Simple Crock Pot French Onion Soup

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

Back in January, when we were in Connecticut, it was cold. Like freezing cold. Especially for us California kids, but it was even pretty cold for my cold-blooded Connecticut folks. One night my cousins, sister, mom & I drove up to northern Connecticut to visit with another cousin & her brand new baby. It was even colder up north!!!

She made us two options for soups & then my aunt showed up with a few more options. And then I needed make them all! My cousin made an amazing French onion soup, which she had all of the fixings for. Gruyere cheese & crusty bread. I died! And then went home & made it. I didn’t care that once we got back to California it was 80 degrees! I wanted the soup!

And then I made it 4 more times!

I’ve tried adding things in, & changing it up a little. But I keep coming back to that original recipe. There is literally nothing better than the smell of fresh herbs cooking throughout the house all day. I am obsessed with it. Try it out. The fragrances are amazing & it tastes even better than it smells.

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3 onions, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
14.5 oz beef broth
½ Tbsp pepper
½ tsp salt
3 cups water
3 beef bouillon cubes
2 Tbsp fresh thyme

1. Slice onions and shallots in ¼ inch slices.
2. Put olive oil, onions, and shallots in sauté pan. Add desired dashes of Worcestershire sauce to onions.
3. Cook on medium low tossing onions regularly. Allow to cook down until just about translucent.
4. Add salt and pepper. Cook for two minutes and add beef broth from can.
5. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.
6. Add cooked onions and broth to crock pot. Top with water and bouillon cubes and add in thyme.
7. Cook on low for 6 hours.
8. If desired top with crusty bread and cheese, or eat plain for a healthier option.

21Dec2015

Herb Chicken Dumpling Soup with Veggies

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

OOhf it has been over 10 days since my last recipe post. Christmas is sneaking up on us over here in Orange County & we are not ready. On top of my crazy holiday schedule at the store, Chris has been studying for a professional exam to get a title at the end of his name, we are getting ready for a trip to Connecticut to see my family in January, & of course we had to spend our annual Christmas day at Disneyland. Oh & last week Chris had a last minute, emergency dental surgery. Oh what fun.

There has been very little time for writing & pretty much no time for cooking. The high was 58 the day we spent at DLand & it was pretty cold for us So Cal kids. After spending the entire 14 hours at the park we needed to heat up by scarfing down some herb chicken dumpling soup! Yumm!

And honestly, is there a better way to heat your house (or 800 square feet apartment) by cooking? No, nothing is better.

So when I started blogging a few years ago, one of the first food bloggers I found & truly started following was Christina over at Dessert for Two. When I starting making my chicken soup this time I wanted something different. I didn’t want rice in it & honestly I was far too lazy to go to the grocery store & get a pasta.

So I started searching the internet & came across Christina’s recipe for Easy Chicken N Dumplings with Collard Greens and Confetti & I had to try to dumplings. They were amazing! A perfect carb for loaded herb chicken soup. So here is my soup recipe topped off with Dessert for Two’s fabulous dumplings & while you’re at it, check out her amazing cookbooks that came out this year here & here. I have them both & they are perfect!

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2 Tbsp olive oil
5 carrots
5 celery stalks
1 parsnip
2 cups baby spinach
48 oz chicken broth
2 cups water
1 lb chicken breast tenders
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp rosemary
1 ½ tsp thyme

Dumplings from Dessert for Two:
½ cup flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp butter, softened
¼ cup milk

1. Remove butter from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Set aside for later.
2. Season chicken on one side with one half the amount salt and pepper, and 1 tsp each of thyme and rosemary.
3. Chop all veggie and cook them until tender in olive oil.
4. After 8-10 minutes, add chicken broth and water.
5. Cut chicken in ½ cubes and add slowly into soup while stirring so chicken doesn’t stick together.
6. Allow to cook on medium to medium-high and pull out all ingredients for dumplings.
7. Mix flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Add room temperature butter and mix together with your hands. Make sure the butter is distributed evenly though the mixture. Add milk into mixture. I used a plastic spatula to make sure all of the flour mixture is moistened.
8. Flour a cutting board and your hands. Place dough only cutting board and shape into a thin rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Add flour to top and cut dough into small squares. Drop dough into cooking soup one at a time stirring regularly.
9. Allow to cook another 10-15 minutes, adding the remaining salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme and enjoy.

12Nov2015

Tomato Soup

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

It’s finally starting to feel like fall here in So Cal. Temperatures are finally in the 60s, people are pulling out their sweaters & boots, trying to embrace as much of the autumn weather that they can before temperatures go back up to the 80s, I’m sure sometime soon. I am taking this time to make as many soups as I can. I have made a little stock pile of turkey chili & veggie soups.

