(Easy) Homemade Tomato Soup (from your pantry)

Here's a story for you:

I'm trying to gather the proof that I completed graduate credits 15 years ago from random universities in Alaska. I mean, they're not random because they're reputable schools but my method of taking courses was random and, back then, most documentation was paper and there's no way I have paperwork from 15 years ago at the ready. I can't even remember what schools I used for the courses. University of Alaska- Fairbanks, yes. Alaska Pacific University, yes. University of Alaska Southeast, yes (completely different school than UAA-Fairbanks). I legitimately think there was one more. And I don't know what school I took a course about teaching writing through... 

That has nothing to do with tomato soup, but would I be posting a recipe unless I told you a random story that made no sense and had no connection before showing you an ingredient list? No, I wouldn't. 

Homemade Tomato Soup

2 T. olive oil

1/2 shallot (or 1/4 cup diced onion)

2 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced, not minced)

3 T. chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil

3 oz (half a small can) tomato paste

2 cans of crushed tomatoes (28 oz. each)

1 t. dried oregano (or 1 T. fresh)

1 t. dried basil (or chopped fresh basil to add at the end)

1 cup chicken stock/broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Add the oil, shallot, and garlic to a large pot. Cook on low until lightly browned.

Add the sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, and dried herbs (or fresh oregano). 

Add the cans of crushed tomatoes and chicken stock or broth. 

Let simmer for 30 minutes or so. 

*If you want to blend it here to make it extra smooth, you can. I don't mind a textured soup. And since the garlic is thinly sliced, not chopped, it doesn't have a strong flavor.*

Stir in the heavy cream. You can add salt to taste but I found it didn't really need any. I did top with parmesan cheese.

I made this over the weekend because I, surprise surprise, couldn't find the recipe I've used in the past. So, this is a hybrid of all the different types of tomato soup I've made and it comes together quickly with what you probably already have in the pantry. It also freezes well to save leftovers for a busy night. 

The secret is the sun-dried tomatoes. Don't skip them!

Beef Barley and Vegetable Soup

It's very possible that I've shared this before but I don't know that it's been this exact version that I made last week. 

You see, I'm in a cooking rut. R-u-t. It's bad. 

And we have a friend visiting and staying with us. 

So this means, in an effort to not serve chicken sausage and pizza two days a week (you know those are my go-to dinners), I'm trying to branch out. On this particular day, it was so rainy and so gross outside. It was cold and miserable. Yay for spring break, I suppose. I figured soup was my best bet. 

I made a loaf of beer bread to go along with this. 

Beef Barley and Vegetable Soup

1 pound of beef stew meat, thawed

3 oz of tomato paste (half a can)

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz, don't drain)

1 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 t. sea salt

1 t. pepper

8 cups beef broth or stock (bone broth would be great but I didn't have any so I made broth with the cubes and hot water)

Whatever vegetables you like: I didn't do any chopping for this, but you can use fresh, canned, or frozen. 

I used 1 1/2 cups each of frozen corn and frozen green beans. You can do diced/chopped carrots, celery, onions...I wouldn't use potatoes, in case you want to freeze the leftovers and potatoes don't freeze well.

 2 cups of cooked barley (to add later)

Directions:

In a large stockpot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. 

On a cutting board, season the meat with the salt, pepper, and steak seasoning. Make sure it's thawed out; this isn't quite like putting it into a crockpot.

Once the oil is hot, add the meat and brown it. You may have to turn up the heat, but watch it closely. 

Once it's browned, add the tomato paste, canned diced tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil (you'll have to turn the heat down to low at this point).  Stir well to scrape up the browned bits at the bottom. 

^This is when you can transfer everything to a crockpot if you want to and cook on low all day. I usually just leave it on the stove and simmer for 1-2 hours. 

After an hour or so (give it at least an hour), add the vegetables. If you have fresh vegetables you'll need to continue cooking longer. If frozen or canned, it'll be ready sooner.

Heat it through and basically it's ready to go, but you can cook it all day if you'd like. I started it around noon and we ate at 5pm. 

Barley:

If you think you may want to freeze the leftovers, don't add the barley all in at once. You can cook it in the soup, but I make it in a separate pot, like oatmeal and just add it to each bowl. Cooked barley isn't going to freeze well. 

It's one-to-one, like oatmeal. The directions are on the package and it's super easy. Promise. 

The Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup.

