Crock Pot- Chicken Soup

A great recipe for sick people like Matt and me! We used all our non existant energy to cut some veggies and throw some chicken in the crock pot. After that we slept for a good 5/6 hours and our dinner was ready.

INGREDIENTS

2-3 Quartered Chicken Thighs/Legs

Potatoes

Carrots

Celery

Half an Onion

Chicken Bouillon

Seasonings (salt, pepper, adobe, garlic powder, etc)

STEP 1

Put the chicken in with enough water to cover them. Add the chicken bouillon.

STEP 2

Cut veggies. Add as much or as less as you wish.

STEP 3

Put on high and take a nap.

STEP 4

Dig in :)

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

- Add rice or noodles for a more filling meal.

- Usually when we make this, we put it on high until it boils, and then we simmer on low overnight, but since we were hungry we put it on high the whole time to speed up the process.

- For an Asian flair, substitute carrots and celery with bok choy and shiitake mushrooms and add ginger, lemon grass, and soy sauce. Add rice noodles too!

Matt and I are going to try Ethopian food for the first time this week! Watch for a new post on our new food experience!

Pasta Salad

This is my simple pasta salad recipe that everyone loves! Matt and I were not feeling good so there are no pictures :( Its okay though, this recipe is very very easy!

INGREDIENTS

Italian Dressing (one bottle, your brand of preference, I used Wishbone, it was on sale)

Adobo (we use Goya brand)

Garlic Powder 

Pepper

Italian Seasonings

Chili Powder

Paprika

Onion Powder

Parmesan Cheese

Tri Colored Pasta

Cucumbers

Red Radish

Cheese

Carrots

Celery

Black Olives

Heart of Palm

STEP 1

Prepare past as directed on package. 

STEP 2

While pasta is cooking put italian dressing and all seasonings in a BIG bowl. Like I've mentioned before we really don't measure our ingredients so adjust to your taste. I add more of the Adobe than other of the spices to cut the sweetness of the italian dressing a little. 

STEP 3

Cut up veggies to bite sized pieces. We like to use a variety but you can add or subtract more! Some more add ins are tomatoes, onions, green/red peppers, pepperoni, chicken, etc. Add them to the dressing and stir.

STEP 4

Once the pasta is cooked, rinse under cold water before mixing in with rest of the mix.

ENJOY

This is one of our favorite foods for after the pool. This dish can be considered a side or an entree if meat is added.

Simple Pho with Quoc Viet Soup Base

So believe it or not, Matt actually introduced me to this noodle dish a year and half or so. If you've never had it.. TRY IT! We are always craving it and wanted to try to make it ourselves. After reading tons of recipes with tons of crazy ingredients and tons of boiling and simmering, we took the short cut and got a soup base instead. We were a little skeptical that it wouldn't taste as good as the restaurant but it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

INGREDIENTS

Rice Noodles (not pictured)

SOUP

Quoc Viet Soup Base

Beef Bone (optional)

Onion

Green Onions

Ginger

GARNISHES

Lime

Bean Sprouts

Mint

Coriander

Beef (frozen)

STEP 1

Find a pot that holds 2 gallons, turn on high, and add beef bone.

(this step is optional)

STEP 2

Add onions, ginger, and green onions. Cook on medium for at least an hour.

STEP 3

After an hour or so, it should look like the picture below. Make sure you scoop out the white foam that forms on top. Add soup base.

This soup base also contains packages you drop in.

Cook on medium for another hour.

STEP 4

While the broth is still cooking. Slice your frozen beef in thin slices. Its easier to cut when its frozen.

STEP 5

Also prepare your rice noodel according to directions on the package.

Place them in your desired bowls. We bought these especially for this recipe! 

STEP 6

After the 2nd hour, we strained all the veggies and bone from the broth. 

STEP 7

Pour broth and beef into your bowl.

STEP 9

Add all your garnishes!

FIN!

If you like it EXTRA spicy, like Matt, add a good heaping of chili hot sauce.

This was pretty darn close to the restaurant versions and we were very impressed! You can freeze the extra broth if you have extra. We tried it after we froze it and everything tastes exactly the same!

