Sinful?

It only tastes that way!

I've had a miserable, no good, rotten cold over the last several days. What's more comforting than a bowl of chicken soup when you're not feeling well?



Cream Cheese Chicken Soup

Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
1 large onion, finely diced
1-2 Tablespoons butter
4-5 reg carrots, diced
5-6 cups chicken broth
4-5 potatoes, finely diced
1 t marjoram, dried
1 t basil, dried
1/2 - 1 t garlic powder
1/2 - 1 t cayenne pepper (Optional)
4 T margarine or butter
4 T flour
2 cups milk
12 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature

Saute onion in 1-2 T butter. Put onion in Dutch oven and add chicken broth, carrots, and potatoes. Add more broth if needed to cover vegetables. Add seasonings and bring to a boil, then simmer until veggies are tender (about ten minutes). Add cooked chicken.

Melt 4 T butter with flour. Stir for one to two minutes. Add cold milk all at once. Stir until thick and bubbly. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add cheese sauce to soup pot and stir until fully incorporated.

Season with salt and pepper.

I cook a LOT of soup during the Lenten season. This soup is a huge hit with the kids!

Once a Year Treat...

My family can't get enough of these:



I was dismayed at the price of pumpkins this year in our area. I could not find pumpkins for under $6.00 a piece - shocking! Especially when we live near the pumpkin capital of the world. So, I settled for only two pie pumpkins this year - just enough for the holiday pies at $1.50 a piece.

After roasting the pumpkins, I salvage the seeds for our special yearly treat. Yes, its messy and time consuming but everyone looks forward to roasted pumpkin seeds. After cleaning the pulp off the seeds, I soak them in salt solution for an hour or so. Next drain, add a tiny bit of oil and seasonings. This year I used salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Into a 325 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.

My family couldn't be happier!

A Crazy Month...

Filled with many blessings--one of which was my birthday! It doesn't bother me to grow older. Some wrinkles and and a few extra pounds don't bother me much though I would love to lose some weight to feel healthier. With every year I know more peace and fuller joy. My life is filled with so many blessings and my heart is so thankful.

My birthday was awesome! K baked me a wonderful cake inspired by a dessert we like at The Bubble Room in Captiva, Florida.



Orange Crunch Cake

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (18 1/4 ounce) yellow cake mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 tablespoons orange zest, grated
2 (16 ounce) can vanilla frosting
3 tablespoons orange zest, grated
1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease and flour two 9-inch pans.

Crunch Layer

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, walnuts, and butter. Divide mixture evenly between the prepared pans. Set aside.

Cake

In a medium bowl, mix together cake mix, water, orange juice and oil until blended.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in the orange zest.

Pour mixture evenly over the crunch layer in the pans.

Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

In a medium bowl, beat the vanilla frosting until light and fluffy. Add food coloring for orange color.

Stir in the orange and lemon zest.

Assembly

Place one layer on cake plate, crunch side up, frost. Place second layer crunch side up and frost on top and sides.

Refrigerate.

Yummy and quite worth the effort! Thanks to my thoughtful, sweet daughter!

Among my gifts:



A Blackberry! And...Blackberry For Dummies They know me too well :-)

I'm Addicted...

to food blogs. I used to collect cookbooks but now I collect food blogs. I just can't stay away from them. I have at least 50 food blogs in my google reader and about a dozen in my blogroll - which I add to daily. I can wander around food blogs at length but my cooking habits do not change. Before kids, I experimented with cooking on a daily basis. I loved cooking from cultures around the world from Mexico to the Far East to the Middle East and Europe. Now, I'm trapped in a mundane pattern with little variation. My cooking is BORING.

I guess it is a seasonal thing. Right now my life is full with homeschooling teenagers and supporting hubby in seminary. It is a frugal season for now. A new season will come and I'll get back to exciting! But for now, my focus is on raising my children to God's glory and living a frugal life!

Tonight's meal:




Turkey Tetrazzini

12 oz. spaghetti or egg noodles, uncooked
½ - 1 cup chopped onions
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 T butter or margarine
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. marjoram
1/3 cup dry white wine
½ tsp. garlic powder
3 cups turkey, cooked and diced (leftover Thanksgiving turkey, $.49 a pound)
2 cans Cream of Chicken or Mushroom soup
12 oz. evaporated milk
2 cups cooked and diced turkey.
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Sauté onions and mushrooms in butter/margarine with cayenne pepper and marjoram until softened. Add white wine and reduce. Add turkey, soup and condensed milk stirring until thickened. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add shredded cheddar cheese.

Add noodles to turkey mixture and place in 9x13 inch (or 2 5x7 inch pans - freezes well) casserole dish. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes (an hour or so if cold) until hot and bubbly.

Serves 8-10

Reindeer Drops

This recipe was given to my by a friend who teaches second grade - easy & yummy



1 package Oreo cookies
8 ounces cream cheese
Almond bark

Place Oreo cookies in food processor and process until crumbs. Add cream cheese and combine. Roll into balls.

Melt almond bark. Roll balls in melted almond bark. Sprinkle with festive sprinkles. Cool and refrigerate until needed.

These will not last long!

Recipe

"Share a recipe...figuratively, as in two parts love, one part creativity, or literally, as in a super quick, nutritious meal your kids scarf up."

Literal today - busy, activity filled day! I made this for my girls last week and they scarfed it up!



Noodles Romanoff

8 oz wide noodles – cooked and drained
1 cup cream style cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream (I used light)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. grated onion
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tblsp. butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper (optional)


1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
Paprika

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Combine remaining ingredients except last Parmesan cheese.

Add noodles and mix well. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with Paprika.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sorry, no picture. It went so fast I had no time to grab a camera!

See more about Home Education Week at: Principled Discovery

My Magic Pot

This Dutch oven mysteriously appeared in my cupboard years ago. My mom swears it was my grandma's but I have no recollection of anyone giving it to me. It is obviously very old so it could have belonged to my grandma. It has always just been there. The interesting thing about this pot is that everything that goes in this pot comes out tasting absolutely wonderful!

You might note the electric stove in our student housing - I will never get used to cooking on it!

Today it is filled with chili - my own five chili pepper (cayenne, habenero, chipotle, jalapeño, scotch bonnet) recipe. Don't ask for the recipe. It is extraordinarily hot and spicy...just the way my hubby likes it!















Tomorrow it will be filled with Sherried Tomato Soup from the The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

Monday will be my favorite soup - Clam Chowder. I'm not bragging when I say this pot makes the best clam chowder ever!

I hardly ever cook soups with a recipe - the pot does its magic and it always tastes good. If you're willing or able to tweak a recipe for your families tastes, you just have to try this recipe. It makes a huge amount but I never have to worry about anyone going hungry.


Clam Chowder

2 - 10 ounce cans of clams

Drain over:

1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced onion

Place drained clams in fridge for later.

Cover veggies with:
4 cups of water mixed with 4 teaspoons Bear Creek Country Kitchens clam base
Add more water to cover veggies if necessary.
Season with basil, marjoram, thyme
Optional seasoning - dill (I always forget to buy it)
Add cayenne pepper to taste.
Simmer veggies until tender.

Cook until crisp and crumble:
1/2 pound bacon
Reserve for later.

In another pan, make a white sauce:
Melt 3/4 cup butter or margarine.
Add 3/4 cup flour.
Stir for one minute
Add 4 cups half and half or combination of milk and half and half.
Cook until thick and bubbly.

Add to cooked veggies in broth, stir until mixed well.

Just before serving, add clams - they only take a minute to cook.
Add crumbled bacon and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar.

Very creamy. Very rich. Very tasty. Freezes well.