I made this soup on Saturday and I wasn't expecting it to be good...that's going to sell you on it, right?

I had half a carton of bone broth to use up and I knew I had chicken in the freezer and it was chilly and rainy...so, soup it was. I won't say it's one of those 30 minutes or less soups or all-day simmer soups. It can be pretty much whatever you want it to be.

I used farfalle noodles because I had them. Half a package from Trader Joe's. You could use egg noodles or whatever you have on hand. I would put less in, versus more, because you can always add more noodles later and they do really soak up the broth.

And, a quick aside my mom might appreciate: my school had a dish similar to this called "chicken and bows". I never ate it but my brother loved it. A lot. And then, one day, he slipped in the cafeteria on a spilled pile of chicken and bows and had to go home early. I don't remember if he was actually injured. I remember he felt like his favorite cafeteria food had let him down. And my mom was mad because the school nurse wasn't very good at her job: my mom picked my brother up from school and he was still covered in sticky chicken and bow sauce.

Maybe that's why I never use these noodles for anything.

Unfortunately, I can't promise that these measurements are absolutely exact. This is just a good estimate of what I used because I wasn't planning on sharing it initially. But, I mean, it's chicken soup. Just put it together, right?

The difference with this chicken soup, compared to other soups I've made, is the bone broth. I have no idea why I haven't used it before! Probably because I thought it was expensive? And maybe some brands are and I can't be bothered to try making my own (though it's probably not *that* hard).
This Walmart brand costs only 40 cents more than a carton of regular chicken stock. Totally worth it.

The Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup

1 pound chicken, cut into small chunks
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery, including the leaves
2 boxes chicken bone broth (32 oz. each)
1 1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. minced garlic (from the spice cupboard, not fresh)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. sea salt

In a stockpot, brown the chicken in a tablespoon of olive oil and add the seasonings: thyme, garlic, onion powder, pepper, and salt.

Add the carrots and celery (you could do onion too). Stir.

Add in the bone broth and cover, simmering on low, low heat for at least 30 minutes, but I did it for an hour (my plan was 30 minutes and then I got distracted).

Bring back to a boil and add the noodles, cooking for the time instructed on the package.

I made grilled cheese to go with it. Wells refused to eat the soup at all, and wouldn't eat the grilled cheese either. Jett took that from the highchair tray after I left it there during bath time.

Beef Vegetable Soup

NOTE: Today is a snow day.  I started this last night but apparently have no follow-through.

------------------------------------

I swear I want to blog.  I have dozens of half-written posts.  Ideas for more than that. Lots I could share. But something happens on the weekend...I've been treating my weekends like to-do lists and I've really been stressing myself out (that's one of those half-written posts you may never see). If I don't have blog posts written and ready by noon on Sunday...there will be no blog posts.  So, as I type, it's 6:51pm on Monday, and I'm contemplating a shower, 15 minutes of Pilates, and bed by 7:45.  Though...it IS Monday, which means Jane the Virgin. And I do still have to watch OUAT from Sunday.  And I do have tests to grade.  But I'm hoping for a snow day tomorrow. 

Jane will be on the DVR for tomorrow evening (or, better yet, during my snow day).  I introduced my teammate at school to the show.  After we discussed for awhile (while we were supposed to be planning or something), I asked: Team Michael or Team Rafael? She said Team Michael.  I'm Team Rafael.  I don't think she and I can be friends anymore. 

------------------------------------------------------------------

Recipe challenge, week forty-three (but really there's going to be more than one recipe per week sometimes because I'm counting recipes more than I'm counting weeks at this point because I'm running out of time).

(Who am I kidding...there will be a solid week of just recipes at the end of December just so I can get them done with and posted.)

(Carry on.)

Believe it or not, I started this recipe months ago and thought that I wrote it down and then I realized I didn't and then I realized I lost the recipe my mom gave me years ago and then I needed to start over again so I've been putting it off.

Crockpot Beef Stew
use a 6 quart crockpot

Beef stew meat, 1 pound (It can be frozen, but should be cut into 1 inch chunks if you haven't bought it that way. Trimming the fat is also a good idea.)
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
4 cups cold water

Put all of those ingredients in the crockpot for about 2 hours on high.

Then add:

2 cans beef broth or stock
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 can corn, or 1 cup frozen corn
1 can green beans, or 1 cup frozen green beans
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 T. tomato paste
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery

Turn the crockpot to low and let it slow-cook all day, 6-8 hours. You could let it go for much longer too if you need to. This batch cooked for about 10 hours total.

