Chicken Soup -home made

My Chicken soup is not a thin soup, when I make soup I tend towards a heartier stew style!

Ingredients

3-4 large pieces of chicken or more (your choice of dark or white, I like a mix of both)

*chicken can be bone in and strained for bone removal to retain a nice broth. I actually like this best but de-boned and cut up chicken can also be used with canned broth. If the chicken is pre-cooked...place in stew towards the end of cooking time so as not to overcook.

3 large carrots sliced
2 pieces of celery sliced
3 medium potatoes quartered
1 medium onion cut in quarters
2 tsp. salt (more or less to taste)
pepper to taste
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
6 cups water
1 pkg. of powdered chicken gravy
2 can chicken broth
1/2 lb. noodles or 1 lb. gnocchi

Directions

• Add water, broth and powdered chicken gravy.
  ( If using bone in...add chicken to the above and cook until most of the meat is cooked off of the bone, remove the chicken bones and cut off any remaining meat. *Large pieces of meat should be cut into small cubes.
• Add salt, pepper and seasonings.
• Add all of the vegetables- cook on medium heat 30-40 min. or until vegetables are tender.
• Bring to a full boil and add your pasta noodles and cook according package directions

Baked Beans The Easy Way (Crock Pot or Oven)

• 2 cans of baked beans (prepared baked beans)
• 1 can red kidney
• 1 can black bean
• 1 can pinto bean
• 1can butter bean
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1/4 c molasses (I like dark Karo)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1 Tbs chopped onion
• 1 c boiling water (only if you are baking the beans in the oven)
• 1/2 lb. piece of cooked ham (optional)
• 1 lb. cut up bacon or more....
  

Cook the bacon in a sauce pot or frying pan, pour off grease and pour into crock pot or baking pan Add cooked ham,
Add all of the beans at once.
Combine salt, sugar, molasses, bay leaf, mustard, onion and add to beans.
Let cook in crock pot for several hours

This recipe can also be made in a crock pot or placed in a baking dish and baked
for 45 min. If baked- pour the water over the top of the beans right before they go into the oven.

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