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!

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.  

Crock Pot Okie Beef Stew - Freezer to Crock Pot

Wow, how about our weather?!  Winter here in Oklahoma has been crazy!  It went from 80 degrees one day to 20-something with a windchill in the teens the next day.  That type of cold, blustery, chilly weather makes me hungry for a warm, rich beef stew.

This recipe originally started out as Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika.  However, as I'm known to do, I have modified it to suit our tastes and lifestyle (you'll see why below).  Sometimes I'm not in the mood for beer in my stew, and sometimes I am going to share this with others who may have either dietary, religious, or other personal reasons for not consuming beer, so the recipe below reflects that.  I've also added extra tomato products because, honestly, stew just doesn't seem like stew to me without some form of chunky tomato in it, and we like our stew a little spicier than the original recipe.

Since Pioneer Woman is an Oklahoma girl herself, I'm paying tribute to our shared heritage by renaming it slightly to reflect the changes. The name is also reflective of the fact that I have modified this to be a crock pot recipe (if you wish to cook this stove top, see instructions below recipe). 

Crock Pot Okie Beef Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil

2-3 pounds stew meat

1 whole medium onion, diced

1 cup rinsed baby carrots or 3-4 whole carrots sliced into medallions

2 cloves minced garlic

1 can of beer, 12 oz. OR 1-1/2 cups chicken stock or chicken broth (not beef, though it's tempting)

4 cubes beef bouillon or 4 tablespoons buillon granules

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 can RoTel tomatoes with green chiles (or other diced tomatoes with green chiles; this is about a 14 oz can)

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 Tablespoon of my All-Purpose Seasoning, second recipe, HERE 

1-1/2 teaspoon sugar

 3-4 potatoes peeled and cut into chunks

In a skillet, brown meat in oil, in batches.  Pour just enough water in bottom of skillet and stir to deglaze the pan. About 2-3 tablespoons of water. Place meat and deglazed mixture in bottom of 1 gallon freezer bag.  Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT POTATOES.   Squish out air and massage to distribute ingredients.  Seal and freeze.  When ready to cook, place cut up potatoes in the bottom of the crock pot and put the frozen mixture on top (or thaw in the fridge the night before before adding to crock pot).  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.  Serve with cornbread, crusty bread, or fry bread. This is best when cooked low and slow. 

To make this a stove top recipe, follow instructions, except you will need to add approximately 1-1/2  to 2 cups of water to the mixture and allow it to simmer on the stove top for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  Watch carefully and add water if the stew becomes too thick. 

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! 

Chipotle Lime Chicken - Freezer to Crock Pot

Chipotle lime chicken is a zesty dish with bold flavors that compliment one another well.  Tomato sauce, cilantro, vegetables, and spices kick this up a notch beyond ordinary.  

Put this in the crock pot in the morning, and come home to a flavorful and satisfying meal without a lot of effort. 

Chipotle Lime Chicken

**This recipe makes two meals.  Cut ingredients in half to make just one recipe.**

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
Canadian/Montreal steak seasoning
2 cups diced onion

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrots

2  14 oz. cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup lime juice

2 tbsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

4 garlic cloves

3 Tablespoons dried cilantro

Divide chicken breasts into two 1 gallon zippered freezer bags.  Season both sides of each chicken breast liberally with steak seasoning.  Add remaining ingredients, squeeze air from bags, and seal.  When ready to cook, place frozen chunk in crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 8-9 hours.  Serve over rice or noodles.   

Freezer to Crock Pot - Smothered Pork Chops

Crock pot smothered pork chops are a nice change of pace from the usual fried or grilled pork chop.  These come out tender and fall apart (as evidenced by the photo!).  This is a flavorful recipe that brings out the flavor of the pork chops while providing a satisfying and savory gravy to serve over noodles or toast.   

This was part of a post showing make-ahead crock pot meals.  See the original post  HERE.