If you are freezing this soup, let it cool first, skim any fat off the top, and then divide into Ziploc freezer bags and lay flat to freeze.  I got 3 bagfuls of this, so that's 3 separate meals.

How to stock your freezer with ready-to-eat dinners

Black beans.  I hate buying canned goods.  They're heavy and they take up space.  Sure, they're not really expensive.  But I also hate opening cans.  So by making my own black beans, I'm eliminating a bulky grocery item.  You buy a bag of dried beans, you follow that recipe I'm linking to there, and you get 4 quart-size freezer bags of beans.  In each one, I put a little more than you'd get in a can.  Don't fill the bags the whole way.  Lay flat to freeze.

Pinto beans. See above.  Scott brought home a giant bag of pinto beans from a farmers' market last fall.  I finally got around to making some of them, and I ended up with about 8 bags to add to vegetable soups and chili.

Salsa Chicken.  I don't do these in lettuce wraps because lettuce wraps don't have carbs and I like tortillas and tortilla chips and stuff made with lots of carbs.  You could do just about anything with this chicken though.  Salads, quesadillas, nachos...it's my go-to recipe.

Marinara.  My friend's recipe is the one I use. Not going to lie: I use this mostly as pizza sauce because we don't do a lot of pasta.  This just means I don't have to buy the bulky glass jars of Barilla Tomato Basil.  I appreciate that.

Chicken stock. Another recipe for those of you who hate putting cans in your shopping cart, putting cans on the conveyor belt, putting bags of cans in your car, carrying bags of cans into your house, and then putting them in the cupboard.  This, I'm pretty sure, is why I make my own stock.

Fajita meat.  I posted this recipe a few weeks ago with some quinoa.  You can put it in tortillas with fajita fixings, grill it up in quesadillas, or put it over some quinoa or rice Chipotle-style. Very versatile.

Tortilla Soup. We love this soup.  I make it when I want something really good to eat on the weekends and I freeze bags of it for later.  It might be one of the best recipes I've ever found online.

Mongolian Beef. This is also a go-to recipe of mine.  It's a people-pleaser. Perfect for potlucks (I've taken it to work before) or for freezing.

White Chicken Chili.  I really liked this.  I don't make it nearly often enough.  I'm not a fan of ground beef, so this is the chili I would opt to make.  I have the hardest time finding ground chicken for some reason.  They never have it at the commissary and sometimes I can't even find it at Safeway.

Vegetable Soup. I haven't posted a recipe for this yet.  Truthfully, I make it a bit differently every time, but I'm working on a batch this week.  It's perfect for when your husband wants something for dinner and you don't want to cook. Will share soon.

Do you have a favorite freezer meal?  Make anything in advance?

Company Chili

Recipe challenge, week four.

There's some things I just don't talk about on this blog.  Sometimes I feel like my whole world is out there for all to see, but I actually do keep a lot to myself. Bloggers, I think, need to draw a line somewhere because you never know who is reading.  Plus, we shape peoples' perception of who we are.  Putting it all out there isn't something I tend to do with this space.  In fact, sometimes I don't know what to write about because my thoughts aren't necessarily what I feel like putting on the internet.

This is kind of an example of that.  Last year, my aunt passed away at a relatively young age.  She was the first person to ever comment on this blog and she read it regularly.  She gave me this chili recipe when I got married because I was marrying into the military and, given her own experience, you needed to be able to cook for large groups of people.  With the recipe, came a giant stockpot, which she'd picked up in Spain.  It's called Company Chili because the blue stockpot (when full) would definitely make enough for an entire army company.

I've made chili with my aunt's secret ingredients several times and it never disappoints.  Scott loves it.  Last summer, my friend needed a recipe for a chili cook-off and I gave her this one.  Now, I don't know how many people were in this contest, but she did win Best American Chili, so it has to be kind of good, right?  My favorite way to eat it is baked in the oven with a spread of cream cheese and cheddar over the top, a la chili cheese dip.  I also freeze servings of it in Ziploc bags for busy days. It'd be perfect for a get-together, including any upcoming Superbowl parties.

The more I think about it, the reason I'm sharing this now is because I don't want you to not know about it.  Does that make sense?  I'm sharing this specifically because I want you to have my chili recipe.  

