Cold and Flu Season Soup

The change of the weather always brings about colds and the flu. My favorite soup when I am sick is broth, chicken or beef. It is a blank canvas, you can add just about anything to it and have it be delicious.

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 package of gluten free noodles (optional)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon of Tumeric
2 clove garlic
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon gluten free soy sauce (substitute with a teaspoon of miso)
1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Siriacha sauce) The hotter the better!!
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan bring broth up to low boil. You can put all the ingredients in the broth except for the noodles have the flavors mingle a bit and let the mushrooms cook. In 7-8 minutes add the noodles and follow the package instructions. There you have it, a quick and easy broth to make when your feeling a bit under the weather.

Pear Broccoli Slaw

Ok, i don't have a picture of this but I made it last weekend and thought it was a great twist on an old favorite. It is super simple and goes good with any BBQ.

1 semi ripe pear (not to squishy, but not as hard as a rock)
1 package of broccoli colslaw mix. (can usually find this in the produce section)
2 tablespoons of greek yougurt, plain
1 tablespoon of celery seeds
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of spicy mustard
1 teaspoon of salt and pepper, always do this to your taste


Super easy!!! Cut the pear in lengthwise slices, then cut those in half, add all the igredients to the bowl and mix. I like my slaw more dry then sloppy. Let this sit for 15 minutes in the fidge, nothing more then that or the pears will start to turn brown. If you want to make his ahead, soak the pear in a leamon water bath before adding it to the salad. You can more yogurt, or a lttle mayonaise for a punch of flavor. Have this as a side, or use it fo pulled pork or chicken topping.

Pretzle Rolls

Pretzel Rolls!!

1 packet of active dry yeast
1 cup of hot water, at least 120 degrees
4 1/2  cups of flour, all purpose
4 tablespoons of butter, salted
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup of baking soda
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 table spoon of salt, course ground for the top of the rolls

So these are my new favorite to use as buns, I even experimented with shaping it into a hot dog bun.

Empty packet of yeast into a large mixing bowl, pour hot water into bowl, at least 120 degrees with the sugar and let sit until the yeast becomes active. Usually takes 4-5 minutes. While your waiting for the yeast to work, in a small sauce pan melt butter on a low heat, be careful not to burn the butter. Once the yeast has become active you can add the flour, salt and melted butter. Mix dough till smooth, if your dough is too wet add flour. I find it easier to knead the dough on a smooth surface like the counter or a cutting board, make sure you sprinkle flour on the surface so the dough doesn't stick. In a bowl put the olive oil in and spread around with a paper towel. Put the dough in the bowl and cover with a thin kitchen towel. The dough needs to rise for 1 hour in a warm area. I usually put it in my oven, I don't turn it on, it is just a climate that works for breads.
After the hour is up, punch dough down, sprinkle flour on the same surface you used in the beginning and let dough rest for a few minutes. Letting the dough rest makes it easier to shape and knead. Once the dough has rested, knead all the air out of it. Start making any size ball you would like, it all depends on what your making these for. I vary the size from small to large. If I am just making a roll, i make the balls a bit smaller, if I am looking for a bun I make them a bit bigger. After you have made the balls put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with a towel and stick them in the oven, still in the off position. They need to rise for another 30-45 minutes.
Take rolls out and turn oven on to preheat at 425 degrees. In a medium sauce pan add 5 cups of water, bring to a low boil add baking soda before you get it to boil... doing it after proves to be very messy. while the water is coming to boil, whip egg in a small bowl. Drop rolls in the water 1-2 at a time, they only need about 1 minute in the water, flip after 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to get them out and put them on the parchment paper baking sheet again. Using a sharp knife, cut a shallow X on the top of the roll. Brush roll with the egg wash and sprinkle salt on top. Put in the oven and cook for 15-18 minutes. The tops should be a deep golden brown, you will want to watch them as to not burn them. You will love these as anything, we generally don't wait for a burger or sandwich meat to eat them, we just grab the mustard out of the fridge and scarf them down.

