Soups - Linda’s Chicken Noodle

Here's one more recipe I promised to put on the blog.  

NOTE - For those who asked about the recipe for Tomato Soup - search the blog for "Soup" and you'll find it as an earlier post.  That is the one I fixed at camp.  It's super simple as long as you have access to tomato juice.  Enjoy!

Linda’s Chicken Noodle Soup -
This is a hard one for which to write a recipe.  It has basic ingredients -
chicken broth, onions, carrots, chicken, and noodles.  The amounts for all those depend mostly on taste. 
For the chicken broth, I like to put some “real” broth in the soup.  I get that broth from boiling a chicken or roasting it in the oven.  I put the broth in the fridge and then skim off the fat once it rises to the top.  This broth gives a good foundation for your soup, however, I usually find it not to have enough flavor.  So, I end up using either bullion cubes or some other concentrated chicken flavor.  My favorite thing to use these days is “Knorr Stock Pot Chicken”.  It has less chemical additives and one little container makes four cups of broth.  I found them in South Africa, Zambia, and in the US.  I can’t remember if I’ve found them here in Kenya.  I have been told that “Whole Foods” in the US has bullion cubes that don’t have MSG in them.  I haven’t used those - yet, but hope to get someone to bring them to me.  :)
Noodles - I generally use spaghetti noodles that I break up into short pieces.  Years ago they used to sell little alphabet noodles in Kenya that were really cool to use, but these days I use spaghetti noodles.  Whole wheat ones work just fine.  The amount of noodles you use depends on how you like your soup.  Bob likes soup that is VERY hardy.  So, that means LOTS of noodles.  If you like soup that is mostly broth, then you’ll put less. 
Carrots - I generally grate the carrots, but sometimes I just cut them into little pieces.  Either way is fine.  I usually sauté the carrots and onions (finely chopped) before I add the broth. Again, the amount depends on how “hearty” you like your soup.
Chicken - this is cooked chicken, deboned, and chopped or torn into small pieces. 
Basic instructions - 
1.Grate or dice carrots.  Cut up onion.  Break up noodles into small pieces and set aside.
2. Saute carrots and onions (and a bit of celery if you have it) in a small amount of oil until onion is transparent and carrots are soft.
3.  Add broth and chicken.  Heat it until it comes to a boil.  Add bullion and appropriate amounts of water.  Taste to see if it has a rich chicken flavor.  If not, then add another bullion cube.
4.  Add noodles.  Continue to boil until noodles are soft.

Be brave.  Play with the ratios until you come up with a soup that is just right for you and your family.  Then serve this yummy soup on a cool evening and ENJOY!
If you have questions or comments - please feel free to post them.  Your questions might help someone else.

Sloppy Joes - an alternative recipe

Since some of the ingredients in the "simple sloppy joe" recipe may not be available everywhere, here's another one from Southern Living, 1982.  I like it equally as well and would recommend it. Happy cooking.

Sloppy Joes - Easy
        2 ½ pounds lean ground beef
        2 cups chopped onion
        1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste (1/2 of 340g can)
        ½ cup catsup
        ¼ cup tomato juice
        2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
        2 tablespoons prepared mustard
        2 tablespoons lemon juice
        1 teaspoon salt
        ¼ teaspoon pepper
Combine meat and onions in a large skillet; cook until meat is browned and onion is tender. Pour mixture into a colander and pat dry with a paper towel; wipe pan drippings from skillet with a paper towel.
Return meat mixture to skillet and add the rest of the ingredients; simmer 15 to 30 minutes stirring frequently.
To serve, spoon 1/2 cup meat mixture over each bun half.

Sloppy Joes

Here's another recipe for my 40/40 friends.  If you don't have real vinegar where you live, be careful about using vinegar substitute.  I found it to be quite strong.  The following is basically the recipe I used at 40/40, although using 16 pounds of beef called for some alterations.  Enjoy!

This is a Southern Living Recipe from 1982.

Sloppy Joes - Simple
        1 lb. ground beef
        1 medium onion, chopped
        ½ cup catsup
        3 tablespoons vinegar
        2 tablespoons water
        1 tablespoon brown sugar
        1 tablespoon dry mustard
        1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
        ¼ teaspoon salt
Cook meat and onion in large skillet until meat is browned; drain. Stir in rest of ingredients and heat thoroughly.
Serve on warm buns.

Salsa

We made fresh salsa at 40/40 several times - super easy.  I had put a recipe in my recipe file some time ago that I'd labeled as 40/40.  It calls for 16 cups of tomatoes - and for those who were at 40/40 this time, that's what we worked off of.  When I looked through my actual 40/40 recipes, I discovered that the original recipe said "4 cups of tomatoes" with the same other ingredients.  So, I'll post the correct version, but for those of you who recently ate this, keep in mind that the porportions of everything may look and taste a bit different.