Company Chili

by Kristin Darhower

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: at least 1 hour

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 can Bush's ChiliStarter beans
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 packet chili seasoning (like McCormick)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 small can tomato paste OR tomato sauce
• 1 pound ground beef, turkey, or chicken
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
• Handful semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Optional: Broth (chicken, beef, vegetable, etc)

Instructions

Brown the meat in a pan with some olive oil and drain any excess fat. Over medium heat, add in the pepper and onion and cover for 5-10 minutes. Stir and add the beans, chili seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce/paste, smoked paprika, and nutmeg. Let it simmer together for about an hour. At this point, if you want your chili to be thinner, add some of the broth (I always end up with a different consistency). A few minutes before serving, stir in the chocolate chips and let them melt.

Serve with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, etc.

Powered by Recipage

30 Minute Potato Leek Soup

Recipe challenge, week three.

A few years ago, I made a leek and potato soup and it was surprisingly tasty.  I knew the recipe I used came from this crockpot blog, but I distinctly remember making it on the stove, not in the crockpot.  I started googling new leek soup recipes a few months ago because leeks are incredibly healthy and are often used in weight loss plans.  Much like cabbage. 

I wanted to experiment with leeks again because Scott is on a health kick.  He wanted to try pescatarianism for a bit (spellcheck is telling me that’s not a word; it has to be a word). Since I don’t really like fish, it’s been a compromise to say the least.  However, I also can get by on a mostly vegetarian diet.  I’ve been focusing on vegetable or whole-grain or quinoa-based meals, and then throwing in some kind of seafood for him.  Tilapia, salmon, etc.  I think I’ve made chicken once in the last month and a steak stir-fry one other time. 

The French have used leeks as a natural diet food for centuries.  While sipping leek broth might not be your cup of tea, this soup combines the creaminess of potatoes, the benefit of leeks, and the flavor of a few different seasonings.  If I were you, I would also add some ham or bacon.  It kind of has a smoky taste already and that would make it feel like a complete meal.

Don’t be scared of leeks.  Even if you’re picky about vegetables, give it one try.  The potatoes will help in that case.  In looking online for a leek soup recipe, I didn’t like any of the ones I came across.  They seemed too precise, too involved, too…something.  I mean, it’s soup.  Not molecular biology.  This is the version I came up with and it’s quick enough for a weeknight dinner.  With grilled cheese for Scott and a quesadilla for me.

30 Minute Leek and Potato Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Keywords: Quick Cooking soup/stew low-carb vegetarian fall winter

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 leeks, washed and thinly sliced
• 2 potatoes, washed and diced into very small pieces
• ½ tsp. Creole seasoning (you can add more to taste)
• ½ tsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Diced ham, bacon, and/or cheese for toppings

Instructions

In a medium pot (you don’t need a BIG pot), bring the broth to a boil. Add in the leeks and potatoes. Cover and turn it down to low heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Check the potatoes for doneness with a fork (the smaller they are, the faster they’ll cook). Add in the seasonings and stir to combine well.

I poured half the soup into a mixing bowl and pulsed it with the immersion blender, and then stirred it back into the pot. You don’t have to do that, but it probably did lend to the creaminess.

Powered by Recipage

Caramelized French Onion Soup

A few days ago, Scott asked for the address to my blog.  I was immediately suspicious.

He told his friend that I had a "cooking blog".  The friend was going to give the URL to his wife so she could look at it since she likes to cook too.

I hung my head in shame.  I said he should probably not do that.  There wasn't much to read in the way of "cooking" lately and he's all confused and I'm all, "I mean, I have a recipe index…" and he's like, "Hey, just give me the link to that then" and I scowled and that was the end of the conversation.

Side note: Let me remind you all that I have the recipe index simply because I'm terrible at writing down recipes.  I even try, every now and then, to do this in a word document and I fail at that.  The only way a recipe ever gets documented in this house is if I click "publish".

The next day, I made soup from scratch.

Often, French Onion soup is one of those that tempt me on a menu when I'm out somewhere.  However, having worked at a restaurant, I know that they just reheat that same pot of soup day in and day out until it's gone.  Really.  Never order soup in a restaurant.  So I make my own French Onion soup at home. Usually I use the crockpot, but sometimes I just don’t feel like cleaning the crockpot.  That is the honest to goodness truth.  Sometimes using it is actually more trouble than it’s worth.  It often sits in the sink for days, full of soapy water, after it has crockpotted us a delicious soup or stew. 

