soups & stews

Soups & Stews

• uses for a whole chicken
• top ten fall soups
• dairy-free cream of mushroom soup
• Review of Ina Garten’s White Bean Soup
• Review of Giada’s Lentil Soup
• Katie’s Mexican Soup
• Review of For the Love of Cooking’s Black Bean Soup
• Review of The Pioneer Woman’s Tortilla Soup
• Trader Joe’s White Lightning Soup

top ten fall soups

Top Ten Fall Soups

1. Caribbean Sweet Potato Chili – This soup has a few strikes…Weird flavor combos (sweet potatoes ? caribbean? soup?)  But trust me here, folks…YUMMY.
2. my mom’s Chicken and Dumplings (recipe coming…but I’ll give you a hint. We use Biscuick. I know, I know… How could we?? 🙂 )
3. Black Bean Soup
4. Pasta Fagioli – Olive Garden, anyone? Now if I could only have the breadsticks…
5. Tortilla Soup – Okay this is more of a summer recipe. But hey, avocadoes are still on sale. This is a great recipe.
6. Ham and Bean Soup – don’t hate. It’s awesome.
7. French Onion Soup (love this recipe…uses Balsamic Vinegar instead of wine!)
8. Roasted Vegetable Minestrone – I have not actually made this version of minestrone! Sorry…but it actually looks better than the one I made, so I will be trying it soon.
9. White Bean and Chicken Chili – I get cravings for this once a month. Odd. Yet, not?
10. Old Timey Beef Stew (it’s what a man wants.)

 

dairy-free homemade cream of mushroom soup

Listen, I’m not saying I’m not a little disgusted by the plopped out cold Campbell’s cream of mushroom. Would I ever eat it alone? NEVER. however, it unfortunately pops in a few rather yummy-sounding (to casserole-loving me anyway) recipes. And then comes the dilemma. Because, of course, cream of mushroom has three strikes in our household. One, it has MSG. Gross. me. out. Two, it has enough sodium for two days. If I were going to eat that much salt,  HELLO, I’d have a big mac. And three, of course, it has milk. So I usually just find a new recipe. But the other day I was craving pork chops, and I was craving SMOTHERED pork chops. With cream of mushroom soup. So I invented a homemade, dairy-free one! Thought it might be useful for anyone else who either doesn’t like the commercial cream-of-mushroom or needs it allergy-friendly. It was great!

{See below for mushroom-topped pork chop recipe.}

Ingredients:

• a carton of fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
• one onion, sliced thinly (or diced, if you prefer)
• rice milk 1-2 cups
• 1 T flour or cornstarch, whichever you’d prefer
• olive oil
• dried thyme, oregano, and garlic
• 2 T dairy-free butter
• 1/2 c. organic chicken broth
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

• thoroughly wash mushrooms
• drizzle olive oil in pan and heat until shimmering
• saute mushrooms and onions with salt and pepper. They should be cooked until very soft.
• Add 1/2 t dried thyme, oregano, and garlic.
• Add butter to middle of pan. When melted, mix in flour. Use wisk to mix it in.
• Add chicken broth and rice milk. Cook for 8 minutes or so until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe suggestion: I browned my pork chops for five minutes on each side in olive oil, covered in foil, prepared my mushroom sauce and poured on top. We all enjoyed it!

 

Recipe Review: Ina Garten’s White Bean Soup

This week I made this recipe from Ina Garten. My little guy loved it, and so did my landlords (also known as my parents). I served it with La Brea organic wheat bread and a delicious salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette(see below for recipe). Note: I used canned beans. I used four cans of them, and only 4 cups of chicken stock. Also, SOO much easier with an immersion blender. I am almost tempted to ask for one for my birthday.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried white cannellini beans
• 4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1-inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

 

In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot.

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Mix equal parts good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup (the real, expensive kind . Add salt and pepper to taste. Yum!

Recipe Review: Giada’s Lentil Soup

You are not alone if the words “lentil soup” don’t exactly make you start salivating. Honestly, I decided make Giada’s Lentil soup because every magazine I’ve picked up in the last month has had some feature on the stupid things and how they revolutionize your health. So I felt obligated. Giada’s recipe had over 500 RAVE reviews, which made me a little more hopeful. And honestly, it was delicious. Not “delicious,” like, healthy/delicious. Reeeally, good! I am happy to pass this along. A few notes. She calls for “a pound bag, or 1 1/4 c cup of lentils.” Well I don’t know if bags are sized differently in Italy or California or wherever Giada is making up her lentils, but here in NC a pound bag is more like THREE 1/4 cup lentils. I only used 1 1/4 c. and it was PLENTY of lentils. I soaked them overnight. One of the reviews said to make sure you give the tomatoes plenty of time to “break down.”  I did this. Anyway, I highly recommend this recipe!

