Dawn Hall's Creamy Chicken and Noodle Soup

Photo and recipes used with permission by Dawn Hall and Thomas Nelson Publishers

This recipe is from Dawn Hall's newest cookbook (her 8th!) Busy People's Fast & Frugal Cookbook. Her approach to food is simple, do the best you can with what you have. A fuller look at Dawn Hall, her amazing and inspirational story, and her cookbooks can be found today at the HalfHourMeals.com blog: Food for Thought. The cookbook debuts today and can be found at Amazon.com.

With these recipes there's no stone unturned. Dawn lays it out for her readers from top to bottom: Timing, equipment and shopping list. The only thing you need to worry about is who to make these delicious meals for!

Creamy Chicken and Noodle Soup

This is my best Chicken Noodle Soup recipe yet! Grandma would be so proud!

Ingredients

12 cups plus 1 cup chicken broth made from bouillon, divided
6 stalks celery, finely chopped (to make 2 cups)
2 tablespoons minced garlic (from a jar)
1 (12-ounce) package fettuccine
½ cup cornstarch
1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots
2 (12.5-ounce) cans chunk chicken breast in water

Instructions for entrée:

In a large non-stick Dutch oven or soup pan bring to boil 12 cups of chicken broth made from bouillon.*
Finely chop 6 stalks of celery with the leaves to make 2 cups, add to broth.
Add 2 tablespoon minced garlic (from a jar) to the broth stir well.
Add 1 (12-ounce) package fettuccine into the broth; break the fettuccine in half before adding to broth.
Bring soup to full boil stirring occasionally.
Cook at a full boil soup for 12 -14 minutes or until fettuccine is tender.
Dissolve ½ cup cornstarch into 1 cup chicken broth and set aside. Pour into the soup.
Add to soup 1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots and 2(12.5-ounce) cans chunk chicken breast in water. Breaking up the big chunks of chicken before putting into soup.
Stir until everything is heated through.

Yield: 16 (1 cup) servings

Calories per serving: 153 (9% fat); Total fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 19 mg; Carbohydrate: 22 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 12 g; Sodium: 541 mg

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 very lean meat

Helpful Hint:

To make the broth: Add ¼ cup chicken granules instant bouillon to 12 cups water stirring until dissolved, and 1 teaspoon chicken granules instant bouillon to the 1 cup water stirring until dissolved.


MS/Meal Suggestion: 30 minutes for total meal:

Homemade Seasoned Crackers

Instructions to prepare suggested meal

Set timer for 30 minutes

30 minutes before meal:

Make the Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup according to the directions. After you put the pasta into the boiling broth, then make the Homemade Seasoned Crackers.

10 minutes before meal:

Begin making the Homemade Seasoned Crackers according to directions.(Recipe below)

5 minutes before meal:

Place the seasoned crackers in the oven. Bake until crispy, 3-4 minutes.
Finish making the soup.



LIST FOR SUGGESTED MEAL:


Supplies List for entire meal

Large non-stick Dutch oven or soup pan

Cutting board

Oven

2 Baking sheets

Timer

Grocery List for entire meal

PRODUCE

Celery (6 stalks needed)
PACKAGED

1 (12-ounce) package fettuccine

1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots

2 (12.5-ounce) cans chunk chicken breast in water

4 fat-free flour tortillas
PANTRY

Chicken broth made from bouillon (13 cups total needed)

Minced garlic

Cornstarch

Garlic salt

Dried parsley (5 teaspoons needed)

Paprika

Butter flavored cooking spray
*************************************

Homemade Seasoned Crackers

(This is recommended with the Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup)

These were a huge hit with the children! They even made more independently later in the week for snacks, because they liked them so much!

Ingredients

4 fat-free flour tortillas
1 ½ teaspoon garlic salt
5 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Place oven rack in middle of oven. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Cut 4 fat-free flour tortillas into 8 pie shaped wedges. Arrange wedges in single layer on 2 baking sheets.
Spray wedges with butter flavored cooking spray on both sides of wedges.
Sprinkle 1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt, 5 teaspoons dried parsley and 1 teaspoon paprika evenly over wedges.
Place in oven and bake for
Place the seasoned tortillas in the oven. Bake until crispy, 3-4 minutes.

