This Is Us

I adjust and combine several recipes to create new ones that work for my family and the few allergies that we have. I don’t add garlic or any shell fish to any recipe, because of allergies. If you’d like, you can add garlic to this, however I can’t tell you how much! Haha! Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients: 1- 15 oz. can Black Beans (drained) 1- 15.25 oz. can Corn (drained) 2- 14.5 oz. can Chicken Broth* 1- 14.5 oz. can Diced Tomatoes (not drained)* 1 Whole Lime, juiced 1 tbsp Onion Powder 1 tsp Chili Powder 1 tsp Cumin Powder 1 tbsp Paprika Powder 1 tsp Black Pepper 2 tsp Salt 3 Chicken Breasts 1- 8oz. Block Cream Cheese Directions: Add all ingredients, except the cream cheese, to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours. Pull out the chicken and shred it, then put it back in. Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and mix it into the soup. Cook for another 2 hours. Mix again before you serve it. To serve add cheese, sour cream, guacamole, tortilla chips, or anything else ...

  About 10 years ago when we would have dinner at my parent's house every week, once in a while my dad would buy these Campbell's soup chicken and dumplings dinners. They were delicious.  For a while now we haven't been able to find them. I found a few recipes on Pinterest.  Most of them included ingredients that we can't cook with because we have picky eaters in our family and allergies.  So I created my own. Here it is... Just a note first… I dump the cream of chicken soup in the crockpot, use the cans from the soup to measure the milk, then whisk it together with the herbs. It mixes better. Also if you like the soup thicker, you can add in 6 tbsp of cornstarch dissolved in 6 tbsp of water after it’s cooked for 2 hours and before you add in the dumplings. Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients:  Soup 2 - 12 oz. cans Cooked Chicken 2 - 14.5 oz. cans Cream of Chicken Soup 2 - 14.5 oz. cans Milk 1 - 14.5 oz. can Chicken Broth 15 Baby Carrots (cut into small ...

  With allergies and picky eaters in our family we make a lot of things from scratch. Taco seasoning is one of them.  I start out by browning the meat with salt, pepper, and onion powder. I know that most people would tell you that you shouldn’t cook that way, but I think it gives the meat more flavor and makes the house smell so good! I should just mix a whole bunch of the seasonings together and then I wouldn’t have to add everything every time, but I haven’t done that yet. 😆 Here is my recipe for taco seasoning for 1 pound of ground beef. Taco Seasoning Ingredients: 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Onion Powder 1/4 tsp Black Pepper 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder 1/2 tsp Chili Powder 1/2 tsp Paprika Powder Directions: Like I said… I put the onion powder, salt, and pepper on while I brown the ground beef. Once it’s brown and most of the moisture is cooked out then I sprinkle the cumin, chili, and paprika on the meat. I mix until it’s well mixed. Then serve with taco shells or tortilla chips.

  Here is my recipe for homemade spaghetti meat sauce. With Nick being allergic to garlic we can’t buy store bought sauce. All of them contain garlic. So Colleen showed me how to make it, and I adjusted the recipe a little for our family. Most of the time I can use herbs either fresh from our garden or ones I have drying in our garage (also from our garden). Sometimes I don’t judge correctly how much we will need to dry, and end up having to buy from the store. I need to learn how to dry my own onions and make them into powder! It’s on my list of goals to do this year! I use this recipe for spaghetti, lasagna, and baked ziti. Here is the recipe: Spaghetti Meat Sauce: Ingredients  1 lb. Ground Beef 2 - 8 oz. cans Tomato Sauce Water 1 tsp Onion Powder 1/4 tsp Black Pepper 1 tsp Salt 1/2 tbsp Oregano  1/2 tbsp Basil  1/2 tbsp Thyme  2 tbsp Sugar 4 tbsp Butter 4 tbsp Flour Directions: Put the ground beef in a big sauce pan. While browning the meat add the salt, pepp...