Giada’s Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
• 11 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan (I omited)

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

recipe review: black bean soup

Is it weird that I LOVE black bean soup? I was really excited when I saw a recipe on my favorite cooking website, For the Love of Cooking. It is really, really good. Very flavorful. It had such a nice creaminess it was hard to believe there was no dairy. I don’t own an immersion blender, so I scooped out as much as I could into my regular blender. I actually enjoyed that there were a few hearty bites of vegetables remaining.

Black Bean Soup, courtesy For the Love of Cooking website

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 5 cups of chicken stock OR vegetable stock (I used chicken)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 14 oz cans of black beans, rinsed & drained, (divided)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tbsp corn starch (combined with a bit of cold stock – mixed thoroughly) (optional)

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot add onion, bell pepper and carrots, saute until slightly tender. Add garlic and stir frequently for 45 seconds. Add stock, seasonings and half of the beans. Cook over medium low heat for 1-2 hours. Remove bay leaf, and blend using an immersion blender. Add the remainder of the beans and corn starch slurry if you desire a thicker soup (make sure the soup is boiling when adding the corn starch). Taste and re-season if necessary.

• Cilantro, chopped
• Cotija cheese, shredded (optional … I substituted avocado.)

Garnish the soup with toppings. Enjoy.

Recipe review: The Pioneer Woman’s Tortilla Soup

 My family had this dish when we were all together in the mountains to get our Christmas trees. Everyone absolutely loved it, even the little kids! It is very filling for a soup! Make sure you have plenty of avocado if you are omitting dairy toppings. You won’t even miss them! Delicious! Way to go, Ree!

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 cup Diced Onion
• 1/4 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
• 1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
• 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 4 cups Hot Water
• 2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained
• 3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
• 5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches
• _____
• FOR THE GARNISHES:
• Diced Avocado
• Diced Red Onion
• Salsa Or Pico De Gallo
• Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.

Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.

Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed—add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.

Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)

what I’ve been up to {& weekend reading}

(sigh). That’s me over here, wishing I was Stephanie at the Keeper of the Home. Do you notice I’m copying her “weekend links” feature? Here’s another thing I wish I could copy (besides the smashing, awesome blog!): she is taking her entire family on a year-long trip around the world! This includes four children six and younger. Isn’t that amazing/brave? Here is where she lists her reasons for this crazy excursion. Such a cool idea!

While Stephanie and her family travel the world, we’ve been tramping through a solid case of the “January Blahs” here in Smartter Each Day. That’s along the same lines, right? Cruising the world = domestic January blahs?? Same thing.

Browsing through the past posts over the month, see if you notice a theme:

• on loss: {How To Enjoy Life When Others Hurt}
• Should moms take naps? {thoughts on guilt, rest, and how to feel peppier}
• 5 good things about days when you feel like a useless blob
• feeling overwhelmed? 10 ways to beat no good, horrible days of motherhood

Kind of funny, isn’t it?

January hasn’t been all bad, though. Here are a few highlights:

• Sam “read” his first word! (He will be four in May.) We’ve spent a lot of time learning which letters make which sound, using plastic letters like these, and this song. Then I put the letters in order on the floor, and he makes the sound of each one, and says them over and over faster and faster. It reminds me immensely of the game “Mad Gab,” in that you’re hearing someone say something but not recognize what it is 🙂

Honest to goodness, my biggest fear about homeschool is teaching reading. It’s an incredible relief that at least once, Sam has sounded out the word “cat.” That means something, right?? It’s all downhill from here? Good, that’s what I thought.

• My friend Lauren and I hosted our second-annual “Style Swap.” This was a huge success. Over twenty people came and brought their snazzy style leftovers (or not-so-snazzy. but mostly snazzy). I made a rockin Mexican dip. And, I came home with a cute little number to wear over leggings. Long enough so that it doesn’t look like I forgot my pants, though. This is important.
• I hosted a Pampered Chef party. The highlights of that were tasting these ridiculous “garlic knots” (not on any sort of diet that I’d recommend) AND something called “chicken parmigian soup.” That’s sort of like “Cheeseburger Pizza.” Not too many ways to go wrong there. Fun party! (Thanks, Whitney!)
• It sleeted. This is big news, guys; it’s North Carolina. I went to the grocery store for (coconut) milk and bread, and there were packs of kids standing outside with their sleds. Not sure how that ended up working out for them.
• It rained for like 10 days straight and we were stranded in the house. Good times.
• After a long discussion concerning which show to watch via Netflix, Todd and I settled on Alias. We’ve been very pleased!
• In blog news, coming February the blog will get a makeover! Laura Jane Designs will be doing the facelift. I’ll also be switching to the address smarttereachday.com, so there may be a few glitches as I do that, and as the new design is tweaked. I’m so pumped to get a new look!

