Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

...and ironically, also strikingly beautiful. This week has certainly been a chilly one, and we are so thankful to have a warm home and a stocked pantry!










Our mailman called me yesterday morning to explain that he has been unable to get to our house for two days, so there is some mail waiting for me at the post office!

And I promised soup- one of my fastest growing favorites.

Ahh, soup. Inexpensive, easy to stretch, quick to make, and hearty. It warms cold bones after they shake off the knee-deep snow from the wood and corn hauling expeditions. Or so my sweet husband tells me.

Today I want to share two of my favorite recipes. They are nothing extraordinary, rather, they are quite ordinary and easy to make. I have to apologize for my lack of pictures of the chicken and rice soup. For whatever reason, my cameras batteries were staging a coup throughout it's construction.

Chicken and Rice Soup

Carrots (2-4)

Celery (2 stalks)

1 medium onion

Chicken broth (4 cups)

Chicken or turkey (cooked, shredded or cubed)

2 cans of cream soup (like cream of chicken, cream of celery)

Rice (cooked, around 3-4 cups or whatever you have on hand)

This recipe, like the other I will share, is extremely forgiving. If you only have one carrot? That's fine! If you want to use 5? Go ahead! If you have no chicken broth, but can make some with chicken bullion cubes, that works perfectly fine. Trust me, as you make this, you will see how forgiving it is. If it looks too dry when you add the rice, add more water or broth. Play with it until it has the consistency you like. Also! This is an enormous batch- enough for many meals for my family. So, cut it down if you don't have a large pot to throw it in, or better yet, freeze leftovers.

OK, for the instructions:

Dice carrots, onions, celery. Throw in a large pot with a bit of oil or butter. You want to cook them until the celery is soft, and the onions are a pretty brown color. Don't overdo it, keep a good eye on them. Then, toss in your chicken or turkey to warm up and brown a bit. Add your chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Add your two cans of creamed soup, and return to a simmer. When that happens, throw your rice in (this can be cold from the fridge or just-made warm). This will thicken your soup and make it oh-so wonderful. Salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Creamy Potato Chowder

Carrots

Celery (about two stalks)

1 medium onion (I see a trend!)

Cubed ham, or cooked bacon, or cooked sausage

2 cups Corn

4 baking potatoes

4 cups milk (rice milk works well in this recipe, too)

Dice and cube the carrots, celery and onion. Put in a large pot with a bit of butter or oil, to soften onions and celery. Add meat and stir a bit. Then, throw in the corn. I used frozen here, so wanted to just make sure it was warmed up. For this recipe, I also cubed and boiled the potatoes until just barely soft. You could just cook them in the soup, if you would like, just plan on eating later (like 40 minutes or so). Add the potatoes to the rest of the vegetable mixture, and then pour milk in.

Bring to a simmer and let cook about 15 minutes. The potatoes and carrots should be soft enough to easily break with a fork. Salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Serve with toast...mmm!

Both of these recipes reheat very well from the refrigerator. and we will often eat it for dinner one night, and then lunch for a few days following that.

I love how these are easy to remember and forgiving with the ingredients (I need that, since I can't just run to the store for that extra celery stalk!)

What soup recipes do you love?