Farm Fresh Kitchen

Since my daughter has had a cold I thought she needed a pot of homemade chicken soup. I got busy in the kitchen today and tonight we had hot, delicious and kid friendly soup. My kids love chicken noodle soup but they don't want to see any onion, celery or pepper floating in it. They can handle carrots but that's about it. I really don't like soup out of a can. It's okay depending on which brand you buy, but there's nothing like homemade. It tastes so much better and is a lot healthier. Yes, I make my own chicken stock. This soup has nothing in it from a can. It is very time consuming and tiring but is so worth it. I make a huge pot of it because everybody has at least 2 bowls and I want it to last for a few days.

I finally purchased a 10 quart stock pot a few years ago because I was overflowing my 8 quart pot trying to make enough to last. You can always half this recipe if you want to make a smaller portion. I use 2 whole chickens or 2 packages of cut chicken pieces, either one works. The chicken pieces make it easier to pull the meat off the bones. The stock is chock full of onions, celery and carrots which makes it very rich and flavorful. You never need to add a can of store bought broth for extra flavor because it's not necessary. To make it kid friendly and healthy, I puree the vegetables that cooked in the stock and add it back to the stock. This adds a little nutrition and you can't really tell it's in there. Or you can skip this step and just have pure stock, meat, egg noodles and diced carrots. You can even skip the carrots because the stock is a combination chicken and veggie stock all by itself. Try it out and let me know how you like it!

Chicken Noodle Soup
2 whole chickens or 2 packages of chicken pieces
4 stalks celery, quartered
4 carrots, peeled and quartered 
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
2 Tbsp. peppercorns
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 cups diced carrots
1 bag of egg noodles (size depends on how much soup you make and how many noodles you prefer)

Place ingredients in stock pot and cover with enough water to avoid boiling over (about 2 inches from the top). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Remove cooked chicken to a colander. Bring stock and vegetables back to a boil and simmer for about 30-45 minutes, while chicken cools.

Once chicken is cool enough to handle, tear it off the bone, shred it into bite size pieces and set aside. Drain stock into a colander set over a large bowl. You may need to do this twice using 2 bowls, depending on how much you make. Allow vegetables to cool in colander if you want to puree them, if not then discard them along with the peppercorns (do not puree peppercorns). To puree vegetables, place them in a food processor along with some of the broth and puree until liquid. Add back to the rest of the stock.

Add stock back to pot along with chicken and bring to a boil. Add the egg noodles and diced carrots. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until noodles are done and carrots are tender.

I haven't updated this in a while because I haven't cooked anything worth sharing lately. Life has been busy and our meals have been quick. They've still been healthy, just nothing fancy. I love to bake and do it whenever I have a chance. Since I was not interested in watching the Super Bowl I decided to make some muffins. I love pumpkin muffins and so does my family. We never get tired of eating them! I was very upset to find out there is a shortage of canned pumpkin. I went to several grocery stores and even called the company to ask them why I could not find any. They told me there was a shortage due to bad weather in the midwest during pumpkin harvesting season. I finally found some at a nearby grocery store and I was so excited! I went immediately and bought 10 cans. I might go even go buy more this week. It doesn't expire until 2012!

I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I try to use all fresh ingredients rather than canned. Yes, I have cooked pumpkins before and used the puree for baking and it was soooo delicious! However, it is very difficult and time consuming. You have to drain it and stir it for a whole day just to get rid of all the water to make it suitable for using in pies, breads and muffins. I think there is still plenty of vitamin A left in the pumpkin when it's canned so I use it quite a bit. Baked sweet potatoes are completely interchangeable with canned pumpkin but the flavor and consistency is a little different.

Somebody had asked me about turbinado sugar recently. I use it only when baking for our family because it is more expensive that refined white granulated sugar. It can be used in the same amount as white sugar in any recipe. It is healthier for you because it is still in it's natural state and retains some of the nutrition found in sugar cane, as opposed to highly processed and bleached white sugar. Click here for a good article on turbinado sugar.

Below are some images of the baking process. The first one is a picture of turbinado sugar for those who have never seen it. This shows you that baking muffins from scratch is so easy! I know it seems easier to buy a box off the shelf, add 2 or 3 ingredients and you're done. But the flavor and nutrition in a scratch made muffin is so much better. These are also lowfat because they contain oil instead of butter. I forgot to mention that I use aluminum-free baking powder, which is found in most grocery stores in the baking aisle.

Now for the recipe:


Pumpkin Muffins
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16oz. can pure pumpkin
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper muffin liners. Beat sugar and oil in a large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. In another large bowl whisk together flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Gradually add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and beat just until blended. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.  Bake for 18 - 20 minutes. Cool in muffin pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire baking rack to cool.

This is a new recipe that I created a few nights ago when we were told we would be snowed in for a few days. I adapted it from a slow-cooker turkey chili recipe. I changed it up a bit, gave it a new name and it was delicious!

Fiesta Chicken Chili

2 lbs. skinless boneless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 envelope chili seasoning mix (I have included a link to a healthy one at the bottom)
2-3 cups chicken broth (depending on how thick you like it)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Saute chopped onion, garlic and peppers until onion is translucent and peppers are crisp tender. Stir in chili seasoning mix, salt and pepper, then add chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Simmer slowly for about 15 minutes. Add corn, black beans and chicken. Bring back to a simmer and heat through for about 15 - 20 minutes. Top with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream if desired.

Cooks notes:
Chili Seasoning Mix
Chicken Broth

This is my first attempt at blogging. I love reading cooking blogs and have found many great recipes to add to my collection. I decided to research how to do my own blog and here it is! I hope you enjoy it. I'm still learning about using this tool so I may be slow at posting at first, but I hope to be an expert at it very soon!

Now, about my cooking style. I am somewhat of a health nut and I put quite a bit of thought and time into feeding my husband and two children. I've been the subject of a few jokes and have been told I have too much time on my hands. It's all in fun though! I believe that feeding the ones you love is a joy and a privilege and should not be taken lightly. I don't cut corners or purchase cheap ingredients or boxed and over-processed convenience foods. All of the recipes here will contain fresh, high quality ingredients. I use fresh vegetables and fruits, free range meats, organic dairy products, turbinado sugar and farm fresh eggs from our neighbor around the corner. On some recipes I will add Cooks Notes at the bottom with links to some of the natural ingredients that I use and any other useful tips.

I won't bore you by jumping on my soapbox, but I will leave you with this thought: You are what you eat! Foods that are consumed as close to their natural state as possible will give your body the vitamins and minerals that it needs to stay healthy. When they are cooked to death or processed and preserved for longer shelf life, then put in a box or a can they lose most of their nutrition. One of my favorite websites for nutritional information is whfoods.org. Check it out!