Winter Salad

 

Does anyone else already miss summer fruit? Berry prices seemed to have skyrocketed lately and I miss them. However, this winter fruit salad has become a great alternative to summer fruit.

 

I use 50/50 salad blend, persimmons, pomegranate arils, and pumpkin seeds. I've also put in sliced cranberries for some tartness. If you've never had a persimmon: they are delicious! They have the sweetness of a papaya and the texture of a pear.

Adult Chicken and Stars Soup

The flu hit our house hard over the past weekend. I got the brunt of it Friday and Saturday, however Bryan is still struggling. When he got home from skiing yesterday afternoon, I was seriously considering taking him to the hospital. He made it through, and I like to think it was my Chicken and Stars soup that helped.

I remember Chicken and Stars as being a treat for when you were really sick. I had all the ingredients on hand, so I decided to make an adult version of a child hood favorite!

Here's what you'll need:

• 16 oz chicken stock
• 8 oz beef stock (because I didn't have enough chicken stock)
• 3 chicken breasts shredded
• 1 medium white onion
• minced garlic
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup canned corn kernels
• Stelline pasta

First, in order to get the best shredded chicken, I like to boil mine for about 30 minutes or until cooked through.

While the chicken cooks, I boil my broth with onions, garlic, carrots, corn, and seasonings. I seasoned my soup with salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and cayenne powder.

Once the chicken has boiled, shred the meat with two forks, and add to the broth.

Add the pasta to the broth and allow to cook for the time indicated.

A delicious and adult version of a childhood favorite to help ward off any colds and flus!

Guinness Chili

Have you missed me? I've been in the process of moving. I don't like moving, it's a lot of work. However, I am excited to begin this new chapter of my life.

Anyway, when fighting a cold, I only crave two things: soup and juice. I love chili because it is hearty and can be made quickly.

First, brown the ground beef.

While the beef is browning, add diced onions and garlic to the pan, seasoning the beef.

Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, white kidney beans, and tomato paste to the crock pot. Season with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper.

Pour 11 ounces of Guinness to the pot and pour the rest in a glass for yourself.

Mix in the beef, onions, and garlic.

For spice I added diced dried pasilla pepper and one diced habanero pepper. Like I mentioned, I currently cannot taste anything that doesn't have spice.

I let mine simmer in the crock pot for a little over two hours, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!

Root Vegetable Soup

My neighbors graciously gave me some rutabagas and beets before they left for Paris on Saturday. I'm pretty sure their trip trumps my root vegetable soup, but I'll take what I can get. I had never cooked with rutabagas before, so I was hesitant of the soup, but look at that color! It's gorgeous!

I roasted diced onions, sweet potatoes, beets, rutabagas, carrots, garlic and pasilla peppers at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. I seasoned the veggies with salt, pepper, and cayenne before roasting.

In small batches I blended the roasted veggies with milk and vegetable stock, until smooth.

I let the soup simmer for a while to let the flavors blend more.

All served up and delicious! I was surprised at how well the soup turned out and will defidently be making it again!

Chicken and Dumplings

I love comfort foods, especially on a cold day. There is nothing better than a warm meal on a cold day. I have been dying to make this recipe ever since I saw it in Real Simple's Fall/ Winter Recipe edition. I of course had to modify it, because well that's who I am, and I wanted to use fresh veggies instead of frozen. Also I wanted to use semi-homemade biscuits instead of refrigerated.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/2 pound celery, diced
• 2 whole onions, diced
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1  1/4 cup water
• 2 lbs chicken, cooked and diced
• 3 tablesppons butter
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 4 cups Bisquick
• 1 1/2 cup milk

First, saute your carrots, celery, and onions in butter until they are semi-soft. They will become softer during the cooking process in the oven.

Mix the veggies, cream of mushroom soup, seasonings and water in a bowl and transfer to an oven safe dish. Covered with foil, cook for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

While the mixture is cooking, mix the biscuits. Mix the bisquik and milk in a bowl.

After 15 minutes, pull the mixture and remove the foil. I scooped the biscuit mix using an ice cream scooper. Cook for an additional 15 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Ready to serve!

Enjoy!