Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love broccoli cheese soup.  It's warm, it's comforting, it's tasty, and it makes a great lunch.  I have seen so many recipes that call for an elaborate cooking process for making this yummy soup.  Upon examining the ingredients, I discovered that it was a cream soup base with broccoli, cheese, and other spices added in.  It didn't take me long to figure out there was an easier way!  So here it is.  My "recipe" for easy broccoli cheese soup. 

And it has only two pre-packaged ingredients! Actually three if you include the milk. 

Here's how it you make it. You use the two items shown above. Yes, that's really it!  It's so easy, and it tastes wonderful. 

EASY BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

1 box frozen broccoli and cheese sauce (10 oz.)

1 can cream of chicken soup (10 oz.) 

1 can milk 

Milk to thin to desired consistency 

Microwave broccoli and cheese sauce as directed on package.  While that is cooking, in a medium saucepan over low heat, begin preparing cream of chicken soup.  I recommend using milk because water will make the cheese and cream separate.  Whisk soup in sauce pan until thoroughly mixed.  Once broccoli and cheese are finished cooking, open the plastic package and add broccoli and cheese sauce to soup.  Stir thoroughly to combine.  Thin with more milk to desired consistency.  Serve with bacon bits, fresh ground pepper, salt, and crusty bread. 

If you would like to make this a little more homemade tasting, prior to making soup, you can sautee about 1 tablespoon minced onion in butter.  Then add soup and prepare as usual. 

That is it.  The easiest broccoli-cheese soup you will ever make!

Asian Chicken Ramen - Creative Cooking

This is one of those recipes that is relatively inexpensive and makes a TON of food.  It's great to feed a lot of people, and the ingredients are flexible enough that you can make more of less of it  depending on your resources.  
We used to live in Colorado, and on more than one occasion, we would have a house full of people.  When that happened, I had certain go-to recipes that I knew would be tasty, filling, make large quantities, and were usually something that everyone would like.  Add a salad and drinks, and this is enough to feed a crowd. 

 Asian Chicken

4 pkgs. Ramen noodles
4 C. water
¼ C. soy sauce
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (may omit)
2 (16 oz.) pkgs. mixed vegetables, preferrably Asian stirfry, but any will do
6 cups cooked chicken of your choice (can reduce to as little as 2 cups, if desired; 6 cups is a lot of chicken)

In very large pot bring 4 cups water to boil. Stir in seasoning packets from Ramen noodles, soy sauce, and pepper flakes. Add noodles. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Do not drain noodles. Add veggies. Cover; cook until noodles and veggies are tender, 3-4 minutes. Stir in chicken. Makes almost 2 gallons.

HINT: To decrease the cost of this dish, you can decrease the chicken and add 2-3 scrambled, chopped up eggs.

Pasta with Grilled Chicken, Tomatoes, and Black Olives - Creative Cooking

I've been craving carbs like crazy. Sometimes a girl just wants her pasta.  We also had leftover grilled chicken.  What better way to get my carb fix than to whip up a tomatoey sauce for spaghetti along with the grilled chicken?  I can't think of much better than that! 

If we're having a busy week or, as in this week I've been sick, the hubster sometimes buys a giant pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and grills all of them at once so that we can store them in the fridge.  We warm them up, slice them up into sandwiches, or, as in this case, add them to other dishes.  I love combining them with other ingredients to make stir fry or toppings for pasta.  

These were ingredients I had in my pantry.  I made this because I wanted a sauce that was on the lighter side.  I also wasn't in the mood for a creamy sauce, so this is what I made.  It came out very well!

PASTA WITH CHICKEN, TOMATOES, AND BLACK OLIVES

1-2 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced

1 tablespoon cooking oil such as olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 medium onion, chopped 

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 can (14 oz?) Italian flavored diced tomatoes, drained (usually says flavored with basil, oregano, and onion)

sliced black olives

parmesan cheese to taste

 4-6 servings of spaghetti or other pasta, cooked

Place oil in large skillet and heat.  Add garlic, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes.  Stir for a few seconds to heat and saturate spices.  Add chicken breast and onion. Stir to coat, and allow chicken to heat through, 1-2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, stir, then allow any liquid from the tomatoes to reduce down.  Serve over spaghetti, top with black olives, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with crusty bread and salad.

