Cream of Mushroom Soup

Tonight is soup night. When the weather turns chilly and the leaves start drifting down quietly from the trees...when the wind blows a little colder, the sun sets a little earlier, the light is more golden, the acrid smell of burning wood melds with the sweet smell of damp leaves... it's fall. And fall means Thursday soup nights, my son's favorites.

This was actually, despite my deep love of mushrooms, my first attempt at cream of mushroom soup. No resource altered or guidance used. This is 100% me.

Ok, I know, the picture is terrible. My camera's battery decided to die right as I was being a genius, and ye old smart phone has only 8 megapixels. My bad. 

This is in no way, shape, or form fat free. It is lower in fat that the crap in the can and much yummier. 

Start with a bunch of different kinds of mushrooms. I used something like close to 2 pounds. 

See, mushroom-a-holic. 

I used Oyster, button, crimini and shittake. These were what was available at the local produce market. It's not mushroom season till March, so I make do.

You will also need:

1/2 and 1/2

Chicken stock or Better than Bouillon

Onion

Celery

Carrot

Garlic

Bay Leaf

Rosemary

Salt and Pepper

Butter

White wine

Milk 

Cut the onions into tiny bits, shred the carrots, chop the celery, rough chop the garlic, rough chop the mushrooms. 

Melt 2 Tbs of butter into the bottom of your stock pot (10 qt) on medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add carrot and celery and cook for a few minutes. Add mushrooms mix gently so butter coats them. Add 1/2 c white wine, 4 cups of chicken stock, and 2 c milk. Add 1/2t rosemary and  2 bay leaves, Reduce heat to medium and watch carefully so the milk doesn't separate. Add 1 quart of 1/2 and 1/2. Heat through. Salt as needed (I used a lot). Soup should fill the stock pot about 3/4. 

Serve warm with bread and butter or a salad. 

And that's it. Super easy. Moderately healthy. Deliciously yummy. 

Boneless Fried Chicken, Corn Casserole, and Mashed Potatoes

Today was a comfort food day. I'd been hungry for good, deep fried, rib-stickin' yumminess for a couple of days and finally after much pestering from the 12-year-old, I gave.

It was all his fault. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Let's start with the corn casserole. It will take the longest to make. Yes I know, it is tempting to jump into the chicken part because... mmmm... who can resist fried chicken? (Other than veggie people?)
But we must do this in order to make it come out on time and hot, right?

Stop grumbling at me and just listen. Yes you could snack on the chicken while you make the rest but then not only will you jot have enough to feed the masses but it'll be all soggy and cold by the time you're done.

Ok. See. I told you.

Onward to corn casserole. You will need a stick of butter, a can of corn, a can of creamed corn, a box of cornbread mix, a tub of sour cream, and 2 eggs.

Melt the butter and dump into and 8x8 or 9x13 pan.

Mix corn bread mix with creamed corn, corn, 1/2 tub (8oz) sour cream, eggs and mix. Pour into pan.

Throw into oven at 350 for about an hour. 

Now would be a good time to chop your taters for mashed potatoes. I generally use 2 potatoes per person as we are mashed tater-aholics. Boil them in water infused with chicken bouillon, 1 tbs butter and a couple of garlic cloves.

Now you can start on the chicken.

Start your oil heating up. Or Crisco. Crisco is even better. If you have some bacon grease, mmmmmm.

Ok. So I have this weird thing about chicken. I can't deal with veins, dark meat, tiny bones and tendons. I grosses me out. I buy boneless breasts in giant bags at Costco. They are clean and require nothing but a tiny bit of trimming and de-thawing.

This recipe requires boneless chicken breasts, about 4 large ones, into 1-2" sized pieces.

You will also need two additional containers. One with 2 eggs slightly beaten, and one with 1c flour, 1/4 c bread crumbs, 1/4 c cornmeal, pinch of salt and pepper, dash of garlic, dash of chili powder.

Dredge the chicken first in the egg.

Then through the flour mix.

The into the pan with HOT liquid cooking lubricant.

Cook each 4-5 mins per side. Wait until the oil reheats between batches, you want it hot to get crispy chicken. Set the finished pieces onto a plate lined in paper towels or a cloth towel you don't mind being dedicated for this particular task. 

Drain the potatoes as soon as they are done, or keep the liquid and freeze for things like soup or bread. 

Squish them with some milk and butter and a pinch of salt. 

Check on corn casserole. Throw in next batch of chicken.

You chicken should be done about the same time as the casserole. Take it out and let it sit for a few minutes. 

Dinner is done. Proceed to serve to the masses.

Fried Chicken

1c flour

1/4 corn meal

1/4c bread crumbs

1Tbs garlic

pinch of salt and pepper

4 large chicken breasts

2 eggs

1 bar of crisco or vegetable oil for frying.

Heat oil or crisco in heavy skillet. Mix dry ingredients. Cut up chicken into 1-2" pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Beat egg slightly. Dredge chicken in egg then coat in flour mix. Fry 4-5 mins on each side until cooked thoroughly and brown. Drain. While warm, sprinkle again with a little salt or seasoned salt. 

