Holy jalapeño! I love a delicious bowl of chili with a kick. Did you know that you can turn down the heat in the pot by adding sugar? Or if you take a bite of chili that's got a chunk of hot pepper, you can drop sugar on your tongue to tame the burn? If you're make this chili for littler people with more sensitive palates, you could use a milder pepper like poblano, … [Read more...]
Broccoli Cheese Soup
This homemade Broccoli Cheese Soup is going to knock your socks off. I'm not going to lie. I couldn't stop eating this soup. I had it for dinner. For lunch again. And pretty much anytime I was hungry until it was gone. And then I might have shed a tear. You're not going to want to skimp on the calories with this one. You need to use the cream. And all the cheese. It … [Read more...]
Zesty Black Bean Soup
Here is an oldie, but goodie. A few years back, I fell in love with the black bean soup from Panera. We'd eaten there a few times with family over the holidays and I kept getting the black bean soup with a side salad. I loved the consistency, the warmth, but it lacked ZEST. I *big puffy heart* Panera. I do. But I prefer a little zest in my black bean … [Read more...]
Organics Meal Plan! 10 Organic Meals for $100, Using Organic Ingredients from Costco
Are you a home chef trying to feed your family organic meals...without burning a hole in your wallet? What if I gave you a tool to make 10 Freezer-Friendly Organic Dinners (4 servings each!) for $102...that you can have in the freezer in less than 1 hour, hands on time? Let me introduce you to my new organics meal plan… Hey hi my fellow home chef who is trying to … [Read more...]
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
I love a great bowl of chicken noodle soup. And not just when I'm not feeling well. (Although, it certainly does make me feel better when I'm under the weather.) Now that we're coming up on the winter months, I'll be getting a 'stash' of onions, celery and carrots into the freezer so that I'll have them handy when I need to make another round of this delicious-wonder-pot. … [Read more...]
Dutch Oven Beef Stew
I prefer to make stew in the slow cooker. The slow cooker does a wonderful job of softening the meat as it slow cooks. BUT. There are just some mornings when I don't have my act together and I can't get the slow cooker going...at the same time as packing 4 lunches and getting my little circus of testosterone out the door on time. I end up making stew in the Dutch oven … [Read more...]
Chicken & Dumplings
Can we talk about the word dumplings for a second? Why dumplings? I mean I get it...you're dumping in a dollop of dough into a bubbling pot of soup. But the 'dump' part of that has a bit of a negative ring to it. I'm thinking that these guys are having a branding crisis and need to be 'rebranded' to DARLINGS. Don't you agree??? DARLINGS, not dumplings. Because … [Read more...]
Chicken Enchilada Chili
I really don't like to call any particular meal a 'favorite' because I just love all food. Well, most foods. But if I had a list of absolute favorites, this would rank in the top 10 for sure. Likely the top 5. But definitely the top 10. I love it because it's so budget friendly. It's so tasty. It's so filling (this is crucial criteria when you are feeding 4 hungry boys!). … [Read more...]
Negra Modelo Black Bean and Beef Soup
Remember last week how I told you that the white wine combined with the beef stock makes for a much richer and flavorful French Onion Soup? Well, this week we're turning to beer...specifically Negra Modelo beer. You don't need much and can absolutely substitute with beef broth. BUT...just like the French Onion Soup, the beer brings up the flavors and makes for a … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Chili Mac
This is one of our favorite meals. All the kids enjoy it...and I love that I can make a big batch and freezer ahead too. AND...it's a slow cooker meal. I need you to read the recipe closely so you get the pasta in at the right time. Do NOT add the pasta in at the beginning when slow cooking. It will literally turn into a pile of mush. (Ick.) So...read on, learn how to … [Read more...]