Fresh Salsa

4 C chopped tomatoes

½ C finely chopped onion

¼ - ½ C finely chopped green pepper

1 t finely minced garlic (1/4 t garlic powder)

1-2 t salt

1 t fresh lemon juice

Mix and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

The other salsa that we ate - the hot one, is a recipe I got from a Southern Living Mag., January 2011.  It calls for a can of "rotel" or tomatoes and chiles.   If your country has items imported from South Africa, look for All Gold "Mexican" tomatoes.  Rhodes brand also makes them.  It's a quick and easy one to make.

Salsa - Southwest Salsa
# 1 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes and zesty green chiles
# 5 pickled jalapeño pepper slices
# 1/4 cup firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves
# 1/4 cup chopped red onion
# 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
# 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
# 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
# 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
# 1/4 teaspoon salt
Drain liquid from tomatoes, reserving 1 Tbsp. liquid; discard remaining liquid. Place reserved liquid, tomatoes, and next 8 ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse 5 to 6 times or until finely chopped. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours before serving. Garnish, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips. Store leftovers in refrigerator up to 7 days.
 
Notes:  If you are using the All Gold or Rhodes variety, the tomatoes are crushed, so you don't need to drain it.  I also cook this briefly because I never seem to make it ahead of time.  It blends the flavors nicely.  I also don't put the South African kinds in the blender since the tomatoes are crushed - so it makes for a chunky salsa.  

Brown Sugar

In Kenya we've always been able to get a decent brown sugar, however it seems that in lots of places it's not available.  Here's a great recipe using either Molasses or Treacle.  It works well in recipes that call for brown sugar. 

Brown Sugar (Treacle Sugar)

For each 1 C sugar add 2-3 T molasses or treacle.. Mix well; store in a tightly covered container.  This is more like brown sugar from the US.  If you have access to a mixer, you can use your mixer to blend the thick sticky syrup with your white sugar, but you can do it by hand (all we used at 40/40 was mixed by hand).

No Bake Cookie

Here's the recipe for the yummy "no bake cookies" that we had a few times at 40/40.  I've actually never made them, but after watching Matilda make them and enjoying eating them so much, I think it will be something I made next time I need a sweet cookie for an event.  Just remember to use regular blue band - or butter, not a low fat substitute since those usually have water in them.  The first ones Matilda made didn't set up and I think the reason is because she used the "low fat blue band".  (they still tasted great, but were very messy to eat).

No Bake Cookies

2 C sugar           ¼ C cocoa          ½ C milk           ½ C margarine or butter    1 t vanilla         

½ C peanut butter                                    3 C oatmeal

Cook sugar, cocoa, milk, and margarine until it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla, peanut butter and oatmeal. Mix well and drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet.

Peach Crumble

Here's another 40/40 recipe.  This is the peach crumble we had at bush camp.  For the first apple crumble we ate I used just the topping recipe and substituted "tennis biscuits" for the "Eat Sum More" ones.  (actually I used one box of Eat Sum More because we had one left.  I think you could use lots of different boxed cookies depending on what's available in your area. 

If you are interested in the peach cobbler recipe - it's further down on the blog (called "Easy Fruit Cobbler) from August, 2006. 

This recipe came from a j'girl in Malawi who worked at 40/40.  It's been part of the recipe set ever since.

Johanna’s Peach Dessert

2 cans (825g) peaches                   1 t cinnamon                  ¼ C sugar          2 T cornstarch

1 box Eat Sum Mor biscuits          1 t cinnamon                  ¼ C sugar          ¼ C butter, melted

Drain one can of peaches. Mix sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch with peaches. Cook, stirring continuously, until thickened; pour into pan. Crush biscuits, mix with sugar, cinnamon and butter. Sprinkle over peaches. Bake at 350 until crumbs are golden brown.

Matilda's Chocolate Cake

Here's Matilda's famous chocolate cake - enjoyed by many at 40/40.  Enjoy!

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

1¾ C flour        

2 C sugar          

¾ C cocoa powder          

1½ t baking powder        

1½ t bicarb. of soda (baking soda) 

1 t salt

1 C milk                       

½ C oil            

2 t vanilla                     

2 eggs                          

1 C boiling water                       

 Lightly oil and flour 2 round cake pans or 1 pan 9”x13”.  Combine dry ingredients.  Add all liquid ingredients EXCEPT boiling water; beat for 2 minutes.  Stir in boiling water.  Pour into pan(s) and bake about 30 minutes at 180 degrees (350 F).  For round pans cool 10 minutes then turn out onto plate. Cover with frosting. 

Fudge frosting:

Melt 8 T butter in a small pot.  Stir in 4 T cocoa powder.  Add 6 T milk.  Cook and stir until the mixture boils.  Beat in about 4 cups icing sugar (500g).