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Broccoli and Chicken Stuffed Pasta

Ingredients:

• 3-5 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or thighs (enough for two cups once shredded)
• 1-2 pounds of fresh broccoli (enough for two cups once shredded)
• 2 jars alfredo sauce 
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce 
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus extra for topping
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
• 1 box of jumbo pasta shells (around 20-25 shells)
• 1 box of chicken stock
• 2 bullion cubes

Instructions:

1. Parboil the chicken breasts or thighs in the chicken stock, water, two bullion cubes, plus additional seasonings to taste; I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, but you can also use fresh garlic and onions if you have them. (Note: I recommend making the chicken the night before the rest of the meal, it saves a lot of time.)
2. Once the chicken is cooked through, take it out and shred it into small pieces, either by hand or with the shredder attachment of a standing mixer. (I recommend the latter, if you have a KitchenAid.) If you do make the chicken the night before, put it in a sealed container in the fridge.
3. Steam the broccoli until tender, and boil the pasta according to box directions. 
4. Shred the broccoli and mix it in with the chicken - the smaller pieces you can make of the broccoli, the better, which is why I recommend the KitchenAid, but I’ve made it just fine without it as well, so it shouldn’t actually matter. 
5. Once broccoli and chicken are combined, add in 1 jar of alfredo, the mozzarella, and the parmesan and mix until thoroughly combined. 
6. Carefully spoon the stuffing into each pasta shell and line them up in a greased 13 x 9inch baking dish.
7. In a small pot, mix the remaining alfredo and the spaghetti sauce and boil until bubbling, then pour over the pasta. (Note: You don't have to use all of it, just enough to cover the dish completely, or more or less if desired.) Sprinkle on additional mozzarella and parmesan.
8. Cover the dish with foil, and bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes until heated through. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. 

Additional Notes:

1. You can add more/less of the chicken and broccoli as desired. 
2. In the story, I had Vision make the spaghetti sauce from scratch, but trust me this way is easier. 
3. Slightly adapted from the recipe found at susanrecipe.com: Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells - Susan Recipes

Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients:

• ½ pound ground beef
• ¾ cup chopped onion, optional but recommended
• ¾ cup shredded carrot
• ¾ cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups cups diced, peeled potatoes
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, brown the beef and set it aside. 
2. In the same pot, sauté the onions, carrots, celery, basil, and parsley in 1 tablespoon of butter for 2-4 minutes until the onions are translucent. 
3. Add in the broth, potatoes and cooked beef, and bring to a boil. 
4. Reduce the heat, cover pot, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
5. While this is simmering, in a separate small skillet, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, then add in the flour and cool for 1-2 minutes while stirring. 
6. Add flour mixture to the soul, and bring back to a boil, then let boil while stirring for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat back to low.
7. Add in the cheese, milk, salt, and pepper, and cook until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and fold in the sour cream. 
8. This makes around 2 ½ quarts of soup. 

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

Muffins:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup white sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• ⅓ cup milk
• 1-2 cups fresh, clean blueberries

Crumb Topping:

• ½ white sugar
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cold butter
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt and set aside. 
2. In another bowl, combine oil, milk, and egg and mix well. 
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and with a spatula, mix until just combined. Do not overmix, the mixture should be lumpy. 
4. Gently fold in the blueberries with the spatula.
5. Pour into muffin tray. 
6. In a small bowl, mix the crumb toppings together with a fork until it’s broken up into small pieces, then add a liberal amount of topping onto each muffin.
7. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes until the tester toothpick comes out clean and they are golden brown on top. 

Additional Notes:

1. These are best enjoyed when eaten hot out of the oven. Keep leftovers in a sealed container, and if you want, you can heat up the leftovers in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds and they’ll be hot and fresh again. 

Red Skin Potato Mash

Ingredients:

• 6 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into two-inch chunks
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
• 2 cups warm milk
• 2 scallions, sliced into thin pieces
• Fresh pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Add a large pinch of salt and boil, uncovered, over moderately high heat, until fork tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot.
2. Shake the pot over moderately high heat to dry the potatoes. Off the heat, lightly mash the potatoes. Add the butter and milk and mash until incorporated. Stir in the scallions, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Additional Notes:

1. Source: Red Skin Potato Mash Recipe - Marcia Kiesel | Food & Wine (foodandwine.com)
2. These aren’t actually the mashed potatoes I usually make, but they’re still good. 
3. You can alter the amount of milk, salt, pepper, and butter to taste. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients:

Muffins:

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup whole milk
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Glaze: 

• 1 cup powder sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. 
2. Zest and squeeze ⅔ lemons. 
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in poppy seeds. 
4. Combine sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and rub the lemon zest into the sugar. 
5. Whisk in yogurt, milk, butter, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. [Note: I add at least 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice. It doesn't make it sour, it just makes the lemon taste stronger.]
6. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until combined, batter should be very thick and lumpy.
7. Spoon into muffin liners and bake for 15-17 minutes until lightly golden brown on top and the tester toothpick comes out clean. 
8. Wait until cooled, then mix the glaze and pour lightly. 

