Chicken Noodle Soup

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Ingredients

  • 2 large carrots sliced
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2 stalks celery sliced
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 2 quarts chicken broth
  • 2 chicken breast halves cubed
  • 4 oz pasta noodles
  • pinch salt and pepper

Saute carrots, onions, and celery in one tbs of butter on medium, then remove. Cook chicken in one tbs butter until not quite done. Add chicken broth, vegetables, and noodles, bring to a medium boil until noodles are cooked. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cajun Scrambled Eggs

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With eggs, sausage, and cheese you have a high-protein breakfast complemented with green peppers adding vitamin C. Spice this dish up with a cajun mix, or stick to salt and pepper.

Ingredients

  • 10 Eggs
  • 2 Andouille sausages
  • 1 Green pepper
  • 1/4 cup Grated cheese
  • 2 tbs Butter

Spice Mix

  • One part Garlic powder
  • One part Cumin
  • One part Red pepper
  • One part White pepper
  • Half part Ground mustard
  • One part Thyme

Prep

  • Dice green pepper
  • Slice Andouille sausage
  • Grate cheese
  • Whisk eggs together
  • Mix eggs and cheese together lightly
  • Add salt and pepper or one half tsp spice mix to egg mixture

Cook

  • Warm large skillet to Medium with one tbs of butter
  • Saute green peppers and sausage until peppers are tender and sausage is lightly browned
  • Add one tbs butter
  • Adds egg mixture and cook like scrambled eggs

Lo Mein Recipe

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Chop vegetables: Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Carrot, Onion, Garlic, Mushrooms, whatever you like

Chop chicken

Cook the Lo Mein noodles and drain

Stir fry the vegetables, then remove

Stir fry the chicken until done, then lower the heat

Add a little white wine to dissolve the crusty brown stuff from the bottom of the pan, then some soy sauce for flavor, then some oyster sauce

Add the vegetables, stir together, add the noodles stir together some more on low heat

 

Make Great Hashbrowns

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Consider making your own hashbrowns from scratch. They are healthier, cheaper, and you may find it’s not that hard once you get the hang of it.

There are two secrets I have to making awesome hashbrowns. One is to use a high temperature oil in combination with butter. You want to get the pan real hot and the oil keeps the butter from burning. The butter adds more flavor than if you use oil alone.

The other trick is to use a very large skillet or griddle. The secret to browning vegetables is to have more space between the pieces so you avoid steaming them. I have found one large potato is the limit for a 12-inch skillet and serves three. A medium potato cooks perfectly but serves just two, so you may have to make your hashbrowns in batches or use a griddle if you have a large crowd.

I like to use white potatoes, but red or golden ones will do well in a pinch.

Parboil the potatoes and let them cool before you make the hashbrowns. You can do this the night before and store them in the fridge or give yourself some time in the morning. Remember, parboil means to partially boil, you don’t want to fully cook the potato.

Bring the potato to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cook a large potato on low for 5-6 minutes, a medium potato 3-4 minutes. Avoid overcooking and remember the potato is still cooking after you’ve drained the water and left it sitting in the sink. You may rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, then drain and let the potato dry.

Once it has cooled, grate the potato while you warm up the skillet. Give the pan plenty of time to get to a medium-high temperature. Add 1 tbsp. of cooking oil and one tbsp. of butter, then add the grated potatoes. Distribute them evenly and watch for steam coming from pockets of potatoes. Spread the pocket out or poke a hole to minimize the steaming, this will give you crispy, golden hashbrowns.

When they are golden brown move the hashbrowns to allow a spot to flip over half the potatoes. Melt a half tbsp. of butter, then flip half the hashbrowns onto the butter. Repeat for the other half.

After the hashbrowns are golden brown on both sides, move them to a platter and keep them in the warming oven while you make more hashbrowns or move on to the rest of your breakfast menu. Hashbrowns keep well in the warming oven – if they need to be in there a while, add a damp cloth or towel to the oven to minimize the hashbrowns getting dried out.