I LOVE SOUP! Soup, chili, stew, chowder, whatever, it's like the ultimate comfort food to me. I'll be honest, there are some kinds I can live without. I don't like seafood, so that leaves out clam chowder, and I am not a big fan of tomato soup. And unfortunately, most creamy soups aren't my friend. But soup is still one of my favorite meals and starters.
Soup is one of my favorite parts of cool weather. It's only mid October and I've already made chicken noodle (twice), chili, chicken taco chili, beef and vegetable barley, and beef stew. Oh, and I'm in the processes of making Cheesy Vegetable Chowder as we speak. My favorite kinds of soups to make are the kinds where you chop a whole bunch of stuff up, toss it in the pot with some broth, boil, and simmer. It makes the whole house smell heavenly. I am willing to make soups that require more steps, but I do what I can to make the process as simple as possible. I'm going to share some of these tips with you!
Chicken at the Ready
I always try to keep a stash of diced (or shredded) cooked chicken in the freezer. Sometimes this is leftovers from a rotisserie chicken I picked up at the supermarket. Just pick the excess meat off the bones (if you've never done this before, you'll be surprised how much meat is hidden in there!) and put these pieces in a freezer bag and toss in the freezer. Other times this is an extra breast that I didn't need for dinner (why does fresh chicken breasts always come as 3 humongous breasts? I think it's for this express purpose) and then boil or grill, dice and stick in a freezer bag. If I have the foresight, I sometimes toss a whole bunch of frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker and cook for a few hours, then chop or shred and freeze in one cup batches.
Frozen Celery
I buy celery to use in a dish and end up tossing most of the celery in the trash when it becomes rubbery and gross. After finding the tip on Pinterest about chopping and freezing green onions to have at the ready, I thought, why not do this with celery? It works! It saves money since you're not tossing all that wasted celery and it saves time since you already have the chopped celery ready to go! This celery also comes in handy any other time you need celery to saute for a dish.
Convenience Foods
Because I'm lazy, I use some convenience foods in my soups. I rarely make my own stock (too much work and I go through it like water) and prefer store bought. I hate chopping garlic, and although I'm getting better at using fresh, I like having the jar in the fridge. I also hate chopping onions, and don't really like eating cooked onions, but onions are essential in cooking most things. The are like the king of flavor. So for my chicken soup, I just add a whole (peeled) onion to my soup and remove it just before serving, after squeezing out as much broth as possible.
That's all the tips I have for you now. Happy Soup Season!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Mashed Cauliflower... Never Again!
I will never again make straight up mashed cauliflower. I have tried and tried again and it never even comes close to reaching my expectations. It's just plain yucky! The texture is gross and the taste is bland. I've tried making it a variety of was and I always end up profusely apologizing to my husband and gaging on my own portion. Tonight I wanted to use a delicious looking recipe I had found on Pinterest... only to find that it was a dead link. So I went ahead and "winged it". I ended up making a huge mess in my freshly cleaned kitchen (I attempted to use my hand mixer... cauliflower bits everywhere!) and only had a bland, taste-less mess of gritty mush. It would have been comical if the end result wasn't so damn gross. If I were cuter and funnier it could have been a scene out of Bridget Jones.
Next time I try to make a healthier version of mashed potatoes, I'll revert back to my half-potato, half-cauliflower stand by. I boil two potatoes and about a half a head of cauliflower, drain the water, then add milk and margarine and either mash them by hand or whip them with my hand mixer. Sometimes I add sour cream or some cheese to switch it up a bit. I know it's not the purist's mashed potatoes nor is it extremely healthy (or exciting), but it's comfort food that my family can appreciate. Well, at least my husband and myself; mashed potatoes are one of the foods my two year old has refused to eat.
Next time I try to make a healthier version of mashed potatoes, I'll revert back to my half-potato, half-cauliflower stand by. I boil two potatoes and about a half a head of cauliflower, drain the water, then add milk and margarine and either mash them by hand or whip them with my hand mixer. Sometimes I add sour cream or some cheese to switch it up a bit. I know it's not the purist's mashed potatoes nor is it extremely healthy (or exciting), but it's comfort food that my family can appreciate. Well, at least my husband and myself; mashed potatoes are one of the foods my two year old has refused to eat.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Mini MacGyver
Everyday with a two-year-old is an adventure.
