Chicken Noodle Butternut Squash Soup

I was so hungry for soup one day, so I just decided to mix some of my favorite ingredients together! This soup turned out delicious and I will be making it regularly around here, especially as we are approaching cooler weather!

 Chop up the chicken into chunks, I used a package of probably 12 boneless skinless chicken tenders

 Boil the chicken chunks in 2 packages of 3 lb chicken broth...

 3 tablespoons of butter, chopped onion, garlic and celery, saute in pan, add to boiled chicken.
In same pan peel and chop up butternut squash, 2 tablespoons of butter, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes until soft, add that to the broth.

 add in some frozen sliced carrots and dumpling noodles (found at the grocery store as a no egg alternative)

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 I added a few drops of this white Truffle oil in the butternut squash

 this is the chicken broth I used

 Finished soup! Add a little of shaved parmesan cheese on top! :)

Chicken Noodle Butternut Squash Soup

2lbs of Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders (chopped in chunks)
2 (3lb) Boxes of Chicken Broth
2 stalks of celery (chopped)
2 small white onions (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1/2 small bag of frozen sliced carrots
1 large Butternut Squash (peeled and diced)
5 tbsp of unsalted butter
1/2 package of dumpling noodles (I found at grocery store by egg noodles)
2 teaspoons basil
optional (few drops of white truffle oil)
Fresh shaved Parmesan (Found at grocery store in a container in the cheeses)

Heat broth over medium to high heat, add diced chicken in to boil chicken.  While chicken is boiling, in a pan, add chopped celery, onions and garlic together with 3 tbsp of butter.  Once that is soft, add to the broth mixture.  Peel and dice butternut squash, add to the same pan onions were cooked in and add 2 tbsp of butter and a few drops of truffle oil.  Cook those on medium-low heat covered until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add squash to soup, add in frozen carrots to soup, add in basil and salt & Pepper to soup.  Last step is to add in noodles. Once noodles are cooked turn heat to low and let sit for about 20 minutes.  Serve hot with Shaved Parmesan on top! 

Apple Fritter Muffins

Apple Fritter Muffins really hit the spot!

 Mix Apples, cinnamon, butter together, saute in pan..

 get batter ready ...and icing..

Apple Fritter Muffins

For the Apples:
2 large granny smith apples, 1/4 inch dice
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp water

1/3 cup flour

For the Muffins:
2 large eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

For the Glaze:
2 tbsp butter melted
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp hot water

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Line 14 muffin cups with muffin liners 
3. In a skillet add add apple ingredients except flour and cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 10 minutes.  Stir in flour to coat apples (this prevents apples from sinking to bottom of muffins)
4. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt
5. In a large bowl beat together applesauce, oil, and sugars till smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly  
6. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. Gently stir in apples until just combined
7. Spoon batter into cups, filling the cups, and smooth tops. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time.
8. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing. 
9. To make the glaze, In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth. 
10. When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin top into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time and allow to harden before serving.

Trader Joe's Mini Mexican Pizza's

Mexican Pizza Recipe

recipe from(Traderjoerecipes.net)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound Trader Joe's Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 15-oz can Trader Joe's Traditional Style Fat Free Refried Beans
• 4 9-inch flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Chunky Salsa, or your favorite salsa
• 2 cups Trader Joe's Lite 3 Cheese Blend, or mexican blend cheese
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup Trader Joe's Extra Large Black Pitted Olives, sliced (I omitted Black olives)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place meat, onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until beef is evenly browned. Drain off grease. Season the meat with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Coat 2 pie plates with non-stick cooking spray. Place one tortilla in each pie plate and cover with a layer of refried beans. Spread half of the seasoned meat over each tortilla and then cover with a second tortilla. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
4. Spread half of the salsa over the top tortillas. Top each pizza with half of the cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and olives. Return the pizzas to the oven, bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Slice each pizza into 4 pieces and serve.

I pinned this recipe on Pinterest! Loved it and it was even better the next day!