Cream of Chicken Soup

OK so I am now hooked on making my own cream of chicken soup. Sorry Campbell soup company but this is by far superior!

Now I got this recipe from a wonderful recipe blog called Our Best Bites. Here is a direct link to Kate's recipe and how to.

I tweaked the recipe to make it more pantry accessible to me.

1 1/2 c.chicken broth (2 cubes chicken bullion and 1 1/2 cups water)
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (more or less; taste to test)
1/4 teaspoon parsley
dash of paprika
1 1/2 cups milk, divided (I used powdered milk)
3/4 cup flour

Then I followed her directions just as they are. Except I add in chicken.

In medium-sized saucepan, bring chicken broth, seasonings, and 1/2 c. of the milk to a boil. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour.

Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens. Cook until desired consistency is reached, keeping in mind that it will continue to thicken as it stands.

Makes the equivalent of 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup. Read as if in the can no milk or water added.

Now I am ready to make chicken gravy over rice or pasta. I add more milk, a huge dollop of sour cream and there you go. Top with cheese and YUM!

Okay so this isn't a pretty dish BUT it is a family favorite at my house. Oh that looks like a HUGE portion, let's say it was for the Hubby!

For a low carb but still awesome flavor recipe look here.

I also now use this soup for my Green Chile Enchiladas. Look for these in an up coming post!

Tasty Tuesday

Cook Books

If you are like me you collect recipes from every source. Magazines, newspapers, hand written scraps from your friends house, Internet print out, and everywhere else. LOL!

Well here is my solution: Make your own cook book.

First you will need a few things. I had most of these around my house when I made mine.

• A 3-ring binder - 3" would be great and a clear pocket on the front is handy too.



• Page protectors - easy to keep clean!



• Left over craft paper and stickers if you want



• computer paper

I made a cover for mine to match my kitchen color and added a little title.

Then I made dividers labeling the section. Hints and tips, breakfast, breads, soups and salads, main dishes, kids favorites, pasta, cookies, deserts, and cake decorating ideas.

Next start adding you recipes. I have a mix of magazine cut outs ( I LOVE pictures.),

printed out pages,

and hand written. Some of the are on odd ball scraps so I just glue them to a piece of paper first.

A couple of hints here.

If you are printing from a blog: cut and paste to word or whatever program you use. Also include the name of the blog/site you printed from. This makes for easy referencing if you need help or more information about that recipe.

When dealing with hand written recipes, be sure to write who you got the recipe from or what book you copied from.


Also a binder with an inside pocket is nice. Sometimes you want to try a recipe before you add it or you simply don't have time to add it yet.

Are you lucky enough to have a spot to stand this baby up? Make sure to label the spine.

These make great gifts. I made one for my sister one year. It had red and white checked paper and I found some cute little ant stickers. Very Cute!! You can make it so individualized it's insane!!

Remember to think about Christmas, mother's Day, and birthdays. You could even make a smaller Blank Family Recipes Favorites. Make one for each sibling ! Or you could make one for a missionary, collage student, or newly weds.

Tasty Tuesday

The Great Plate O Cookies

We all get them every year.  Some of us make them too.  It's always the plan for me but not always what happens.  However this year I plan I making them with one of my favotite friends so we will have fun.

On the cookie menue (so far)are:

Molasses cookies (Hubby's Grandma's recipe)

Peanut butter blossom cookies (kiss cookies)

Brownies with Hershey's creamy brownie frosting( recipe to come) topped wth Ande's candy bites

A variety of Spritz cookies.  These look fun.

What are some of your favorites to make and to get?  Got a link or awesome recipr to share?

Happy cookie making!

Tasty Tuesday

Freezer Meals

(No, this is not my freezer. I wish. It is just an image of the Internet.)

Over at Life as Mom Fishmama is posting about her freezer cooking day for the month. She has recipes, short cuts ,and hilarious updates on her cooking day. To see more of her posts on freezer cooking go here.

If you want a chance to win a book on freezer cooking go check out The Bargain Jargon. Christy is having a give away. The book is Fix, Freeze, Feast: Prepare in Bulk and Enjoy by the Serving by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik.

