I love to make soup in the winter. The house smells so good and the soup warms us up!
Creamy chicken wild rice soup – crockpot
½ C uncooked wild rice
½ C uncooked basmati rice
1-½ lbs. chicken breast
1 C onion, diced
1 C carrot, diced
¾ C celery, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 bay leaves (depending on strength)
6 C low sodium chicken broth
2 C water
1 TBS Italian seasoning
1-½ tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
5 TBS butter
½ C all purpose flour
2 C whole milk
Rinse rice under running water. In a 5-½ qt. slow cooker, place uncooked rice, chicken breast, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, chicken broth, water, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. Remove chicken from pot during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Allow to cool slightly, then shred with two forks.
Add chicken back to slow cooker and continue cooking vegetables through. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and cook for one minute. Whisk mixture slowly while adding milk, whisking to remove all lumps and until sauce has thickened and become creamy.
Add this sauce to slow cooker, stirring to combine. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Let sit 5 minutes before serving. Soup will thicken as it stands.
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Cheesy bread
1 Italian-style roll (6 in.)
1 TBS butter, melted
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
Cut roll in half lengthwise. Combine butter, garlic and cheese; spread on cut sides of roll. Broil 4 in. from heat for 2-3 minutes, or microwave on high for 20-30 seconds, or until cheese melts. Yield: 2 servings.
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Chocolate turtle poke cake
1 (15.25 oz.) pkg. chocolate cake mix, prepared according to package instructions
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Caramel Flavored Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 (16 oz.) can store-bought chocolate frosting
1 C chopped pecans
1/2 C mini chocolate chips
store-bought caramel syrup for drizzling on top of cake
Bake cake according to package instructions. Let cool for 10 minutes. Punch holes in top of cake using handle of a wooden spoon. Pour can of Eagle Brand Caramel Flavored Sweetened Condensed Milk over top of cake. Spread to make sure it gets into all holes. Put cake in refrigerator for 1 hour. Frost cake with chocolate frosting. Add nuts and chocolate chips on top. Drizzle with caramel syrup. Slice and serve. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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Thought – Never sing in the shower. Singing leads to dancing, dancing leads to slipping, and slipping leads to paramedics seeing you naked. So remember don’t sing.
If you would like to share a recipe with me, just send it to the J-T or email it to me.
(Melanie Behrens – melb@marysvillejt.com)