My husband is a salesman and works from home frequently. He's set up an office in one of our spare bedrooms. In order to decrease the amount of chaos my child can create, we keep his office door closed and locked. The previous owners left a small Allen wrench on the door frame as a key. Since we are so short and it is used often, we keep the key on the light switch outside the door.
Today, my mini MacGyver pulled her step-stool out into the hallway, stole the "key" off the light switch and proceeded to attempt to unlock the door. However, she instead succeeded in shoving the entire Allen wrench into the lock hole. She came to get me babbling something about a key and daddy's "ossice" and led me to the scene of the crime (she's not yet good at hiding the evidence).
First, I tried to use tweezers to free the "key", but they didn't fit into the hole. I found some needle-nosed pliers, and then proceeded to search for a flashlight (another one of my little one's favorite things to steal). I couldn't find a flashlight, so I ended up using a book light instead. Fortunately, the needle-nosed pliers were a success and I was able to free the "key" and save the day.
And all this before 9am. It's going to be a long day.
My husband is a salesman and works from home frequently. He's set up an office in one of our spare bedrooms. In order to decrease the amount of chaos my child can create, we keep his office door closed and locked. The previous owners left a small Allen wrench on the door frame as a key. Since we are so short and it is used often, we keep the key on the light switch outside the door.
Today, my mini MacGyver pulled her step-stool out into the hallway, stole the "key" off the light switch and proceeded to attempt to unlock the door. However, she instead succeeded in shoving the entire Allen wrench into the lock hole. She came to get me babbling something about a key and daddy's "ossice" and led me to the scene of the crime (she's not yet good at hiding the evidence).
First, I tried to use tweezers to free the "key", but they didn't fit into the hole. I found some needle-nosed pliers, and then proceeded to search for a flashlight (another one of my little one's favorite things to steal). I couldn't find a flashlight, so I ended up using a book light instead. Fortunately, the needle-nosed pliers were a success and I was able to free the "key" and save the day.
And all this before 9am. It's going to be a long day.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Super Easy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
I know I've been beyond horrible about posting this summer. It was one thing after another and then my laptop crashed, so I just gave up until we got a new one last week. Yay!
This summer consisted of super hot days, fun times with my first real garden, and weekly playdates with some of my favorite mommies. At one of the playdates, the host mom made these delicious and simple banana muffins (the recipe on the website is for banana bread, but can easily be made into muffins). She shared the pin with me and I made some for my sister after she delivered my second nephew two weeks ago. With an overabundance of zucchini from my garden and inspiration stemming from questions in the comments section, I tweaked the recipe to make chocolate zucchini muffins. Here's my version of the recipe:
Super Easy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients:
Chocolate cake box mix
3 eggs
2 cups zucchini peeled and grated
Directions:
Mix ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Put in muffin pans. Bake at 350 for 16-19 minutes.
Seriously, it's just that easy. And you get yummy, moist chocolate muffins. I'm sure you could add other ingredients if you want, but I felt that it was perfect being simple. I was able to get a dozen regular-sized muffins and two dozen mini muffins. I probably could even stretch it to make a few more.
This summer consisted of super hot days, fun times with my first real garden, and weekly playdates with some of my favorite mommies. At one of the playdates, the host mom made these delicious and simple banana muffins (the recipe on the website is for banana bread, but can easily be made into muffins). She shared the pin with me and I made some for my sister after she delivered my second nephew two weeks ago. With an overabundance of zucchini from my garden and inspiration stemming from questions in the comments section, I tweaked the recipe to make chocolate zucchini muffins. Here's my version of the recipe:
Super Easy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients:
Chocolate cake box mix
3 eggs
2 cups zucchini peeled and grated
Directions:
Mix ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Put in muffin pans. Bake at 350 for 16-19 minutes.
Seriously, it's just that easy. And you get yummy, moist chocolate muffins. I'm sure you could add other ingredients if you want, but I felt that it was perfect being simple. I was able to get a dozen regular-sized muffins and two dozen mini muffins. I probably could even stretch it to make a few more.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Ladybug Birthday
My baby girl turned 2 this week. I can't believe that she's growing up so fast!
