Soup's On!!!

This is something I've done every fall & winter for many years - but as with the breakfast burritos - friends are asking me to publish what I do. These are actual recipes - that I'll link in - but you can use it for many different meals - not just soup.

This came about a few years ago when the older our kids got - the more running around I was doing and the temptation of the drive through was real. Not saying the drive through isn't a life saver - but with a little planning you can give your family more nutritious meals - and stop spending money on fast food - so you can spend money on a pedicure without feeling guilty!! LOL

I've waxed philosophical about my love of soup plenty of times on this blog - so I'll skip it. The only thing I will say is that making a huge pot of soup is CHEAP. It also is generally nutritious. My soups almost always include some form of protein and lots of veggies. I much rather having my kids heating up home made soup as an after school snack, a small pre-practice dinner - or after practice snack - than any alternative (something portable from a box in a bag).

I take one day during the week to buy everything I need for the soups I want to make. I always check what I already have on hand and usually work around those ingredients.

I take another day to make the soups. In this particular instance, my shopping trip and my "cook" day were about 1 1/2 weeks apart - life is busy YO!

It took me about 5 hours to get these soups going from start to finish. Keep in mind - with soups - most of that time is totally hands off - just letting all the ingredients marry - and while that is happening - I'm doing several other different things I've got on my "do it" list - also keep in mind that I ran a few errands and had a full house of people I was engaging with.

Today I asked my 6 yo if she thought she could make one of the soups all by herself. She's used to helping in the kitchen but she was so excited to make a meal all by herself. White Bean Chicken Chili.  The pic you see is of my now 13 & 10 yo girls...

I also recruited my 15 yo to open all the cans I needed opened and to brown the sausage and ground beef for the chili he, his dad, grandpa and Uncle will enjoy on the upcoming hunt. Running Ute Tailgate Chili 
http://breakingthereciperut.blogspot.com/search?q=runnin+ute

My 13 yo spent the day with cousins, but as soon as she walked in the door to see what was going on she asked if she could make her fave soup as well. Tomato Basil Soup the link goes to a deluxe version - which is the only one I can currently find on the blog - but usually we omit the pesto and sundried tomatoes bc we don't have them on hand as often.

I also TOTALLY revamped my Chicken Noodle Soup recipe  AND I took my first stab at Zuppa Toscano.

I separate the soups into 16 oz Tupperware containers for quick snacks/dinners OR bigger containers for a meal for 2 OR one large container when I know we'll be eating it together as a family. A few of the containers go into the fridge - most go into the freezer.

Monterey Chicken

Once again, I forgot to take a picture with all the craziness going on around here. It isn't that attractive anyway - but man oh man does it taste delicious!

ALL my kids had seconds - ages 4 - 12 - rave reviews!!

Monterey Chicken
1/2 c cottage cheese
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c cream cheese
1 c Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I've also made it with Mozzarella)
4 cooked chicken breasts (I use 2 large cans of chicken chunks)
4 oz diced chilies
3 c cooked rice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 t garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Tortilla chips, crushed

Blend all ingredients except chips, adding chicken and rice last. Make sure to break up the chicken chunks. Transfer into a 9x13 casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with tortilla chips.

Creamy Basil Pesto Tortellini

I came up with this idea based on craving and availability

Creamy Basil Pesto Tortellini
1 package of fresh Tortellini (may favorite is the 5 cheese at Costco)
Alfredo Sauce (My basic alfredo sauce is HERE)
Basil Pesto Sauce (I love the Kirkland brand - sheesh - I should get paid for all this advertising!!)
Pine Nuts

I didn't give you any measurements - bc I didn't use any. I made my alfredo sauce (which does have measurements - do don't worry) When the alfredo sauce was done, I turned it down to low and covered it so it could stay warm while I prepped everything else.

The Tortellini only takes about 3-5 minutes to cook so this comes together quick! On the back burner in your smallest skillet - add a handful of pine nuts - keep the heat pretty low. Every time I toast pine nuts I forget about them - so using a low setting works for me.

Then everything comes together! I serve this buffet style. My daughter only likes alfredo on hers. One of my daughters loves Pesto - and just adds pesto and pine nuts to hers. My hubby, son and I like to add both alfredo and pesto together - mine is a little heavier on the pesto than theirs. We all love toasted pine nuts.

Just as we were all sitting down I remembered that I had a block of Asiago in the freezer - so I put a few very fine shavings on top! Delish!!

Creamy Parmesan Romano Rice

I was at the grocery store the other day and those packets of rice & seasonings on display. I thought to myself - I used to love those when I was in college… I should try to make a version at home - that'll ensure I have control over what goes in to it - and that what goes in it won't be a "seasoning packet" and all those preservatives!!

Creamy Parmesan Romano Rice

1 stick (8 T)

3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced

2 c water

2 c 2%milk

2 c white rice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 T chopped fresh parsley

½  c parmesan – romano cheese, shredded or finely grated

Saute garlic in butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat until fragrant about 3 minutes. Add riceand stir to coat in butter. Add milk, water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer – cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir only occasionally to ensure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom – if it is, turn the heat down.

When the rice is done. Stir in parmesan romano cheese and parsley. If you’d like yours creamier, you can add a splash of milk. Taste for salt and pepper. Cover and take off the heat to rest 5 minutes.

My kids gobbled this up!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I have had a craving for Chicken Pot Pie for a few weeks now - but I wanted to make one that was "homemade" but didn't want to spend an entire day making it. Solution?? This little recipe I came up with. I researched recipes from Ina Gartner, Ree Drummond to name a few - then took some awesome short cuts and came up with this!!!

*Picture thanks to Ree Drummond - we had company the night I made Chicken Pot Pie so taking a pic of it was the last thing on my mind.

For the record - my 4 kids and the 3 teenaged boys we had over for dinner ALL got seconds and all each finished their portions in record time.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1/4 c flour

4 T butter (half a stick)

2 c chicken stock

1 chicken bouillon cube or 1 t granulated chicken bouillon

1 "Traditional" rotisserie chicken

1 c frozen, diced onions

1 c frozen carrots, diced or crinkle cut

1 c frozen sweet peas

1 c frozen sweet corn

2 Marie Callendars frozen pie crusts

1 c heavy cream

1/4 c fresh parsley (or thyme), finely minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and *celery (we just found out that my son is allergic to celery – seriously.) Saute until the vegetables start to turn translucent, a couple of minutes.

Add 2 cups of the diced chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken, and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.

Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Stir in the bouillon cube. The flour will combine with the chicken to create a delicious gravy. Next, add the peas and corn.

Pour in the cream and stir. Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes. Season with the parsley (or thyme), salt and pepper, and continue to cook on low for 30-40 minutes. You want to have time for all of the veg to get soft and for the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

While the filling is melding on low, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and get the pie crusts out of the freezer to thaw.

Pour the chicken mixture into one of the pie crusts – don’t be afraid to pile it in there – the top crust will help keep it all in. Then cover with second pie crust. Use your fingers to pinch the edges of both crusts together to seal it. Use a fork to pierce a few holes in the top crust.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Seriously SO DELICIOUS and comforting - and with all that veg!!