Here’s some links worth checking out:

• 20 Easy Real-Food Switches
• Day 14 Update (by my amazing friend Kate, who is in the hospital on bed rest, pregnant at 25 weeks). I dare you to not cry at the picture of her and her dachshunds. Really, I dare you.
• Favorite Devotional Books for Children
• 100 Days of Real Food: Lunch Round-up. I’m not exactly sure in what life I will have the creativity or energy to do this. But it’s a beautiful dream to dream.
• Homemade Mexican Pizza (I’m making this this week!)

Happy Super Bowl Weekend!

One more plug for planning day (and how I spent mine)

image by Lotus Head

Recently I talked about how wonderful, amazing, and productive it is to get out of the house and have a planning day.

The Lord bless him, my wonderful husband, for two years in a row, has all but ushered me out of the door, practically ordering me to Panera to go do my planning. This year we were all sick with all colds, so I got a later start than normal. But it was still wonderful.

Here’s what I did:

• Try not to do a weird, giddy laughing thing in my car as I’m driving out of the neighborhood, alone, to Panera. Cause that would be weird, giggling alone in the car.
• Pull into Panera at 10:45 and use most of my willpower to not immediately order two full sandwiches, a croissant, and a bread bowl of soup for lunch.
• Find a table. This is quite a process. I end up looking like a dog turning around in circles trying to decide where to sit down: Set stuff down on table. Deem it too dirty and move to the next. Nope, too far from the fireplace. Let’s try this one. Move again when I realize I’m hearing a nearby couple talking about her mastectomy. This table teeters. That one doesn’t have a comfy chair…Ahh! Finally! The perfect seat.
• At this point I did feel like I had done enough to deserve a lunch break. I ordered the same thing I order every time, the Frontega Chicken Sandwich with Creamy Tomato soup and an apple. And a water, with a LARGE CUP, please. What’s up with the communion-sized water cups? Just because I like water doesn’t mean I have 1/6 of the thirst level.
• Anyways. Once I finally got down to business, I began by praying, as I mentioned in the earlier post, that God would direct this time. Because I kind of felt like you do at the start of summer vacation… You have all these goals and are just sure at the end you’ll have revolutionized your life. (No pressure, or anything.)
• The first thing that came to mind was that I need to pray daily for a few things. My kids’ salvation, whether or not we should have another child, and, that God would give me the strength to homeschool my boys, because I’d love to and the only way I can is if the Lord provides the way.
• Then, I started making my  “roles and goals” list. I mention that in my prior post, as well…You list all of your roles, and narrow down goals for each category. The roles I considered were: spiritual, preschool teacher, homeschool planning, wife, mom, homemaker, sister/sister-in-law, friend, health, and blogger.
• Here are a few things I realized:

1. I must think I’m a really good wife already, because somehow that category ended up blank. Sorry, Todd.
2. I want to find some good homeschool mamas to talk to. Suggestions, anyone? 🙂
3. I really would like to eliminate my attachment to the internet and computer. Or stop using it at the wrong times and for the wrong reasons.
4. If I want to have another kid, I want to be prepared. You know, meals in the freezer, exercising throughout the pregnancy, letter to myself not to flip out when I’m shushing a newborn 22 hours a day, ipod playlist of songs to help me do natural labor (that’s all it takes, right? A good playlist?)  See, if I plan enough, everything will be perfect. That is my mantra. Please don’t disagree with my mantra.

• Well, frankly, after making all these ambitious plans, I was tired. I think the Chicken Frontega was sitting gloppily in my stomach, and I found myself feeling a little sleepy. Checking my email mindlessly a couple times in a row for no good reason, that kind of thing. I fought it for a while, and then I thought, you know, this is my planning day. I can do what I want.

And what I wanted was to take a nap. So I packed up, went to my car, and took a 20-minute power nap. I woke up really rejuvenated, and also a little embarrassed when I made eye contact with the guy in the car next to me. I pretended I was finishing up a conversation on the phone and went back in.

