Jessica's Joyful Kitchen

3 cups water 3 cups chicken broth 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken (toss it in frozen, if you like) 3 carrots, peeled and diced 2 ribs celery, peeled and diced 1 large onion, minced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or 1 heaping teaspoon dried pinch of dried rosemary pinch of dried thyme 2 ounces egg noodles, or broad pasta noodles salt and freshly ground black pepper Add all ingredients to the slow cooker EXCEPT the noodles. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from pot and shred; return to pot. Add noodles for last 30 minutes of cooking. Taste soup and add salt and pepper to taste.

Oh my goodness, was this meal delicious!!! My very favorite dish growing up was shuck green beans made by my grandmother. In the summer, fresh green beans are dried (thanks Mom!!), the day before you are ready to cook them they are soaked all day long and then in turn cooked for several hours the following day. The texture is a bit chewier than canned green beans and the flavor is so intense   1. Use the amount of dried shuck beans you need (a little makes a lot) and soak for 24 hours, changing the water once. 2. Drain water and rinse well with cold water. Put into a large pot, with water about 3 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil and add salt (about 2 Tbsp). Reduce temperature to medium low and and add a ham hock. Cook for 3-4 hours, with the lid off until beans plump up and become tender. Cook the water down until beans are almost dry. Southern Spoon Bread 3 cups milk 1 1/4 cups cornmeal 3 eggs 2 tablespoons butter 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder 1 t...

1-1.5 lbs beef roast (I used stew meat) 1 Tbsp olive oil salt and pepper 1 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix 1 c. water 1 cup beef broth 4 large buns or 6 small rolls Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper. When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices. Place in slow cooker and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast. Cook 8 hours on low or cook 4 hours on high. You ‘ll know it's done when you put a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork. Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melted. Ladle juices into small cups for dipp...

One of my missions while at home last week was to get my great-grandfather’s corn bread recipe from Mom. It has a fluffy interior and crunchy exterior that I haven’t been able to replicate using other recipes. My sister and I were very close to my great-grandparents and miss them dearly. I have such fond memories of them, and even shared my grandpa’s birthday, I was his “Birthday Girl”. When I was young we always celebrated together. 3 Tbsp Bacon grease or butter 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup milk 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal* 1 cup all-purpose flour Preheat a 9-in. cast iron skillet with bacon grease or butter while the oven is heating to 425 degrees. Mix liquids and stir in dry ingredients (do not over mix). Pour batter into the hot skillet. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Flip onto serving dish and allow to cool slightly before slicing. * You can make your own self-rising cornmeal     ...

4 large bone-in chicken thighs, skins removed (about 1 1/2 pounds) 2 tablespoons grainy French mustard 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 clove minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram 2 tablespoons maple syrup Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Combine mustard, garlic, marjoram and maple syrup in a small bowl. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard mixture evenly on top of each chicken thigh, being careful to cover as much of the surface as possible to form a "crust." Arrange chicken in a glass baking dish. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until mustard mixture has formed a crust and is slightly hardened, and juices run clear when the chicken is pierced. Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger

Last year I had a little extra batter and decided to turn them into cookies, we loved them so much that this year I purposely bought enough extra ingredients to bake a whole batch. Most of these will be finding their way into our travel luggage. Prepare the batter . Scoop out cookies (I used a medium scoop) onto a greased cookie sheet, 2-inches a part. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Brush with a small "swipe" of brandy while still warm.

I’ve always wanted to make sugar plums, I' don’t recall ever having them before and I have no idea if this is close to the original variety or not, but when I found this recipe I thought it was quite doable. It turns out that these remind me of one very delicious thing…Larabars!! For now these are still fresh in the fridge, but when I package them up to give to my favorite Gluten-free friend, Kelly , I plan to dust them with snow (aka powdered sugar). 1 cup whole almonds 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped) 1/2 cup pitted dates (chopped) 1/2 cup dried figs (chopped) 2 tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons icing sugar 1. Pulse nuts and dried fruits in a food processor. Add honey and spices and pulse until slightly sticky clumps form. 2. Roll small balls out of the mixture. 3. Dust with powdered sugar. Recipe courtesy of Closet Co...