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

Let's Spice it UP!

Okay so I was planning on do a spicy post myself, however I found one that is perfect on on of my favorite sites. So it's off to another blog for you today!

Go check out Our Best Bites. Here is their post on Spices.

Also have you checked out your spice cupboard lately? I know that mine needed a clean out, and a massive restock. Remember to date new products when you open them. It is a great way to calculate your years supply of an item. And yes you will want spices!

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!!!

Thrifty Thursday

Vinegar and it's MANY uses

Basic cleaning solution (compliments of Sister Ardmore):

½ cup ammonia
1/3 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp baking soda
1 gallon water

Mix in a container, this can be used for cleaning stove tops, bathroom sinks, bath tubs, floors. Anything you would use an all purpose cleaner for.

Use vinegar for a variety of household cleaning jobs. Click here to see and list and how-tos.

It is great for laundry too. Clothes will rinse better if 1 cup of white distilled vinegar is added to the last rinse water. The acid in vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, but strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. For more laundry tips click here.

And of course there are pickles!!! Yummy!!

Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles

(Thanks Shirley)

Sliced pickles & onions

Brine:

1 cup sugar

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Celery seed

Combine all brine ingredients and bring to a boil. Layer cucumbers and onions in a jar. Pour brine over cuc's and onions and refrigerator for at least on hour. Best if you wait over night.

I LOVE these pickles!!! YUMMY!!!