Rachel's Kitchen Table

I made Chicken Noodle Soup for some friends who are under the weather, and I decided I'd make us some for dinner, too. So I made 2 pots of soup. It was very, very good. It's also been raining a lot, so things have been lining up for me to warrant making soup during summer time. I'm grateful for the opportunity.

From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

I am making these shrimp again this week and I'm so excited about it. I'll be inviting my mom over since she loves anything garlic or spicy. Mmm I'm already hungry.

Holy Moly! What a flavorful dinner. We have Sizzle Garlic Shrimp, courtesy of the Mediterranean cookbook, my Saffron Rice, and Roasted Asparagus.
It is so, so good. The shrimp are so garlicky and spicy, and I LOVE it! It's my first time making these shrimp, and I highly recommend it!
Ok, I've got to go, this meal is calling my name. From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

With the weather being fall like today, I made Potato Soup and Adult Grilled Cheese.

The potato soup originated with my parents, but I tweaked it this time and WOW, what a difference. All I did was add 3 more ingredients and swap one out for something else and this soup came to life in a major way. I use my immersion blender to make this chunky soup very smooth, thick and creamy. It was so good, my 4 year old ate the soup without hassle. He really enjoyed it and ate quite a bit, surprisingly. Recipe below.

The adult grilled cheese is an elevated version of the classic grilled cheese to include caramelized onions and a fresh basil leaf on artisan or sourdough bread, sliced 1 1/2 inches thick. You can use any cheese combo you like, as long as you use 2 to 3 types of cheese.
This time, instead of butter, I slathered the bread, on both sides, with bacon grease, lightly toasted the "inside" of the bread before adding the remaining ingredients and as per usual, I adorned the "outer" sides of the bread with freshly grated parmesan cheese, for an added flavor and texture. Grilled them in a piping hot cast iron pan (12"), for about 1-2 minutes per side. My stove top cooks super hot so my cook time has to be quick. You can grill to desired doneness.

My Homemade Potato Soup:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp Bacon Grease
6 Russet Potatoes - peeled and diced
2 Onions - chopped
3 Celery Stalks - sliced
2 Carrots - sliced
4 cloves Garlic - minced
Salt and pepper to taste (about 2 tsp salt and 1 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper)
4 cups Homemade Vegetable Broth
2 1/4 cups Heavy Cream
2 tbsp Fresh Italian Oregano - minced
1 tbsp Fresh basil - chiffonade and slice

Directions:

Heat bacon grease in a large Dutch oven over med-high heat, add onion, celery, carrots, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally about 5-7 minutes.
Add potatoes and additional tsp salt, stir and cook another 5 minutes.
Create an empty space in the bottom of the Dutch oven, add garlic and let bloom 30 seconds, stir to combine.
Add vegetable broth and scrape up any brown bits at the bottom with a wooden spoon (this is flavor)
Add heavy cream, and stir.
Cover pot and reduce temp to low. Cook 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
About 15 minutes before soup is done, add oregano and basil, stir to combine.
When soup is done cooking, remove from heat, remove lid, and using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.
Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve

Spaghetti and Meatballs is on the menu tonight, but it comes with a twist. Are you ready for this? This pasta sauce is made with NO TOMATOES!!! Watch to see how I make this delicious No Tomato sauce that tastes exactly like tomato sauce. It's wild you guys, and absolutely delicious!!

Having food allergies isn't easy, but finding recipes that offer alternatives, while still being able to enjoy the same foods is second to none.

Give this one a try, I'm serious, it's incredible.

From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

No Tomato Spaghetti and Meatballs Tonight, we're making spaghetti and meatballs with, get this, pasta sauce that has NO TOMATOES! Can you believe it? This recipe is top notch and I cannot wai...

Since it's been so hot out, I opted for a dish, tonight, that was fresh and refreshing. I went Mediterranean style and grilled Mahi Mahi with a side of rice and vegetables with a hint of lime and a chicken egg roll to switch it up a bit. I also made a spicy mustard using yellow mustard and habenero hot sauce, since I was out of chinese mustard. It was so good, I think I'll have seconds tonight.