Tonight I am snacking on every child’s favorite post snow playing snack. Tomato soup & grilled cheese. My favorite part of playing in the snow was coming inside & defrosting at the kitchen table with some hearty, creamy, tomato soup & grilled cheese.

Although creamy tomato soup is amazing, right now I am all about a light weight soup. Sometimes a heavy soup is a little much, especially when it is not too cold out. Now once that fun stuff starts falling from the skies, sign me up for a heavy, cream, filling soups. But for now, I will stick with light soups that are full of amazing flavors.

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6 Tbsp butter
1 large yellow onion, chopper
3 cups chicken broth
2 whole garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 small roma tomatoes
3 vine tomatoes, peeled
1 ½ Tbsp tomato paste

1. Melt butter on medium-low heat. Add in salt, pepper, onion and garlic until soft.
2. Add all tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Stir regularly to avoid burning.
3. Blend using an immersion blender, or in a blender in small batches, until smooth.
4. Return to pot and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

23Sep2015

Roasted Butternut Squash Pumpkin Soup

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

Happy first day of Fall ya’ll! Only it’s still in the 90s here in SoCal I am sure the rest of you throughout the country aren’t over heating but these temperatures don’t seem like they are every going away here.

Fall is a super nostalgic time for me & since moving to California I haven’t really been able to get a grasp of the new normal I have out here.

As some of you may know I coached high school cheerleading for 8 years, 4 in Connecticut & 4 in California. Fall to me is football games on Friday nights, cozy sweaters, pumpkins in pumpkin patches, & piles of leaves lining the streets. Here it is football games where I need to apply enough sun block that I don’t burn, pumpkins sitting outside grocery stores while you wear a tank top & shorts, & the palm trees being trimmed around town. Not really the quintessential New England fall that I grew up with.

So with all that is in me trying to bring New England fall to sunny So Cal I am going to be dedicating my fall season to all that is pumpkin, orange, & cozy. Today’s recipe is actually a mess up that I made while I was trying to make a simple butternut squash soup. I through a little too much pumpkin and cinnamon flavor in & Chris ended up loving it. It’s not my favorite, because ironically, I am not a huge pumpkin flavor person but if you love pumpkin this is the soup for you.

1 large butternut squash
1 sweet onion
2 celery stalks
3 carrots
1 medium apple, peeled and cored
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 ½ cups chicken broth
1 cup water
½ tsp pumpkin flavoring
1.2 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper

1. Cut butternut squash in half long ways and place on cookie tray. Season with 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 60-75 minutes, until top is lightly browned.
2. Remove squash from oven and allow to cool to touch. Peel carrots and chop carrots and celery to 1 inch pieces.
3. Add remaining oil and chopped vegetables to a pot and allow vegetables to cook until tender. 5-8 minutes on medium heat. Stir regularly not allowing the vegetables to burn
4. Remove squash from the skin and discard the skin. Add squash and apples to pot.
5. Add broth, water and spice.
6. With an immersion blender puree all ingredients together until desired consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend ingredients in a blender in small batches and return to pot when completed.
7. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer, covered for 45 minutes.

2Sep2015

Turkey and Red Bean Chili

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

August has been a rough month. Since our road trip to Portland, I never really got back on a good schedule & I have been exhausted! I have wanted to do nothing but lay in bed & sleep. Last week I had two days off in a row & I did nothing but lay in bed, catch up on my TV & read. I loved it. Now that September is here, it is like back to school time, even at 28. I am back onto focusing on my real estate classes & getting ready for holiday at work. So without wanting to change up too much I am bringing it back today to a recipe that I make pretty often. My turkey & red bean chili is something I have made forever & is quick, simple & easy. Enjoy.

1 lb ground turkey meat
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
½ sweet onion
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp red pepper flakes
1/8 cup chili powder, or to taste
2 cans Red Kidney Beans
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomato
1 cup water
Salt and pepper

1. Brown ground turkey in a skillet seasoning it lightly with salt and pepper.
2. In a pot, add oil, chopped carrots, chopped onion and chopped celery. Allow onions to become translucent and veggies to become tender.
3. With a slotted spoon, remove meat from any extra grease and place in pot. Add beans, chili powder, and red pepper flakes.
4. Add diced tomatoes with the juice and 1 cup of water. Mix together and add salt and pepper.
5. Bring to boil and lower heat to medium for 45-60 minutes.