Easy Graham Cracker Coconut Snack Bars - Creative Cooking

This is one of those recipes that has been passed around our family.  It was originally invented by my Aunt Bertie Jo for Christmas candy.  The way it is made is like a snack bar; however, before it "sets up" you can form it into individual balls and roll it in nuts, powdered sugar, coconut, or even dip it in chocolate coating to form a truffle type candy.  

The recipe is really easy, it's addictive, it's delicious, and it's quick!  Why am I just now posting this?  Because I'm just getting around to making it.  It seems like Christmas sneaked up on me this year, so I'm just now making my favorite foods and snacks. 

Aunt Bertie Jo's Graham Cracker Coconut Snack Bars 

16 planks of graham crackers, crushed*  

1 can Eagle Brand milk 

2 cups shredded coconut 

1 quart pecan pieces

*1 plank is one of the solid rectangles of graham crackers that if you broke it on the scored lines  equals 4 individual crackers.  The total amount used usually equals around 2 plastic wrapped packages from a box of graham crackers 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Then pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and press flat.  Place in the refrigerator and allow to set up for approximately 1 hour.  Slice into 1 x 1 inch squares.  

Alternatively, before pressing this mixture into a pan, you can form it into small 1 inch balls, then roll in powdered sugar, crushed pecans, or coconut, and refrigerate.  If you're feeling really ambitious, form the 1 inch balls of this mixture then dip in candy coating such as CandiQuick. 

Homemade Chicken Salad - Creative Cooking

This past Tuesday, I made Lemon Rosemary chicken in the crock pot (recipe HERE).  There was some chicken left over, and even though the original dish was awesome, I was ready for something different.  I didn't want to waste the leftovers, though, so I decided to use the remaining chicken to make chicken salad. 

I love Arby's chicken salad with pecans.  So I decided to make a semi-copycat chicken salad using what I had around the house.  It turned out extremely well, and it was exactly what my tastebuds were wanting. I also tend to be the type who throws in everything but the kitchen sink. You do not have to use chicken for this.  As a matter of fact, turkey or even tuna would also make an excellent version, and as long as a person sticks to the basic recipe, there could be several tasty variations. 

Chicken Salad: 

1-1/2 to 2 cups cubed/shredded chicken

2/3 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise (substitute nonfat plain yogurt for a lower-fat version)

2 tablespoons chopped onion

2 tablespoons relish (dill or sweet)

1-2 tablespoons chopped celery

About 1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup fruit (I used dried cranberries, but you could also use seedless grapes, chopped apples, or even chopped pineapple) 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Mix all ingredients together.  Serve on whole-wheat bread, wrapped in a tortilla, or with lettuce if you prefer just the salad.  Makes 2-4 servings, depending on how thick you spread the chicken salad.  

Broke Food - Fried Rice

It's the night before payday, and the pickin's are looking pretty slim in the fridge.  It's time for another episode of broke food!  Fried rice is one of my favorite broke foods because you can whip it up in a few minutes and clean your fridge out in the process!  The additions are what make this an especially great dish. 

You can eat this alone as a tasty and filling meal, or if you have several people to feed, pair it with egg drop soup (coming in a later post) to stretch it further.  Also, the great thing about fried rice is that it's actually the items that have been sitting in the fridge a while that work the best.  Day-old leftover rice is perfect for making fried rice!

I'll put my method below.  There are a million different ways to make this, with various spices and additions.  Once you get the hang of making this, use what you like and what appeals to you for flavors.  In the photo above, I used:  corn, peas, carrots, sliced green onions, and diced leftover pork chop from when we grilled out a couple of nights ago. 

Here are the basic components.  I'll get into detail below this post.

FRIED RICE:

1-2 tablespoons cooking oil of choice

Spices and seasonings of choice 

Vegetables

Protein* (Meat or eggs should be cooked beforehand and set aside.)

About 1 cup rice (adjust to your liking)

Sauce 

In large skillet, heat oil until drop of water flicked on surface sizzles.  Add your spices (not sauces) to the oil and stir for approximately 20 seconds to distribute the flavors in the oil.  Add any uncooked veggies and stir, coating with oil, then allow to cook for a minute or two. Add any already cooked vegetables. Add cooked meat or protein.  Allow to heat through.  Add rice and sauce.  Stir thoroughly to heat through and coat with sauce and spices.  Serve immediately. 

Now we'll talk about what you can put into this wondrous concoction!

