Creamy Chicken Toquitoes

I made these the other day. I got the recipe off a website called 'The Girl Who Ate Everything'. They're delish and pretty fast to make. I'm going to make this again...soon! It was that good! Next time though, I'm going to double the recipe so there'll be leftovers.

1/3 cup (3oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 cups shredded chicked (I boiled mine and shredded it like I do for chicken noodle soup)
1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese (I used some mexican cheese blend I got on sale at the grocery store instead and it was still yummy)
small flour tortillas
salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 475. Line a cooking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir to combine. Then add the cilantro, green onions, chicken, and cheese. Combine well.

Place 2-3 T of the mixture on the bottom third of the tortilla (don't put it too close to the edges). Roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Once all the toquitoes are layed out on the sheet (not touching) spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they're crisp and the ends start to get brown.

Using the big tortillas, this made 8. Next time I'm going to use the small tortillas. I think that'll double it, so I'd buy at least 16 small tortillas. Make sure you have stuff to dip these in. Salsa, sour cream, beans, etc.

Yum!

Potato Bacon Chowder

I had this at a friend's house the other night and HAD to have the recipe! Seriously yummy stuff!

1 onion, diced
1 lb. Bacon
2 cans cream of chicken soup
16 oz. sour cream
1 cup water
2 baked potatoes
¼ c. milk
salt and pepper
garnish with parsley

Cook bacon. Set aside, keeping a little of the bacon grease in the pan to sauté the onion in. After the onion is done, add diced potato and water. Boil for about 5-10 minutes, just make sure the potatoes are soft and cooked all the way through.
Add sour cream, soup, salt, pepper and use milk to reach desired consistency. Add crumbled bacon before serving. Garnish with parsley.

Pasta with White Bean Sauce

This is a great vegitarian recipe from the Better Homes and Garden's cookbook. Since my Noah has, so far, proven himself to be a vegitarian I thought I'd try this out and see how we like it. We LIKE it! Noah ate his up in less than 5 minutes (which he NEVER does) so it was a winner before I'd even tasted mine. Once I'd tasted it though, I could see why he ate it so fast - delish!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (but you could also use Swiss or American - I used the Gruyere)
1 - 15 oz. can great Northern, navy, or white kidney beans, drained
1 - 4 oz. can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 ounces dried linguini or spaghetti

Directions:
1. Cook the onion and garlic in a large saucepan with hot margarine until tender. Stir in the flour and 1/8 tsp of pepper (you could probably leave that out but whatever). Add the milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until it's thick and bubbly (probably took me about 5 minutes to get it the consistency I wanted). Cook it and stir one minute more. Add cheese; stir until melted. Stir in drained beans and chili peppers (I used about half of the chili peppers that it called for just because I didn't want it to be too spicy for my kids. It ended up being a good amount of heat for them - if you ever cook this just for adults though I'd use all the chili's). Heat through.

2. Cook the linguini (I'm assuming you probably know how to cook pasta so I won't insult your intelligence by telling you how to do that). Serve the sauce over the pasta. Enjoy!

Chicken and Rice

My friend Vanessa gave me this recipe the other day and I made it last night and it is a WINNER! So easy and delicious - even my vegitarian Noah ate it!

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs of chicken - cut into bite size cubes (the more chicken you use the less sauce you end up with)
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread your cut up chicken around in a baking dish. Melt the butter and mix the honey, mustard, salt and curry into it. Pour it evenly over the chicken. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

2. For the rice. You could do plain old minute rice and that would be delish. But for a little extra flavor, try mixing a packet of Lipton's French Onion Soup mix (you know, the powdered stuff) into whatever rice you make. It gives it a little extra zing and compliments this meal beautifully!

A new ingredient for an old favorite!

