Hearty Chicken Soup

Good Monday Morning! :)

I thought, since many of us are in this ice/snow belt, chicken soup would be a great thing to share today. :)

This recipe for Hearty Chicken Soup is from Recipe.com.

Now, I will tell you right away that I more used the METHOD than the direct recipe, because I didn't HAVE everything the recipe called for. :D For instance, my chicken thighs were boneless, so the stock wasn't as good for us as it could have been. <sigh> I made this for Kenn when he first started coming down with this respiratory stuff, and we all know chicken soup is good for the soul, healthy or ill though the person may be, correct? :D

With that said, this was good soup. I tend to not like soups too much, because they're SO liquidy. :D I'd rather have a stew or a chowder any day of the week! (Or something with lots of cheese in it... :D ) But I think it was a comfort to Kenn, and it said, "I love you" to him, and we ate it for dinner. :D I'm saving it in my "Good Recipes to Have" folder.

OK, everyone! Stay safe and warm, and enjoy your day! :) Be BLESSED!

Caprese Salad: re-designed

Happy Monday! Sorry, no Manicure Monday this week; my nails are always weak, and I went too long without polish on them last week, so they mostly broke. So, I've got polish on them now, hoping to grow them out again quickly. :D They're fun to play with!

I did this Caprese Salad: re-designed from The Party Dress for my hostess appreciation luncheon in October.

Caprese salad is one of my all-time favorite dishes. I love the fresh tastes, with the balsamic vinegar topping it all off. So when I saw this salad presentation, I knew I wanted to try it.

For presentation, this is DEFINITELY a YES, PLEASE. I wish there was a way to be able to keep the dressing more with the other ingredients, but the only way I can think that that would be possible is if they were served on individual plates.

I used a steak knife to cut the tomatoes; I like to cut them with a serrated blade of some type, so the skin doesn't cause an issue with tearing. The steak knife made it possible to control the depth of the cut pretty easily; cutting almost all the way through is not my easiest task! :D

I do recommend you try this. It was absolutely beautiful!

OK, I'm outta here. I'm trying to recover from a cold that's settling into my chest. UGH. Prayers appreciated! Have a wonderful day! be BLESSED!!!

Easy Breakfast Casserole

Good Monday Morning!!!!!

Did you have a good weekend?? Man, was I BUSY. Phew! I got a LOT done, though. :)

So! Today's recipe - worry, I didn't get a picture of my last manicure, but it was gross - is for Easy Breakfast Casserole from Recipe.com.

I made this for my hostess club at the end of September; it was brunch time, so I wanted something a bit hearty, but that I wouldn't have to babysit. This sure fit the bill! :)

I wanted to use red pepper instead of green - the color would have been nice - but the only ones I could find were obviously made of red GOLD, so I went with the more inexpensive green. :)

Let's see. Did I change anything else? Hmmm... Yup. :D I used butter instead of the Country Crock, half-and-half for the 2% milk, and diced ham instead of the bacon.

This is a definite YES, PLEASE! It was easy, and very good - who knew I'd like broccoli for breakfast?!?!? :D I'm thinking I'd like to add some spinach, too - just about anything veggie-wise that you like would be simple enough. :)

OK, I'm outta here! As I write this, I have naked nails. I'm going to try and change that for you for next Monday. :) Have a wonderful day!! Be BLESSED!

Roasted Cabbage

It's FRIDAY! How was your Thanksgiving? Are you still stuffed? :D Are your festivities continuing through the weekend? Are you decorating? :D

Anyway. Here's another recipe from our hostess luncheon; it's Roasted (I Wish It Was Grilled) Cabbage from Green Lite Bites.

The original blogger said she liked her cabbage crunchy; I don't so I put the wedges in for about an hour and 15 minutes. And they were still crunchy.

I'm going to give this a NO, THANKS. The Worchestershire sauce was a bit overpowering. I think we're going to try frying up the leftovers, and see if we like it that way better. So watch for an update; I'll need to do that this weekend, more than likely - I need the fridge room! :D

OK, I'm outta here! Working away for the open house! I hope you're coming. :)

Enjoy your weekend!!!! Be BLESSED!!!

Pico de Gallo

Good Wednesday morning! Sorry I wasn't around Monday; between working too hard this weekend, and being sick, I just didn't feel like blogging. :D So!

With that being said, :D, here is Family Favorite Recipes' recipe for pico de gallo.

OK. I have to say this: this recipe is almost EXACTLY what I would use for a bruscetta topping - except the herb is cilantro, not basil, and it's got a jalapeno in it.

But it's GOOD. :) It's just amazing to me how similar Mexican and Italian can be sometimes. :) And it was part of a grander scheme of a recipe, so as an ingredient, it was good. We didn't eat it all, and I think it's because I was trying to squeeze in as much cooking as I could while my parents were gone. :D We ate WELL that week. LOL!

I'd say try it. I'd also say, if you're looking for a bruscetta topping, just change out the herb and don't worry about the jalapeno. :D So, it's going down in the history books as a YES, PLEASE. :D

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED - and try something new!

Beef Vegetable Soup

Welcome to Wednesday. :D Have you had a good week so far? I've got a doctor's appointment today. booooo, hisssssss. <sigh>

So, anyway. :D Today's recipe is for "steak soup" - aka vegetable beef :D - from Gimme Some Oven! :D I made this soup last Monday, when I opened up the stampin' studio for a free evening. The bread I shared on Monday was a nice accompaniment for this soup.

The soup got a definite YES, PLEASE! from everyone who tasted it. I used 4 cups of beef broth, then about 5 cups of water with a container of Knorr Homestyle Stock (it's condensed) and an envelope of Swanson Flavor Boost. The recipe includes Worchestershire sauce - a touch of brilliance, there. It's got so much "stuff" that I wouldn't think to add to the soup, and a little goes a long way to boosting the flavor and richness of the broth. As a matter of fact, when I made beef stew a couple of days later, I used some Worchestershire sauce in it, too. It was wonderful. :)

This soup was wonderfully hearty, and I have to admit I don't really like soups with tomatoes in them. I cut the amount of tomatoes I added in half from the recipe; I also used fire-roasted tomatoes, which I'd gotten as a freebie to try.  I thought, if you have to have tomatoes in the soup, they were pretty decent. :D And I ate two bowls of this soup. Unheard of for me. :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a BLESSED day! And do try this soup! :D