Ketchup and Diet Coke

I'm sure that our knitting group is like most others and many topics come up for discussion when we get together. A few weeks ago some of our group (I'm looking at you Miss T) were totally grossed out and appalled when this "recipe" was discussed. Apparently it's a Weight Watchers idea and several of the group vouched for its tastyness. I decided what the heck, I'll try it. So I mixed 12 oz. of diet Coke and 1 cup of ketchup together and poured it over chicken breasts and boiled it all until the sauce was of BBQ sauce consistancy and then....we ate it! The Compadre pronounced it good and he saved the leftover sauce - he wants me to make it again!! I think that my homemade BBQ sauce is better but this is sure easier. I wonder if the diet Coke makes all the calories go away?

Quick Turkey Alfedo Soup

Yesterday we had a biggish snowstorm. Yesterday I was scheduled to drive my younger son from work to school because his car died and he needed me. Yesterday the Compadre had class to teach in the evening and he was sick. I'm sure the snowstorm wasn't a blessing to everyone but to us it was. School was canceled so I didn't have to drive in the snowstorm and the Compadre got to come home and have a sick "evening". He's a busy man - he only gets to be sick for one evening. Tell that to his body!

So I was planning to have the evening to myself because the Campadre would be teaching. My dinner on those nights is usually leftovers, or popcorn, or whatever I can scrounge up - you get the picture. Confession is good for the soul I hear. But the Compadre came home and he wanted something to eat! And he was sick. I checked the cupboards for chicken soup and the cupboard was bare (of Campbells chicken soup that it). So I remembered that my daughter - you know, Abigail's mother - had told me of a yummy alfredo soup that she made. With the wonders of cell phone technology I called her up and asked her for the recipe. She told me how she made it and then I proceeded to make it my way. And it was yummy!

It all started with a Pampered Chef recipe that Amy had. The basic premise is a jar of alfredo sauce and a can of chicken broth. It also included broccoli - but if you remember my last post - I can't do broccoli. So, here's what I did.

I found a cup of cooked diced turkey meat in the freezer and put it in a pan.
I dumped a jar of alredo sauce in the pan
I added about 3/4 of a box of shelf stable chicken broth (about 24 0z.)

I stirred it all up and started it heating.

Then I added:

1 cup of sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery including the leaves
1/2 of a medium onion, diced
1 clove's worth of chopped, bottled, garlic

I cooked the soup until the vegetables were done and then we sat down to eat it. Yummy. Turkey soup for the grumpy, sick, Compadre. He pronounced it good. And it was super fast to make.

By the way - if you have extra cooked turkey or chicken meat, dicing it up and freezing it in small baggies make for easy meals later on. And if I had some, homemade broth would have been better - less salt and all the other mystery ingredients in the boxed stuff. I'll have to get on that - soon.

Mmmm, Good Coffee Cake

Amy requested that I make one our family’s favorite recipes for breakfast Christmas morning. It’s called Kwik Peach Kuchen in the Pillsbury’s Bake Off Breads Cook Book. I had already planned to make it and had the canned peaches on hand. It’s one of those recipes that looks really hard but is really easy.

Here is my version of it. By the way this was all that was left when I finally thought to take a picture of it!

Peach Coffee Cake

Prepare the topping first so that you’re ready with it when you need it:

½ c. packed brown sugar
¼ c. flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 T. butter
¼ c. chopped nuts (opt.)

Combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumble and mix in the nuts. Set aside for later use.

Prepare the dough:

2 c. flour
½ c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 pkg. or 1 tsp. bulk yeast
½ c. shortening
½ c. milk
2 eggs
¼ tsp. lemon or orange extract
1 can peach slices (large)

Combine the flour, sugar baking powder, salt and yeast in a largish bowl. (I do this in my kitchen aid mixer bowl and just run the beater for a few seconds). Add shortening, milk, eggs and extract and blend mix for a couple of minutes at medium speed. Spread over bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Dough will be thick. Arrange peach slices on the top pressing them in slightly. Then take that topping that you’ve already made and sprinkle it on top. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in an area between the peaches. It took a little longer in my oven. Enjoy it warm or cold.

Here is how good it is...
Ignore the chatting in the background - they didn't know that I was taking the video.