Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Soup is my soul food. I could leave just that sentence as the only one besides the recipe on this post, and I think I’d totally get my point across. But, I won’t do that because I always have more words. But seriously, I love soup. Almost any restaurant that has soup that I like, that will be my order even though I’ll scan the whole menu seeing what I’d like and then I still order the soup no matter what. Probably my absolute favorite soup choice is Olive Garden’s all you can eat soup, salad, and breadsticks. Oh man, I love that stuff.

These egg noodles are a game changer. That’s one thing I have a hard time with soups is when using noodles, that they expand. That’s a no-go for me because I LOVE leftovers. So sometimes I cook the noodles in a separate pot with chicken broth and drain them and then just keep them in a separate container to store and just scoop into the rest of the soup when I’m ready to eat it. But, a lot of the time I forget stuff like that. But, chicken noodle soup is my favorite with egg noodles. They expand a little bit, but not nearly as much as regular pasta so they’re usually okay to leave in with the rest of the soup.

Chicken Biscuit Rolls

Today is the first day of school for my junior year in my undergrad and I am honestly so excited to be here! Even though the work in college is difficult, it's so rewarding for me. And honestly, I wouldn't have started this blog if it wasn't for one of my classes that I took last year. We were given a project to start a blog of our choosing and post once per week. We used blogs, social media, presentations, and planning throughout the semester and I absolutely loved it! When the time came that the class was over, I decided to keep up with blogging because it was so much fun for me and I seriously enjoyed planning something out and making things the way I liked. It has helped me with social media, cooking better meals, and staying organized so much better. I believe that is one thing about college that some people misunderstand, that they're tyring to push you into a big career or something. When in reality, they're trying to help you find something that you love and enjoy doing. Even though the class I took was for a personal blog and marketing, it helped me find a hobby that I love to do!

Chicken Stir-Fry for Two

Making dinner is the summer is a struggle some days! When it's so warm outside, you just don't want to turn your oven on and cook food. But sadly, you just have to eat! I have tried for months to make a stir-fry that I have actually really enjoyed. Most of the time, I just choose to make the frozen bags because it cooks so much better! I try so many different recipes and they have not worked for me. They're too spicy, soggy, meaty, etc. and I just haven't found one that I'd like to use again. It's also so difficult to find one just to feed two people! So, I decided to try one for myself, and I personally really enjoyed it. Michael said it was his favorite one yet too, so that makes two...all we need in our house!

I had to fix the problems that I didn't like. Soggy stir-fry is not something I like AT ALL!! I don't like mixing foods very much because they all mush, so I decided to cook the stir-fry and sauce seperately. I made the teriyaki in a pot and it turned out just fine! My favorite teriyaki recipe is from Food.com. There is extra sauce, but I usually save it for a couple of days and put it on leftovers and rice. I also wanted a good amount of meat to veggies. I used one chicken breast and cut it into larger pieces. I also limited the veggies what we wanted and cooked them all together! 

Baked Chicken Rolls

This is perfect for a summer dinner. The fresh chives and parsley make it refreshing and the small size of each piece keeps it light. We served it with rice and asparagus and I don't think that I could have loved it more!
I honestly don't think I could rave enough about family recipes. I received a bunch of them from my grandma at my bridal shower and they are some of my favorites. They're so classic and just yummy! These chicken rolls were made by my mom growing up and she said this was the meal she requested for her birthday dinners as a young girl. They're a bit of a change from your regular baked chicken so it's a little refreshing to have the switch-up. I made them for my family and my younger brothers really enjoyed them, because my mom hadn't made them in a while. It's always fun for younger children because they're automatically fascinated with the toothpicks in them and somehow makes it more interesting to eat. Everyone will love this meal when you make it!
This is a pretty simple meal. I like to use chicken tenders because it makes them a lot easier, but you can use chicken breasts and cut them up to the size of tenders (about 3-4 pieces of the breast make a good size). I like to use fresh chives and parsley for this recipe also! And, as always, this recipe feeds two people plus leftovers! This can easily be doubles or tripled to feed more mouths!

Garlic Lime Sautéed Chicken

Summer is here and lime is one of my favorite flavors of this season! The lime perfects this chicken and compliments the garlic so well. Cayenne pepper and paprika give this chicken just a little kick to liven up your dinners! Sometimes, even when the A.C. is on full blast, turning the oven on in the summer is just a bad idea. It heats up the house and makes cooking a not-so-fun activity. This dish is sautéed on the stove, so there is still a little bit of heat, but definately less that won't warm up your entire home.

I have always loved summer, but after being in college, I have a whole new appreciation for this break! Besides work, there aren't as many responsibilities (homework, studying for tests, projects, and everything else that comes along with school) that take up my day-to-day. My husband works 10 hour days, and I work early in the morning, so we only get to spend our evenings together. We pretty much have time for exercising and eating, and maybe visiting our families before we fall asleep to wake up early again in the morning. It's busy, but on the weekends we get to fish, swim at the lake, hike, and spend time with our families, so I'd say all of the busyness is worth it!

Yummy Ritz Cracker Chicken

One of my favorite things about getting married and recieving new family members is the new food that I have been introduced to- you know, added to the great people you are now faily with!  You grow up eating food that is familiar to your specific family and heritage and you absolutely love it, but becoming a part in a new family, you are able to try so many new things. One of my favorites that my mother-in-law makes is what they call "Yummy Chicken". It's covered in Ritz Crackers and is crispy and buttery, such a perfect chicken bake!

This is a very simple recipe, and it is a switch-up from your regular battered chicken. Using plain yogurt makes it savory and really keeps the chicken soft while cooking. 

My awesome sister-in-law runs a food blog, High Heels and Grills, and I retrieved the recipe from there. My recipe is catered to a smaller number of people, so check out her Baked Ritz Garlic Parmesan Chicken Strips if you're making these for more than about 2-3 people (or you can just double this recipe, but I'd totally recommend reading her posts because they're great)! 

The simplicity of this recipe is unreal! All you need is chicken, plain yogurt, Ritz crackers, parmesan cheese, garlic & seasoned salt, butter, and salt & pepper. I just crumble up the Ritz in their packaging and put them in, it's a lot less time consuming than transferring them to a plasticbag. I also like to experiment with the different flavors of crackers, so far, the "Everything" flavor has been my favorite.  SO EASY!! You can bake it on a cookie sheet, or a 3x19, and it turns out perfect every single time. 

Grandma's Chicken Marinade

For my wedding, one of my sweet grandmas made me recipe cards, and they're some of my favorite to try because I know that my mom grew up with these recipes and they are true and tested by somebody who I trust. Do you ever try recipes on Pinterest and they just don't work out? I made one of those today that was a gravy and it's so  disappointing, it was even for a dinner at a friend's house, so we couldn't even bring it- good thing she had extra gravy for the meal. My mom said she has a curse that always ruins food whenever she is cooking it for company. I'm pretty sure that I inherited that from her because I have that struggle quite often!
This recipe is, as always my style, super easy. It's a chicken marinade so I love to put it in the morning and let it sit throughout the day and let it marinade all day long. I like to put it in a large bowl or in a Ziploc bag. Whenever my parents marinaded chicken, they'd use soda in it and I loved it, the carbonation makes it taste so much better! Sprite is best for chicken marinade and Coke for a red meat!