Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup

Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup




Makes: 14 cups



2 (6 oz.) packages of long-grain and wild rice mix

10 cups chicken broth, divided

3 Tbsp. butter

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup half-and-half

2 Tbsp. dry white wine

2 cups cooked shredded chicken breasts

Garnishes: Fresh parsley leaves, freshly cracked pepper



1. Bring rice, 4 cups chicken broth, and 1 seasoning packet from rice mix to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. (reserve remianing seasoning packet for another use)

2. Meanwhile, melt 3 Tbsp. butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and celery and cook, stirring often, 10-12 minutes or until tender.

3. Mlet 1/4 cup butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute, or until thickened and bubbly. Gradually whisk in remaining 6 cups of broth, and cook, stirring often 8-10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Whisk in half-and-half and wine. Stir in mushroom mixture, chicken, and rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes or until throughly heated. (Do not boil) Garnish if desired.

Milk-less Potato Soup

Ingredients needed:

• Potatoes (I used 20, although a small family would need less.  For this recipe, calculate about 4 potatoes per person and you will still have some left-overs)
• a small amount of oil
• Celery  3-5 stalks or less
• carrots (one is enough, but if you love carrots, you can add more)
• onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
• corn starch

*I added a small amount of sour cream and a small chunk of Velveeta cheese to mine that I had leftover, but it is not necessary.

For us, I normally use about 10-12 potatoes when I use milk, but for this recipe I use 20 (the creamed pototoes give it a creamy consistency). 

My grandmother gave me a great tip for speeding up the process for cooking potatoes.  After you add water, add a little oil, then slit the potatoes.  Place a lid on the pot.

While the potatoes are cooking, skin and cut up carrots (however many you want in your soup.  I would use one to two for this recipe).  I cut mine into little strips.

Chop celery.

In a frying pan, add your carrots and celery and enough water to cover them. I added about half a stick of real butter (you may want to add less if you are making a smaller portion). Boil the water (add a lid so that the water won't evaporate and the veggies will cook faster).  Add a couple of tablespoons of onion powder and about a tablespoon of garlic powder.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.

When the carrots and celery are tender and the water is still boiling, get a separate cup of  cold water and add about 4 tablespoons of cornstarch.  Mix well (make sure there are no lumps), and pour this into your celery/carrot water.  Stir the water until you have a nice gravy and then turn on low.

After the potatoes are soft, pour out the hot water and cover the potatoes in cold water.  Peel the skin off the potatoes.  Take half of your potatoes and cream them well.  Take the other half and chop them into bite-sized pieces.

Pour your celery/carrot gravy into a large soup pot, add your creamed potatoes, and add your dices potato bites.  Mix this together into your soup pot and turn on low.

Test your soup and add  whatever salt, pepper or spices you may need to have the perfect flavor.

My husband loves to eat Cuban bread with this.  Click here for the recipe.

Very tasty!

Chicken noodle soup

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP W/ vegetables


You need:


cooked chicken (a cup or two will do)

 

Amish style noodles or egg noodles

 

1 can of cream of chicken soup

 

1 cup of sour cream

 

a bag of frozen mixed vegetables or a can of mixed vegetables

 

garlic powder, onion powder, salt, & pepper to taste

 

****************************************************************************************
Instructions:

 

• Cook  chicken and shred it.
• Boil the noodles (I used a bag of Amish style noodles ...they are a little more expensive but they are delicious!), I didn't drain out the water. I just added it all in
• Boil a bag of frozen vegetables or add a can of mixed vegetables (like Veg-all). Undrained. 
• Mix noodles, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of sour cream 
• I seasoned with garlic powder (or garlic salt), onion powder, salt and pepper

Heat to desired temperature.

 

Everyone loved it.

 

 

 

Pizza Soup

Pizza Soup is a favorite around here! 

• 1 pound of ground beef, venison, or sausage
•  1 tbsp dried, minced onion (or diced fresh onion)
• 1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning
• 1 large can of spaghetti sauce and another full can of water (use the sauce jar)
• 1 large can of tomato juice
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (with juice)
• 2 cans of mushrooms
• 1/2 package of pepperoni, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• sprinkle onion powder - to taste
• Any other toppings your family enjoys on a pizza (saute'd red peppers, black olives, etc...)
• Shredded cheese

Brown meat/saute' onion & Italian seasoning with the meat.  Drain

I like to also cook my pepperoni for a couple of minutes to crisp them up.