Additional Notes:

1. The glaze is super, super sour. The only way I've found to cut the sourness is to reduce the lemon juice, and add water and extra powder sugar, but even then it's still sour. Sometimes I omit it entirely. I recommend tasting it before adding it, but the muffins overall are NOT sour and are very, very delicious.
2. Source: https://preppykitchen.com/lemon-poppy-seed-muffins/

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 1 cup (two sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt

Frosting:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ⅛ cup of half and half
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Food coloring, optional

Instructions:

1. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or another bowl using an electric hand mixer, and beat until creamy.
2. Add in egg and vanilla extract and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet while mixing at a low speed until all the way combined, you may have to use your hands to finish mixing. 
5. Divide dough in half, and flatten each half into a disk shape, wrap each disk of dough in cling wrap and store in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours.
6. Once the dough is finished chilling, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Roll out dough with a rolling pin until about ¼ or ½ inch thick (or thinner, for crispier cookies, but I like them soft so I roll them fairly thick). Cut into shapes with cookie cutters.
8. Place cookies on the baking sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes until they’re just barely golden at the edges. DON’T overcook them. 
9. Let them sit on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or plate. 
10. For the frosting: combine all ingredients with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer until smooth, then add a generous amount to the cookies once the cookies are completely cool. 

Additional Notes:

1. Source: Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe (With Icing!) - Sugar Spun Run
2. These are my go-to holiday cookies (or any time of the year cookies, actually, I literally made them last night because writing this story made me crave them.) They’re the absolute best sugar cookies in the entire world, moist and sweet with the tiniest hint of salt, delicious with or without frosting. I give these out as gifts for Christmas every year, and I bring them to every holiday party, and they’re always a hit with everyone. 
3. This is not the frosting from the original recipe, but my own. The one here is much, much easier to throw together and, in my opinion, tastes better, but obviously it’s whatever you like better. 
4. The recipe says to chill for 2-3 hours, but I’ve found that the longer you chill them, the easier they are to cut into shapes, so I leave them in for at least 3 hours. 

Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken:

• 3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts halved horizontally into thin fillets. 
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
• Salt, to taste or about 2 teaspoons
• Pepper, to taste or about ½ teaspoon
• Onion powder, to taste or about 1 teaspoon
• Garlic powder, to taste or about 1 teaspoon
• Thyme, to taste or about ½ teaspoon, optional

Sauce:

• 5 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 whole head of garlic, peeled and divided into 10-12 cloves
• 1 ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 to 1 ½ grated parmesan cheese
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Parsley, optional

Instructions:

1. Season chicken fillets both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme.
2. Combine flour and parmesan and dredge chicken. 
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the pan evenly.
4. Fry 3 fillets at a time, until golden on each side (about 5 minutes each side). Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add the remaining oil and butter to the pan and fry the remaining fillets, and set them aside.
5. Reduce heat to medium. Sauté the onions in the remaining oil until softened, about 2 minutes. 
6. Smash half the cloves of garlic with the blunt edge of a knife.
7. Add more oil to the pan if needed, and then add all of the garlic to the pan and sauté with the onions until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits on the bottom, and let it simmer and reduce to half, about 5 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in the cream, and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
9. Mix in the parmesan cheese and cook, stirring gently until the cheese melts. Add a dash of salt and pepper and parsley if desired. 
10. Add the chicken back into the pan and let simmer for a further 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce to your liking. 

Additional Notes:

1. This is one of my favorite recipes, and I make it like 3-4 times a month because it’s so easy and delicious. I make it so often I don’t actually need to look at the recipe anymore. 
2. It’s adapted from this recipe: Creamy Garlic Chicken Breasts - Cafe Delites
3. Yes, I add that much extra parmesan to the sauce. Trust me when I say it’s 100% necessary. 
4. I suggest garnishing the top with extra black pepper. 
5. It pairs really well with jasmine rice, mashed potatoes, and - my favorite side dish for this dinner - roasted broccoli. 

Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds of broccoli, cleaned and cut into florets of an even size.
• 3-4 tablespoons of any kind of olive or vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced (or 1-2 tablespoons of minced garlic from a jar)
• ¼ cup of parmesan cheese
• Juice from half of a lemon, optional

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Toss broccoli and garlic with the olive oil, lemon juice (optional, I don’t usually use it) and salt and pepper (also optional) into a bowl and mix until broccoli is coated.
3. Arrange florets on a baking sheet.
4. Roast for 15-25 minutes until cooked through.
5. Pull it out and immediately sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. 

Additional Notes:

1. Source: Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan Recipe (simplyrecipes.com)

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 ¼ cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup milk

Frosting:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, vanilla extract, and milk, and mix until well combined.
4. Add in dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
5. Spoon into cupcake liners and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
6. For the frosting: Mix all ingredients until light and fluffy, and top cooled cupcakes with a generous amount. It’s much easier to use a piping bag, but it’s not necessary. 

Additional Notes:

1. This is my actual favorite recipe of all time, hands down. I make it all the time. I think about it all the time. If I want something sweet, it’s my go-to recipe. If you like cinnamon or snickerdoodles, trust me, you’ll love these.