We threw her a little party for our close family and mommy decided to go with a ladybug theme. Here are some pictures from the party.
We threw her a little party for our close family and mommy decided to go with a ladybug theme. Here are some pictures from the party.
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| Her Summer Time Fun Dress. |
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| Soup can utensil holders |
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| Ladybug garland |
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| Ladybug door hanging |
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| Ladybug cake |
Monday, March 26, 2012
Spring Cleaning... Lets make it fun!
I started my spring cleaning today. I always thought I'd be one of those people who do the deep cleaning incrementally, so I don't have to pack it in to one small amount of time. But alas, Procrastination and I are super good friends and March 20th has come and gone with my house still in dire need of deep cleaning. So might as well make it fun, right?
Ok, so there really is no way to truly make spring cleaning fun. But there are ways to make it slighly less painful. Here are my suggestions:
1. Put on your favorite up-beat music. Might as well dance around and sing while you clean!
2. Before you start, fill up an extra big cup of water so you keep yourself hydrated! Dehydration is the biggest culprit of making you feel sluggish and hungry. I'm using the giant cup with a straw and handle that I got from the hospital when I had my daughter.
3. Set small goals for yourself. They are easier to accomplish and won't make you feel so overwhelmed. For instance, I pick a project each week. This week I'm cleaning baseboards, doors, and door frames. I'm doing the downstairs today and the upstairs the following two days (I have way more doors upstairs than down). Next week I'm going to clean the windows. Yes, this will probably mean that I'll be spring cleaning well into summer. Oh well, at least my house will be slightly cleaner than if I never did anything.
4. Reward yourself for a job well done! When you've accomplished your goal for the day, treat yourself to a peice of chocolate or a glass of wine. What's that, you would have had that glass of wine anyway? Well, now you can at least justify it.
If you need ideas of what things need to be cleaned, here's a thorough spring cleaning checklist.
Happy Cleaning!
Ok, so there really is no way to truly make spring cleaning fun. But there are ways to make it slighly less painful. Here are my suggestions:
1. Put on your favorite up-beat music. Might as well dance around and sing while you clean!
2. Before you start, fill up an extra big cup of water so you keep yourself hydrated! Dehydration is the biggest culprit of making you feel sluggish and hungry. I'm using the giant cup with a straw and handle that I got from the hospital when I had my daughter.
3. Set small goals for yourself. They are easier to accomplish and won't make you feel so overwhelmed. For instance, I pick a project each week. This week I'm cleaning baseboards, doors, and door frames. I'm doing the downstairs today and the upstairs the following two days (I have way more doors upstairs than down). Next week I'm going to clean the windows. Yes, this will probably mean that I'll be spring cleaning well into summer. Oh well, at least my house will be slightly cleaner than if I never did anything.
4. Reward yourself for a job well done! When you've accomplished your goal for the day, treat yourself to a peice of chocolate or a glass of wine. What's that, you would have had that glass of wine anyway? Well, now you can at least justify it.
If you need ideas of what things need to be cleaned, here's a thorough spring cleaning checklist.
Happy Cleaning!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
A Very Pinterest-ing Baby Shower
As you have probably seen on some of my previous blog posts, I am quite the Pinterest addict. I waste countless hours pinning crafts, sewing tutorials, and recipes, as well as a million other things to my plethora of boards. I still dream of the day when something from my own blog will be pinned. When my best friend and I decided we'd throw a baby shower for a couple of our friends who are due for new additions in late March and early April, I knew I had some great ideas pinned already! Check out some of my Pinterest inspired items, and one I came up with on my own. I must admit, I have to work on my photography skills.
To make the Baby Kisses favors, I followed this tutorial. I filled mine with Hershey Kisses. The Cupcake gifts for the mama's were made following this tutorial, although I used a pair of newborn pants for one of them.
It was just a small shower since this isn't the first baby for either girl. We also had a girl/boy/neutral theme since one mama is having a girl and the other has been told she has a 75% chance of having a boy.
I wish I would have taken pictures of the food. We had a lovely spread of sliders, cucumber sandwiches, fruit salsa, veggie pizza, and the most delicious strawberry angel food dessert I've ever eaten!