Fill a large soup pot with all ingredients, and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes.  You may want to let it simmer for about 20 minutes on low so flavors can blend.

Sprinkle cheese on top of the soup after you ladle it into the bowl.  Serve with Texas toast or bread sticks!

Mushroom Noodle soup

I realize this recipe carb & sodium city, but today is the day before getting groceries.  I try to only shop twice a month so...  If anyone is like me, I usually have a few things left in the pantry (we always have tons of deer meat but who wants to cook that for lunch?).  This is what I threw together for lunch and it was just too tasty not to share:

1 package of Amish noodles
2 packets of mushroom gravy
1 packet of country gravy (white)
If I had them, I would add sliced fresh mushrooms too

Prepare the Amish noodles according to the package.  During the last 5 minutes (while the noodles are boiling).  Mix all 3 packets of gravy in about a 1 1/2 cup of cold water or milk.  Pour the gravy mixture into the boiling noodles and mix.  If you have mushrooms...add them too!
I will probably be bouncing off the walls in a bit after all those carbs (and very little protein) but it sure was good!

Chicken Vegetable stew

Today I made a very large stock pot of chicken stew. Here are my directions:

Ingredients: Chop or prepare the ingredients below (adding to or deleting to your taste), cover with water and boil until tender.

• One portion each of cooked chicken & one portion of chicken broth. *Option: This is roughly one or two cans of pre-cooked chicken or 2 chicken breasts and one 14 ounce can of chicken broth. You could also use beef instead!
  
• 2 diced stalks of celery
• 5 diced carrots
• 7 potatoes peeled and diced
• 1/4 of a red (or white) cabbage, diced
• 1 can of kernel corn
• 1 small can of mushrooms
• 4 tomatoes, peeled and diced *option: you can use a can of diced tomatoes
• Season with salt, pepper, dry onion powder, & dry garlic powder
  

After the above ingredients have cooked to tender add:

• 1/2 - 1 cup of sour cream, or plain yogurt, or milk, or a can of cream of chicken soup!
  
• 4 tablespoons of cornstarch: Get 1 cup of cold water and mix in the cornstarch well before pouring into the pot (after all ingredients are cooked and water is boiling)
• 1 cup of dry rice, cooked according to directions. Dump this in any time after the veggies are tender.
  

This makes a giant pot of chicken stew. If you think it is too much you can adjust by halving the ingredients, or sharing with friends and family!

I usually take all leftovers and freeze into single serving sized portion containers to heat up later for lunches!

How to Stretch a Chicken :-)

I know the title of my post sounds hilarious, but it is a skill of which a frugal Home-maker should be very aware!

Here are my humble instructions:

1. Boil or cook your chicken in a crock pot:

• Make sure your chicken is completely covered in water. Add garlic, onion or onion powder, salt, & pepper and poultry seasoning (optional). Dice fresh celery and add to the water.
  

2. Remove the chicken from the broth. Place the chicken in a covered bowl and refrigerate. Strain the broth and refrigerate in a separate bowl.

3. The next day (after meat and broth have been refrigerated all night), de-bone the chicken and separate the meat into zip-loc bags according to how many meals you want the chicken to be stretched. I usually separate our meat into 3 or 4 quart-sized bags (depends on the size of the chicken).

4. Take the broth and scrape the layer of fat (it will have risen to the top) away into the garbage. Separate the broth (will be a jelly-like consistency) into zip-loc bags according to how much you need. Most recipes will call for 14 ounces... so that is a good amount to pour into your bags.

Freeze all into separate containers. Now you should have at least 3 or 4 ready to go portions of cooked chicken and broth!

Nacho Potato Soup

This is VERY easy and extremely good! This one is a big hit with my family.

Nacho Potato Soup
1 (5 1/4 oz) box au gratin potatoes
1 (11 oz) can whole kernal corn, drained
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (I buy the tomatoes & chiles separate because the Walmart chiles are milder than the Rotel brand)
2 cups water
2 cups milk
2 cups Velveeta cheese (1/2 the large box) cut into cubes

In a soup pot combine the contents of the potato pkg, corn, tomatoes, chiles, & water. Boil, cover, and then simmer for 15 minutes (until potatoes are tender). Add cubed cheese & milk. Cook and stir occasionally until the cheese is melted. You can sprinkle with chili powder or hot sauce if you like :-)

Makes 6-8 servings!

*I found this in a Taste of Home Magazine several years ago*