Spicy Turkey Burgers

These were delicious!!!

1 Pound of lean ground Turkey
1 Pablano pepper, chopped
1 Medium shallot diced
1 Clove of garlic minced
4 Slices of your favorite white cheese
4 Hamburger buns (get creative, find out which ones you like the best)
1 Teaspoon of ground cumin
1 Teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 Teaspoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Put ground Turkey into a bowl and combine all the other ingredients. Mix ingredients gently, over mixing will cause the burger to fall apart. Keep the burgers cold as well, the colder they are the more you have time to shape them. I usually toss the ingredients together then let them hang out in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes let them firm a bit. Pull them out and form them gently into patties, don't pack them down, they just need a bit of forming, put a little finger print in the middle so they don't shrink. Turkey generally does not shrink, but I do it anyway. In a large frying pan on medium high heat cook for 7 minutes each side, after the first flip, add cheese. I use a white cheese, it is a healthier option and melts better. I like Pepper Jack, Montery Jack...or Mozzarella.  This is great paired with a pasta salad or a regular salad. Lisa made a simple salad with Romaine , corn, tomato from our garden and avocado  she topped it with an little bit of ranch, cut with 1 tablespoon of olive oil....Light and healthy, good meal for the start of a long week of work!

Getting back to cooking

After tking some time off from blogging I am ready to resume with cooking and sharing my recipes, life was a bit complicated for awhile and there is no time like the present to get back to what I love. Hopefully in 30 days I will be in my new home cooking from my new kitchen, typing my blogs in my new office :) Tommorrow I will kick things off with my one of my favorite Turkey Burgers!! I know, I went from fried chicken to Turkey burgers. Don't worry, I will have comfort food and healthy food, I will also be doing some health alternative tips to some of my more calorie busting meals. I hope everyone had a great summer of fun, sun and BBQ.

Fried Chicken

For this meal I definitely have to forget about calories and fat content, but every once and awhile I love a good fried chicken, I was living in Yakima, WA for 3 years and anyone that knows Yakima can attest there is not much to do in that town. So every Friday night I would make fried chicken trying it different ways, trying to come up with the right taste. So this is what my years of research and development came up with..

1 Whole cut up chicken (you can buy this, do it yourself, or ask your butcher to do it)
1 Half gallon of buttermilk
2 Cups of Chicken broth
2 Cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Teaspoon of cayenne pepper
3 Tablespoons of Johnny's Seasoning Salt (anything MSG free in this category of spices will be fine)
1 Half gallon of canola oil
4 Cups of flour for dredging
2 Tablespoons salt and pepper

Take chicken parts. garlic, chicken broth and buttermilk and let soak in a bowl in the fridge for a least 4 hours, the longer the better on this. The buttermilk breaks down the toughness of the chicken to make it super tender. Upon taking it out of the fridge, let stand at room temperature for at least a half hour. Put  flour on a separate dish add all the spices and salt and pepper. Mix them so it will coat the chicken evenly; dredge chicken so all the parts are coated well. Let them sit on a cookie rack with a pan underneath while waiting for the oil to come to a cooking temperature of 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Only drop in a few parts at a time, let swim in the oil for about 20-25 minutes until the skin is a nice golden brown, on the same rack they came from return them and do this with all the chicken. as your frying bring oven to 350 degrees, once all chicken is done place the rack in the oven for an extra 10-15 minutes. This allows the extra oil to come off and finsih cooking.

Whew....been on a bit of a break

After taking sometime to get settled in my new diet, I will be doing some recipes this week. I have been meaning to post some new ones, just have been a bit busy. I have a Pizza recipe, spaghetti sauce, fried chicken, and something I had tonight for my diet was homemade sloppy joe's. The diet has been amazing, and I ma on day 8 of a 52 day protocol. To date I have lost 10 pounds and will measure tomorrow. I am gonna be doing some adjustments to my recipes to accommodating healthier living as well. I am however going to list all the things I had for my last meals before going on a diet