Winter Soups: Virtual Potluck Party Roundup

Daffodils are lifting their lovely heads. Trees are budding.  The sun is warming the earth and our spirits. In short, spring has sprung, so our virtual potluck party must end. 

Thanks for joining me each Tasty Tuesday as friends--old and new--gathered to share their recipes. As a party favor, here's a link to last summer's virtual potluck party with salads as well as a round up of all of the soups. 

Happy eating!

Valarie Lawson brought Nana's Potato Soup

Lisa Marotta brought Turkey Chocolate Chili 

Coleen Thornton brought Swiss Chard and Sorrel Soup

 Dee Dee Chumley brought Easy Chicken Chili

 Valarie Olson brought Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Ashley Riherd brought Wonton Soup

Mari Farthing brought French Onion Soup (and a quiche!)

Since I threw the party, I brought a couple of soups, too.

Easy Crockpot Chili

Tomato Soup

Thanks for coming to the party.  Don't be a stranger. Come back soon!

Winter Soups Virtual Potluck

Brrr.  

All I want to do is cozy up with a warm soup and a good book. 

To celebrate the wonder that is winter, I'm hosting a party. You're invited to join me every Tasty Tuesday through March for a virtual potluck.  If you joined me for the Summer Salad Virtual Potluck, then you'll reunite with a few friends. Plus, I'm so excited to introduce you to a couple more. You're going to love them.

They're all bringing soup!

This chilly weather calls for chili, and I have the perfect recipe. Easy chili. Crockpot chili.

You may have the ingredients in your pantry. Happy dance! We're having fun already.

With crinkled nose, my five-year-old insists the chili looks better in person.
Everyone's a critic.

My mom gave me a similar recipe years ago and through experimentation (okay, making mistakes and not paying attention to the recipe), I created this one.

Easy Crockpot Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, sliced
3 cans kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes
1-2 Tsp. chili powder
1 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tsp. salt

1.Brown the beef and onion. (I know.  This part is more work than I prefer.)

2.Place all ingredients in crockpot.

3. Everything is cooked, so the purpose it to allow it to ruminate.  2-3 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Magical Meal Combination:
My son, who doesn't like "spicy," declared his love for this chili if he has milk and cornbread to "cut the fire."  My daughter prefers crackers. Toss out some carrots or celery before the meal and everyone is happy.

Special Tricks:

• Grab a crockpot liner to make clean up as easy as possible. 
• Also, if you want a shortcut, you can brown the meat in the microwave and place the uncooked onion in the crockpot with the other ingredients, but browning them together tastes better.
• Use paper bowls to make clean up even easier.
• If it seems a little too soupy, lift the lid at the end of your cooking time and it will evaporate.  My house always needs more humidity this time of year anyway.

For the love of...food

I joined Oklahoma Women Bloggers this week in their blogging challenge, but yesterday's challenge was delayed because I'd been tagged in the Next Big Thing blog hop.  Check out what my next book is about here.

Friday's challenge was the love of food, so here's a little crockpot round up. 

If I make it, it's easy. 

Except for the time I tried Paula Deen's Lemon Blossoms aka lemon bombs, and that's not mentioned in our household, but you can read about it here. If you're brave, go ahead and try it as a dessert for any of the meals listed below.

I double-dog dare you.

Crockpot with Rich Gravy  Folks, there is no going wrong with this one. Four ingredients--one of them is water. 

Crockpot Potato Soup  Perfect to have in your cauldron as St. Patrick's Day approaches!

Crockpot Dressing  Try the original recipe and you can't go wrong. It frees up your oven so the people who can cook can use it.

Crockpot Southwest Chicken Chili  Everything is in your pantry or freezer for this one.  It's the perfect thing to prepare for easy entertaining or to take to a friend.

To make life even more pleasurable, don't forget those crockpot liners. 

Enjoy!

Decked the Halls and Done with December

I am tuckered out.

I am thrilled the holiday season is over.  Sure, the tree is still lit, but 2012 is OVER. The advent calendar is boxed up and my insane collection of popsicle sticks listing "fun" family activities is tucked away until next December.

If every member of the family hadn't raced through Kleenex boxes and hacking coughs, the season might have been a little merrier.  Sleep does that, I hear. By holly or by jolly, we managed to make some memories, though.

We watched Christmas movies and read special books.  We piled into the car in our pajamas and looked at lights.  We decorated our own house.  On a personal note, I enjoyed my annual Inklings Christmas tea with my writing buddies and ran/walked a 5k with my hubby and friends.

Here are some highlights:

Christmas Parade
My parents parked their truck at a prime location about two hours before the parade began. How awesome are they?! We showed up with McDonald's (don't judge me) and had a picnic right in the bed of their truck as we waited. The kids were joy incarnate.

School Christmas Program
The program is a testimony to the teachers' amazing creativity and patience.  Look at his cute Christmas tree shirt! Each child in that school wore a hand made shirt and sang carols.  Just thinking about the process gives me the urge to wash the inevitable paint out of my hair. Aside from the fact they're wonderful teachers who love our kids, I obviously love those ladies because they create Pinterest crafts with my boy...so I don't have to.

