Soups & Salads

If you live in Texas you are very familiar with tortilla soup. It is on every Tex-Mex restaurant menu and there are many, many different versions. I have one version already on the blog, but this one is by far my boys FAVORITE. It is thick, creamy and perfectly balanced with spice.

My oldest son is in college and living in an apartment and has realized that eating fast food everyday gets old real fast so when he was home over break we made him about 10 freezable meals. One of the freezable dishes was this tortilla soup. He said he and his roommates plowed through the soup first and all said it was the best tortilla soup they have ever had! WOW! If you have boys you understand how big that is. Boy are not big “soup” eaters so for them to say it was the best and could I please make more…. big deal!

This recipe […]

Well it was a very different Thanksgiving, but I have to say it was kinda nice. I missed the big family, but it was very special to have just my little family of 5. With all our boys away at school I treasure every minute with them. Plus clean up was a breeze!!! Did y’all notice that? I mean 5 plates, 5 napkins, 5 glasses…. It took us about 20 minutes to clean the whole kitchen!!

Since there were only 5 of us we did have a lot of leftovers and we are not big leftovers people so I had to find a way to use them instead of just putting them in the freezer which means I just toss in the trash in 3 months. I first made Turkey Noodle Soup then I made Turkey Tetrazzini then I still had leftover turkey so I made a SALAD! I much needed SALAD! I love the R&D restaurant salad, but I do hate […]

If you are looking for an EASY, QUICK, dinner/lunch this is it! Easy Chicken Pozole Verde is so delicious and perfect during the cold winter or the hot summer.  It is a bit tangy with a tiny bit of heat (you can always add more) and it is filling and comforting. Its just so good!

I have dumbed this recipe down so it can literally be made in about 20 minutes and I promise you will not know it did not take all day to make. Sometimes, most of the time, I just don’t have all day to make soup.

You know I looked and looked for years for a good, quick pozole and every recipe I came across had me making the tomatillo sauce from scratch, which is fabulous, but why waste all that time?  Plus finding tomatillos can be hard sometimes. They are the green looking tomatoes that have thin husk on them.  I am sure you have seen them in the grocery and wondered, “what the heck am I to do with those?”. […]

This time of year I am gung ho to cook healthy for me and my family, but I am exhausted from the holidays.  January is just the month of rest not the month of exercise plans and planners, in my opinion.  I need EASY recipes that they will eat. So…here is a super easy one for you.  Now, if you live in Texas or the South the weather has been GORGEOUS and it seems like we should be eating spring salads, but its still January so soups and stews are on the menu.  And if you are like my sister and in-laws who live in the Northeast, god bless you and you need this recipe more than all of us! It is hearty, filling, healthy and I swear your kids will eat it because it has a ham hock in it so it makes it very savory and rich.

I am not a huge slower cooker fan only because the meat tends to be dry and bland when it comes time to serve, but I […]

Is it cold where you are? I am so sorry if it is, but it ain’t in Texas, woohoo! It is gorgeous today and I am loving it!  I have the doors open, the music playing and I am in the kitchen. Even though it is sunny and 65 degrees I am still wanting soup because it is December and that is what you are supposed make, right? Well, luckily when I asked my son what he wanted for dinner and he said Broccoli Cheese Soup. Which works out great because I happen to have cream, broccoli and cheese left over from the holiday, so here it is…

If you like Panera’s Broccoli Cheese Soup then you will love this! I put a lot of broccoli in this recipe because A) I like broccoli and B) it is Broccoli Cheese Soup. Oh and I put a lot of cheese in this recipe also, because the name says you have to, duh.  A note about cheese for soups- grate your own off the big block. Don’t […]

If you have never been to Miraval Spa in Arizona you must put it on your list of places to visit.  It is fabulous and every time I go I say I am going to come back sooner rather than later or stay longer the next time, but life gets in the way. I normally go with girlfriends, but the last time I went it was just me and my husband and it was wonderful!  It was a much needed couple days of quiet, rest, eating well and focus.