From our kitchen to yours, happy eating!!

Good morning and happy father's day!! I am so grateful to all of the strong men who raise their babies and who are there for their kids always. Thank you for all you do, your kiddos are most definitely grateful, too.
This morning, to celebrate my wonderful husband and father to our son Conner, I made him a homemade breakfast. Complete with buttermilk pancakes and homemade triple berry syrup, homemade buttermilk biscuits, and bacon. Even the buttermilk is homemade. He loved his breakfast, which makes me happy. I'm grateful to have the abilities to create such a lovely meal for him. What are you making your kids' father, or your dad today?

From our kitchen to yours, happy eating!

A few weeks back, maybe a couple, I'm not really sure, but I posted about a chicken sandwich I'd made that was similar to a fast food sandwich I used to love. Anyway, I call it the Southwest Chicken Sandwich. I made them again tonight and they were just as delicious as the last time I made them. I'm glad I have leftovers. These are too good to not have leftovers. 😁
My husband graciously allowed me to use his dinner for my photo shoot. He was VERY eager to get his meal back. Thanks babe!

Let me know what you think, Recipe below. From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!


Recipe as follows: makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 boneless chicken breast cut in half lengthwise.
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp coconut aminos - divided
2 Anaheim Chili's- roasted, stems, ribs, seeds removed
2 slices hickory smoked thick cut bacon- cooked to preferred dineness and drained
2 slices Havarti cheese
2 hamburger buns
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions: please read entire recipe first before beginning to cook, all components can be cooked at the same time.

*(Preheat cast iron grill pan while oven is preheating)

For the chili peppers:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place 2 Anaheim chili's on a foil lined baking sheet and roast until skin blisters and blackens, turning until all skin is roasted. Remove and place in either a bowl covered with plastic wrap, or in a ziploc bag for 10 minutes until skin loosens from flesh. Remove from bowl and tear skin off, removing seeds, ribs and stems and discarding. Set aside

For the chicken:

Season chicken with salt, pepper and divided coconut aminos to cover both sides of chicken and rub into meat.
Remove grill pan from the oven, place on burner and turn to medium heat. Brush olive oil over grill and add chicken and grill about 2-3 minutes or until sides begin to cook, flip chicken and place in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Check the internal temperature, chicken is done when temp reaches 165°F.

Fry Bacon in a 12 inch skillet until desired doneness, set aside on some paper towels to drain.
Before adding to sandwich, break each piece into two. 1 full slice of bacon for each sandwich, criss crossed on the buns.

Butter hamburger buns. Roast in your already preheated oven for about 4-5 minutes depending on the oven. Lightly toasted is what you're going for.

Assembly:
On bottom bun, in this order, layer bacon, cheese, Anaheim chili, chicken, top bun.
Place on foil lined baking sheet in an oven in the off position until cheese melts. Remove from oven and serve hot.
Enjoy!

Tonight, I made Mahi Mahi fish tacos on charred flour tortillas topped with shredded cabbage, pickled onions and jalapeños, gouda cheese, avocado, roasted Anaheim peppers and cilantro. Accompanied by my Street Corn A La Crema. This dish is top notch and by far, one of my faves.

Anyone else a huge fan of Earl Grey tea?

Tonight, I recreated one of my fave fast food sandwiches, the Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich from Carl's Jr., and let me tell you, it is AMAZING! Oh how I've missed this sandwich.
I seasoned the chicken in salt and pepper and coconut aminos, grilled it to perfection. I roasted Anaheim chili's, peeled and deseeded them. Fried up two pieces of bacon, buttered the bun and put it all together with a slice of havarti cheese. I'm telling you, this is going to be a staple in my home. Yummy!!
I also made refried beans and homemade guacamole. Dinner is absolutely incredible, and I'm sad there are no leftovers. My bad.