This time, I went with a stockpot on the stove. I caramelized the onions first and it only took about 30 minutes.  I filled the pot with beef stock and let it simmer all day.  This might be the easiest soup in the world.

Caramelized French Onion Soup
use a 6 quart pot

2 large onions, thinly sliced

2 T. butter

6 cups beef broth

2 T. white wine (or sherry)

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Melt the butter over low heat and add in the onions.  Stir them around to coat them and then put the lid on the pot.  Keep it on low.  Stir every few minutes until they become soft and start to turn golden brown.  (This is where I should've taken a picture…)  

The caramelizing will take about 30 minutes.  Then, add in the wine, garlic salt, and Worcestershire sauce and turn it up to medium.  Pour in the broth or stock.  Allow it to come to a boil and then turn it to low and keep the lid on.  It can simmer for an hour or 6 hours.  Whatever fits your timetable. The longer it sits on low heat, the better.  

To make croutons, this is my preferred method with swiss, provolone, mozzarella, etc.  However, if that's too involved (as it was for me on this particular day…), just slice some crusty bread, broil it to golden-brown, and add cheese to the top.  

White Chicken Chili

I have been seriously slacking in the cooking department lately.  You haven't gotten much of anything new around here.  That's probably because I haven't been in the mood to experiment in the kitchen.

You see, my days go like this:

5:30-7:00 Wake up, drink coffee, get ready, take care of dog, read blogs/check email, clean up the house.

7:00 Leave the house (let's be real. this usually doesn't happen until 7:15)

7:30-4:00 Work

4:00 Drive home.  Debate the gym.  Sometimes go, sometimes don't.  If I don't, it gives me a jump on laundry, errands, etc.  Sometimes I'll take Scout for a walk.  This is usually when I write a blog post while I eat an after-school snack.

5:30 Start dinner and feed the dog.

5:30-7:30  Dinner, spend time with Scott, etc.  If Scott's not around, I usually play with the dog and/or read stuff online.

By 7:30, I'm pretty much done.  Sometimes I'll grade papers or write lesson plans.  I'm doing pretty well staying ahead at school just by working while I'm at school.  I'm starting to feel like I have a system in place again.  Now that I have my kids working independently (read: they're trained), I don't need to hover as much as I did 6 weeks ago.  (I still subscribe to the theory that if you need to spend every night and weekend in your classroom, you're doing it wrong.)

It may seem like I have a lot of time at night, and maybe I do, but my to-do list is so long and I feel like I have something to complete every night.  Be it grocery shopping, a craft I want to finish, laundry to put away, blog posts to write, a movie to watch...and then I usually end up playing with Scout for half an hour and my timeline is shot.

My options are usually: A. Cook a good dinner, or B. Go to the gym. Never both, because then I start to feel overwhelmed, which is really silly.  It's 20 minutes to the gym and 20 minutes back so, combined with a workout, it's a large chunk out of the evening.

I made this chili on Halloween. It was rainy. I expected trick or treaters.  I just went home after school and cooked dinner.

This is what I came up with.  I will be making it again soon.  We really liked it and I thought it was much better than regular chili.

White Chicken Chili
inspired by this recipe

1 lb. ground chicken (or cooked shredded chicken)
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 small can corn
1 can Ro-Tel
2-3 T. diced canned green chiles (if you like heat, the whole can)
1 can white beans
1 can black beans
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced

2 t. cumin
1/4 t. cayenne
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 t. smoked paprika
1 T. sugar

1/4 c. cream or half-n-half
1/4 c. sour cream
(You could also up the richness by adding 3 oz. of cream cheese.  I didn't have any.)

Lime
Cilantro (do not skip this..it's the best part)
Shredded cheese

In a large saucepan, brown the chicken in you're using ground.  Add in the onion, bell pepper, and seasonings.  Cook until the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the broth, corn, Ro-Tel, chiles, and beans.
Cook over medium heat, just so it simmers, for about 30 minutes.

Take off the heat and stir in cream, sour cream, and/or cream cheese.

Garnish with lime and cilantro.  Serve with rice, quinoa, or chips for dipping.

*You could also easily adapt this to the crockpot.  I would make sure the chicken is cooked first and then put everything in a 6 quart crockpot for 6 hours on low.  Add in the cream/sour cream/cream cheese after cooking. Let me know if you try it!*

Pinned. Did. Done.