So now that the weather is getting chilly out it's time for soup! I love soup and, in my opinion, it's one of the only good things about cold weather. The other night, I decided to make one of my all time favs - chicken noodle soup. I usually make my own noodles (I think there's a recipe for them somewhere on this blog) and serve it with yummy homemade bread. However, a few weeks ago I had some delicious chicken noodle soup and my friend Mindi's house. It was so creamy and delightful that I had to know what she put in it! Her secret ingredient...two cans of cream of chicken soup! So I tried it last night and it was the best chicken noodle soup I'd ever made! Here's what went into it:

Homemade noodles (which sound hard, but really aren't)
Carrots
Zucchini
Onion
Chicken (of course)
Yellow Squash
2 cans of chicken broth
1 can water
2 cans cream of chicken soup

Seriously, it was so yummy! Next time you make your own version of this classic - try a few cans of cream of chicken. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

Lasagna with Turkey Sausage

We had the Zinke's over for dinner last night and this is a recipe that Vanessa got from the Barefoot Contessa. It's so delicious, I can't wait to eat the leftovers (although there weren't many). This is such a great meal and it doesn't take any longer to make than regular lasagna, but (I think) it tastes so much better!!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 1/2 lb. italian turkey sausage (casings removed)
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt (although we omitted this ingredient)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lb lasagna noodles (about 6)
15 oz. ricotta cheese
3 to 4 oz creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 lb mozzerella (we used grated, but you can also buy fresh and slice it thin)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 400 degrees.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium heat, breaking it up, about 8-10 minutes, until no longer pink. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tbsp of parsley, the basil, 1-1/2 tsp salt (but, as I said, we didn't), and 1/2 tsp pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, until thickened.

3. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain. (Or you can just use the oven ready noodles!)

4. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup parmesan cheese, the egg, the remaining 2 tbsp parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt (or not), and 1/4 tsp pepper. Set aside.

5. Ladle 1/3 sauce into a 9 x 12 x 2 inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozerella, half the ricotta mixture, and 1/3 sauce. Then add the rest of the pasta, mozerella, ricotta mixture, and, finally, sauce! Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles.

You will love it!!! It sounds like a lot, but - as I said - it doesn't take any more effort than making regular lasagna. And (a big bonus for me) it doesn't use that many dishes. One cutting board, a big skillet, a mixing bowl, and a pan. Not too shabby!! Next time you are going to make lasagna - make this one instead. You will not be disappointed!!

Chicken Pom Poms

My friend, Vanessa, came over last night and we made these for dinner. She used to eat them when she was little and wanted to start making them again. Her mom got the recipe out of the NY Times. Clayton and Noah both liked them. They kept calling them cookies because of the way they look (hey, anything to get them to eat healthy)! It looks kind of overwhelming when you look at the long list of ingredients, but I bet you probably have most of these already at your house and, truthfully, it didn't take that long to make (the prep time was probably about 30 min. - which is how long most meals take anyway)!

Chicken Pom Poms
(makes 4 servings - 2 pom poms each)

Ingredients
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 tbsp butter or margarine
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/8 tsp black ground pepper
3/4 cup milk
3 chicken bouillon cubes or 3 tsp granules
1 1/2 cups cooked rice, cooled
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup chicken gravy

Directions:
1. Cook celery and onion in butter until soft but not brown. Blend in flour, salt, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Add milk and bouillon. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and thickened. Chill.
2. Mix sauce with rice, chicken, and cheese. Adjust seasonings, if necessary. Form into 8 balls (1/3 cup each). Roll in combined breadcrumbs and paprika. Place in buttered shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with chicken gravy.

Basically, you make the broth in #1 and let it chill. While it's chilling, put the chicken, rice, and cheese in a large bowl. Once the broth has chilled a little, dump it over the chicken/rice/cheese mixture and mix it all together. It will be sticky and will be able to be molded nicely. Once you've rolled a ball, roll it in breadcrumbs to cover it. When they're all done, cook 'em! Once they're done pour the gravy over top. They are pretty hot inside (Noah learned that the hard way), so be careful. It was such a delicious meal! I totally recommend this meal! We will be eating it often!

Yummy wraps

I have been making these for lunch almost every day lately. They are so simple and delicious. It may sound a little strange, but try it - it's really flavorful!