Healthy snacks don't have to be gross or boring, case and point, So Delicious vanilla yogurt with homegrown mint and Chopped almonds. Every bite is full of flavor and not full of bad things.give it a try, you'll be quite pleased. From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

I was craving crepes so badly. So I made homemade crepes with homemade Cinnamon apples, homemade whipped cream and homemade caramel sauce. Everything was perfect and I cannot wait for leftovers.
I cooked the Caramel a little too long and got candy chips as a bonus. 😄
This was a fantastic dinner!

A long time family staple that is still one of my favorite meals of all time, Chicken and Zucchini. This recipe comes from my parents and up until recently I've been able to happily enjoy it, that is, of course, before I was diagnosed allergic to tomatoes and wheat. So I've had to make some changes to keep the integrity of the dish the same, but some components got added as a result of the chosen replacement ingredients. I'm good with it, but would like to tame the heat just a tad. Maybe honey? We shall see.
The pasta is brown rice pasta, and the sauce is usually comprised of stewed tomatoes and seasonings, but in this case, I've swapped the tomatoes for a mix of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Chili Garlic Sauce, Balsamic Vinegar and minced Garlic.
The chili garlic sauce gives the texture of the tomatoes, while the Balsamic vinegar gives the sauce the depth of flavor the tomatoes would otherwise provide. The sauce was so good, really spicy, but also full of flavor. I'll adjust the recipe as I continue to play with it so I get the exact balance I'm looking for, but this is definitely a winner in our book.
From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

I decided to bake a triple berry pie for dessert. Here's how it went...
Like, I can see the dam about to break. All because I had to take a selfie before the pie set up. 😭
"It'll be ok, mommy," Conner said, "we can still eat it".
At least I've got that 🤗. What a sweet boy.
Lesson learned!
From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

I don't make it very often, but since I needed the carcass for bone broth, I decided to break down a chicken and fry it up. We made the recipes for extra crispy, extra hot fried chicken, cooked with the Lard fried chicken recipe from Cook's Country
The chicken is so, so good. I also made baked potatoes and, my personal guilty pleasure, canned peas. Don't judge me, they're good lol.
Dinner is awesome, now I'm going to finish my meal. Also, please excuse my Olaf pajama bottoms 🤣

From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

When I throw and event, I go all out. I love channeling my inner Martha Stewart and going over the top to make a lasting impression. Maybe I'll be the next Martha Stewart, we shall see. 🤞

Today, my mom and I threw my little sister a baby shower for her 4th baby, and I made most of the food you see in the pics, from scratch. My mom brought the meat/cheese tray, veggie platter and the best punch ever!

Everything tasted so, so good. I made some tweaks to traditional recipes and they tasted so much better, for example, instead of buying a can of croissants for pigs in a blanket, I made Kolache dough and cut it into triangles, and used it instead. It was phenomenal.

Other items on the menu: Deviled Eggs, Baba Ganoush with Olive oil bread, Spinach Dip served in a homemade sourdough bread bowl and another homemade sourdough loaf for dipping, several types of cookies, including sugar cookies with baby blue icing, and I turned my sisters favorite dessert, chocolate chip cookies, and turned it into a cake. Everything homemade from scratch, the way it ought to be.

I hope my sister enjoyed her day as much as I enjoyed preparing all of this food in celebration of her. We can't wait to meet our new nephew.

If you'd like your event catered, let's talk! Shoot me a message or comment.

From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

If your concerned about what's in your food and want a way to find out, may I recommend the Yuka app? They do not pay me, fyi. I use this app because, obviously, look at my page lol. I used to love this stuff. I bought it for spinach dip and saw Caramel color on the ingredient list. If you're unfamiliar with it, I have posted a screenshot of why it's problematic. I'm not sure how the evil FDA says its safe, which is even more problematic.
I will use this today because I have no dehydrated veggies, BUT this will be the last time.
I urge you all to download Yuka and start scanning every barcode you see.
Thank you Yuka for explaining what's in our food and an even bigger thanks for allowing us to send in corrections and you guys automatically updating the rating with the new info. I was highly impressed when I sent this one in.

