Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup

8 C. water
8 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can Cream of Chicken soup

add any vegetables that you would like, add more or less depending on your preference

1\2 onion, diced
2-3 potatoes, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1\2 bag baby carrots, sliced thinly
mushrooms

2 C. cooked, cubed chicken

lemon pepper
salt and pepper
garlic powder
thyme
lemon pepper

1 bag egg noodles

Bring water to a boil, add bouillon cubes. Add the can of Cream of Chicken soup and dissolve in boiling water, stirring often.

Keep stove top on medium-high

Add vegetables, stir together

Add chicken, stir together

Season with the above seasonings. I usually add a couple of teaspoons of each.

Reduce to a simmer for a half an hour

When you are almost ready to serve, bring back to a boil and add bag of noodles until cooked. Let sit for about 5 minuets to let it thicken up. If it is too thick, you can add a little bit of chicken broth to it.

This makes a lot of soup! It is very hearty, and it is perfect for a cold evening. I love all the flavors, too! I always make the whole recipe because I like to freeze the rest. It will freeze well for about a month.

Peanut Butter Truffle Cookies

I was a little skeptical about these cookies because of the lack of ingredients but I think they turned out very delicious. These were so easy and would be great to take to a holiday party. It says creamy peanut butter but I used half creamy half chunky and it was fine.

Prep: 15 Min Cook: 8-9 Min

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350

In small bowl, with wooden spoon, comine all ingredients except chips until blended. Stir in chocolate chips just until combined. On ungreased baking sheets drop by slightly rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart. Do not flatten. Bake 8-9 minutes or until cookies are puffed and golden. Cookies will be very soft. Let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

mom's pumpkin pie.

a.k.a. the easiest pumpkin pie recipe EVER {it's fool-proof... believe me}

a.k.a. the recipe off the back of Libby's canned pumkin :)

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can {15 oz.} Libby's pumpkin
1 can {12 fl. oz.} evaporated milk
2 9-inch {2 cup volume} unbaked deep-dish pie shells {I buy Marie Calendar's frozen pie shells}
Whipped cream {optional}

Directions:

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. POUR into pie shell. BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Herb Grilled Pork Tenderloin + Veggies

A flavorful herb marinade gives a lovely glaze and lots of savory grilled taste to this moist, melt in-your-mouth tenderloin. The marinade's also great on chicken.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
4-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh sage or 1-1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 pork tenderloins (1 pound each)

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Pour 3/4 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

2. Coat grill* rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Prepare grill for indirect heat. Drain pork and discard marinade. Grill, uncovered, over indirect medium-hot heat for 25-40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. *OTHER OPTION: I don't have a grill, so I just broiled my pork and it turned out just fine.

Serves: 2-3
Time: 10 min + marinating; then cooking is about 25 min.

* * *

Veggie side:

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes sliced hamburger-style (straight from the garden is best, otherwise I highly suggest buying the "more expensive" tomatoes from your local grocer to guarantee yummy, well-grown tomatoes. Well worth the money here.)

1-2 cucumbers, sliced

1/2 of a red onion, sliced

Kraft's Zesty Italian salad dressing

Instructions:

Combine veggies in a medium sized bowl. Coat with salad dressing to taste.

toasted pumpkin seeds

This is one of my favorite Fall recipes. I know Halloween is over and the pumpkins have been carved, but maybe you want to empty one of your Thanksgiving pumpkins to make this yummy snack!

3 Cups pumpkin seeds, rinsed {basically just remove all of the goopy pumpkin guts}
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Combine melted butter, worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper in a medium bowl. Add pumpkin seeds and stir until they are coated with the sauce. Pour onto baking sheet & spread them out evenly. Bake 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Seeds will be browned & crisp {and delicious!} when done.