Ingredients (for one wrap):
1 wrap (I've been using whole wheat wraps, they're actually pretty good)
cream cheese
4 slices of turkey (I buy the thin slices)
spinach leaves
crasins or dried cherries (I've been using crasins, but they are both yummy)
sprouts

Directions:
1. Spread the cream cheese on the wrap. Spread it all over, in my opinion, the more the better! I like a semi-thick layer.
2. Lay the turkey slices down the middle of the wrap. I have found that four is a good amount to get from the top to the bottom. I overlap them a little.
3. Lay a layer of spinach leaves over the turkey.
4. Put the Crasins (or dried cherries) on top of the spinach. I like to use a pretty good handful. I think the Crasins give it a lot of good flavor so I like to make sure and pile them in there.
5. Spread a layer of sprouts on top.
6. Wrap it like you would a burrito. I like to tuck the ends under so that none of the Crasins escape.
7. Enjoy! I like to make this and eat it while the boys are down for quiet time. I think it is a very "adult" lunch (and sooooo yummy)!

Orange Biscuits

Okay, one more recipe from Sister Bessette! This is her orange biscuit recipe. We had them one time when we had dinner at her house and they are SO yummy! I could eat them for a dessert!

Start with a regular biscuit recipe (this is hers):
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 C. flour
Sift these together (I learned that a sifter is a must when making clump-free biscuits) and cut in 5 tbsp. shortening (she told me that she swears by Crisco) and 1 C. buttermilk.

Here is where we add the "orange biscuit" part:
In a saucepan combine:
1/2 C. orange juice
1/2 C. sugar
1/4 C. butter
2 tsp. grated orange peel
Cook and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes, then divide among 12 muffin cups (that you should spray with cooking spray). She actually told me that this recipe really makes 24 muffin-cups worth!

Take your regular biscuit dough and pat it into a 1/2 inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Combine cinnimon and sugar (to taste) and sprinkle over the butter on top of your biscuits. Pound out your biscuits (you can use a sterile can or a circular cookie cutter or whatever) and put them in the muffin tins CINNAMON-SUGAR SIDE UP!

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-16 minutes.

I also learned that biscuits freeze really well, so they can last forever!!

Cherry Pickles

This is another recipe from the amazing woman in my ward. These cherry pickles are Justin's absolute FAVORITE things ever!!! He kept begging me to learn how to make them and when I told him that I had finally learned how I think he was happier than he was on our wedding day and the day each of our children were born combined!

Use ripe cucumbers, peel, cut lengthwise, and scoop out seeds.

Cut about 20 cucumbers into cubes. Cover with water and 1/2 C. salt. Bring to a boil and cook until transparent, but firm. Drain off the water and make a syrup of:
3 1/2 lb sugar (there are 2 cups in a pound so you would need 7 cups)
1 pint white vinegar (or 2 cups)
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 sticks cinnamon

Boil and pour over the hot cucumbers; let stand overnight.

Next day bring to a boil, add two small jars of drained cherries. Bring back to boil and place in hot, sterile jars to seal.

Zucchini Relish

With canning season coming soon I thought I would post a few of the canning recipes I learned this year. There is this amazing woman in our ward who is my food storage idol (seriously, I think you could feed a family of ten really well for about three years with just what she has right now)! This is her recipe for zucchini relish. When my dad came to visit us not too long ago, he couldn't get enough of this stuff. It's REALLY delicious!!

10 C. ground zucchini (ground, grated, whatever)
4 C. sliced onion
1 red & 1 green pepper
Mix these together and let them stand overnight with 1 tbsp. salt

Next day, rinse well and drain for 2 hours. Put the veggies in a large kettle combined with:
2 1/2 C. white vinegar
5 C. sugar
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. black pepper

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Pour boiling mixture into sterile jars, seal.
It's really delish! A great food storage item!

Pasta Bake

This is, without a doubt, the easiest thing I make. Justin kind of made this meal up a couple of years ago (I was way impressed). It's perfect for those days when it's getting close to dinner time and you haven't thought about what you are going to make (I can throw it together in less than 5 minutes - literally)! And, as a special bonus, my whole family likes it!! Even super picky Clayton!

Ingredients:
-1 jar of pasta sauce (whatever kind you like - I usually experiment with different flavors)
-1 bag of pasta noodles (bow tie works well, although lately I've been using tortellini and ravioli, but you need to buy a little more if you go with the stuffed pastas)
-2 cups cheese (I use cheddar, but you could also use mozzerella)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375
-In a 9x13 pan (I usually spray a little pam in it), dump the pasta.
-Pour in the whole jar of pasta sauce, then fill the empty sauce jar with water and add that also
-Stir the stuff right in the pan to mix it (I love that this meal only uses one dish)!
-Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
-After 45 min. take the aluminum foil off and top with cheese. Put back in the oven uncovered for about 7 min (until cheese is melted)
-Wait for it to cool a little and then serve!