Fruit- Sugar Apple

So Matt and I like to try things that are out of the ordinary. We saw this while we were buying some vegetables. We found out these ugly things are called Sugar Apples. After googling it (we google EVERYTHING) we got excited to try it because it sounded very interesting.

The Sugar Apples

The inside

It was a very messy fruit to eat since the texture isn't solid like a real apple. It is slimy and messy but all worth the fuss. They were very sweet and reminded us of honey. Oh but be careful, according to google, the seeds are toxic! 

Pesto Tomato Chicken Raviolis with Mushroom

So this might not be the prettiest meal you will ever make, but its one of my favorites. Matt first made this for me awhile ago and since then, I've stolen the recipe and called it my own :) Haha, I kid I kid :) Read on to learn how to make "Matt's" pesto tomato chicken raviolis with mushrooms!

INGREDIENTS

Jar of Spaghetti Sauce- your preference on kind and/or brand (we picked a spicy one)

Pesto

Cheese Raviolis

Chicken (we prefer frozen because its easier to cut)

Mushrooms

STEP 1

Defrost the chicken enough where the outside is soft but the enter is still a little frozen (skip this step if you have fresh chicken). Cut into thin slices.

STEP 2

Prepare raviolis according to package.

STEP 3

Heat a pan up and add chicken, then add the pesto. Cook on high until chicken is cooked.

STEP 4

Add mushrooms and stir in.

 

STEP 5
Add half the jar of spaghetti sauce. You want about the same ratio of pesto and sauce.

STEP 6
When everything is cooked and mixed together add raviolis to the pan.

Mix all together!

TADA! Simple and quick meal for the weekdays. Like I said, don't judge this recipe by its looks!

Drink- Strawberry Kiwi Mint Tea

Matt: "I'm going to try something."

Eugenia: "What are you going to make?"

Matt: "Just take pictures.."

INGREDIENTS

Mint

Kiwis

Strawberries

Tea (regular or flavored)

Splenda/Sugar/Honey (your preference)

STEP 1

Separate mint leaves from stems and place in a bowl or cup. We don't really "measure" things so add as little or as lot of these ingredients as you want.

STEP 2

Wash, cut, and add strawberries.

STEP 3

Wash, cut, and add kiwis.

STEP 4

Add sugar/splenda for muddling. The added texture from the sugar will help this process.

After the muddling.

STEP 5

Prepare your tea of choice. Matt picked this passion fruit flavored one we had laying around.

STEP 6

In a pitcher add tea, muddled fruit/mint, and ice. Set in fridge for at least an hour.

STEP 7

Strain/filter the chunky fruit and mint parts. We added honey to adjust the sweetness to our liking.

This actually turned out very refreshing and so good! 

Fruit- Longan

Longan is a South Asian fruit that is so delicious! Season has started and they are showing up everywhere. They are sweet, plump, firm, and oh so good! We got ours for $2.00/lb. You definitely have to try them if you ever see them!

You bite it to "crack" the outer layer open.

Peel the outer layer off.

Mmmmm...

Be careful, theres a seed in the middle!

We love trying different fruits so if you know of any crazy/weird looking ones that you think we would like, let us know!

Simple Recipe- Udon

This is a simple recipe for udon. Udon is typically served at Japanese restaurants. Making it yourself is cheaper and allows you to add anything and everything you have laying around your kitchen for a quick filling meal.

INGREDIENTS

2-3 Packets of Udon (can be purchased at Asian grocery stores or Ethnic isles at local supermarkets, comes with soup flavor packets)

Bowl of Shrimp

Bok Choy

Mushrooms

Cilantro

Ginger

Green Onions

Hot Chili Oil 

Soy Sauce

Chili Garlic Sauce

All of these ingredients are optional and you can alter to taste or whatever you have available.

STEP 1

Follow directions on Udon packets for amount of water needed, different  brands vary. Add soup base and all seasonings and herbs.

STEP 2

Add mushrooms and shrimp.

STEP 3

When everything starts boiling add veggies and noodles. We add the green veggies last so they are still a little crisp and not over cooked.

FIN

Serve into bowls and you are done! A simple recipe to make when you need something quick and don't feel like going grocery shopping for odds and ends.