Casserole Stew, to clean out the fridge

You know those times when you get to the end of the week and you've already made everything on your menu, but you have bits and pieces of all of those dinners left over in your fridge?  This soup was the result of just one of those times.  I needed to use it all so nothing went bad, but I just wasn't in the mood for a casserole.  So in the spirit of the classic "odds & ends casserole" I made a sort of casserole stew, where I just threw it all in a pot of broth, heated, and served.  It worked like a charm.  Dick was happy, the fridge was almost bare, and I could start planning the next week's menu with a delicious meal in my belly. 

Casserole Stew

A Get in the Kitch Original



Ingredients

4 c. broth (I used a mix of vegetable and chicken)

3 c. mixed veggies (I used carrots, yellow squash, mushrooms, & onions)

1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 1/2 c. shredded chicken, cooked

salt & pepper

Directions

1. Combine the broth & veggies in a large pot, and warm over medium-high heat.  Cook until veggies are just tender.

2. Add kidney beans & chicken. Cook until warmed through. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve with dinner rolls, so you can sop up the broth at the bottom of your bowl.



Golden Mushroom Soup

Not too long ago, Dick and I went to a phenomenal local restaurant called Roosters. It's a brewery on Historic 25th Street here in good old Ogden, and we love it! Not for the spirits they brew, but rather for the grub. On this particular visit, we both got their Golden Mushroom Soup for our appetizers. I chose this because I thought it sounded delicious, but also it sounded a little magical. It ended up being both! We couldn't stop talking about it for days, so I ended up searching online for a recipe I thought might be comparable....and I found one! It was light and just a little creamy, but not like it came out of a can. And just the right amount of spice - it really has a great KICK to it! It didn't take long to make, and we both loved it. Which is saying a lot since we had such high expectations built up in our minds from our first experience! Dick has pretty much said since I met him that he "doesn't like mushrooms," but I'm pretty sure he's converted now. You will be, too, once you give this a try!

Golden Mushroom Soup

from RecipeZaar.com

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. butter

1 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. white wine (I used chicken stock)

1 lb. mushrooms, washed and sliced

1 Tbsp. Paprika

1 1/2 tsp. dried dill

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 c. vegetable or chicken stock

1 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

2 c. milk (I used skim w/ great results!)

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

salt to taste

Directions

heat butter in a large pot, add the onions. cook over medium heat, until the onions are soft and just beginning to brown, ~7 min.

add white wine to pot. add mushrooms and spices. slightly lower the heat, cover, and cook 5 minutes, stirring often.

add the soy sauce and stock. cover and simmer about 10 minutes.

in a separate small pan, mix the 1 Tbsp. butter and flour to form a thick paste. cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min. then mix in the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until steamy and slightly thickened.

add milk mixture and lemon juice to the soup. stir well, and serve.

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup...and #5 is Sleepless in Seattle

I signed up for these emails from Prevention Magazine for work because sometimes they have good health articles in them that I can print for clients (which is why I have over 1500 messages in my "Wellness Folder!"), but more often than saving good articles I save the yummy recipes they send. This is one of those. We pretty much loved it - flavor was awesome! - but I'll be shredding the chicken next time...I just wasn't in love with random chunks of chicken, and it made the onions stick out MAJOR which I'm just not a huge fan of, unless I'm eating French Onion Soup. Anyway, I hope you love it as much as we did!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

From Prevention Magazine

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

2 tsp. olive oil

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1 med. onion, finely chopped

1 or 2 jalapeno chili peppers, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 oz. cans reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. water

1/3 c. fat free sour cream

1/3 c. fresh cilantro

4 oz. reduced fat tortilla chips

Directions

1. In a food processor or blender, combine the tomatoes (with juice), black pepper, chili powder, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce. Process to a smooth, thick consistency and set aside.

2. Warm the oil in a large pot over med-high heat. When hot, cook the onion, jalapeno, and garlic, stirring frequently until the onion is translucent. Reduce heat to low, add the tomato mixture, chicken, and broth, and simmer uncovered 15 min.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour and water until a smooth paste forms. Add to the soup and raise the temp. if necessary to keep the soup just barely boiling. Simmer for 5 min.