Gingerbread House
The grands all visited and--partially against their will--helped Max decorate his first gingerbread house.  My mom (we are so similar) came up with the idea of putting pins in the cookies to make the house stay together. Yeah, um, who needs icing? Let's place an emergency room visit in a baked good. Garrett's mom stuck with Max until the powdered sugar snow fell...everywhere. Grandma Celeste had the good sense to stay out of the mess and just laugh.

The Grands and Max with the gingerbread house

Visit Santa
I'd heard the North Pole can be a nightmare.

But I tried to prepare.

In the past, we visited Santa during the week. This year, the weekend was our only option. I called and asked when Santa arrived. She told me noon. Guess what? We drove the 45 minutes and showed up at 11:30 to wait in line.  Then we were assigned a ticket to return at 1 to wait in line again. We found out the jolly old elf had been accepting visiors since 9 AM.

I almost made the naughty list.

We gave the kids a lunch of cookies. We waited patiently to play with remote control cars.

We camped out at the North Pole until our appointment.  Alexandra even kept a bow in her hair just for the big guy. She was extremely excited to see him....until she wasn't.

In all the chaos of the season,  I managed to get out a few Christmas cards. They looked something like this:

The Barnetts--Keeping the happy in the holidays!

 I'm not sure who I sent the cards, though. I had a list, but then I found another list after they were mailed.  I had some cards left over and can't figure out who I missed. And I may have sent some twice. So, friends, Merry Christmas. You may remember the Christmas Card Picture Debacle of 2011.  I vow to be more organized in 2013.

Oh, who am I kidding?

Cookies for Santa
Max has never seen the movie that made this pose famous. He was simply excited.

 He couldn't wait for the guy to come down the chimney.


Alexandra, on the other hand, was asleep before we set out the fudge and strawberry cookies.

Christmas Day
We hosted 34 family members on Christmas day.  Yes. You read that correctly.  It was a wonderful combination of family from all sides.

 

I made the dressing I mentioned here. The next day,  I found missing ingredients in the fridge *head thunk*... so I made another tastier batch.   Volunteers contributed to the meal. Because I crave organization and To make the drop-off easier, I even made name tags for everyone to place their food.  This was Garrett's idea of joke:

Throw a Snowball
The next day it snowed enough to delight a preschooler.

 
Happy New Year!
The four of us rang in 2013 with champagne and sparkling apple juice, silly hats and noisemakers...at 7:30 PM. 

I mean, really, it's lucky we lasted that long.

Tasty Tuesday: Crockpot Dressing

Holiday feasts are just regular ol' meals to me without cornbread dressing.

The females in my family have a sick sense of humor. Once, when I was young enough to not be expected to help in the kitchen, I ran in and asked if the dressing was ready yet.  They exchanged glances and my mother looked me square in the eye. "Nope. We decided not to make any this year."

I tried to be tough, but I couldn't stop the tears.  They were laughing so hard it took them a moment to recognize my heartbreak. Then,  because they're not entirely evil, someone opened the oven to let me peek and smell one of the several dressings they'd prepared.  It wasn't uncommon to have three or four. Some family members liked oysters, some didn't, some liked onions, some didn't.

I liked them all.

Now that I help with the cooking I've realized the tremendous effort required to juggle all of the holiday dishes with one oven.  So, when my mother's friend gave her a crock pot recipe for dressing, I've cherished it ever since.

This recipe has more steps than the others I've posted, but it's dressing... in a crockpot.

We've made several adjustments over the years. Feel free to do the same.

DELICIOUS CROCK POT DRESSING

8 inch pan cornbread, crumbled
Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing  
1/2 Cup celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons sage (Note: I prefer a big handful. The original recipe called for 1 T.)
1/2 Tablespoon black pepper
4 eggs, beaten
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans chicken broth  (or home made)

• Saute celery and onion. 
• Pour all ingredients into crock pot. 
• Dot top with butter. 
• Cook on low for 4 hours. If it doesn't seem brown enough at the end of time, lift lid and continue to cook. It will brown.I usually leave the lid off for a good half hour or so.

Adjustment 1: We like to mix the dry ingredients the day before so the flavors have time to combine, but it is still delicious if you don't plan ahead.

Adjustment 2: Make your own chicken broth and add chicken to the dressing. Here's how we do it:

• In a pot, place cut up onions, celery and 4-5 chicken thighs. 
• Put just enough water to cover it. 
• Once it boils, turn it to simmer until tender. 
• Use fork to see if meat pulls off easily.
• Cool broth and chicken at room temperature.  
• Pull meat off bone. Chop or pull into edible pieces. 
• Mix meat in with other ingredients.(Dry chicken before adding, or it will make the dressing too moist.)
• Measure your homemade broth to substitute for the two cans of chicken broth. 

Adjustment 3: If you'd prefer to avoid the crock pot--hey, who am I to judge?--simply place in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until brown.

Let me know how you like it!

Tasty Tuesday: Southwest Chicken Chili

Tired of rich, savory holiday foods?  Add a little spice to your life and check out this chicken chili recipe!