As for me I am hoping to make some yummy potato soup and freeze it. I know BIG huh? LOL!

What do you like to make ahead and freeze? What works for you and what didn't work out so well?

Tasty Tuesday

My awesome Mom in law gave me a great gift. She gave me a book on using my food storage.

The first recipie I tried was the Cream of chicken soup. This was easy and tasted just like CAmpell soups. Texture was alittle thinner but my family loved it. The secret ingrediant.....WHITE BEAN FLOUR! recipe found on page 86 of the book

So here is how you do it.

First get some white beans and run them through your wheat grinder.

Then gather up your supplies:
1 3/4 cups water 5 tablespoons white bean flour
4 teaspoons chicken bullion or base (Iused 4 cubes) 1/2 cup chopped chicken

Bring water and bullion to a boil in a small suace pan. Stir in bean flour and beat untill smooth and thickened. Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes more.

Remove from heat. Pour mixture into blender. blend on high 2 minutes. If desired, add chopped chicken pieces. Use as a substitute for canned cream of chicken soup. Maybe stored in refrigerator up to one week.

We had our with chicken over rice topped with shredded chesse. YUM!! My kids cleaned their plates!

Reviews (taken from Amazon.com)
. . . I was very pleasantly surprised at all the different resources that Cooking with Food Storage Made Easy has. I mean, it is just about everything, not just recipies. I remember seeing something in there about gardening, and storing guidelines, what you should have in your food storage, when to plant different foods in your garden. Wow awesome, is all I can say.

--Retail customer Cooking with Food Storage, by Debbie G. Harman ... is an excellent source for recipes using ingredients from a basic food storage system, such as evaporated and powdered milk, dried onions and potato flakes. Harman suggests using food storage in everyday cooking, not only to keep stored foods fresh, but also to become familiar with how to use them. ... Included in Harman s book are gardening suggestions and recipes for preserving fresh food. --Daily Universe Newspaper

This would make a great Christmas gift!!!

Tasty Tuesday

School Lunches

I do not buy school lunches. At our school they are about $2.75 and with two kiddos eating 5 lunches a week that is about $27.50 a week. OUCH!! So I thought I would find some ways to spice up their lunch boxes this year.

Banana Sushi

The Kraft foods website also has a lunchbox sulutions spot. It even has a section on lunch box jokes!

I think this looks fun too.

Remember presentation is very important to some kids.

Mom's Lunchbox Cheat Sheet

( from the Kraft site!!)

Place a frozen juice box in your kids’ lunchbox. – it’ll keep the food chilled and will be thawed by lunchtime.

Go for variety. Make sandwiches using whole grain tortillas, bagels or pitas.

Pack antibacterial wet wipes so your kids can clean their hands before and after eating.

Add grated veggies to sandwiches and wraps for crunch – your kids won’t notice they’re eating something that’s good for them!

Use small resealable bags to pack dressings. Kids can open one corner and simply squeeze onto salad, then discard.

Get dipping! Pack salsa, hummus, yogurt or salad dressing for your little ones to dunk their sandwich, veggies or fruit into.

Make bite-sized and mini versions of regular foods like sandwiches. They work well for small appetites and are more likely to be eaten.

Add a quick note to say good luck on a test or “I love you” – it will brighten your child’s day.

Tasty Tuesday

Great recipe site to check out!!!

Perkins good eats

This is not a daily blog, but a personal recipe book. This is good 'ole home cooking with a modern and easy twist. Most post have pictures too!!

Here are a few I can't wait to try:

Polynesian skillet

chicken enchiladas

Thank you Kirsten for the great site referral!!!! Your sister ROCKS for getting all of these wonderful recipes rounded up!

Tasty Tuesday

Menu Rut

I don't know about you, but in my house menu rut is an often occurring phenomenon. We find something we like and then have it at least once every week. Sad but true. With this summer heat we have been doing the burger and dog thing WAY too much.

There are many sited that can help you plan a menu. Just a few are Hill Billy House Wife, Organized Home, and I'm an Organizing Junkie.

When I create a menu I try to have variety. I try to have a meatless night. I also like to have a rice night as well as pasta. Sometimes I plan all three meals(during the school year) but mostly just a weeks worth of dinners.