One of the things I like most about Miraval is the food.  It is healthy and delicious, but most of the recipes are very complicated or time consuming and as you know I don’t like those kind of recipes. I am most happy to eat them if a chef prepares them for me, but I just don’t have the time or inclination to spend 2 hours on one dish. So, when I came across this recipe for their amazing Vegetarian Chili and it seemed pretty easy […]

Cool weather is FINALLY here in Texas and it is fabulous!  The weather in Texas is amazing about 9 months of the year, but I tell ya the summers are hard and we are so ready for the cool weather when it gets here. And when it gets here, I’m talking about 68 degrees, people break out the winterwear.  It’s hysterical!  But, I do love being able to make fall dishes and not feel like a fraud. So here come the fall/winter dishes!

This French Lentil Soup is a such a delicious, hearty, easy soup to make and your whole family will really love it.  I was kinda nervous to have my youngest try it when I served it for dinner, but he loved it and had two bowls!  It is just a rich, filling soup that guys like.  I serve it with a crusty loaf of bread and salad.  But, the other night my lettuce was kinda yuck so I made grilled cheeses and served along side and that was, of course, delicious!

Celery Root […]

So, they say it’s Fall, but in the South it’s still 98 degrees with 90% humidity and I am still walking around in my swimsuit trying not to break a sweat while I am running errands. It does not get “cool” down here in Texas until about the end of October and then the weather is divine until about July- then we start heating up again. But, in this awkward month it is hard not to get excited about all the Fall food! I am so ready for soups, stews, pies… so I have just said screw it and I am just going to make these awesome Fall foods even though we have to have the A/C on full blast and the fans on high speed to eat soup.

I made this Cream of Mushroom Soup the other night when the house was quiet because the boys had gone hunting. I realized about 7:30pm that I was hungry and I had really nothing to eat in the house and did not feel like ordering […]

Summer is the peak season for corn and right now in August it is at its sweetest. I have been putting corn on the table every night! Boiled and brushed with a little bit of butter, cut off the cob and put into salads and of course made into Corn Chowder. Yes, I know its a 100 degrees outside but corn chowder just screams summer. It is rich, creamy, sweet and DELICIOUS!

So what is the difference between a chowder and a soup? A chowder is a thickened cream based soup that is generally chunky.  A smooth cream based soup is a bisque. And a soup is broth based. Chowder gets it name from the French word chaudiere which is a type of cooking vessel, such as a pot that the French fishermen used to put over an open flame to boil their catch with veggies and potatoes. However, chowder is an American creation which is given its rich creamy texture by using flour and pork fat […]

I know, I know its Spring and we are wanting light, fresh recipes, but the weather has been so rainy and yucky that I have been wanting comfort food, especially soup.  Not a heavy chili or stew but soup-warm and comforting.  We love Chicken Pot Pie so I thought about how good would a Chicken Pot Pie Soup be?? Well..its pretty damn good! And really easy! You can make this more complicated by making your own biscuits but why? Just use the store bought biscuits in a can or the frozen biscuits.  They are just as good in a recipe like this and are super easy to make-preheat oven and bake 12 minutes.  Can’t get much easier than that!

I used heavy cream in this recipe but only because I had it in the fridge.  You can absolutely use milk in place of the cream and lighten this up even more.

I know I say all the time that this or that recipe is easy, but this one is really easy. On the night I […]

A classic Italian salad made with day-old bread, tomatoes, cucumbers and other veggies with addition of store bought rotisserie chicken makes this a perfect weeknight, light dinner.

This is a great dish to use up your not so ripe or over ripe tomatoes.  By letting the tomatoes sit in a bowl sprinkled with salt a beautiful juice forms that adds a sweetness to the dressing that screams summer! Now, I know its not summer yet, but I feel like we are all SO ready for some warm weather and some sunny days so lets just pretend!

The “recipe” for panzanella has been around for centuries, but the addition of tomatoes was not until the 20th century so this is an ever evolving recipe.  My point being add whatever you have on hand to this salad.  There is no recipe. If you have avocado or corn or squash add it! Grilled chicken, shrimp, steak, salmon…add it.  There are no rules and you can’t mess it up!

