Update

Tonight for dinner
for the second time
I made the
Creamy Tomato Soup
I used less tomato paste
and was very pleased with the result

(this fish in the picture went missing
pretty sure the cat in the picture
ate it....I have no proof)

I'm doing so much better
God is good and the
wonderful comments were amazing
it turns out I'm going thru withdrawal
I've been decreasing my meds
but news to me
the medication I'm on
is one of the more
difficult ones to come off of
and I was decreasing to fast
so I have a new plan in place
and I will keep plugging away
and in a few months I hope
to be off my depression medication

Other great news
my kids are actually
playing nice these days
after a good week of
constant fighting

Asian Noodle Soup

1- 8 ounce package of rice noodles
2 boxes Chicken Stock
2 cups water
¼ cup soy sauce
a one inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 2 pieces
2 cups cook chicken, diced
2 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
1 onion diced
3 ribs celery diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 1/2 cups diced mushrooms

heat the chicken broth
soy sauce and ginger

add the garlic
and the onion
continuing to simmer

add the cut mushrooms

add the celery
and the cooked chicken

I added one cup
of the coleslaw
and let the soup
cook for an hour
to let the flavours
mingle into goodness

I removed the ginger
added the noodles
and let this cook
until the noodles were tender
add the last cup of coleslaw

this was a very
good soup
and perfect for
the sickness we had last week
everyone really enjoyed it
if you like it spicy
you can add some hot sauce
for extra kick and flavour

Creamy Tomato Soup

My kids really
like Tomato Soup
previous I've just
used the canned version
so I wanted to
try my hand at homemade

Creamy Tomato Soup
click on the title
for the original recipe

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, finely diced
course sea salt and fresh black pepper
splash of red wine vinegar (just over 1 Tablespoon)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
(I would use 2 next time)
1 dried bay leaf
2 cans (14 1/2-ounces each) low sodium chicken broth
2 cans (28-ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes in juice (with basil if available)
1/2 - 3/4 cup whole milk or cream


In a large saucepan or Dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. Add oil, carrot and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent and the carrots are well on their way to softening, about 7 to 8 minutes


Add the splash of vinegar and stir until cooked off
the vinegar is very fragrant


Turn flame to low and add flour
stir it into the onion and carrots


Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute
to distribute the paste and cook off the flour taste
have a look around a specialty shop
to find the 'tube' paste


Add chicken broth and bay leaf


With clean hands add the tomatoes to the pot
breaking the whole tomatoes up with your hands
as you add the tomatoes and the juice


Bring to a boil and reduce heat
simmer for 30 minutes
stirring occasionally


Remove from heat
let the soup cool for about 30 minutes
then working in two or three batches
puree some of the soup in a
conventional blender until smooth
or you can use an emulsion blender
to blend the soup directly in the pot


Return pureed soup to the pot


stir in milk or cream
I used 1/2 milk and 1/2 cream
season with salt and pepper to taste


this was VERY good
my husband didn't realize
that is was homemade
I wasn't sure how to take that
so I went and looked
at the ingredients
in the canned soup
the second ingredient
SUGAR
not to impressive
if you ask me


this was a big batch
and would freeze well
I'll make this again
I served it with some
fantastic grilled cheese
watch for that post tomorrow

Chicken Meatball Soup

The night before
I made the chicken meatballs
I cut up 1/2 an onion
added 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp of cumin
3 tsp of worcestershire

salt and pepper

I added an egg
and the ground chicken

mixed it all up
and made the meatballs
and put them in
the fridge for the night

in the morning
I added some squash
a cut onion
some carrots
some celery
some chopped spinach
and some Orzo (pasta)
along with a carton of chicken stock
and enough water to cover everything
along with the meatballs
into the slow cooker

I let this cook
for most of the day
I was out at dinner time
my family had this for dinner
when I came home
I had......

CEREAL
this soup was
SLIMY
blah
the problem
I need to remember
to not add the pasta
UNTIL closer to the end
the orzo totally disintegrated
and made it all slimy
it's not often I won't
eat what I cooked
my husband
bless him
he ate it
and took it to work
he said the meatballs
were amazing
so there is my failure of a dinner
fingers crossed tomorrow is better

Sausage Lentil Soup

What can I say
but
YUM
seriously
this was so good

Sausage Lentil Soup
I found the recipe
on Tasty Kitchen
if you have not searched
on that site
I highly recommend that you do

Here is my version
3 Tbs of grapeseed oil
1 pkg of basil Italian sausage
-casing removed
1 onion - diced
4 cloves of garlic
-finely chopped
2 stalks of celery
- diced
2 cups chopped spinach
1 Tbs of FRESH rosemary
- finely chopped
1 Tbs of FRESH oregano
- finely chopped
1 Tbs of dried Basil
(I would have used fresh
but couldn't find any)
1 lrg can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
1 carton of beef broth
shredded Parmesan cheese for topping


I broke up the sausage
while I cooked it with
the onion, garlic and oil
once it started to brown up
I added the herbs
mixed it around
then the rest of the ingredients
stirred it up
brought it to a boil
then simmered it for 2 hours
this looks wonderful


I served this
topped with the parm cheese
and my fluffy buns


this soup tasted
A M A Z I N G
I'm sure it's from
the FRESH herbs
I didn't add
any other seasoning
nothing
no salt
no pepper
nothing
go forth
and make this soup


my little man
is forever asking
for me to take his picture
so here it today's


my girly
her hair is a source
of comments and questions
whenever we go out
most often people
want to know what it looks
like if it's wet
and not so 'large'
here she is after her bath today
it stayed this 'small'
for about 15 minutes

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

My menu plan has changed
my sister gave me a bunch
of broccoli and squash

I decided to make
broccoli and cheddar soup
YUM
just wait to see what I do
with the squash

I started with a large amount of broccoli
and cut it all up
to make it small

I added a bunch of organic carrots
because I had them
they are sooo good
from my garden box program
I added 2 boxes of chicken stock (900 ml each)
enough to barely cover the broccoli and carrots
boiled it for about 10 minutes

while my veggies boiled
I made roux with onions and garlic
in a pan put butter and onions and garlic

cook until bubbling
add some flour

cook for a bit
this helps to take away
the flour taste

add milk
to make this a cream soup
cook for a bit longer
so it thickens up
try not to let your whisk fall in

add to the soup mix
add salt and pepper
I simmered for an hour or so
I added a whole bunch of cheese

I made up some corn bread
to serve with this yum yum yummy soup

we have been busy
camping
enjoying the sun
hanging out
girly has her cast off
little man is growing fast
here are some pictures
for your enjoyment of course
not for me to brag
or anything like that