4. Remove from heat, add the sour cream, and stir until well blended. Stir in the cilantro, garnish with tortilla chips and serve.

Just so you know, this is not really my #5 favorite romantic movie - it's actually higher! Don't ask me why I'm putting them in this order, I couldn't tell you, it's mostly just by mood. I searched and searched for my favorite clip of the movie (the one where Meg Ryan and Rosie O'Donnel are watching An Affair to Remember, and they are crying and quoting every line), but couldn't. So I figured the trailer would kinda capture all the best scenes...except for that one. Also note that when I watch this movie, I pretty much look just like they do in that scene. I can quote every line, and I get a little teary-eyed. If you haven't seen this movie, then where the heck have you been?! It was made in 1993, for crying out loud - get on the ball! Enjoy your dinner and a movie!

Tuscan Bean Soup & "cool kid" Cran-Apple Crisps

I ripped this recipe out of a magazine a long, long, long time ago. Okay, it wasn't like ten years ago, but it was at least one year ago. It was back in the good old days of Dick and I scraping every single penny we could to get by - I was taking 21 credits worth of classes while working two seriously part-time and crappy paying internships, and Dick was also a full-time student and working to the death at Real Estate right when all the stinky you-know-what was hitting the big fat economy fan. Anyway, I was just browsing through a very old Better Homes and Gardens at the plasma donation center (holler, BioLife Plasma! hahaha), and I ripped the page out with this very recipe on it and shoved it in my purse, which eventually made it into my recipe binder. What a journey! I'm so glad it came all this way - it was delicious!!! And quite appealing to the eye, if I do say so myself. You can even see the steam coming up! It's a healthy & perfect for cold weather - which is now officially upon us. Hope you like!

Tuscan Bean Soup

From Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Ingredients

1 c. packaged peeled baby carrots, coarsely chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed & drained

1 32 oz. box reduced sodium chicken broth

2-3 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 5 oz. pkg. baby spinach

freshly cracked pepper

cracker bread

Directions

1. In 4-qt dutch oven cook & stir carrots and onion in 1 Tbsp oil over med-high heat for 3 minutes. add beans, broth & seasoning. bring to boiling; slightly mash beans. reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. meanwhile, in large skillet heat remaining oil over med-high heat. add spinach; toss with tongs 1-2 minutes, just until wilted. remove from heat. ladle soup; top w/ spinach, sprinkle with pepper. serve w/ cracker bread.

Finally in the Club!!!

I learned about the Tuesdays with Dorie cooking/blog club about a year ago from a couple of the other cooking blogs that I follow, and I thought it was super cool. At first I was intimidated because the things these cool club kids were making were pretty out of my league & pretty fancy shmancy, but my courage has grown over time, and I asked for the book (Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan) for my birthday this year. One of my BFF's, RJ, gave it to me, and that very night I came home to send my official email to get in. For a little while I thought for sure they didn't think I was cool enough for the club because it took a little while (honestly, it seemed like forever because I was so excited!) for the response to come. But as of this week, it's official....drumroll, please....I'm in!!! I'm now one of the super cool Tuesdays With Dorie bloggers/bakers! This is not the first recipe I've made from the book, but the first one I'm blogging, so here it goes:
These crisps were delicious! I invited my family over for dessert for the very occasion of making my first TWD recipe that I'd be blogging, and they were a hit all around. It was the first time I've ever made anything with fresh cranberries, and let me just tell you that the end product is to die for, but the raw uncooked berries are not my fave. I have the eat-as-you-cook habit, so I tasted them as I was putting the crisps together, and let's just say I'll never do that again. hahaha

Cran-Apple Crisps

Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

Soup's on! w/ cHiCkEn NoOdLe SoUp

I know, I know! This is like my 4th soup recipe in a row! But the weather is finally cooling down to that brisk Fall that I LOVE, and the leaves are changing, and it just feels like "soup weather," ya know?! Plus, they've all been crazy simple and fast, so they're nice to make after going to work. I'm not gonna lie though, I think Dick might be all souped out for the time being. He hasn't complained at all, he even requested the black bean soup again the other night, but I'm just sensing a vibe that's saying give me something solid! hahaha Anyway, I've made homemade chicken noodle soup before, and it has always always always been better than anything I've had out of a can - my days of canned chicken noodle are long gone! The one that set this one apart from the others is that it called for dill. LOVED IT! Once again, it was easy peasy and a big hit! We ate it for dinner while watching Biggest Loser this week, and it was very satisfying, but can I just say that if that Loony Toon Tracy doesn't get sent home next week I'm going to lose it! hahaha But seriously, if you like chicken, and you like noodles, this one is right up your alley.

