From Soup to Cards...Using It!

 

There's something really satisfying about using what you've got and making it work.

Last week, I had a craving for Panera's Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. My husband loves this one, too. I had some leftover rotisserie chicken breast and decided to make it myself. I'm sure you could figure this one out on your own, but if you need tips, here's how I made mine!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

You will need the following ingredients:

Rotisserie chicken breast

Long grain and wild rice mix

carrots, celery, onion, garlic

canned mushroom slices

Chicken broth

butter and flour

half and half or heavy cream

herbs (bay leaf, parsley, thyme, etc) and seasonings

In a small pot, make one cup of wild rice according to package directions.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté the following in 1-2 T. olive oil:

One chopped onion

One cup chopped carrots

One cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic

When these are softened, scoot them over a bit and put one tablespoon butter in pan. Add 2-3 tablespoons of flour to this butter until it gets bubbly, then stir it up with the veggies. Next, add a 32 oz. carton of chicken broth and diced or shredded chicken. I also added a drained can of sliced mushrooms. Let this simmer a while. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs. When rice is fully cooked, add it to the soup pot. Next, add one cup of heavy cream or half and half. If it seems too thick as it cooks down, you can add more chicken broth. (I usually add another cup of water with a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon). Let it cook until it gets to the consistency you like, then ladle into soup bowls and serve with a nice yummy bread.

Who needs Panera when you can make it at home...for a lot cheaper!

I made another snowman card yesterday that came together so fast! The reason?

I already had all of the elements cut and colored and ready for assembly!

I like to keep little die cut elements in pockets to use later on. If you are going to make a pass in the Big Shot with a snowflake, why not make a dozen instead? And those wavy banner sentiments from Mama Elephant are so fun and super quick to use.

{Today's Brew: My Snowman stamps and dies (Hello Bluebird), Falling Snow background stamp (HB), Wavy Banner sentiments (Mama Elephant), Simple Stories Winter Wonders papers and sparkly enamel dot, Lawn Fawn stitched snowflake dies and wavy winter hills die}

Using it...feels so good!