With my “recipe” I used what I had in my fridge-tomato, arugula, watercress, day-old bread, […]

It is citrus season and I love it! There is nothing better than a juicy orange on a winter day.  It just makes you feel happy and hopeful that spring is around the corner. We always have tons of oranges, grapefruits, lemons in the fridge but especially in the winter months. In fact, I was at the grocery store this morning and came home with about 15 oranges and grapefruits so I better get cooking or peeling.

This Citrus Salad with Fennel and Avocado is a classic restaurant salad probably because it is delicious but also because it is really easy to put together and in a restaurant they can charge about $18 and get away with it. So, why not make this at home and save money and have it all the time?!

If you are not familiar with fennel you need to get to know it.  It is a delicious vegetable and that goes in so many dishes and can also be eaten raw. I used to hate fennel, but we had a friend come to our […]

Yes here is another Instant Pot recipe!! I’m just as shocked as you are that I have been using it.  I have found that I really like the IP for soups, rice and a few meat dishes that would other wise take me hours to make.  I am still not going to use it for all my meats only because I don’t love shredded meats except for a few recipes.  And I am not going to use it for recipes that I can make in the same amount of time on my stove or oven-whats the point?  But, I can promise you that if I post a recipe on here it has been tested, tested, tested and family approved and trust me my little one hates EVERYTHING! So if I post it that means that the beast ate it:)

I’m sure you have all been in the US Senate dining room, right? No of course not, neither have I, so I cannot testify to how this compares to the original, but I have done a lot of research […]

Homemade Chicken Stock is not something I make all the time.  My freezer does not look like Martha Stewert’s! But, if I have time I will make a batch and freeze to use later.  The one thing I have learned about frozen chicken stock is that is never thawed when you need it (I think about dinner about 5pm and I need my ingredients ready!), but you can freeze the stock in a way that you can use it quickly.  Pour cooled stock into ice cube trays and once they are frozen cubes just pop them out of the tray and place in a zip top bag so you can grab one or two when needed.  They thaw much quicker than a huge tub.   I like to use those big cocktail ice cube trays, its about 1/4 cup in each cube-perfect to add to a sauce. However, this time I did freeze in large tubs because I knew I was going to use it for Thanksgiving and I will be prepared for that dinner-hopefully!

Yep its here! The holiday season, which means gaining 10 pounds of Halloween candy, pies, cakes, cocktails, party food…. I love this season, but every January I am so sick of eating and drinking not to mention fat!  So, I am going to try and incorporate more salads, vegetables and generally good for you foods into the jean busting season.  

You know those nights that it is crazy busy with kids activities it is freezing cold, rainy and generally yucky outside and you do not have the energy to make dinner?  Uh yeah-most nights! Well, this is a recipe that everyone will love and it takes literally 15-17 minutes to make.  It is such a comforting and hearty dish that is perfect for a cold day.

I feel the schedule getting fuller and fuller at this time of year.  We are in the thick of it with homework, games, practices, parents weekend travel, book clubs, business dinners….. and the holidays are just around the corner. I love this time of year because it is so busy and happy and the weather is fabulous, but it is hard to get it all done in the day. I find myself saying screw it at the end of the day when dinner rolls around and we order in or go out.  If your house is like mine then no one likes to eat out, but sometimes mama is tired!  So, since I can’t solve all the worlds problems I will try to solve the family dinner problem and post a few fall comfort foods that are easy, freezable or make-ahead.

With Fall approaching we all tend to eat heavier meals.  We are drawn towards comfort foods like stews, chilis, pastas, desserts….. but there is nothing worse than looking in the mirror in March and realizing that you have put on 10 pounds of stews, chili, pastas and desserts.  So I try to add in a few healthy dinners along the winter way.  Fortunately my boys like salads and I am so grateful-take your wins where you can get them!

It has been a really busy summer and it is only half way over! The second half is going to be just as busy so while I have a few minutes at home I wanted to try a few new recipes that use all the delicious summer produce that is available right now.  

This soup is, surprisingly, one of the most requested soups by my kids.  Stunning, I know!  For my child that will only eat beef he actually loves this soup.  It is creamy, yet light and springy. It tastes very rich, but it really is not.