Spiced chicken with sour cream gravy

I did this all in my 6qt dutch oven, served over noodles or rice and add whatever vegetables I want...your preference!

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground red pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/4 cup sliced green onion

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions

1) Mix flour, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and red pepper on plate. Coat chicken.

2) Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken 10 minutes or until browned. Set chicken aside.

3) Add soup and green onions. Heat to a boil. Return chicken to pan. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in sour cream.

I'm back from the dead.

I know, you're all like

that I revived this, but I hope to update even more soon!

Soft pretzels

Growing up in Pennsylvania, I love soft pretzels... I have rarely tasted one so good as in Philadelphia. Though Alton's version is pretty close! I then cut these in half and toasted them, then put tomatoes, slices of fresh mozzarella, and buttered the halves and toasted them again under my broiler until bubbly and delicious and made sandwiches. Delicious!

Soft Pretzels:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 package active dry yeast

22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil, for pan

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

• These cupcakes taste like fall and put you in the Halloween/autumn spirit!
• Ingredients:
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 
  
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Sift together the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
2. Beat 1/2 cup of butter, the white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Stir in the milk and pumpkin puree after the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
4. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese and 1/4 butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; beat until fluffy. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with the cream cheese icing.

Pork and Sauerkraut

Ingredients: 


1.5 lbs pork loin
2 bags (not canned!) sauerkraut
1 white onion
2 gold delicious apples
1 stick butter (hehe..)
2 cans chicken broth
caraway seeds (maybe a TBS, didn't measure it out)
salt
pepper

Directions: 

1. Empty the 2 bags of sauerkraut into a deep baking dish (do not drain) and top with the chopped onion and the peeled and chopped apples.
2. Place the pork loin on top and pour the chicken broth on top.
3. Sprinkle everything with the caraway seeds/salt/pepper.
4. Cut butter into small pats and place on top.
5. Bake at 300 for several hours, stirring occasionally until the meat becomes tender and breaks apart and the sauerkraut is browned throughout.

Scalloped Potatoes

I love potatoes in all it's forms, all of them are so good! I found this recipe for scalloped potatoes and had to try it out.


Ingredients:
4-5 large potatoes
1/4 lb butter ( a stick)
salt and pepper to taste
1 vidalia or sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons bread crumbs tosseed in melted butter (if you wish, you don't have to)
Quart of milk

Instructions:

1. Peel and thinly slice raw potatoes. Butter a casserole or pyrex dish. Spread the bottom evenly with a layer of potatoes, and season with salt, pepper, butter, and a bit of onion then sprinkle with a little flour.

2. Follow with another layer of potatoes, onion, and seasoning. Continue doing this until the dish is filled. For extra flavor and color, potatoes may be sprinkled with parsley, breadcrumbs tossed in melted butter, with a dusting of paprika on top.

3. Just before baking, pour a quart of hot milk over the potatoes. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Foods I can't stop eating

I tend to have addictions, any thing can be the victim. Especially when it comes to food, I enjoy many things. Some of the things I've been enjoying lately:
-Diced tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella cheese, and olive oil
-Cinnamon rice cakes from Aldi, those things are like popcorn, but better for you! They're conveniently bite size, too!
-The chocolate raspberry cake with homemade butter-cream icing I made for Zach for his birthday, I usually don't care for chocolate, but this is just yummy with the raspberry and the icing. I guess I did pretty well!
-Popcorn with butter, salt, and some sugar to mimic kettle corn. I LOVE kettle corn!

I started growing basil and rosemary plants in my kitchen. The plants are already established, and they seem to be doing good so far with the limited sun I can get them...anyone have any advice on raising them?