Cheesy Vegetable Soup

12-18-17
While visiting my sister right after she had a baby one of her friends brought this yummy soup over for dinner. I loved it and have been meaning to make it for quite some time! It is super creamy yet light and there are lots of veggies hidden inside as well. 3/5 of us loved it and the other two still didn't complain too much so that worked for me ;-)! (I believe it originally came from the site cooks.com)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 quarts water
5 chicken bouillon cubes (I used 6)
1 small onion, chopped
1 c diced celery
2 1/2 c diced potatoes
1 1/2 c diced carrots
1 1/2 c diced broccoli
1 1/2 c diced cauliflower
1 lb Velveeta cheese (I used 2%)
2 cans cream chicken soup (I used 98% FF)
(we sprinkled a little bacon on top)

Directions:
Cook until done: Water, onion, celery, potatoes, carrots, bouillon cubes, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Stir in 2 cans cream of chicken soup and cheese.
Stir constantly 6 to 8 minutes until cheese melts. Do not boil!

The Most Perfect Burger and Homemade Fries

12-2a-17-4
Since we have been eating out less I have been experimenting more in the kitchen again and it has actually been so fun to get back in the cooking groove. There was a very important Georgia football game last weekend and we decided to make some homemade burgers and fries for the big event. The burgers were SOOO amazing! The kids have brought it up repeatedly since we had them, so I decided I better save the recipe forever! The fries were pretty good, but we have some additionally experimenting to do to get them perfect so I will keep updating this post as we figure it out! (the idea of the rack was great because you don't have to flip them, but I think I used a little too much oil)

The burger recipe is from Genius Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, finely grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
1 lb medium ground beef

Directions:
Lightly oil grill& heat BBQ to medium.
Whisk egg in a bowl& add next 6 ingredients.
Crumble in beef & using your hands or a fork, gently mix together.
Handle the meat as little as possible – the more you work it, the tougher it gets.
Gently shape (don’t firmly press) mixture into burgers about ¾ inch thick.
Using your thumb, make a shallow depression in the centre of each burger to prevent puffing up during cooking.
Place burgers on the grill, close lid& BBQ until NO LONGER PINK INSIDE, turning once, about 6 – 8 minutes per side.
An instant read thermometer should read 160F.
12-2a-17-3
The fries recipe came from 101 Cooking for Two
Ingredients:
2 russet potatoesmedium
coarse salt, cajun seasoning, garlic
1 tablespoon oil

Directions:
Start with a couple of medium russet potatoes. That will make four servings. Preheat oven to 425.
Peel potatoes if desired. Cut your fries.
Place in cold water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
Rinse the fries with cold water and place on a towel and dry reasonably well.
Dry the bowl and put fries back in and mix with about a tablespoon of oil.
Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil and a rack. Spray with PAM.
Spread the fries on a prepared rack. Give a light sprinkle of coarse salt. Bake until golden brown. About 30 minutes.

Healthy White Chicken Chili

11-29-17-3
I have been embracing the fact that I actually have time to cook again and it has been fun looking for new (and hopefully healthy) recipes to try! I love all kinds of chili but especially chicken chili. I found this healthy version on The Lyons' Share and changed up a couple things but it was great and made tons!

original recipe HERE, what I did below...

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs raw chicken breast
4 stalks celery
1 small yellow squash
1 medium zucchini
1 yellow/orange bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups kale, cut in bite size pieces
2 T minced garlic
1 c salsa verde
1 t salt
2 cans beans (I used 1 great Northern and 1 cannellini)
1 carton chicken broth

Directions:
- Chop all vegetables except 3 stalks of celery into bite-sized pieces and place in crock pot
- Place chicken breasts, garlic, salt and 1 can beans on top of vegetables and pour salsa over top (I used great Northern)
- In a blender place remaining 3 stalks of celery, chicken broth and other can of beans (cannellini)and blend together
- Pour mixture on top of everything else in crockpot
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours
- 30 minutes before serving shred chicken and add the chopped kale