Chicken Noodle Soup

From November 2009 Woman's Day Magazine

Ingredients

6 c. chicken broth

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (visible fat trimmed)

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped carrots

1 large parsnip, peeled & chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp pepper

2 c. uncooked medium noodles

1/4 c. snipped fresh dill

Directions

1. put broth, chicken, celery, onion, carrots, parsnip, garlic, bay leaf, and pepper in a large saucepan. cover and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and veggies are tender.

2. discard bay leaf. remove chicken to a plate to cool slightly. add noodles to soup; cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until tender.

3. meanwhile, shred chicken with 2 forks. add to soup along with the dill.

Butternut Apple Soup

So, quite some time ago (it was seriously probably six months or so ago) I was with the fam at my grandparents' house, and I was flipping through a cookbook. My grandma is a diabetic, so it was a book of recipes specifically for a diabetic diet. Anyway, I saw this soup and really wanted to try it, so I wrote the recipe on a post-it, and six months later, here it is! The only thing I didn't do was top it with the Swiss cheese because we didn't have any, but I think that would've only made it even better! I'll definitely do that next time. We really liked it, but I definitely should have halved the recipe - we had it for dinner, lunch the next two days, and there are still leftovers in the fridge! hahaha It was delicious and super easy to make, and I always love anything I can put in the crock pot. I also love how festive it is for Fall! Don't you?!

Butternut Apple Squash

From The Diabetes Comfort Food Cookbook

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorn

5 c. vegetable or chicken broth

1 butternut squash, ~2.5 lbs, peeled & chopped

2 tart apples (granny smith), coarsely chopped

1 c. shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 c. chopped walnuts


Directions

in a large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat for about 30 seconds. add onions, and cook about 3 minutes to soften. add garlic, rosemary & peppercorns. cook about 1 minute, then transfer to slow cooker. add broth, then stir in squash and apples. cover and cook on low 6-8 hrs, or high 3-4 hrs, or until squash is tender. preheat broiler. working in batches, puree soup in blender. ladle soup into oven-proof bowls, sprinkle with cheese & broil until melted, ~2 minutes. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Reliving the best week of my life via Easy Spicy Black Bean Soup

The best week of my entire life happened almost a year ago. I'm not talking about my wedding or honeymoon, although those are come in at seriously close seconds (I know that sounds awful, but don't worry, I know that Dick completely agrees with me on this one)! I'm talking about the Eastern Caribbean cruise my grandparents took my whole family on for Christmas. It was an entire week of tropical beaches, sparkling blue ocean, unforgettable food, someone else doing my dishes and making my bed, and being on a family vacation where we could be with or escape family whenever we wanted...Heaven! I was seriously depressed for about two weeks after coming home to drudging through the snow on campus and digging my car out of our apartment's parking lot after it being buried by the plow. My whole family still talks about it all the time, and a lot of that talk is about the glorious food we ate on the Norwegian Dawn. We ate in the fancy shmancy restaurant as often as we could because none of us eat like that in real life. My sister had a steak every single night, which she loved! And I tried lots of things I'd never had before: creme brulee and duck, to name just a couple. I also got an appetizer, entree, and dessert every night just so I could try as much of the menu as I possibly could! Luckily I didn't gain the dreaded 10 pounds people talk about, although I have no idea how I pulled that one off! Anyway, it was honestly the coolest week of my life - I was with all of the people I love the most, doing and seeing the most awesome and beautiful things ever. It was hard coming back to reality, but every once in awhile there is something that takes me back. Hence, this black bean soup.