I had a nice cup of coffee and spent the rest of the time working on our yearly budget, and letting my mind wander a bit. I don’t do that much, but it was nice and I learned a lot.

I came home so, so happy to see my kids. It felt like I had been gone for three weeks. The house also looked like I had been gone for three weeks. But I kind of missed it. Okay, I just said that because it sounded good. I did not miss cleaning the house.

But really, I loved my planning day. It made me think I should take one a few times a year to regroup!

How about you? Have you taken your day? What did you learn?

Group Preschool Activities: Things To Do In a Room Full of Little Kids (Besides Leave)

You may not think you need this post, but you do. We all do. Because one day, it’s going to happen. You’ll be watching your kids, and your neighbor will run to the grocery store, and your other neighbor will have a gallbladder attack, and, BOOM.

Before you know it, there are seventeen (or maybe five, but it feels like seventeen) rambunctious, bored, destructive four-year-olds playing hopscotch with your Tupperware.

And no one’s mom is coming for a looooong time.

What do you do?

Here are a few ideas to tuck away in your mental repertoire and pull out in an emergency situation. Like how you’d use a steel flashlight to break a car window when you fell in a pond.

Kind of like that.

Less dramatically, you could also incorporate these into a Sunday school routine, or a group preschool. But I like to make it sound more emergency than that. Cause that’s what I do. Without further ado:

1. Draw a story. Find a good, short book. Read it, with animation. Then give each child a fresh piece of paper and some art medium. Ask them which part of the story they’re going to draw. Be sure to praise them relentlessly.
2. Tea time. The key here is the build up, because it’s actually lame (I know…shocking, with such an exciting name.) Get small cups (non-sippy). Fill them with a little water and call everyone to the table. Inform them that you are having grown-up tea time. Have them sit up straight, call everyone “Mr. So-and-so,” and take turns asking each other questions. Give them the questions. Make them go around asking one another what they eat for breakfast, what show do they like to watch, what gift would they give their dad, etc. They think it’s a hoot. Also, you probably will, too. Most recently, one of my students told us her favorite animal was a hot dog.
3. Tell a story. Everyone wants to say, “Oh, I’m horrible at telling stories. I have no imagination.” Well, you’re in luck. It requires absolutely no talent to tell a story to a preschooler. You could literally use the least interesting thing that happened to you yesterday. Let’s say you saw someone spill their water on the floor. Or that a dog barked at you on a walk. Or you heard a loud airplane. Anything is entertaining, if you ask, “And then do you know what happened?” after every. single. detail. And if you act as thrilled as if you are telling your engagement story.
4. Make dough. Give everyone a bowl and a spoon. Give each some flour, then some water. Let them “cook.” Now, look. I would put this in the category of “last resort.” Will it be a terrible mess? Yes. Will everyone’s mother be slightly to very annoyed? Yes. But will all children remain safe and engaged for at least 20 minutes. Definitely.
5. Make soup. Related, but slightly cleaner. Get out a pot and large spoon for everyone. Begin to go through the house for “ingredients.” Sometimes you can get away with just a few, if they’re good. Actual real carrots and whole onions fit this category. And it doesn’t have to be real food. We’ve made golf ball and matchbox car soup for hours on end. Okay, it was probably 13 minutes. But in kid time, that’s significant.
6. Science Experiment. This is just a home run. They will literally think you are a genius. Which you are, if you can entertain, and inform, a herd of preschoolers for over fifteen minutes. And, the good news is that almost ANYTHING counts as a “science experiment.” Here are a few things that have counted as experiments, and elicited a roomful of amazed squeals and giggles: raisins floating in a glass of soda, a fan moving different objects, how many beans float a boat, baking soda and vinegar making bubbles. Easy, cheesy. Home run.
7. Stations. This is the most amazing one! It requires a little bit of prep work, but it pays dividends because it will occupy, and teach, a group of kids for a long time. What you need to do is scour your home for individual activities, the ones that you’ve probably been meaning to do with your child but haven’t in a while. Here are some examples:

• block puzzles
• alphabet matching game
• beads on a necklace
• stacking games
• block-type activities
• animal matching games
• any other game or activity suited for your child’s age

Give each child a project, and then have them switch after a few minutes. Two things are important. One, build it up. The first time we did this, I told the kids a story about a carnival, and how you take turns doing all the different activities. I said we were going to have our little carnival. Be sure you explain all the games before they start. Two, if the stations have lots of pieces, move the kids each time and not the stations. My mother-in-law, who is a former kindergarten teacher, suggested the “stations” routine, and I was just shocked at how well it worked!

So there are a few group activities we’ve been enjoying!