Happy new year! Our family is fighting our first colds of the year; so today I made a large pot of my homemade chicken soup. I wanted to share my recipe with you.

Traci’s Homemade Chicken Soup
1 whole chicken
1 small bag of baby carrots
1 onion, chopped
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
1 bag wide egg noodles
salt, pepper, parsley, basil and rosemary – to taste

Boil the chicken in a large pot of water until very done and falling off the bone. Remove from water and place in a large bowl and put in the fridge to cool down enough you can handle it to debone the chicken.

Bring the water back to a boil and add the carrots, onions, mushrooms and spices. Debone the chicken and add to the pot of boiling water. Let cook 10 minutes, then add the egg noodles and continue cooking all for another 10 minutes.

Serve with warm rolls and salad. Enjoy!

As a child, my mother would often make what we call ‘Breakfast Rice’. It’s simply prepared white rice, with milk, butter and sugar added. I guess it’s concept is similar to grits eaten for breakfast. Rice is cheap, lasts a very long time when stored, so it’s a good staple food to have on hand.  I know many large families are looking for low-cost recipes: Breakfast Rice is all that and more.  It takes a bit of time to cook rice (about 30 minutes), then you have to add in your milk, butter and sugar and simmer that for a bit. So not the fastest breakfast you could make.

However, there is a faster way: use the white rice leftover from your Chinese take-out! The ultimate in recycling. You know how when you order your Chinese food, they always give you those cartons of plain white rice. Well, we rarely eat those with our meal, so I would have cartons of white rice in the fridge. Then one day, it hit me: use that prepared rice for Breakfast Rice. So easy to do – here’s my Breakfast Rice recipe.

Traci’s Recycled Breakfast Rice

1 or more cartons of leftover Chinese take-out rice; or prepare fresh white rice
Milk: enough to cover the rice in your pan
Butter: I add about 3-4 Tablespoons
Sugar: to taste, but breakfast rice should be sweet
Spices (optional): cinnamon, nutmeg, etc…
Toppings (optional): raisins, cooked & crumbled bacon, etc…

Add rice to a large saucepan or dutch oven; add milk, butter, sugar and spices, cover and heat over medium-low heat (stirring frequently to prevent burning or sticking) until heated through. Serve in bowls, add toppings, if desired and serve with toast and juice for a well rounded and filling meal.

For an inexpensive breakfast food that’s perfect for large families, Breakfast Rice fills the bill – and the tummy.

This is one of our all-time favorite side-dishes. Tonight we’re having it with my crockpot chicken.

4 cups prepared mashed potatoes
1 12-16 oz bag chopped spinach, cooked & drained
2 cups shredded co-jack cheese
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and pour into a 9×13 pan. Bake 20-30 minutes, or until heated through. Makes approximately 10 servings.