If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer.from our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

I feel so bad. I left my celery out of my reel yesterday. ☹️ so I'm giving you two angles to see how big she's gotten.
I grew this from the root end of one I bought at the grocery store. I let it take root in water before planting directly in compost. She is thriving, I'm so excited and I cannot wait until it's ready to eat.

From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

Delicious breakfast of toasted almonds and dehydrated cranberries with crisp bacon. Yes, please!!

I have to say, I was on Facebook lockout yesterday, anyone else? I thought we'd been hacked. Yikes!

Anyway, today I made a new recipe...new to me. My husband can't stop for lunch while at work, and since he needs finger foods so he can drive and eat at the same time, poor guy, that I am trying to get creative. He is sick of sandwiches, and I don't blame him. So I made Kolaches for him. I made 6 hot dog, lathered in spicy szechuan sauce, pickled jalapeños, and cheddar cheese. The other 6 were filled with deli turkey slices and pepper jack cheese.
He loved them! The dough is sweet and soft, they were very good, similar to how a croissant tastes. The real test is to see if they're good cold, since he'll have no way to heat them up.

If you guys have any suggestions on handheld foods that he can eat cold, please hit me with your best recipes. I should look into renaming the Kolache, the original hot pocket. 🤔

From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

Yesterday, at church, I was gifted this beautiful homemade vanilla. What an incredible gift from a sister in Christ, I am so grateful. Thank you Robin! We've already used it and it is delicious. 😊

Facts.

Remember this one? 🤣🤣🤣 we will never do this challenge again, but at this point, I can finally say I'm glad I did it, but at the time, it was...well, see for yourself. 😁

First the Hot Ones challenge and now the One Chip Challenge. #onechipchallenge We have decided to go all in and take the one chip challenge. This is the hottest chip you can buy. There won't be any editing here, this is all raw footage....

Sourdough donuts. Well, they're a bit on the chewy side, textural wise. The flavor was good, but the icing needs dutch processed cocoa instead of unsweetened cocoa. Maybe a ganache would be better. Ok now I'm just thinking out loud.
These were ok, but need work. From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

Yes!! Please spread the word. It would be greatly appreciated.

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Top photo are regular sourdough Pretzel bites, bottom are gluten free sourdough Pretzel bites. There is almost zero difference, Joe couldn't tell whichwas which. These made my day. 😁
This recipe is from calls for sourdough discard and commercial yeast. However, I used active starter, not discard because I wanted to avoid using commercial yeast.
If this is something you want to do and replace the yeast and sourdough discard with active starter, you use 50 to 100g of active starter, and skip the proofing step. Still add the starter to the water but it doesn't need to rest for 5 min. Both came out very delicious, but forewarning, if you omit the egg wash step, like I did, you can use water to get the salt to stick but I still had to redo the salt step after they finished baking.
These will now be a staple in our home.

From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!!

The lighting is terrible but I made Jalapeño popper dip and loaded French fries for the super bowl. The plan was to also have Pretzel bites and pizza, but the Pretzel dough hasn't risen yet and I didn't have enough starter for the pizza. So Pretzel bites and pizza for dinner tomorrow.
Everything is so good.
GO CHIEFS!!!

Reel to come but I'm too excited to hold this in. If you don't know, having allergies to 12 foods sucks. Today, I am over the moon happy. I just made allergy free mayonnaise and it actually tastes good. I am SO STOKED! this will be used in our jalapeño dip for tonight. Enjoy the super bowl everyone. What are you making?

From our kitchen to yours, Happy Eating!

GO CHIEFS!!!

Only sharing this so my husband can see. Babe, I think this is calling my name.

The best way to get out of a winter slump is to start your indoor garden! 🍅🥦🥕🥒

This was a great project to start with my kids. They helped me plant and all three have added watering schedules to their chores list. I love getting my kids involved with our little farm projects.

Our February plants include:
- Jalapeño peppers
- Celery
- Sweet Peppers
- Several varieties of tomatoes
- Cayenne Pepper
- Green onions