Yield: 16 (2 crackers) servings

Calories per serving: 31 (0% fat); Total fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrate: 6 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 1 g; Sodium: 168 mg

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 starch


Supplies List for cracker only
Oven

2 Baking sheets

Timer

Grocery List for crackers only

PACKAGED

4 fat-free flour tortillas

PANTRY

Garlic salt

Dried parsley (5 teaspoons needed)

Paprika

Butter flavored cooking spray

Cathy's Shrimp, Corn and Tomato Stew with Cheese Crackers

I found this recipe in a recent issue of Country Living and knew immediately I would love the finished product. I was so right; this stew is divine; rich, thick and perfectly summer. This is one of the recipes in the newly released Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking from Donald Link's Louisiana by Donald Link of Cochon and Paula Disbrowe. I haven't read it yet, but after this stew graced my dinner table, I can't wait to get my hands on it.

I thought the perfect accompaniment to this beautiful stew was these cheese 'cookies' from Costa Rica. My friend Steve (please see his beautiful work here: www.stevenlucasart.com) shared the recipe on he and his wife's return home from a vacation in Costa Rica where he had these. They are very similar to cheese crackers I make to serve with chicken stew, so I knew they would be just right with this. It needed translation, but Google Translate, Ben of What's Cooking? and Bren at Flanboyant Eats were more than happy to do that for me - Thanks, Steve, Ben and Bren!

The only thing I did differently here was to leave the vegetables a little larger than the recommended 'finely chopped'. Either way, this is fabulous.

Cathy's Shrimp, Corn and Tomato Stew
Printable Recipe
Makes 8 Servings

4 pounds medium (16-20 count) shrimp
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
5 cups shrimp stock or chicken broth
2 tablespoons salt
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 bunch scallions (white and green parts), finely chopped

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking almost constantly, just until the roux is a light peanut butter color and the aroma of the roux starts to fill the room, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, corn, stock, salt, bay leaves, basil, thyme, pepper, and paprika and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the peeled shrimp, parsley, and scallions. Bring the stew back to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow stew to stand for 15 minutes to meld flavors, taste and adjust seasonings as desired, and serve.

I used cheddar cheese for the crackers and simply flattened them with my hand instead of using a fork. I also didn't get the 80-100 cookies that the original recipe says it should yield - I got about 50.

Original Cheese Cracker Recipe:

GALLETAS DE QUESO CON RICE KRISPIS

- 230 gramos (8 oz) mantequilla
- 1/8 cta. pimienta
- 1 cta. sal
- 1cda, paprika
- 5 gotas tabasco
- 2 tazas harina
-230 gramos (8 oz) queso gouda rallado
- 2 tazas Rice Krispis sin azucar.

Cremar la mantequilla con pimienta, sal, paprika y tabasco. Luego agregar queso, mezclar bien y agregar harina, , apartar de la batidora y agregar el Rice Krispis. batir para mezclarlo. Apretar la masa con la mano. Hacer bolitas del tamafio de una mora. Poner en cazolejas engrasadas, presionando con un tenedor cada una. Hornear a 350 degrees(F) por 11 o 12 minutos. Enfriar bien para envasar. Pueden prepararse con various dias de anticipacion para bocas. (80-100 unidades).



Translation:

Cheese Biscuits with Rice Krispies
Printable Recipe

8 oz. butter
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. paprika
5 drops of Tabasco sauce
2 cups flour
8 0z. grated Gouda cheese
2 cups Rice Krispies without sugar

Cream butter with salt, pepper, paprika and Tabasco. Add cheese, blend well while adding flour. Add the Rice Krispies and knead mixture with hands. Make balls the size of a blackberry. Grease your baking sheet and place balls on them, giving them enough room to separate. Using fork, press each ball down. Bake on 350 (f) for 11-12 minutes. Refrigerate. You can make these a few days in advance.