Chicken and Rice Soup

This is a creamy, satisfying soup that's so comforting on a chilly day.  I've seen different recipes over the years and this is a combination of what I could remember and also leans quite a bit on the chicken and dumplings idea to get it started.  Connor likes it so much that he asked for it to go in "the book".  That's a win!

Saute for 5 minutes on medium low:

One diced onion

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

Then add:

3 cans low sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons ranch dressing mix (1 packet)
3 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken

1 cup of uncooked rice (I don’t use instant because it doesn’t hold together as well as the original because I like the longer cooking time for the flavors to come together versus just the five minutes)

Bring this all to a boil and then lower the heat (no lid) and simmer for 20 minutes (that’s how long this rice simmers… different rice might be a little different.)  

Then cover and set aside for 5 more minutes

Cut up 12 oz veltetta into chunks, stir in and cover for a few more mins until melted.  I didn’t turn the heat back on but let it sit covered for about 10 minutes while helping Connor with homework and it was perfect.  If we were pushed for time, it would be super-fast to turn on the heat to medium and keep stirring for a couple minutes.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a great day.

Meal Idea List for Weekdays

I've been on a mission to put together a list of quick and easy meals to have in my back pocket from week to week while jumping back into work after having our sweet little Haley.  This is the list that I've compiled.  Thank you to all my friends that shared their "go to" meals for me to add to the list.  My plan is to print this list off and pick a couple from it each week while incorporating some other meals not included on this list.  (One of which will include a weekly order from our local pizza place.)

Fast Weeknight Meals:
Sloppy Joes
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Pork Tacos
Buffalo Chicken Wraps
Taco Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Mississippi Roast Beef Sandwiches
Chili
White Chicken Chili
Quesadillas
Beef and Bean Burritos
Walking Tacos (we've only had these camping - but it would also be a fun, easy weeknight meal)
Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie
Chicken Tortilla Soup 
IP Shredded Ranch Chicken
Build your own pizzas
IP Macaroni and Cheese
Philly Stuffed Peppers
One-Pot Sausage Pasta (Kielbasa)
Crescent Ring (Choose your filling: Taco, Sloppy Joe, Buffalo Chicken, etc)
Chicken or Steak Fajitas
Meatball Sandwiches
BBQ Chicken, Beef or Pork Sandwiches
Rotisserie Chicken
Grilled Cheese and Soup
Hamburger Gravy over Noodles
Philly Cheesesteaks
Grilled Chicken
Breakfast for Dinner
BLTs
Shrimp Pasta
Pork Chops
Deluxe Nachos using leftover Chicken/Beef
Zatarains with Kielbasa or Shrimp
Chili over Rice with Cheese
Crock Pot Chicken for tacos, burritos, nachos etc.:
- With rotel, taco packet, cream of chicken and can of red or green enchilada sauce)
-  With salsa and a block of cream cheese
Baked egg rolls using leftover pork or shredded beef

Easy meals that need to be stirred or can't be left for a full day:
These are so easy and would be perfect for a weekend where you want a delicious yet low maintenance meal that you'll be around a couple times to stir.
Creamy Taco Soup
IP Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Crockpot Tortilla Soup

I've been meaning to make this because I can't believe that I don't have it on my blog.  I love soups.  All soups.  Especially easy soups in the slow cooker and that is exactly what this is. 

Let's Get Crafty!
Everything into the slow cooker on low before running out the door to face the day:
2-3 chicken breasts
1 large onion, diced
3 cans low sodium chicken stock
1 can rotel
1 can corn with peppers, drained
2 tablespoons of taco seasoning

After it has cooked on low for 8 hours:
Shred the chicken and put back in the slow cooker.

Stir into the soup to thicken it up (put the lid back on and let it cook another 15-20 minutes):
10 corn tortillas - ripped into strips

Then comes the best part... top with whatever you would like.  I love crushed tortilla chips, some shredded cheese and green chile.  There are endless options.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you've had a great day.

Lactation Cookies with M&Ms

My doctor and I were talking about milk supply at the four week checkup for my daughter.  He suggested lactation cookies.  This was a new idea to me and low and behold... there are tons of recipes out there to play with.