An example menu for a week might look like:

(quick fix)Sunday: Soft Tacos/Burritos w/carrots and olives

(meatless & pasta)Monday: Penne w/spaghetti sauce w/green beans

(rice) Tuesday: Easy vegetable rice medley with kielbasa

(beef) Wednesday: Meatloaf (or mini meatloaf) w/veggie and homemade rolls

(chicken) Thursday: BBQ chicken and pineapple skewers with fresh veggies

(out of a box)Friday: Mac'n'Cheese and whatever else we feel like ;)

Saturday: Dinner out or leftovers

See I need menu help too! I fully intend to look at the links posted and get some better ideas.

Thrifty Thursday

Just like the Restaurant

One of my families goals is to stop eating out as much. We would like to keep it down to twice a month, but we will probably bee weak and go out once a week. We will try though. So to accomplish my goal I set about to find the foods I love in a cheaper way. Making them at home. Initially this can cost a bit to get set up with the pantry items you will need to have on hand. In the long run though it is way cheaper. Plus can be a whole lot funner than waiting in line and having to possibly put up with bad service or cranky kids (your or theirs).

In may search I found a great little site that hosted some of my top favorites!

Restaurant Recipes

Below are a few of my to die fors right off the top!

KFC original recipe!!!
olive garden bread sticks recipe
Outback steakhouse potato soup recipe

In referance to Thursday's entry

My about a Dollar Meal!!!

This is a great example of knowing how to bargain shop. I used my coupons and was able to put a great, yummy, healthy meal on the table last night for a whopping $1.17 !!!

Tasty Tuesday

Money Saving Menus

We have covered making menus & meatless meals. So know lets look at some great budget stretching menus.

Hillbilly Housewife (Thanks Adrienne for the info. !!) Susanne runs this great site. She has a $40 bare minimum menu. She also has a $70 low cost menu. These are great if you are a tight budget. She has the shopping list, recipes, and do a heads all laid out for you.

Fun Foods on a Budget Stephanie runs this one. If you want to try something new this is the place. Plus she tries to do it cheaply. I have seen everything on this site. Truffles to no-meat hamburgers. She even incorporates fun ethnic foods.

$5 Dinners Erin is a pro at budget friendly meals. Here is the link to her recipes. She even has gluten free recipes. Be sure to check out the rest of her rockin' site.

Tasty Tuesday

Meatless Meals

A great way to save money and use your food storage it meatless meals. For breakfast we like pancakes, toast and canned fruit, cereal, and oatmeal. Lunch is pb&j's, top ramen, mac 'n' cheese, all of these with canned or in season fruit/veggies. Dinner could be anything from grilled cheese to enchiladas.

South-of-the-Border Enchiladas

These look really good. I think I will try them next week. If you try them let us know how they taste. Here is the site I got it from. They have a whole section of meatless dinners Betty Crocker. Another site I found was Meatless Monday. Apparently seafood is not considered a meat. However using it will not generally save you money. LOL!

Well enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday

Menu Planning

What makes dinner time at my house run a little smother, and planning my grocery trip easy as microwave popcorn? Menu planning. My menu runs Friday to Thursday. So I (try to) sit down every Thursday night and plan it out. So Friday I do my shopping and then I am set for the week. In the morning I can get anything out that needs to be defrosted, and then forget about it until it's time to cook. No more running around like a crazy women or running out for pizza (unless it is planned!). We have saved money and frustrations with a menu.

Here are some great places to get ideas for those times your in a rut, or just want to try some thing new.

$5 Dinners Great ideas and helps save money.

Kraft You can look up specifics or type in the main ingredient you want to use. WARNING!! Watch out for the lady that pops up on your screen talking away. I about had a heart attack today. LOL!!

A Year of CrockPotting Need a new crock pot recipe? Here you go. They have it all from oatmeal to homemade yogurt.

One of my favorite Cheap dinners is from Kraft, Cheesy Beef & Veggie Pasta.

P.S. Here is a great link I just found(thanks Christy) for a monthly meal planner. You just fill in the blanks.