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Ultimate Recipe Swap: Soup

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I know I break the rules when I post on this site because I love to cook and I love to share my ideas but I don’t really do recipes.  So this week I’m going to share my best “cheating” soup–because let’s be honest–we don’t all cook from scratch all the time!

I am writing a 31 day series about being honest–so I felt compelled to fit the honest part in someplace–but if you are interested in the “real series” you can read about me being fat, kids toys, my closet issue, things that scare me and an entire month of authenticity.

Chicken Chili

The first time I followed the recipe on the jar–then I began to experiment.

some of the goodies I add . . .

  1. Typically I add–onions, peppers, carrots sauté in butter or olive oil
  2. I pour the contents of the jar into the crock pot, then I add broth or water–(I freeze my homemade chicken broth and often use that) to the jar and shake to get all the good stuff out of the jar :-) my frugal tip
  3. I add the veggies to the crockpot
  4. Add cooked meat (or don’t), I use chicken from the grill, baked, or turkey leftovers–I’ve even used pork.
  5. I always add at least one can of beans–usually white beans but I use whatever I have.
  6. I also have added: celery, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, rice, and quinoa.

The soup just needs to be heated through but I often put it in the crock pot on the lowest setting–the flavors blend in a wonderful way.  I have also assembled the night before in the crock pot (put in the fridge) and then the next morning I plug it in and get going.

This soup is awesome on its own but I have served it with chips, tortillas, or as a side dish with nachos.

Be Blessed.

Linking up with the 2012 Countdown!

Ultimate Recipe Swap

Go To Meals

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One of the things that I’ve always wanted to do is write a cook book!  I know that I must share that dream with millions of women–is that an exaggeration . . . probably not–leave a comment if you want to write your own cook book.

I digress.

On Thursday’s Life as Mom has the Ultimate Recipe Swap–I love linking up!  It gives me a direction to take my recipe writing.

This week the topic is Emergency Meals.  Sometimes I feel like each night is an emergency meal!  I’ve written about how to meal plan, create a budget and save money on food . . . and I still have trouble at times getting it together.  This is a real house with real people and sometimes I feel like when I write about meal planning and then it doesn’t happen I feel like a fraud–so let me be very clear–some days are better than others!

My emergency meals include:

  • Pasta with red sauce and garlic bread
  • Pasta with butter and hopefully something with color–I’d go with orange juice!
  • My bread machine–bread and butter, not the healthiest but filling and good
  • Sloppy Joes or Tacos–I make the meat up and freeze it.  I love Taco Salad.
  • Chicken noodle soup–chicken broth and frozen veggies–no real chicken required!
  • Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese or if I run out of bread open face cheese sandwiches
  • Frozen Macaroni and cheese–no boiling, no milk, no butter required–push buttons on the microwave and ring the bell for dinner.
  • Bagel Bites–I embrace the fact that I want to eat whole foods and be crunchy . . . but the reality is when kids are sick–bagel bites help them get better!  (goes against logical thinking I know)
  • Beans and Rice with cheese (or without)
  • Peanut butter sandwiches!  My kids will ALWAYS eat a PB sandwich (no jelly for my kids)

I also try to keep 5 or 6 complete meals in the freezer–homemade lasagna, frozen fish and veggies, taco meat, sloppy joe meat, meatballs, the mac and cheese.  I do try to keep up with my lists of lists–I think if I didn’t the house would be total disaster.

What are your Emergency Meals?  or what is your cookbook dream?

Be Blessed.

I may end up linking to Many Little Blessing’s Top Ten Tuesday.

Top Ten Fall Recipes

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I love fall!  I love winter.  I enjoy the snugginess (new word) of the season.  I drink more tea or hot water with honey.  I especially like the foods of Fall/Winter–root vegetables, soups, stews, with homemade bread and biscuits.

I recently moved and found tons of recipes–this particular batch are from my side of the family.  These are the foods that we had growing up and a few are newer–like the corn pudding my sister in law makes–so good.  One day I’ll write my cook book and include all of these recipes–I especially like the recipes in my Mom’s handwriting–scribbled on whatever paper was available.  In that cookbook . . . I will have as many of the original recipes–following a recipe that is handwritten . . . makes me feel like I have a special connection . . . just like when I use my husband’s grandmothers measuring spoons–I wonder if she ever thought that someone like me would be using them nearly everyday. . . I wonder if my kids will use those same measuring spoons or will they get something new and fancy?

Grandma’s Spoons

Aunt Laura’s Corn Pudding

Jim’s Soup–my stepfather loved to cook and “play with his food”

my Mom just put it in the oven with whatever else was cooking.

my mom’s handwriting in red pen, on the paper from Michigan Bell, looking very loved

we ate a lot of zucchini

This is from my husband’s family–now a tradition of ours.

a chocolate version

Mary Ellis was my Mom’s best friend–her husband Don was a hoot! and they both loved to cook.

I have been inspired over the years to have wonderfully talented and creative people guiding my own innate foodiness (new word).  This is my Sweet potato muffin recipe.  I play with the ingredients with whatever I have on hand.

Be Blessed and my your hands joyfully prepare meals.  Sometimes when I think cooking is not that exciting any more–I think what if this were my first meal I ever cooked–or the last?  What enthusiasm would I have for the task?

I’m linking up with these wonderful blogs Ultimate Recipe Swap, Many Little Blessings