  I thought I had shared this recipe on here, but I can’t find it so I guess not.  About a year before my aunt (Lorena) passed away she found this yummy recipe on a butter package. We’ve altered it because there was stuff we didn’t like in it, stuff we were allergic to, and added in other stuff. We try to make this once a month. We miss her lots, but we are grateful for the knowledge that we will be able to be with her again! Anyway… Here is the recipe: Bacon Chicken Pasta Ingredients: 1 bag (16 oz.) Bow Tie Noodles 1 can (10-12 oz.) Chicken Breast 1 package Bacon 1 stick Butter 16 oz. Heavy Whipping Cream 2 cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese 1 Tbsp Onion Powder 1 tsp Pepper 1 tsp Salt Directions: Cook the bacon to a crispy texture. Put on paper towels and set aside. Cook the noodles as directed on the package. Drain, add back to pot, and add a little butter to them so they don’t stick together.  While you cook the noodles cut the butter in squares so it will melt easier and a...

We’ve made this dinner a few times. It’s so easy, quick, and only has a few ingredients that you probably already have at home. We got the recipe from someone on Pinterest, but we had to change it due to allergies, and I’ve added some stuff in, so I changed the name. It only takes about 30 minutes to make. Hamburger Macaroni: 1 lb. Ground Beef 1 tbsp Onion Powder 2 tsp Salt 1 tsp Black Pepper 2-8 oz. cans Tomato Sauce 2-8 oz. cans (from Tomato Sauce) Water 1/2 tsp Chili Powder 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce  1 tbsp Mustard In a large pot add the ground beef and brown on medium heat. While browning the ground beef, add the onion powder, salt, and pepper. Once the beef is browned and most of the fat is cooked out, add all the ingredients to the pot. Cover and cook over medium heat for 12 minutes, or until the macaroni is tender, stirring occasionally so the macaroni doesn’t stick to the bottom. Serve with cheese or your favorite toppings.  You could also have a green salad and rolls...

Yesterday I made Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes for National chocolate cake day. They are more of a dark chocolate cake, but so good. They also are very dense, but again, so good! We had a busy day yesterday so I didn’t get this posted. We get together with my “brother” Jeff, his wife Abbie, and his two boys every other Friday for movie night. It’s so fun! Sometimes we don't get a movie watched... sometimes we play games or just talk.  It's a wonderful time! I know you want it, so... Here is the recipe for the cupcakes. Sourdough Chocolate Cake Ingredients: 3/4 cup Sourdough Starter 1/2 cup Milk (I used 2%) 1/3 cup Honey 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil 1/4 cup Hot Water 1/2 tbps Vanilla (I used Mexican vanilla) 1 Egg beaten 1 1/2 cups Flour 1/3 cup Cocoa Powder 1/2 tsp Salt 3/4 tsp Baking Soda Directions: In a microwave save container heat the milk and vegetable oil for about 30 seconds.  Add the honey and dissolve.  Then add the hot water.  Make sure that this mixture is not ho...

  I don’t usually use a recipe for frosting. I just wing it. But I decided I would share what I do. 🤣 If you don’t need a lot of frosting (this will frost about 12 cupcakes) this is a great recipe. You can double it and cover a cake. 1 stick of Butter, softened  Powdered Sugar 1 pinch of Salt 2 tsp Vanilla 3 tbsp Milk In a bowl mix together the butter and about 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Once mixed add salt, vanilla, and milk. Stir. Add in powdered sugar until it’s the thickness you want. Add in food coloring. If you don’t use the gel food coloring, you may need to add more powdered sugar.  Enjoy!

  Sunday (January 15th) was National Bagel Day. Sourdough bagels take a very long time, so I wasn’t able to get them done. I was able to get them done on Monday and they are delicious! I used the recipe on  Ballerina Farm - Sourdough Bagels   I didn’t let them rise over night. They only took a couple hours on the counter during the day! I would let them rise a little longer after shaping them so they aren’t so dense. They were really sticky and hard to shape, so I will probably add a little more flour next time. I made half plain and the other half I sprinkled Parmesan Cheese on top. Also, I added the baking soda to the water at the very beginning, instead of waiting for the water to boil and then adding it in. These are very delicious! I don’t want to buy bagels every again! 😆