To make the Baby Kisses favors, I followed this tutorial. I filled mine with Hershey Kisses. The Cupcake gifts for the mama's were made following this tutorial, although I used a pair of newborn pants for one of them.
My Dollar Store cupcake stand; also, I used these helpful tips for better cupcakes.
For the vases I used a couple of Ball jars and one upcycled spaghetti sauce jar and just added a ribbon. The votive holders are upcycled baby food jars I saved from a shower I threw my sister almost 3 years ago! (I may have a minor hoarding problem). To remove the stubborn glue from the jars, I warmed them with a hair dryer to get the worst of it off, then used an S.O.S. pad to get the rest of the glue and any stamped expiration dates off.
It was just a small shower since this isn't the first baby for either girl. We also had a girl/boy/neutral theme since one mama is having a girl and the other has been told she has a 75% chance of having a boy.
I wish I would have taken pictures of the food. We had a lovely spread of sliders, cucumber sandwiches, fruit salsa, veggie pizza, and the most delicious strawberry angel food dessert I've ever eaten!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
My Pasta e Fagioli
I've been wanting to make a Pasta e Fagioli soup for awhile, but I was quite intimidated by most of the recipes I found. They looked wonderfully delicious, but they always had some ingredients that I wasn't so sure about. I decided to make my own version instead of following any one recipe, and it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.
Pasta e Fagioli
1 lb. ground sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 c. beef broth
1 c. water
1 (15 oz) can butter beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tbs. Worchestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
seasoned with: parsley, thyme, basil, fresh ground pepper
1 cup small pasta (I used elbow macaroni)
Brown the sausage with the onions and garlic; drain fat. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the pasta and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer about a half an hour. Add the pasta, turn the heat up to return soup to a boil; then turn down to a simmer again until pasta is tender (about 6 minutes).
Note: The pasta soaks up a lot of the liquid, you may need to add more water or broth.
That's it, super easy, super hearty and great for a winter day.
Pasta e Fagioli
1 lb. ground sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 c. beef broth
1 c. water
1 (15 oz) can butter beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tbs. Worchestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
seasoned with: parsley, thyme, basil, fresh ground pepper
1 cup small pasta (I used elbow macaroni)
Brown the sausage with the onions and garlic; drain fat. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the pasta and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer about a half an hour. Add the pasta, turn the heat up to return soup to a boil; then turn down to a simmer again until pasta is tender (about 6 minutes).
Note: The pasta soaks up a lot of the liquid, you may need to add more water or broth.
That's it, super easy, super hearty and great for a winter day.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Stop and Enjoy the Fog
I love foggy days. I feel like a blanket of clouds has descended and wrapped around me. I love how the fog changes the whole world, reducing your view to only a block or two radius. The fog forces you to see what is right in front of you, focus on your immediate surroundings, not losing them in the vast openness of the rest of the world.
As a mother, I find myself constantly saying things like "I can't wait until she can..." "It will be so much easier when she learns to...", or, now that she's at the curious, get into everything toddler stage, "I miss when she would just stay in one place." I find myself wishing her little life away, awaiting the bigger and better things. Sometimes, I need a fog to descend on my life, forcing me only to see the present, only the wonderful, amazing stage that she currently is in, not taking it for granted.
True, every stage has its difficulties. We are currently struggling through the biting stage. Each time I drop her off at Sunday School or the daycare at my mom's group I say a little prayer that she can get through it without biting any of the other kids. But I don't want to miss the great parts either. How her vocabulary is constantly growing, how you can watch her and see how she learns and figures things out, and seeing her loving and mothering her dolls and stuffed animals; these are things I don't want to miss out on or forget while I'm trying to see what is ahead.
I hope reading this helps others to stop and enjoy the fog. Do not take for granted what is currently happening in your life. We all have struggles, but life is more than getting from one stage to the next. Enjoy the journey, savour the fog.
As a mother, I find myself constantly saying things like "I can't wait until she can..." "It will be so much easier when she learns to...", or, now that she's at the curious, get into everything toddler stage, "I miss when she would just stay in one place." I find myself wishing her little life away, awaiting the bigger and better things. Sometimes, I need a fog to descend on my life, forcing me only to see the present, only the wonderful, amazing stage that she currently is in, not taking it for granted.