Additions: 

Veggies:  Nothing is taboo.  Carrots, onions, bell peppers, celery, medallions of yellow squash, hulled peas, snow peas, broccoli, corn, green beans ... any of it will be great in fried rice.  Also consider adding leftover cooked vegetables from prior meals.  These are great in fried rice. 

Protein:  Diced up scrambled eggs, diced deli meat, Spam, chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, garbanzo beans, or tofu are all excellent protein items that can be added to this.  You don't have to have a protein, but in my opinion it makes the dish a little heavier, filling, more satisfying, and provides a more complete meal, especially if you're only eating the fried rice. 

Spices:   You can add any spices you like during cooking.  Ginger, red pepper, sugar, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, nutmeg, cinnamon... anything that you can think of can make awesome additions to the fried rice.  If you prefer a sweeter taste, consider ginger, sugar, a dash of red pepper, and garlic.  I prefer a hotter, spicier sauce, so for the photo above I used oregano, basil, fresh minced garlic, and red pepper flakes. 

Sauce:  Simple soy sauce added at the end of cooking the rice can be all you need.  However, if you want something a little different, consider a small bit of Hoisin sauce, teriyaki sauce, or add fruit juices such as pineapple or orange juice to the soy sauce before adding it to the fried rice.  When using sauce, keep in mind what spices you've used so far.  

Rice:  Any type of cooked rice will do.  If you have leftover Minute Rice, use that.  Steamed or cooked long-grain white rice is awesome for this, especially if it's at least a day old.  Even brown or Basmati rice will work in a pinch.  There's also nothing wrong with making the rice in preparation for cooking this. 

Oil:  Really, again any oil will do.  I used olive oil, but plain cooking oil or even melted Crisco will work.  Sesame oil can be used for flavor if you have it on hand.  

Don't be intimidated if what you have on hand doesn't seem to go together.  Use what you have, try it, add some sauce, and you may find that you have discovered a new favorite dish.  Ad libbing the ingredients is half the fun! 

Creative Cooking - Revamping Leftovers

This is a guest post by my friend, Estelle Clements.  Thanks, Estelle!!

Wait, was that LEFT-OVERS??

Not every household has this kind of exchange, but it is an all too familiar exchange in many homes across the country.

“Mom, what’s for dinner?”

“Leftovers!”

“A-GAIN? Uuuuuugh”

Can you do anything else with leftovers other than reheating them? YES, YOU CAN!

Here are some ideas of basic meals which can be morphed into something entirely different. More times than not, that leftover food can be just the ingredient you need to go proceed with a menu instead of having to run to the store real quick. I do not have recipes in this article, but hopefully you can be inspired to find a recipe you enjoy and make this yours.

MEATLOAF

It was a tasty meatloaf, but your family is growing tired of it. Meat loaf is one of those meals that get better the longer it sits.Growing up, leftover meatloaves meant meatloaf sandwiches the next day. 

Depending on the flavor of the meatloaf, it can be chopped into another meal. If the meatloaf contains Italian seasonings and a tomato sauce, you can make quick spaghetti sauce with it.

If the meatloaf contains Tex-Mex seasoning and maybe a salsa topping, it can be chopped into taco/burrito/enchilada meat.

If the meatloaf contains a more BBQ flavor, that can be your base for sloppy joes.

For a kid-friendly little snack, why not chop them into little cubes, and let them dunk the cubes into various savory dips like marinara, Alfredo, BBQ, or even mustard?

SPAGHETTI

This is a meal that rarely lasts into leftovers at my house, but I have had it happen. Most times, I leave the noodles separate from my sauces, as I tend to make disproportionate ratios between the pasta and the sauce.

If you have more pasta noodles (spaghetti/fettuccine) than sauce, you have got a great opportunity to add the noodles to an Asian-inspired dish like lo mein or other stir-fry. You can also make Asian noodle-bowls or even cold noodle salads.

Pre-cooked pasta is also easily dumped into or served with a soup such as chicken noodle or a minestrone soup.

Speaking of pasta in soup, I have been known to make spaghetti soup simply by chopping the spaghetti and/or meatballs into bite-sized pieces, adding chicken/beef broth and more tomato product, and bumping up the Italian seasoning a little bit. Serve with Italian or French bread, and you have got an Italian lunch or light supper.

If you have more sauce than you do pasta noodles, you have got a great start for a new soup base or dip for more bread!

