Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

From: An old magazine

Ingredients:
1/2 of a 16 oz pkg. linguine
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets
2 Tbsp butter
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into little pieces
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
14 tsp black pepper

Prepare linguine according to package instructions. Add broccoli during last 4 minutes of cooking time. Drain linguine and broccoli well in colander.

Heat butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often.

Stir soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture into skillet. Cook until mixture is hot and bubbling.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I love alfredo sauce, and this was incredibly simple to make at home. This recipe is very filling and thick. I'm sure you could add more milk if you wanted to thin the sauce out some, but I enjoyed it like this. I can definitely see throwing some shrimp on top. I will definitely be making this again!

Stove Top One-Dish Chicken Skillet

From: Food & Family magazine

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 pkg Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 can condensed cream of mushroom or chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream

Mix hot water, butter and stuffing mix; set aside. 

Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook on medium heat 5 minutes on each side.

Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing; cover. Cook on low heat 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I have had this recipe for years. I wanted something really quick for dinner so I finally got my chance to try this recipe. Great, great flavor. I was really surprised. I could see myself making this again in the future if only the majority of my family would eat it... But maybe you'll have better luck with your family!

Apple-Oat Muffins with Brown-Sugar-Cinnamon Swirl

From: Shape magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp warm water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced 

Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray or use cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, combine both flours, oats, granulated sugar, baking powder, 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves. Mix thoroughly with a fork, make a well in the center and set aside. In a small bowl, combine remaining teaspoon of cinnamon, along with brown sugar and water. Whisk until brown sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, applesauce, egg, oil and vanilla. Pour liquid mixture into center of dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Fold in diced apple.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and then top each muffin with 1/4 teaspoon of the brown sugar-cinnamon mix. Using a toothpick, swirl the mixture gently into each muffin. Bake 12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I liked these yummy muffins. I did tell my mom I think I'd like them better without the diced apples, but that's just a texture preference. They are extremely moist and have a bouncy texture due to the applesauce in them, and I like that. They're very easy to make and have a great flavor. I definitely recommend this recipe.

Crockpot Barbecue Chicken

From: Stick a Fork in It

Ingredients:
4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (Frozen, if you like)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it. Place chicken in crockpot. Pour sauce over it and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Verdict:
Two thumbs up! Okay, please don't judge based on my picture. I'm not a photographer, I'm a cook (ish). This barbecue chicken recipe was so good I found myself making it three times in just over a week. You literally cannot get any easier than this recipe. And it turns out perfectly every time. I make it with tenderloins instead of breasts, but you do what you want. I can see this cooking well in the oven, too, but why make any extra work!? My husband told me not to make any other barbecue chicken recipe again. He said this is the one. So, we highly recommend this recipe.

Simple Creamy Carrot Soup

From: Picky Palate

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs peeled carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
32 ounces chicken broth
2 strips bacon, cooked
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp hot sauce

Place oil in large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook for 15 minutes, until carrots are fork tender. Remove herb sprigs and transfer carrots and vegetables to blender. Puree. Add chicken broth and continue to puree. Transfer to large saucepan over medium heat and add cooked bacon strips. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Simmer until ready to serve.

 Verdict:
Thumbs up! So, this recipe came about simply because I had no idea what I was going to cook for my parents' lunch the other week. I asked my 3-year old, who promptly replied that I should cook "Carrot soup!" My 4-year old added, "With corn!"  Thanks to Pinterest, I found this delicious recipe. The only thing I did differently is that I did, in fact, add corn to appease my daughter (who refused to taste it, by the way). I think it's pretty funny how everyone kind of cringes when you say the phrase "carrot soup". But the flavor was really great. I could definitely see myself making this again.

Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup

From: Allyson Kramer

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower
• olive oil for drizzling
• Few dashes garam masala (optional)
• 3 medium to large sized peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 7 cups filtered water

Preheat your oven to 400 °F and cut up your cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle cauliflower lightly with garam masala. Place cauliflower onto ungreased cookie sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven and let roast until golden brown on the tops and tender, but not mushy, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool while you cook the rest of the soup.

In large stockpot, bring sweet potato, onion, garlic and water to a boil. Salt (about 3/4 tsp) and stir. Reduce heat and allow to remain at a constant simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Add in cooked cauliflower and divide soup into 2 parts.

Let soup cool and then blend one part soup in blender until very smooth. Combine with second part soup and stir. Salt to taste and warm up over stovetop if needed.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! What a yummy blend of flavors! I absolutely loved this soup. I found the ingredient of garam masala on the spice aisle at Walmart. McCormick makes one, so I do recommend you either buy this or make your own (you can Google how to do that). It's a great spice that really heightened the flavor of this soup. This is going to be one that is added to my rotation!

Applesauce Pancakes

From: The Sisters Cafe

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 c flour
1 c milk
1 c applesauce
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Beat eggs until fluffy.  Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth.  Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat or to 375 degrees.  (To test griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water.  If bubbles jump around, heat is just right.)  Grease griddle.  For each pancake, use slightly less than 1/4 cup batter.  Cook pancakes until bubbly on top and dry around the edges.  Turn to cook other sides until golden brown.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Okay, seriously such a good recipe. My kids usually want pancakes or waffles 4-6 times a week. I have a great homemade waffle recipe that I don't stray from, but I only have a couple of "okay" pancake recipes. This one is definitely a keeper. The applesauce makes these moist, and they are super thick and fluffy. And yes, you can add whatever you normally add - chocolate chips, bananas, blueberries, etc. Check out the link where I originally got the recipe from - the cinnamon syrup she adds looks amazing although I haven't tried it. And just in case you're wondering, these freeze beautifully. I make one huge batch every couple of weeks and freeze the leftovers.