The last time I made the chili was Halloween, so the skull and crossbones is not a commentary on the contents of the bowl.

The ingredients can be kept on hand at all times, so it's easy to whip up for gatherings.  Each year, we have a chili cook off family reunion and...ahem...I bring home an empty container. It's also a snap to take to a potluck soup and salad dinner. When hosting a group at my home I like to bring this out because it's all done beforehand and I can enjoy my guests. We've even served it on Christmas Eve to have something super easy for a bunch of people that tastes completely different from the big Christmas meal.

Southwest Chicken Chili
2 cans kidney beans--rinsed
3 cans pinto beans--rinsed
1 can corn
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1 pkg taco seasoning
3/4 bag of frozen fajita pre-cooked chicken (you can also use leftover chicken breast or rotisserie chicken)


1.  Nuke the frozen chicken in the microwave about a minute so that you can break it into chunks.
2. Rinse and put the beans in first.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Cook on low six or more hours so the flavors mix.

Everything is already cooked. You're just warming it up. 

Complete Magical Meal Suggestion
I'm not above setting out the premade Wholly Guacamole and a container of sour creme to add dollops of flavor. However, if you have a little prep time, create a variety of add-ons for your guests with lime slices, shredded cheese, sour creme, and avocado slices. Add cornbread or tortilla chips.  Lemonade, margaritas, and other fruity drinks are good. Add a brownie since it's the little black dress of desserts. If you simply have water or tea, lemon bars, lemon cookies, or key lime pie finish off the meal nicely.
Enjoy!

Giving credit: I revised this chili from a delicious beef taco recipe my friend Ange gave me.

Tasty Tuesday: Crockpot Round Steak with Rich Gravy

Prepare yourself. 

This meal is one of my absolute favorites.  When you serve this home cooked, feel good meal, people will think you know your way around a kitchen. In reality, all you'll need to locate are the crockpot and can opener.

But that'll be our little secret. Shhh!

Four ingredients. Seriously.

Round Steak with Rich Gravy
2 1/2 pounds of round steak
1 can Golden Mushroom soup
1 packet onion soup
1/4 cup water

Place meat in bottom of crockpot. Pour in remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you cook it longer, the meat will fall to pieces--which can be really yummy on a baked potato.

Complete Magical Meal Suggestion
This meal is delicious with country green beans and mashed potatoes. Since made-from-scratch potatoes require more effort than I usually have time for, we bake sweet potatoes in the microwave.  Add green beans, corn on the cob, and a roll, and you have a meal that looks and tastes like you spent the entire day in the kitchen.

 Newlyweds, this one will impress your in-laws.

Giving credit where credit is due: My mother "held this recipe close to her heart for years." Her words.  She doesn't know where she found it, but you will be grateful she did when you try it yourself.

Tasty Tuesday: Crockpot Potato Soup Magic

The weather is crisp. Bring on the comfort foods!

We need 'em. When the front porch light turned off after the last trick-or-treater, the official holiday mania began.  Plus, you know, there's that little election tonight. So, over the next few weeks, I will share some of my easiest and most favorite crockpot meals.

It's my little gift to you.

See those sparkles on the rim of the bowl? That's not light. That's magic.

I adjusted the recipe found here and added some ingredients to create this comforting potato soup. It is yummy magical goodness in a crockpot.

Crockpot Potato Soup Magic
1 30 oz bag of hashbrowns
1 32 oz box of chicken broth (or three 14 oz.cans)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 of an onion, chopped
chop up some cooked ham
chop up some carrots
1/3 tsp. pepper ( I added way more than it called for because I had so much fun with my pepper grinder. I just did it until it looked kind of polka-dotted cool which made it pretty spicy.)

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. or 8 hours. Whenever you get home is fine.

*****An hour before you serve, stir in 8 oz. of cream cheese.

Garnish with whatever tasty delights you prefer.

Complete Magical Meal Suggestion
Even though the carrots and ham add a little something to chew on, crackers add a nice crunch. You can always throw in a salad or a grilled cheese sandwich. Fresh fruit on the side adds sweetness and color.

Enjoy!


If you missed the first Tasty Tuesday, check out the recipe for Pinterest Chicken.
Click here for Tiffany's Chicken.

Friday Favorite: Crock Pot Girls

Culinary facts about me:

• I'm not a chef.  Yes, I like to entertain and I love food. I'd just prefer to decorate than cook.
• I loathe cook books. I'm completely incapable of imagining what a recipe will taste like by reading it. Cook books clutter my life. I much prefer to enjoy something, ask for the recipe and place it in my three-ring binder of faves.
• I love my crock pot. It's easy. It makes delicious food.  'Nough said.

The Crock Pot Girls: Allyson, Jenna, and Nicole

On August 11, 2011, a trio of friends started a Facebook page where people post their favorite crock pot recipes. In those few weeks, over 330, 000 people have "liked" it.

Can you say phenomenon?

The creators have now started a website called Crock Pot Girls.

I am downright giddy with excitement.  Thank you, ladies, for providing a community of recipe swappers after my own heart!

Anyone else see a book deal in their future?