If you mixed your pasta and sauce together for storage, you can find directions to make spaghetti pie, a classic re-use for spaghetti in some Italian homes.

ROASTS

You can get a lot of bang for your buck when you cook a roast, especially beef or pork roasts. Personally, I do not care for much more than salt, pepper, garlic and onion seasoning the meat. This allows for more freedom to experiment with flavors beyond the original meal.

Roasts can easily transform into your Tex-Mex meat for tacos, burritos and enchiladas.

Chop your roasts into BBQ sauce and put into a slow cooker, and you have got wonderful fillings for sandwiches.

Roast beef that has been sliced, and then chopped into bite-sized squares, can enable you to make beef stew, beef stroganoff, and shepherd’s pie. 

Diced roast beef, especially with diced potatoes, makes an excellent beef hash.

Pork roasts are versatile in Tex-Mex cooking, as well. Season with Tex-Mex seasoning, shred the meat, and you have got filling for tacos, burritos and enchiladas.

Pork roast can lend itself to sweeter tastes in BBQ sauces, enhance fruits.

Pork roast can easily be substituted for poultry in virtually every menu.

These are just a couple of main meals that can get tiresome as plain leftovers but, with a little ingenuity and a little inspiration, hopefully this will spark your imagination to think beyond reheating leftovers.

                                                                                                 

Creative Cooking - Asian Chicken

This is one of those recipes that is relatively inexpensive and makes a TON of food.  It's great to feed a lot of people, and the ingredients are flexible enough that you can make more of less of it  depending on your resources.  

We used to live in Colorado, and on more than one occasion, we would have a house full of people.  When that happened, I had certain go-to recipes that I knew would be tasty, filling, make large quantities, and were usually something that everyone would like.  Add a salad and drinks, and this is enough to feed a crowd. 

 Asian Chicken

4 pkgs. Ramen noodles
4 C. water
¼ C. soy sauce
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (may omit)
2 (16 oz.) pkgs. mixed vegetables, preferrably Asian stirfry, but any will do
6 cups cooked chicken of your choice (can reduce to as little as 2 cups, if desired; 6 cups is a lot of chicken)

In very large pot bring 4 cups water to boil. Stir in seasoning packets from Ramen noodles, soy sauce, and pepper flakes. Add noodles. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Do not drain noodles. Add veggies. Cover; cook until noodles and veggies are tender, 3-4 minutes. Stir in chicken. Makes almost 2 gallons.

HINT: To decrease the cost of this dish, you can decrease the chicken and add 2-3 scrambled, chopped up eggs.

Broke Food - Pad Thai Ramen

Ramen has to be the ultimate broke food, and there are millions of ways to make it.  Pad Thai Ramen is one of my favorites because the base mixture is easy to make, and good all by itself, but even better with some creative additions.  

This is by no means haute cuisine, but it is hot, yummy food!  

PAD THAI RAMEN BASIC RECIPE

1 package Ramen noodles

1 tablespoon soy sauce (prefer low sodium, but use what you have; packets from carryout food work great for this!)

1 tablespoon chunky peanut butter (creamy works, too) 

2-3 dashes of Tabasco sauce 

Sprinkle of red pepper flakes 

Prepare Ramen noodles as on package.  Drain 2/3 of liquid off noodles then stir in seasoning packet.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until peanut butter is dissolved.  Eat as is, or mix in additions. 

ADDITIONS  (Use as many or as few as you like, in any combination that pleases you)

Veggies:  Cooked carrots, Lima beans, corn, edamame, snow peas, cooked bits of spinach, shredded cabbage, diced onions, sliced green onions, diced green pepper, diced celery, broccoli, or whatever you have that's available.

Meat:  This is great for leftovers.  Chicken, bits of rotisserie chicken, sliced leftover steak, cubed bits of ham, cooked pork, Spam (yes, really!), leftover shrimp (I know that's an oxymoron), and even browned hamburger meat.  I have even taken several pieces of shaved deli meat, such as chicken or turkey, chopped it fine, and added to this. One or two well-scrambled eggs also work well as protein additions.  

The creative possiblities are endless, and this is a great dish to use up little bits of veggies or meat left over from other meals.  You can make larger portions by doubling or tripling the ingredients for enough to feed a family.  

Add Egg Drop Soup (boiling chicken broth, whisk in 1 well-scrambled egg until cooked and separated in soup,  2 tablespoons soy sauce, dash of red pepper flakes, and sliced green onions), and you've got a full meal!