This meal usually makes enough for leftovers! This is one of my very favorites! Serve with a little garlic bread and a salad and no one will guess that you threw it together in only seconds!

Cafe Rio Pork Salad

I got this recipe from a girl out here and it is one of my new favs! It is so easy but it tastes like you spent a lot of time on it (so I like to feed it to company). It tastes just like the pork taco salad from Cafe Rio!
Ingredients:
2lb. Pork Tenderloin (boneless)
1.5 cups salsa (whatever kind you like)
1.5 cups brown sugar
Tortilla chips
Whatever toppings you like on a taco salad (I like lettuce, rice, black beans, cheese, olives, tomatoes, avacado, salsa, and sour cream)

Directions:
1. Put the pork tenderloin in a crockpot. Add the salsa and brown sugar. Mix them a little to combine and drizzle over the pork. Cook on low heat for 5 hours.
2. After 5 hours, take out the pork and shred it. It will be super tender so shredding it is easy (but watch out, it's HOT).
3. Put the shredded meat back in the crock pot for 30-45 minutes. This will allow the meat to soak up the remaining juices and become extra tender and juicy!
4. While that is cooking, chop your veggies and prepare your rice and beans (if you are using those).
5. Once the pork is done, serve it on top of crushed tortilla chips, and add your toppings!

Alternative serving suggestions(we have done these before and, while I prefer the salad, these are really yummy too):
1. Pork sandwich - serve in a hamburger bun with a little Miracle Whip. This is a great leftover lunch!
2. Real simple - serve over rice with a veggie and a simple side salad.

This is a delicious meal that is sure to please! And, as a bonus, it freezes amazingly well!! So I like to make extra and freeze some for a night when I want a yummy meal, but don't feel like cooking!

Sloppy Joes

I got this from my friend Stephanie. This is the best receipe! Once you have it, you'll never do Manwich again! We eat it a lot - it is VERY kid friendly and VERY easy!!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. hamburger
1 onion
1 and 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 can tomato soup
1/2 cup katsup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 and 1/2 tsp dry mustard (optional - I opt yes)
1/2 tsp curry powder (optional - I opt no)

Directions:
Brown and drain the hamburger and onion together (I do it in a large skillet - this way I am able to make this whole meal in one pan). Once it is drained put it back in the large skillet and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix together and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until it is a "sloppy joe" consistency. Serve it on hamburger buns (we like to top it with a thin slice of cheddar cheese)!

The Best Parmasan Chicken Ever!

This receipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook!
Parmasan Chicken:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 extra large eggs
1and1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated parmasan cheese (plus extra for serving)
unsalted butter
olive oil
salad greens for 6 (we used baby romaine)
lemon viniagrette (I will put the receipe for that at the bottom)

1. Pound chicken until it is 1/4 inch thick.
2. Combine flour, salt, and pepper, on a dinner plate (or a pie tin). On a second plate (or tin) beat eggs with 1 tbsp. water. On a third plate (or tin) combine bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated parmasan cheese. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides in the egg mixture, and then dredge both sides with the bread crumb mixture. (**It seemed wierd to me to do the flour mixture before the egg mixture, but this is the correct order - so don't think I typed it wrong.)
3. Heat 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large sautee pan and cook breasts on med-low heat for 2-5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Add more butter and olive oil every time you re-use the pan. (**We used one big sautee pan and one medium sized skillet and it made all five at once. Also, if you notice one part of the chicken isn't cooking Vanessa sprayed that part with cooking spray, put it back down in the pan, and it made it cook better - just a trick I didn't know!)
4. Top with lettuce greens and drizzle with lemon viniagrette. Serve with extra grated parmasan cheese on top (don't be stingy with the cheese!)

