Baby It's Cold Outside - Time For Soup

We've had nothing but really cold weather and lots of fog for the past week.  Usually, we all get super excited about the cold temps, because it might mean a rare snow day.  Sadly, the only moisture in the air is in the form of REALLY thick fog. 


I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of the frozen trees.

A cold day, combined with feeling under the weather, calls for some homemade chicken soup. I used my new electric pressure cooker.  I'm kinda loving this new appliance.



Here's what I did:

I used the saute feature first.
I put a little olive oil in the pot,
followed by 1/2 a diced onion,
2 cloves diced garlic,
1 diced carrot, and
1 diced celery stalk.

Then I added some leftover chicken I had in the freezer,
6 cups of chicken stock,
 about 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice,
and turned the pressure cooker on high for 9 minutes.
After 9 minutes, I let it cool for about 15 minutes to release the pressure naturally.

Maybe it's because it's cold outside, or maybe it's because I don't feel too well, but that soup tasted so good!  I asked my hubby if he loved it as much as I did because it's really good, or if I was just loving it because I'm feeling pathetic.  He thought it might be a little of both.  My kids on the other hand, thought it was the best soup they'd ever eaten.  They both went back for seconds.

(Side story:  When my son was just learning to feel himself, as a baby, if he really loved something, he'd start kind of humming as he was eating.  You could just tell he was perfectly content and loving his meal. I was almost like he was saying, "Yummm, yummm, yummm." as he was eating. To this day (he's almost 12 now), when he eats something that he really loves he does the humming thing when he eats.  At the dinner table tonight, my hubby and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing because my son was in his humming mode as he was eating this soup.  Needless to say, he really enjoyed this recipe.)

Stay warm, friends!

White Chicken Chili Recipe

Please excuse the lame food styling in this photo.  My kids were starving and there were lots of groans when I said that I needed a picture before we ate.



My hubby has been asking me to make white chicken chili for YEARS.  Honestly, I have never had white chicken chili... well except for that one time that he decided to make it himself and the kids named it Dad's Throw-up Soup.  It tasted as bad as it looked.

I decided that over the break I'd give it a try.  I had several recipes pinned for White Chicken Chili, but none of them sounded like exactly what I was looking for.  So, I decided to combine a few and make my own recipe. 

Here's what I did:

I started by cooking a pound of chicken breast in the crockpot. 
It cooked for about 4 hours on high.
Into the crockpot, with the cooked chicken, went
6 cups of water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
(use 6 cups of chicken stock if you'd rather)
1/2 of an onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
(or chop your own)
1 diced yellow pepper
(corn would be good too, if you are not a fan of peppers)
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper

That sat in the crockpot for 3 more hours on high.
Then came the thickening.

In a pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
Add 1/2 cup flour and mix
Slowly add 1 cup of half and half and 1 cup of milk
Add 8 oz of light cream cheese
Add 1 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
This mixture makes kind of a mac and cheese type sauce.

Next, I added some of the chili broth from the crockpot into to cheesy mixture to thin it out a bit.
Finally, I poured everything back into the crockpot and stirred it all together. 

It made a thick, yummy, cheesy, chicken chili that everyone loved.

My hubby says this recipe needs to go in our regular rotation. The kids both loved it too!
By the way, those little tortilla strips on top were just cut and tossed with olive oil and a bit of taco seasoning.  Then I baked them for about 5 minutes to crisp them up.  They were a perfect little topping for the chili.

Happy cooking!

Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

It's almost time for turkey leftovers!  I made a chicken pot pie a few weeks ago, and one of my readers asked for the recipe.  It's the perfect recipe to use up those turkey left overs.

I call this a semi-homemade recipe because:
1. Sandra Lee is my idol and she's the semi-homemade Queen.
2. 30% store bought ingredients and 70% fresh ingredients. (Well, you could do it this way, but this time the percentages were reversed. Most of it is store bought.)

 

The recipe starts with Cream of Chicken soup. I made a double recipe, which is why I have two cans.

I make the filling first:
1 can of soup
Sprinkle in a little all purpose seasoning.
Add a touch of salt.
Open up a bag of mixed vegetable and heat 'em up.
Chop up some chicken. (Or you could use Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.)
If you like a thin pot pie filling, add a little chicken broth.

That's it for the filling. You'll notice that I don't have exact measurements. I usually just throw in whatever I have on hand. It always turns out. I have to say, it's REALLY good when you use turkey or chicken leftovers and fresh steamed veggies.  But, the "open the package" recipe is pretty good too.

 

 

I love homemade pie crust. I use the recipe that comes on the Crisco can. If you are not a fan of making pie crust, the store bought pie crust works well too. I've tried that, but don't really like the texture. Make enough pie dough for the crust and top. Like I said, I made two pies. One was for dinner and one was for the freezer.

                                

Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell and then cover with the top crust.

I like to use a pie shield when I make chicken pot pie. It bakes for 40 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Without the pie shield,the edges get overly brown.

 

If you don't have a pie shield, use some tin foil to cover the egdes.

 

And all I have to say is... yum.

 

 

 

Happy cooking and Happy Thanksgiving!