"Broke Food" - Fry Bread

 Broke food.... defined as something that is inexpensive, tasty, and filling, and what you eat when you're dead broke.  Admit it.  We've all had those times where there was more month than money maybe because of an emergency or some sort of snafu.  Maybe you're just determined to stay within this month's grocery budget.  You have to stretch what you have in order to make it to the next payday or next budget period.

Broke food to the rescue!

Fry Bread has the bonus of being tasty, all purpose, and can be eaten with a meal as if it's bread, used as a base ingredient for a meal (like Indian tacos), or eaten as a breakfast-type item.

I made pork green chili a couple of nights ago, and we had fry bread alongside it.  It's the base for Indian Tacos by layering fry bread on the bottom, then refried beans, taco meat, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.  It can be eaten for breakfast as it tends to be puffy like a sopapilla, so you can pinch off a corner, fill with honey, and eat.  You can also dust it with powdered sugar and eat it like a powdered doughnut. It's really all purpose! 

Fry Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1-2 teaspoons baking powder

About 1 cup of water

Skillet containing about 1 inch oil or Crisco, heated until a droplet of water sizzles.  The oil depth needs to be deep enough to accommodate the puffy bread.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then make a well in the middle.  Add the water a bit at a time, stirring with a fork until a sticky ball forms.  Knead 5 times, then cover bowl with a dish towel and allow to rest for approximately 20-30 minutes.

When ready to cook, pinch off an approximately golf ball size blob of dough.  Place an a floured surface and roll out until approximately 1/4 inch thick.  Place in hot oil and allow to cook until it puffs and edges begin to turn brown.  Then flip with tongs and cook until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.

The great thing about this dough is it stores well in the refrigerator.  You can pinch off enough dough to make 1-2 fry bread at a time, and store the rest in the fridge.  Make fry bread for breakfast.  Stick the remaining dough in the refrigerator, then at night use the remainder to make Indian Tacos or serve alongside beans, stew, or other soup!  It's an excellent accompaniment to any hot dish.

Nutella Hot Chocolate

This was perfect for today because it is cold, rainy, and blustery.  Hot chocolate sounded so good.

I stumbled on this recipe and couldn't believe it.  Nutella hot chocolate?  Seriously?  I could eat Nutella straight from the jar, but making hot chocolate with it?  Swoon!! And, it is a 2-ingredient recipe.  I had to try it! 

I found this recipe here at The Heavenly Hearth.

Nutella Hot Chocolate:
1 cup hot milk
2 tablespoons Nutella*

I warmed the milk in the microwave for about 1-1/2 minutes (you want to make sure it doesn't boil), then stirred in the Nutella a tablespoon at a time.  I tasted it to see if it needed any sugar, and it was just right.  No additional sugar was needed. 

This definitely rates high on the wow factor!

*I've heard you can substitute the Jif Chocolate PB, but I have not tried it. 

Chili Redux - Frito Chili Pie

Hungry?  Have stuff that you need to use up in your fridge?  This is a great example of how to do that.  It's called Frito Chili Pie.  I'm sure my local friends are groaning and saying, "Really?  You're using that as a recipe of sorts?"  Well, yes.  Because I realize not everyone knows how to make this awesome stuff.  Technically, it might also be classified as what we call broke food, but sometimes broke food is the best.  (Broke food:  Anything that is yummy, filling, sometimes made from weird ingredients, and will feed you until payday.) 

I made a pot of crock pot chili a couple of days ago.  Now there's a little bit left, and we're tired of just eating straight bowls of chili.  This is our way of changing things up while still using the leftover chili.  I'll also have some things for substitutions/additions below.  

Traditional Frito Chili Pie 

A handful of crushed Frito's corn chips*

About 3/4 to 1 cup prepared chili

Shredded cheese 

Diced onions 

Additions and substitutions:   

Crumbled tortilla chips instead of Fritos 

Sour cream

Sliced black or green olives

Shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes or your little bit of leftover salad 

Wrap it all in a tortilla, and cover with salsa 

*If you want a real tailgate party, ballgame concession stand Frito chili pie, then you get an individual-size bag of Fritos (those tiny ones you get in the mlutipacks), crush the Fritos inside, slit it open lengthways, and dump your chili fixings in.  Eat straight out of the bag with a plastic spoon while wrapped in a fleece throw, sitting at a football game.

Enjoy!!