've improvised a lot on my chili recipe since I posted it (every time I make it it's an improvisation), but here are some things I did differently in the batch I made last weekend: I added a bay leaf, replaced the petite diced tomatoes with a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, used an entire box of beef stock, and replaced the spicy sausage with chorizo. I think this may have been my best batch yet, and I'm eager to confirm that theory tonight, when we're using the leftovers for chili dogs. Yum!