Mexican Soup

I actually made this a few weeks ago and just got around to posting it. Man- was it good! We had tons of leftovers. When I heated up the leftovers I added fresh cilantro and tortilla chips. Mmmm hmmm good!

4 chicken breasts, shredded
Good olive oil
Salt and black pepper
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Avocados- optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste.

Oh so good Lasagna

I adopted this recipe from Barefoot Contessa. I love all of the recipes I've made of hers. It's very very tasty and easy to make.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed (I used mild)

1 pound ground pork

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound lasagna noodles

32 ounces ricotta cheese

3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one third of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

An Award- For Lil' Ole me???

Cynthia at http://www.thematzats.blogspot.com/) and my Friend Liz at http://mommychef.blogspot.com/ have both given me an award for Excellence. Thank you so much ladies! Much love ;)

Here are a few blogs that I love to read and Im sure you will too!

Ashley- http://princessx3.blogspot.com

Miss Lionheart http://tootsie.wordpress.com

http://sprinklesandtwinkles.blogspot.com/

Menu Plan Monday

I didn't have time to cook dinner at all last week. Our dinners consisted of cereal and tv dinners. We put our house on the market and in 4 days got a contract. yay! We are so happy to have that weight lifted off of our shoulders. So now the next step.... packing everything and our road trip to Washington. :)

For more recipe ideas, please visit our hostess Laura at http://www.orgjunkie.com/.

Monday
Round Steak Sauerbraten
Wild rice
Salad

Tuesday
French Country Chicken
Green beans with shallots

Wednesday
Spaghetti

Thursday
Oven baked chimichangas

Friday
Out with friends

Saturday
C.O.R.N. (clean out fridge night)
I saw this saying on another site and thought it was cute

Sunday
Hawaiian Pork Roast
Roasted potatoes
Mixed veggies