Lemon Viniagrette:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) (**Vanessa said you could use bottled lemon juice, but it wasn't as good.)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Wisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper (**Rick added a little lemon zest also, it was great).
2. Drizzle over the greens that you have put on the chicken!
**I think this viniagrette would be delicious just on some lettuce or spinach as a light and refreshing summer salad, just some lettuce topped with the viniagrette and some grated parmasan cheese!

I realize it looks like a lot and sort of complicated, but from the time we started until we were ready to eat was about 30-40 minutes and we made side dishes in that time too, so it isn't as time consuming as it seems.

Homemade Pedialite

If I haven't raved about my pediatrician before, let me do so now...he is AWESOME!! Noah has been throwing up today and because of the storm I can't really get anywhere to buy special drinks for him, so he gave me this receipe for some homemade pedialite. It is stuff I usually have on hand anyway and it is really easy to make. I will never buy special "sick" drinks again!

1 quart of water
1 oz. orange juice
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Mix them all together and give it in small sips to your sick child.
If your child doesn't like the taste, Dr. Parker said that you could add either a little more o.j. or sugar to sweeten the taste. Isn't he amazing!

Cheeseburger Soup

My friend Stephanie gave me this receipe for a yummy soup that I made last night. It is very hearty, creamy, and delicious! My family loved this meal! It has a lot of good stuff in it (carrots, celery, potatoes, etc.) but you can't really taste it, so it is a great meal for kids. It was a great way to sneak some veggies into Clayton's dinner! This is our new favorite creamy soup!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. browned hamburger
3/4 c. shredded carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
4 tbsp. butter divided
4 c. peeled diced potatoes
8 oz. Velveeta (cut into cubes)
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. diced celery
1 tsp. parsley
3 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sour cream

Saute onion, carrots, celery, basil, and parsley in 1 tbsp. butter for about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes, beef, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small pan melt 3 tbsp. butter and add flour. Cook and stir about 3-5 min. Add to soup. Bring to a boil, cook about 2min. Reduce heat to low, add velveeta, salt, and pepper. Cook (while stirring) until cheese melts. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and enjoy!
**I served it with warm homemade bread, this is the PERFECT soup to dip with!**

Homemade Noodles

I like to make chicken noodle soup. Especially now that the weather is turning colder. I think it is the perfect fall/winter meal. Justin likes my soup but has always said it was 2nd best to Grandma Smith's because I didn't make my noodles from scratch. So I found this recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and made some and I have to say, I will never go back. These noodles were easy (took about 1.5 hours from start to finish) and delicious!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten egg yolks
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup water
1 tsp cooking oil or olive oil (I used cooking oil)

1. In a large bowl stir together 1 and 3/4 cups of the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle of this dry mixture. In a small bowl combine egg yolks, egg, water, and oil. Add to the dry mixture and mix well (I had to add 1/4 cup extra water to get the consistency right. You may not, but just in case your dough seems a little dry, you can add some water.)
2. Sprinkle kneading surface with the remaining flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic (approx. 10 min.) Cover and let the dough rest for 10 min.
3. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface roll each portion into a large square (try to make it as thin as you can). Let them stand uncovered for 20 minutes.
4. Cut the noodles. I used a pizza cutter to cut mine and it worked like a dream. It took only a couple minutes to get my noodles all cut. Depending on how you like them or what you are using them for, you can make them as long or short, thick or thin as you like. For my soup, I liked them about 2 inches long and about 1/2 inch thick (remember the noodles will expand a little when you cook them).
5. Let the noodles dry overnight or until completely dry. Missy said that she prefers not to dry them, but to use them wet. I dried mine for almost 24 hours. I guess that if you make them far enough ahead, why not let them dry, but if you are in a time crunch, they can be used wet. **Once the noodles are dry, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. Or they can be put in the freezer for up to 8 months!
6. The amount of time they take to cook depends on a lot of things: how big they are, how dry they are, how firm or soft you want them to be, etc. So put them in your soup last and then check them every minute or so. Mine (that were completely dry) took about 15 minutes).
**Delicious side notes: 1. These noodles were even better over the next few days. They absorbed the flavors of the soup and softened up even more. Yummy! 2. You can add things to step one to flavor your noodles. You could add oregano or parsley to enhance the flavor of your soup or whatever. I am going to try this next time!