I haven't been into the funny stuff on Pinterest in awhile.  Instead, I've been trying to work through my boards, actually creating the stuff I insist on pinning.  

Here's some of the good ones.

I've been filing them away onto a Did it/Made it/Accomplished it/Done board.

Because crossing tasks off a to-do list is one of my favorite past times.

Have you had any Pinterest successes lately??

Who knew marshmallow fluff was so easy to make??  Only took about 10 minutes!

Source: macaroniandcheesecake.com via Kristin on Pinterest

We're really into yams.  I know everyone calls them sweet potatoes.  They're yams...but I'm guilty of calling them sweet potatoes too.

Scott loves this paleo sweet potato hash.  I serve it alongside eggs.

Source: paleoeffect.com via Kristin on Pinterest

My favorite way to eat yams is still like this.

Source: ourbestbites.com via Kristin on Pinterest

I'm so glad I found this recipe.  I use whole wheat tortillas.  Sweet potatoes (yams) and black beans are an amazing combination.  Last night, I turned this mixture into burritos, instead of just soft tacos.

Source: howsweeteats.com via Kristin on Pinterest

This soup makes a great freezer meal.  I cook the noodles separately, as needed, because they get weird in the freezer.

Source: crockpot365.blogspot.com via Kristin on Pinterest

If you're in the market for rich, fudgy brownies, these are quite satisfying.

Source: smittenkitchen.com via Kristin on Pinterest

This was, aside from pizza dough, my first successful yeast-baking adventure.  It was tasty, and we ate the whole loaf in 12 hours one day.

Source: foodsnots.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Insta-freaking-tastic...and cooking

( ^ I really liked this title when I came up with it last week.  Expect to see it again.)

Joining in with the wonderful Jane at Taingamala for InstaTuesday...(Don't you love the name "Jane"? So classic.)

These were my Friday morning pancakes with strawberry preserves.  You might say, "Wow, Kristin, what terrible photography skills you possess."

Not true.  I have superb photography skills via the iPhone (don't we all?).

I just like to keep things dark around here in the morning hours.  

I drink my coffee and read my blogs and eat my dry cereal by the light of the MacBook.

I baked cookies on Friday night.

Somehow, one batch of cookies required almost 2 bags of Kisses.  Odd.

A confession:

I would like to say that I've been cooking and baking.

I haven't been.

I've lost almost all desire to do so, and I don't. know. why.  

Well, I have been cooking a bit.  But I haven't been creating.  This really bothers me.  And makes me feel awfully slacker-like. 

It's like every creative bone in my body is gone.

Plus, with the holiday season coming about, it's like the dessert blogging world is ON LIKE DONKEY KONG. 

And I don't have it in me this year.  

Not with me trying to eat healthier (seriously).

And me finally getting my abs where I want 'em.

And my paleo-ish eating husband not wanting fudge and ice cream cakes for dinner.

I mean, I eat a lotta sugar, sure.  But I generally eat it and I'm done.  I don't spend all day playing with the sugar (though I do spend all day looking forward to it).  That would hurt me more than it would benefit me, you know?

And I'm not GOOD at food blogging.

It's stressful to me because I have that "job" thing.  And a crazy t.v. watching habit.  And spend a few evenings a week at the gym.

Maybe I'm just lazier than I used to be.

Thoughts???

What have I made lately?

 Chicken Taco Soup.  It's one of the best things I've ever eaten, let alone made in my crockpot.  Do yourself a favor and make it today.  I froze most of it.

I made two pans of lasagna and froze it.  8x8 pans, so one recipe.  

I made Crockpot Pizza Soup and froze it.  Minus the noodles.  Noodles never freeze/reconstitute well, so I'll add them at serving time.

Apple Breakfast Quinoa was good too.  It's basically this breakfast quinoa, which I made a year ago and loved.  I haven't eaten oatmeal in ages because I think my body has started rejecting it, so maybe I should go the quinoa route more often.

Like I said last week, you NEED to make these Sweet Potato Chips.  I've been eating 3 yams a week this way.

I plan on making this Cheesy Vegetable Soup.  Do you think it'll freeze well?  (Maybe I should omit the potatoes.)  I have no use for a giant pot of soup on any one particular day.

Oh, what's that?  You want a weather update?

...when I went to school yesterday morning at 8am.