I was thinking about what soups I'd like to make last week while I mentally prepared for our crazy Utah weather to take a dive, and it just came to me. We loved a similar soup on the cruise, and this one may even be better! It is seriously jam-packed with flavor - you're gonna love it, I promise. We ate it with quesadillas, but you could do tacos or anything you want along with it. Only one requirement: you have to close your eyes and imagine you're in the Caribbean while you eat.

Easy Spicy Black Bean Soup

From Cathy Lowe of the Food Network

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 c. chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. chopped green bell pepper

1 c. chopped red bell pepper

1 Tbsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne

6 c. chicken broth

2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed

Directions

In large heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, & peppers & cook until tender 5-8 minutes. Stir in spices & toss to coat veggies. Pour in stock & beans, bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer & cook 15 minutes. In large blender, puree half of soup until smooth & stir back into soup. Serve hot with garnishes.

A few fun memories:

I sang karaoke every night w/ my sister!

Doesn't it look like Dick is in a Corona commercial?!

We rented a scooter to tour the island

Best New Year's ever!

Dick & Dad: the men of my life

I was this happy all week!!!

Minestrone Soup & Speedy Wheat Biscuits

I don't know if I've ever talked about my job on this blog, but after some of the recipes on here you'll probably never believe it when I tell you what I do...I'm a Wellness Specialist for an Independent Wellness Company that does Employee Wellness Programs for various businesses and corporations. I absolutely love it!!! But I also absolutely love to eat, and I sometimes feel a little bit like a hypocrite when I eat/cook junk food. Don't worry though, that doesn't bother me enough to stop. Anyway, a little while ago at work I was asked to do a Lunch & Learn with one of my coworkers about healthy cooking substitutions. We talked a lot about all of that wonderful stuff, and then we made some healthy recipes (or should I say, healthier than most) for them to sample. This delicious minestrone soup, these fabulous biscuits, and a breakfast cookie I've made before all made it on to the menu. They were all a big hit, too! Can I just say thank heavens for the Food Network?! It is always there when I need them, via TV, internet, or magazine (yes I just subscribed, and am loving it!). So yeah, I hope you enjoy these healthier recipes just as much as our audience did!

Minestrone Soup

From Robin Miller of the Food Network

Ingredients

3 c. low sodium chicken broth

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes (I used Italian style)

1 can white beans (Great Northern), drained and rinsed

2 carrots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 c. onion, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

2 c. fresh spinach, chopped

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried sage

2 bay leaves

2 c. cooked ditalini pasta

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, & 1/2 tsp salt & pepper. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours, or HIGH 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before soup is done, add pasta, zucchini, & spinach. Cover & cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves & season to taste.

Wheat Biscuits

From the Food Network

Ingredients

1 c. wheat flour

1 c. white flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

1 cup buttermilk, cold

Directions

Whisk dry ingredients. Cut in butter until resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring until moistened. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface & knead lightly 4-5 times. Pat dough out to 1 inch thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter (I used a small cup) & place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees 12-14 minutes.

SaLsA & tAcO sOuP

I've been looking at the Prudence Pennywise blog for well over a year now, and these two recipes are probably very close to our very favorite of hers! I'm not a big tomato fan - I mostly just don't like them chunky. So, the part where the blender comes in to mix the salsa is AWESOME! Both of these are super quick and super easy! They come in handy when you're asked to bring something to a party or pot-luck dinner, and they will always win you many many compliments! Also note, her recipe does not call for any meat in the soup, which I LOVE! But if you are looking to feed a lot of people, or just want to add some to make it a little more hearty, I recommend a can of chicken.

Blender Salsa

adapted from Prudence Pennywise

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 white onion, chopped

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes w/ green chilies, undrained

juice of 1 lime

1/3 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

salt to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender & mix until smooth.

Taco Soup

adapted from Prudence Pennywise

Ingredients

1 c. leftover smooth salsa

1 14 oz. can low sodium chicken broth

1 14 oz. can chili style beans

1 can corn, drained

3/4 tsp chili powder

1 can chicken, drained well (optional)

Directions

Combine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer about ten minutes. Serve with sour cream & crumbled tortilla chips.