This one takes into account several that I looked at.  The ingredients that help milk supply are: oatmeal, flaxseed meal and brewers yeast.  They were tastier than I anticipated and I think my doctor helped me to manage my expectations.  He said that you definitely should add some chocolate chips to them because we've earned it.  It sounded like he's tasted several different ones as his wife tried different recipes.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat oven to 350

Mix together and set aside while putting together the rest of the ingredients:

2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

4 tablespoons water

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside:

2 cups flour 

5 tablespoons brewers yeast

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream together:

1 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

After the wet ingredients are creamed together well - add and mix well:

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Flaxseed and water mixture

 Then add:

3 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups chocolate chips (I used Christmas M&Ms)

Combine the wet mixture and the dry mixture until well combined

Drop onto cookie sheet about the size of an ice cream scoop.  I ended up with about 25 cookies.  

Bake for 12 minutes and check.  Mine needed another few minutes.  Be very careful not to overcook them!  I did on accident and threw those ones out.

I kept 5 out and frozen the rest to pull out of the freezer a couple at a time.

List of ingredients in the order they're used:

2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

4 tablespoons water

2 cups flour 

5 tablespoons brewers yeast

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Flaxseed and water mixture

3 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups chocolate chips (or Christmas M&Ms in my case)

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is a spin off a chicken enchilada recipe my Mom made when we were growing up.  It was such a creamy, comforting meal at the end of a school day.  This is one of those meals that evokes warm, happy feelings about home and growing up.  The kind of feelings that I hope my kids have when they're grown and thinking of their home growing up.

Let's Get Crafty!
Preheat oven to 375

Stir together until well combined:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup
1 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup milk

Combine chicken mixture together:
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups of the soup mixture above
1 can green chiles (we add our green chiles to each of the enchiladas individually and to the top for my husband and I since the kids don't like it spicy)

Divide chicken among the tortillas:
8 flour tortillas

After rolling each of the enchiladas and placing in the baking dish - pour the remaining soup mixture on top and spread out evenly.  

Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top:
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (full disclosure - I may have used double this amount today. :D  )

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 45 mins and then check if it's done.  It should be nice and bubbly.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a great day.

Creamy Taco Soup

On cold days there isn't anything quite like a warm bowl of soup.  This recipe comes from reading several online and wanting to try something different than the taco soup we usually make.  I added crushed tortilla chips, cheese and green onions to the top of mine because I love toppings!  The green onions were a really good addition.  This recipe was a big hit with our family. 

Let's Get Crafty!
Toss this all in the slow cooker and combine together on low for 6 hours stirring a few times:
I want to try this on the stovetop too for days where I'll be gone all day and can't be stirring it.  I think the stirring is needed for the Velveeta and cream cheese.
1 pound cooked ground hamburger (the picture has one of my packets from the freezer)
1 can chili beans
2 cans rotel
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cans beef broth
2 tablespoons ranch dressing mix
8 oz Velveeta (cut into small cubes)
8 oz cream cheese

Everything in the crockpot ready to roll

After stirring it for the first time

Before adding any toppings

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great day.

Canning Salsa and Skipping the Water Bath

Hello everyone!  It's canning season and we're giving canning salsa another go this year.  We used the same recipe as last year.  https://craftypapercrafters.blogspot.com/search?q=salsa

I recently heard of some friends canning that didn't process their salsa in a water bath but that they filled the sterilized jars, tightened the lids and turned them upside down for the night to process and seal.

We gave it a try and every single one of our 19 jars sealed!  I love this!  It makes the canning process so much easier and saved us a lot of time!

We may just have to start canning more stuff now that it has become so much easier.  I did get nervous the night before and asked Mark if we should just go ahead and put one in the fridge overnight... just in case it doesn't work for us and we can at least have one jar of salsa.  He talked me into letting it be and he was right.  So easy!

This is a picture the next morning of getting them flipped

over and seeing that they all sealed.  I was up early checking. :D

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you all have a great start to your week.