31* and wore shorts to the gym.
It was 24* when I left the gym.
Until the snow flies.  Promise.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Because Chicken Pot Pie is one of my favorite made-by-me meals, I took this recipe and twisted it into a soup I can whip up in less than 45 minutes.  Actually, if you're the type of cook who actually gets your ingredients out and prepped quickly, instead of watching The Secret Life of the American Teenager, checking Facebook, and putting away groceries at the same time, you can do it in less than 30 minutes.  I'm just not that kind of cook. 

(Seriously, if you haven't checked out my delectable-licious Chicken Pot Pie recipe, please do.  Once again, if you're an efficient cook, it comes together very quickly.)

Chicken Pot Pie Soup and Biscuits

3 1/2 cups milk + 1/2 cup (separated) (I used skim.)
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz)
1 T. chicken bouillon
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 cup flour + 2 T. cornstarch
1/2 pound to 1 pound of chicken, diced and cooked (How much you use depends on how chicken-y you like things; I'm a broth person, not a chunk o' meat person so I use half a pound.)
3-4 cups of mixed frozen vegetables

6-8 biscuits, cut into pieces (I used Pillsbury.)

In a large stockpot, bring the 3 1/2 cups of milk and chicken broth to a boil.  Once it boils, add the bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the 1/4 cup flour + 2 T. cornstarch.  Add to the simmering liquid and stir well.  Keep the heat on medium.  It should begin to thicken.  If it doesn't,  you can always add 1T. of cornstarch + 3 T. of milk at a time.  Do NOT add cornstarch to the hot liquid.  It will clump, so it needs to be whisked into cold liquid first.  Let simmer for a few minutes until thick(er).  Add the vegetables and already-cooked chicken.  Heat through.

Adjust seasonings to taste (I like to add a little Tony's Creole or seasoned salt).  Ladle into bowls and top with biscuit pieces.

Shared at:

This Chick Cooks

Cast Party Wednesday

Totally Tasty Tuesday

Make Your Own: Croutons

...Continuing with the "make your own" theme...This is something I've been doing for a few years now.

This is my favorite way to use up leftover bread.  You can use any kind of bread, really.  My favorite is sourdough.  But Italian, French, Rye, Pumpernickel...even dinner rolls...it all works!

For this, I used a loaf of Jalapeno Cheddar Bread that we've had in the fridge for about 3 weeks.  It was from a local bakery.  Rule #1 of living either by yourself or with just one other person:  ALWAYS put your bread in the refrigerator.  It will stay fresh for weeks longer than it would on the counter.  It took awhile for me to first figure this out.

Make Your Own:  Croutons

3-4 thick slices of bakery bread
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. sea salt
1/2 t. pepper
Olive oil

Start by coating a saute pan with olive oil.  Cut the bread into 1/2 chunks.   It works best if you do two batches.

Put half the bread cubes into the pan and lightly brown all sides.  Add half of the seasonings and toss it all around (i taste as i go.)

Once they're browned, pull them out and put in the next batch.  Store in a Tupperware container or Ziploc bag for up to a couple of days.

These are particularly tasty on French Onion Soup or Tomato Soup.  

I eat most of my share directly from the hot pan. 

Oh, and we're huge fans of Slack's Sugar Shack Bakery.  Look at that bread!

Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup

My giant bag o' onions was going bad.  That's why I made this soup. 

Now that I have to buy my own groceries, I'm very particular about what goes to waste.

(wow, kristin, how selfish does that sound?)

I actually freeze jars of spaghetti sauce in smaller tupperware containers to use for pizza and pasta because I know that if that Prego jar sits in the fridge for more than a week, it will grow mold.  I've got black beans, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk in the freezer also.  The freezer is my friend. 

But we really enjoy French Onion Soup.  The Progresso cans used to be $1.00 at the Commissary.  They've gone up to $2.00.  Yeah, I'm not going to buy that anymore.  Especially when I can make it from scratch for free with ingredients I'd be getting ready to throw away anyway.  How convenient.

I made my own croutons and used mozzarella..

Go to A Year of Slow-Cooking for the recipe.  I don't think this can be messed up!  I doubled it by 50% so we'd have leftovers.

Lent and Two Soups

The season of Lent is almost over. 

My grand plan was to give up ice cream and candy.  I was eating both everyday.  I'll readily admit that I have little to no self-control when it comes to ice cream, cookies, or candy. 