Smothered Pork Chops

3-4 boneless pork tenderloins/chops 

1 large onion, cut into rings

1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

About 1 tablespoon Montreal/Canadian Steak seasoning 

4-6 peeled and sliced potatoes when ready to cook

Season pork tenderloins with steak seasoning, and layer with onions in 1 gallon zippered freezer bag.  Add cream soup and remainder of steak seasoning.  Squeeze air out of bag and seal.  Freeze.  When ready to cook peel and slice 4-6 potatoes and place them in the bottom of the crock pot.  Then place the entire block of frozen food on top of this in the crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.   Serve over noodles or toast. 

Crock Pot Foil Packets for Veggies and Other Foods!

I love foil packet cooking, and I love my crock pot/slow cooker.  I especially love when I can combine the two!  Most people know they can use foil packets of foods in the oven or on the grill, but did you know they work for crock pots, too? How many packets you use and what you put in them is up to you!

Tonight, we were having roast beef with the traditional veggies in the crock pot.  However, I wanted to add a few more veggies to stretch the roast for a meal or two of leftovers but didn't want the vegetables them to pick up the flavor of the roast.  Enter foil packets!  

I chose green beans and kernel corn.  For both, I used canned veggies and drained all the liquid off.  I added butter, salt, and pepper.  I then sealed the packets and placed them on top of the roast and veggies to cook.  I put the top back on the slow cooker, and let them cook until the entire meal was done.  

This is a great way to get an entire meal in the crock pot if you have a long day ahead of you and don't want to worry about making side dishes when you get home!  When you're ready to eat, simply slit open the packets and serve the contents piping hot. 

The possibilities for these packets are endless!  I have also made potatoes in these packets by peeling and dicing them then adding a bit of chopped onion, salt, and pepper. 

You can cook anything in these packets that you would on a cook stove top or oven.  You can even cook fish in a packet!  Just put the fish in foil, add your seasonings, seal, and place in the slow cooker. 

Other for packets ideas include: 

Glazed carrots: Fresh or canned carrots, maple syrup, a little brown sugar, and a little butter.

Mixed veggies such as cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and green beans. 

Baked beans:  Pork and beans with liquid drained, BBQ sauce, crumbled bacon, and brown sugar. 

Baked potatoes:  Clean and scrub small baking potatoes.  Leave peels on.  Coat them with olive oil and salt, then wrap in foil and place them on top of the other items.  If using larger potatoes, consider partially microwaving them before wrapping in foil and placing them in the crock pot.  
Corn on the Cob:  Remove silk, wrap tightly, and place in crock pot.

What can you think of to put in a packet?  Use your imagination! 

How to Get Rid of That Oniony Smell on Your Hands and on Your Breath

Onions make great and tasty additions to recipes.  A hamburger or hot dog loaded with onions is yummy!  Unfortunately, dealing with the onion odor is another story.  How many times have we avoided onions because we didn't want bad breath or didn't want the smell on our hands?

There's a trick to decreasing the smell, and it's as close as your kitchen sink.  Well, more like your kitchen faucet, especially if it's stainless steel. This works best if it's done immediately after working with onions.  It works for fish and garlic, too.  

Once you're finished handling these items, wet your hands rub them hands over the stainless steel of the kitchen faucet.  Voila!  The vast majority of the onion smell should be neutralized. 

It doesn't have to be the faucet.  Anything stainless steel will work such as a saucepan, the blade of a knife (watch out for cuts), and some places even make these blobs of stainless steel that look like a bar of soap to use for this.  

How do you get rid of onion breath?  Same concept, except use a stainless steel spoon. Place it in your mouth with the bowl of the spoon facing down so that your tongue cups into the bowl and the bottom of the spoon fits against the roof of your mouth.  Let it sit there for a bit, remove the spoon, then swish with water and spit.  I recommend brushing your teeth or chewing gum at this time to get any lingering food particles from inside your mouth. 

For both tricks, it may not take away all the oniony smell, especially onion breath, but it should reduce it significantly.  If you still have the odor, you can do it again.  It will at least make you easier to live with!

The cool thing is this works for garlic and fish, too!