Cream of Mushroom Wild Rice Oink Soup

Cream of Mushroom Wild Rice Oink Soup

This is another creamy soup made in the slow cooker. Creamy soups require a few steps so you have ingredients for the soup and then ingredients with steps for then making it creamy.

Initial Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups water
3 Tbsp butter
1 pound pork stew meat (cubes of pork)
4 cups chicken broth
3 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup long grain Minnesota wild rice
16 oz white button mushrooms (sliced and cubed)
8 oz portobello mushrooms (sliced and cubed)

Throw it all in the slow cooker on low for 6 hours. You can cut your mushrooms however you want them. I sliced them and then cubed the slices so they are small pieces. You can also use whichever kind of mushrooms you want/like.

Ingredients to make it creamy:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half

Melt butter and stir in flour. Add milk and half and half and stir until thickens. Temper the milk mixture with the soup broth to ensure you don't curdle the milk. Once tempered pour into the soup. This is a thickens the next day type soup. It won't thicken right away but it's still tasty.  Great the next day. 

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup

Crock Pot Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup

2.5 steps but they are super easy steps. Steps 2 and 3 you do at the same time but separately, thus them being called Steps 2 and 2.5.

Ingredients for Step 1 (note more for Step 2 and 2.5)

2 Tbsp butter
1 chopped onion
5 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups shredded or cubed potatoes (frozen or fresh your choice)
3-4 chopped broccoli heads (and stems)
3 1/2 cups chicken broth

Throw it all in the crock pot and set on low for 6 hours.

Ingredients for Step 2

1 package of bacon. Turkey or pork your choice.

Fry chopped bacon. And add to crock pot soup made in step 1.

Ingredients for Step 2.5

3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half

Melt butter then add flour on low heat. Slowly add milk and half and half. Simmer until thickens.

Add big spoonfuls of crock pot mix to the flour saucepan until the flour mix has been tempered (you are slowly bringing the flour mix up to be the same temperature as the broth/veggie mixture to avoid curdling the milk). Pour the Step 2 flour mix into the Step 1 broth/veggie mix. Mix well. I added on more tablespoon of flour as I like a really thick soup (if you do this sprinkle the flour don't just dump it) and mix well. 

Let crock pot simmer on low for 10 more minutes.

If you wish you may add cheeses of your choice. Sharp cheddar with muenster recommended. Yum!

Enjoy!

Guac

Tasty Guacamole

Ingredients
5 avocados (firm, slight give when squeezed)
2 roma tomatoes
2 large limes
1 medium sweet yellow onion

Dice your onion and tomatoes. Set aside.
Juice your limes. Add half the juice to the onion tomato mix.
Shell and remove the seed from the avocados - add the saved half of the lime juice. Use a fork to creamy the avocados. Add the tomato/onion lime mix and mix thoroughly. 

That's it. Enjoy!

You can add cilantro if you like it. It's uber tasty without. No need for any other seasonings. Seriously you are done and can enjoy!  Who knew it was so simple!? And if you compost you have no waste! Excellent!

Old Fashioned Rolls

Want those rolls that Mom always made during holiday get togethers but don't want the hassle of kneading that dang dough. Boy, do I have a treat for you!  Super easy to make rolls that come out perfect and there is no kneading needed. (I just wanted to say no kneading needed.)

2 1/4 tsp yeast (or one package)
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup butter
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup sugar
4 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in water in a big bowl. 

Scald your milk - this means warm it in a pot until it almost wants to boil. I pull it as soon as I see the first bubbles. Set aside to cool slightly while you measure the butter and sugar. Add butter and sugar to the milk. Once milk is warm rather than hot add it slowly to the yeast.  If it's too hot you've just murdered your yeast (don't murder your yeast). Blend together.

Add the beaten eggs and mix well.

Stir in flour and place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise in warm spot for about an hour (about doubled). Punch dough and form into rolls of your desired shape. I do either two or three balls. Place in greased muffin tin. Cover and let rise another hour or until they double once again.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Perfection! Enjoy!

Banana Nut Crumble

Looking for an alternative to banana bread or banana muffins for proper disposal of your elderly bananas?  Love butter and sugar?  Well, you're in the right spot!

Ingredients
Cake mix
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
3 ripe bananas
1 stick (1/2 cup) room temperature butter
2 cups (white) sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk

Crumb mix
2 sticks (1 cup) cold butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup nuts, your choice and option

Preheat oven to 350. Spray your 9x13 pan generously.

Start by mixing your cake mix bananas, room temperature butter, white sugar, eggs and vanilla until lumpy but relatively smooth. You are supposed to mix the flour and powder well but I always mix in my powder now - until well mixed. Then gradually and alternately mix in your flour and milk.  Set aside while you make the crumb mix.

Use a pastry knife to cut your butter, brown sugar and flour together. Tip: if you don't have enough brown sugar use 2 Tbsp molasses for every cup of white sugar as substitute. I used 1 cup brown sugar, 2 Tbsp molasses and 1 cup white sugar for mine. Apparently you can substitute white sugar directly for brown but it might be crispier than if you add the molasses or use brown sugar as you are supposed to.  Also, cut your cold butter in before you add the nuts - makes things easier.  Once you have the butter cut in well add the nuts and stir until well mixed.

Now the fun part! 

Add half of the cake mixture to the pan. Then 1/3 of the crumb mix followed by the rest of the cake mix and topped off with the remaining crumb mix.  If you have problems getting the cake mix to cover the first crumb topping let it set for a minute and then smooth it over. If it doesn't work just know that it worked well for me and that's what matters. :)

Bake for 50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes and then you are ready to cut and enjoy!

Good stuff.

16 Bean and Ham Soup

Homemade 16 Bean and Ham Soup

With football season starting and the trees starting to change color I decided it was time to learn to make soup! I used a bag of 16 bean soup starter (which is a bag of beans, no seasonings or anything else in it).  Simply followed the directions (for the most part).

Ingredients:
1 bag 16 bean starter (the one I got had no need to soak the beans)
8 cups chicken broth
1 16 oz bag of baby carrots chopped up
1 normal sized red onion chopped up
2 Tbsp no salt tomato paste
2 tsp Italian seasoning

Set aside for later
1.5 pound ham chopped up
1 14.5 oz can no salt diced tomatoes (undrained)

Combine all the first ingredients in a big slow cooker (it will fill it!)
Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Stir in the ham and tomatoes and cook for 15 more minutes before serving.

It made a LOT but luckily it's tasty! :)

Blueberry Delights

Blueberry Delights

1 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 can blueberry pie filling
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Preheat your over to 350. 

Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time mixing thoroughly after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Mix with the flour and baking powder until completely mixed.

Fill the 9x13 baking pan with half of the batter. It will be a somewhat sticky mess but you should be able to flatten it with your hands to coat the bottom of the pan.

Pour the filling over the crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle the nutmeg over the filling.

Plop the remaining crust mixture over the filling.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

You can drizzle a glaze over top: made of 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp lemon and 1 Tbsp melted butter.

It was a giant hit at work. And seems healthy what with the antioxidants in there. :)  Ideally you'd use real fresh blueberries but they can be super expensive so I went with the filling in this case.