I had put on a couple of pounds throughout the process of packing, moving, and getting settled in Palmer.  That's all well and good...I could gain a few pounds without much notice.  But the second the jeans start getting tight...ugh.  You know the feeling...that feeling needed to be squelched. 

So the grand plan was to cut out ice cream and candy, get super toned, and loosen those jeans up. 

But it didn't exactly work that way.  

You see, I replaced the candy and the ice cream with cookies and brownies.  When I say that I've been baking cookies or brownies at least twice a week, it's the truth. 

I completely missed the point of Lent.  You can't replace a bad habit with another bad habit!

As Scott said, at least I'd be getting calcium from the ice cream!  Ridiculous...I can't believe it took me 5 weeks (FIVE WEEKS) to figure this out.

So I've resolved to give up baking for awhile.  I have this thing for cookies with melty chocolate in them.  Straight out of the oven.  Gooey.  Warm.  Buttery.  (And the tray of warm, gooey, melty, buttery, chocolate cookies is most likely what I can attribute the tight jeans to, right?)

I'm going to stop buying stuff to bake with.  I can whip up cookie dough or brownie mix faster than you can blink once I put my mind to it.  I must be stopped.

However, I shall be enjoying candy and ice cream in moderation after this Sunday :)     

SO.  I've made two really great soups this week.  Chicken Pot Pie Soup on Sunday and Creamy Tomato Soup on Wednesday.  Both are also super healthy.  The ladies who created them do such nice jobs with their food blogs.  So I'll just direct you straight to them.  I didn't really change anything.

Next year, I think I'll add something into my routine for the Lenten season.  Maybe amp it up to two vegetables a day or something.  (oh, and i have not had ice cream or candy in over 5 weeks.  nope, not even on sundays.)

Creamy Corn Chowder

This is so good.  And healthy too!  It took about an hour from start to finish but that's because I kept re-reading the directions.  I recommend having all of the ingredients ready and chopped before beginning the soup.
This was a nice little success after the last week "of nothing good seeming to come out of new recipes".  I found it on Our Best Bites.  I didn't use the bacon and I ended up with shredded Parmesan cheese on mine because the cheddar was in the freezer. This would probably serve 4. 

Creamy Corn Chowder
2 T. butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 cup of water
2 1/2 cups of milk (I used skim.)
2-3 cloves of grated garlic
2 t. powdered chicken bouillon base
1 small onion, minced (about 1/2 a cup)
2 small potatoes, diced (I used Yukon Gold)
1 1/2 cups of frozen corn or 1 can of corn, drained
1 tsp of each:  salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Creole Seasoning, paprika
1 cup of shredded cheddar for topping

Melt the butter and then stir in the flour until it forms a ball of dough.  Slowly stir in the water, whisking out all lumps.  Add in milk and bouillon.  Let this come to a simmer, stirring frequently.  After it's simmering, add in the potatoes, onion, and garlic.  Let it cook for about 20 (or until potatoes are tender), but don't let it boil.  Boiling skim milk is never a good thing.  After the potatoes are tender, add the corn and seasonings, letting the corn heat through and the flavors come together.  Top with cheese (and bacon if desired) and serve.
*The website I found this on says that one bowl is only 3 Weight Watchers points.  That makes sense because it's really only vegetables and milk*

Chicken Orzo Soup

I found this in Rachael Ray's magazine.  It was really easy to make and I customized it to my own tastes.  For example, the original recipe had cannellini beans in it.  We didn't have any and I don't particularly like them anyway.  I'm like that I guess.  While I used to LOVE watching Rachael Ray, I realized that the only way I could make her recipes was to cut out the beans (I only really enjoy black beans)...sausage...expensive cheeses that I flat out refuse to buy...etc.  But this is good!  Don't skip the real lemon juice.  It's what gives the soup the fresh flavor.

Chicken Orzo Soup
1 cup orzo pasta
1/2 lb.-1 lb. of chicken cutlets, seasoned, cooked, and cut into bite-sized pieces (once again, the amount you use depends on how chicken-y you like things)
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
2 ribs of celery (chopped into bite-sized pieces)
7 cups of chicken broth
3 T. of fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup of parsley

Cook the orzo for 8-10 minutes in salted boiling water.  Drain and set aside.
Cook the chicken in a soup pot, then add the vegetables and cook until tender.
Stir in the orzo, broth, lemon juice, and season to taste.  Let it simmer together until heated through, then stir in the parsley.