Corn Casserole

1 box corn muffin mix

1 can creamed corn

1can kernel corn

1 stick butter

8 oz sour cream

2 eggs

Melt butter in bottom of 8x8 or 9x13 pan. Mix rest of ingredients together and spread evenly in pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hr for 8x8, 35-40 mins 9x13.

Mashed Potatoes

2 potatoes per adult. 1 per child, cut into chunks

3 Tbs butter

3 teaspoons chicken better than bouillon or 2 cubes of bouillon

4-5 cloves of garlic

1c milk

Boil potatoes in water with bouillon, 1 tbs butter and garlic. Drain. Heat butter and milk. Mash potatoes. Add milk and butter and mash some more. 

White Bean Sweet Potato Chili

As I sit here eating chili cheese tots with the leftover chili form last night, it dawned on me that maybe I should share.

It's the end of the month and that means the pantry and frig are looking a little...well let's just say I can actually see the shelves in the frig and pantry k?

It is rainy and cold. Good night for chili right?

Crap. I have only white beans. Ooooh. I have sweet potatoes too... hmmmm.

Well, that wouldn't be too bad. Let's make a chili that has both. Warm and yummy and hearty. Perfect for a cold night.

Doesn't that look yummy?

Don't lie, you know it does.

If you don't like sweet potatoes, you've never had them this way. They add just a tiny, infinitesimal hint of sweetness. Awesome if you like your chili spiceh, spiceh, spiceh.

Channeling my inner donkey. Sorry.

To start off with you need one whole onion. Chop it into bits.

Wait, scratch that. Spices. You need spices. 

I was out of powdered cumin and coriander but I had seeds which are a million times better anyway, jsut take and extra step.

Warm up a ginormous pot with a little olive oil in the bottom. 

Get out your handy dandy spice squisher. (Also known as a mortar and pestle.)

If you do not have a squisher, then a rolling pin works to a the meat pounder (tenderizer).

Pound or squish until seeds are cracked. Like this.

See. Happy seeds. They are gonna be even happier when you throw them in hot, smoldering oil where they will fry their tooshies off. And get all smelly and yummy.

While they are getting happy, chop the onion. Chop a bell pepper up too.

Toss the onion in the pot with the now orgasmically happy seeds.

When onions are translucent-ish, toss in pepper too.

While they are getting happy together, chop you sweet potatoes in chunks.

See? Chunks. Now you know the difference between chunks and bits. These are little chunks because my stove is retarded. It doesn't like ginormous pans of anything let alone thick liquid. 

Stupid stove.

*dreams of a gas viking*

...

...

...

Also de-thaw your beans if in freezer as mine were. If you are using a can, drain and rinse the beans. 

No, the bean juice is NOT extra flavoring. Yuck.

You might also want to get out the bouillon, or in my case, Better than Bouillon. 

Trust me, it's better. 

This is a vegetarian base, so we use the veggie kind. Feel free to use chicken if you don't have veggie people in your house. No beef. This is not a beefy kinda meal. Use the beef in red chili.

Oh? Where to find it? Well here, Costco carries it in multiple flavors and so do our local grocery stores (Winco and Fred Meyer). I am sure you can find it in your local grocer. If not, the specialty stores like Whole Foods, etc probably have it.

It's worth it, trust me. Have I led you astray yet?

See, my point exactly.

Prepare your broth according to the box/jar directions. 

Throw some more spices in the pot. Garlic. Check.

Chili powder. check

White Pepper. Check.

Salt. Check.

I use about 1Tbs of each except the salt. Only about 1-2 tsp to taste. I add the salt after the liquid so I know how much I need. 

Let the new spices get happy with everything else for a minute or 2.

Pour a small amount of liquid in and "deglaze" the pot to get all the goodness off the bottom.

Now toss in everything else. 

Stop playing basketball with the potatoes.

Poor Potatoes.

That's potato abuse.

Place them in the pot with the beans and liquid. If you want chicken, add that in now too. It needs to be pre-cooked though. (cut into strips or chunks and saute in olive oil on medium heat until cooked through. Make sure you salt and pepper it before you cook it.)

Turn heat to medium and simmer till everything gets all happy together. I usually give it 30 mins or so.

Go have an amaretto sour while your waiting. Pop in a movie. Play on Pinterest. Do some laundry. Whatever.

Tonight I watched the Smurfs with the kids in between stages of dinner. 

When the smell drags you to the kitchen and your mouth is watering as you float toward the smell like Sylvester the cat...

Throw in some corn if you like that. I love corn in chili. MMMMMMM

Chop some cilantro.

Get out the sour cream.

And the bowls.

Taste one more time for necessary saltiness.

And serve. 

I nuked some chicken nuggets and chopped them up and put on top. It was actually pretty good. Feel free to add chicken strips or chunks into the chili. I won't be offended.

Easy as pie (and pie isn't easy always). Ok easy as...a boxed dinner but with fresh ingredients.

Enjoy!