True, every stage has its difficulties. We are currently struggling through the biting stage. Each time I drop her off at Sunday School or the daycare at my mom's group I say a little prayer that she can get through it without biting any of the other kids. But I don't want to miss the great parts either. How her vocabulary is constantly growing, how you can watch her and see how she learns and figures things out, and seeing her loving and mothering her dolls and stuffed animals; these are things I don't want to miss out on or forget while I'm trying to see what is ahead.
I hope reading this helps others to stop and enjoy the fog. Do not take for granted what is currently happening in your life. We all have struggles, but life is more than getting from one stage to the next. Enjoy the journey, savour the fog.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Stuffed Soup
I hosted our family Christmas party last weekend. Traditionally, my grandmother always brought stuffed peppers and cabbage to Christmas Eve. Due to growing families, we no longer get together on Christmas Eve, so I decided to make stuffed peppers and cabbage for our Christmas party. As usual there was way too much food, and I ended up with a bunch of leftovers.
Fast forward to this morning. It's cold and snowy, and I wanted to make some kind of soup that would be hearty and warm. I wasn't feeling the usual chicken noodle, and I'd already made a few batches of beef barley this winter. I wanted to make something different, but needed to use ingredients on hand. That's when I spied the leftover stuffed peppers and cabbage. I was a little nervous, but it turned out fabulously! Here's the recipe:
Stuffed Soup
3-4 leftover stuffed peppers/cabbage, cut/mashed up, plus juice they were cooked in
4 cups stock or broth (I used turkey stock, chicken broth would be just fine as well)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
enough dry parsley to cover the top of the soup
Combine ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for about a hour or longer.
If you want a thicker soup, try adding about half a jar of tomato paste and bring to a boil.
I'm sorry I once again forgot to take a picture. I was so hungry and it looked so good, I just jumped right in.
Fast forward to this morning. It's cold and snowy, and I wanted to make some kind of soup that would be hearty and warm. I wasn't feeling the usual chicken noodle, and I'd already made a few batches of beef barley this winter. I wanted to make something different, but needed to use ingredients on hand. That's when I spied the leftover stuffed peppers and cabbage. I was a little nervous, but it turned out fabulously! Here's the recipe:
Stuffed Soup
3-4 leftover stuffed peppers/cabbage, cut/mashed up, plus juice they were cooked in
4 cups stock or broth (I used turkey stock, chicken broth would be just fine as well)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
enough dry parsley to cover the top of the soup
Combine ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for about a hour or longer.
If you want a thicker soup, try adding about half a jar of tomato paste and bring to a boil.
I'm sorry I once again forgot to take a picture. I was so hungry and it looked so good, I just jumped right in.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Chicken Bruschetta Bake
I was online this summer searching for a grilled chicken bruschetta recipe that would compare to a super yummy one I got from Simply Homemade after I had my daughter (Simply Homemade is one of those food prep places where they supply the ingredients, you assemble, and then take home a freeze to make at a later time. Some girls at my work went together to buy me a package with free assembly after I had my daughter, and it was the most fabulous gift I was given!). While searching, I stumbled upon this recipe at AllRecipes.com. It wasn't what I was looking for at the time, but it was perfect for a winter meal.
Yesterday, I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner when I found that recipe again. It looked delicious and warm and perfect. Unfortunately, I didn't have any stuffing mix on hand (I never do, I don't like stuffing), so with the help of a commenter and my own cooking skills, I came up with the following version.
Chicken Bruschetta Bake
3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs (if you only have plain, use this and add 1 tbsp Italian seasoning)
1 (15 oz) can Italian diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp minced garlic (more if you love garlic)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 11x8 in glass pan (or similar sized casserole dish) with cooking spray. Place the bread crumbs in a gallon sized storage bag. Put diced chicken into bag and shake. Pour breaded chicken and any remaining crumbs into pan, bake for 20 mins.
While this is cooking, combine drained diced tomatoes, minced garlic, and seasoning in a bowl. When the 20 mins are up, pour tomato mixture over chicken and cover with cheese. Bake another 10 mins.
I served mine over some pasta with a little marinara. It was so good. If I had any fresh basil, that would probably make it even better! I can't wait to try this again and wanted to make sure this version was written down somewhere so I could find it later. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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