Creamy Swiss Mushroom Soup

Evening friends!  By the time you see this, you will be in a panic over Thanksgiving preparations.  Is my turkey going to be dry?  How am I supposed to deal with my annoying in-laws?  I make the worst pies ever, I should have bought them!  I hope my nephew is over his conjunctivitis!  Oh great, here comes my sister who picks in everything!  WHY, WHY, WHY did I offer to host Thanksgiving......AGAIN?

The good news is, everyone will eat, everyone will drink and everyone will fall into a food coma for so long, you have time to pack their bags packed and have their cars warmed up!  "Oh your up? Nice to have, you, toodles"!  Maybe if you are lucky, they will be nice enough to bring you a fabulous unique gift!

In fact, remember to take your host or hostess something nice for having you!  Some think it is an old fashioned practice, I say, "bring me presents"!  Heh, did I say that out loud?

I mention gifts, because well, I want to share a great gift idea with you.   How about that adorable bowl and plate in my cover photo?  I received it from Uncommon Goods!   
I love this company.  How can you not love a company that not only provides a platform for artists, and designers, but gives back as well!  As an independently run company, they have the ability to support causes they believe in and support the world!  If you place an order, $1.00 will be donated to a non-profit that they support, there are several to choose from and YOU get to choose!

The truth is, yes, I was gifted these items, including those "Pinch and Dash" salt and pepper shakers, LOVE!  But there is nothing "unique" you can't find here.  Even kids will enjoy the gifts available to them!  You not only give a gift, you, in a way, give a lesson in giving.  I think it is a great idea and knowing that my purchase will also support a good cause, just is the coolest thing.  I wish I lived in Brooklyn, where Uncommon Goods is headquartered.  I would creep on that place daily, they would give me things, just to get rid of me.  (pats myself on the back) Good idea.  Anyway, when I found out I could choose what I wanted, of course being the soup obsessed human I am, I needed soup bowls of some sort.  These ROCK!  I love to serve food on crisp, clean, white dishes.  Just my preference, and these were perfect for feeding my OCD tendencies.  I wanted a nice, comforting soup, one that you needed a stack of crackers for, or a big ol' grilled cheese, (OMG WHY didn't I dunk a grilled cheese in this?!?!).

Oh, WAIT!!!!  I forgot!!

Uncommon Goods has been so kind as to offer to send one of you, a duplicate of what they sent me! ACCKK!  I know right?!?  A set of 2, plates with bowls and an adorable set of "Pinch and Dash" salt and pepper shakers!  What do you have to do to win?  OK, here it is.......ready?
Leave a comment on this post!  NOT on Facebook, NOT on Twitter or Instagram.  Here.  If you haven't registered please do.  You will need to leave your email address along with your comment as I will have to contact you to provide your address to Uncommon Goods so they can ship your prizes. 

I will pick the winner on December 3rd, at noon CST!

Now on to the recipe!

2- 8oz cans of mushrooms, drained
4 T. Butter
5 T. Flour
1 T. Chives
4 cups half and half
8 ounces Swiss Cheese
1 bouillon cube (2 if your cubes make only 1 cup of broth, if you use the softer cubes ex. Knorr that makes 2 cups, use just one)

Yes, the answer is yes, I used canned mushrooms for this, you can use fresh but use about 18-20 ounces, and cook them down in your butter straight away! Even if you use canned, chop them up if you like small unidentifiable pieces or keep them just sliced as is.

In a medium pot on medium heat, melt your butter.  Add in your drained/cleaned mushrooms and saute for about 3-4 minutes.  Add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper!

Now add in your flour.  Let's face it, it is going to look like vomit.  Flour added into veggies, in this amount always looks like vomit.  I can't help my honesty, the facts are the facts. My mother's voice is going off in my head right now, "Christine Ellen why in God's name would you use the word VOMIT, can't you think of a more adult word"?

On medium/medium high heat, stir in the flour and continue to stir for about 1 minute, constantly.  Add in 1 cup of half and half, Stir until smooth.  Add in the rest of your half and half, your bouillon cube, and your chives and stir until combined.  Let simmer while stirring for 2-3 minutes, add in cheese and guess what......?  Stir some more!  When your cheese is melted and your soup is creamy and delicious it is time to serve it up!

This will easily serve 4 as a meal, in my opinion.  Especially if you don't forget the "big ol'" grilled cheese!!

I can't believe I used the word "vomit" in a food blog post.  Just goes to show you, some of us never grow up!  Make sure to get registered and leave your comment including your email address below!

ENJOY!  And thanks to Uncommon Goods for partnering with FoodThoughtsOfaChefwannabe!!!

Chicken and Biscuits

Hello again!  I have been so busy, working on crafting for a couple of big shows coming up and not spending as much time in the kitchen as I need or like to.  That will be changing soon!  I promise!

I was at my son and daughter in laws the other day and decided I would test a new recipe on them.  It was a hit and among the moans and groans my grandson blurts out, "NONNA, dat mell dood"!  It was priceless.  I can't believe he and his sister will soon be 2.  I don't know where the time goes!  Wait, yes I do, it has OBVIOUSLY been walking all over my face, because what else would be leaving all of these new lines?

ANYWAY.... with the arrival of fall, is the arrival of comfort food.  It is almost like that fact that it is fall makes it OK to indulge regularly.  At least semi-regularly.  No excuse needed, it is just fall, it is what is done in the fall.  The gym?  No, that is for spring and summer.  Fall is for comfort food!

Enjoy this as much as my family did and I hope someone in your life hollers at you and says, "MMMM, da melll DOOD"!

1 T olive oil
1 T butter
3 lg chicken breasts, cubed. uncooked
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups diced carrot
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
1 can of 8 over sized buttermilk biscuits

In a large pot add in your butter and oil.  When the butter has melted add in the chicken, poultry seasoning, onion powder and salt.  Stir often and cook until chicken is cooked all the way through.  This will depend on the size of your chunks of chicken but I would guess 5-7 minutes.  When it is done, remove from the pot, leaving all of the liquid behind.

Now add in your carrots, celery and onion.  Saute for about 4-5 minutes, until they are tender crisp.  We aren't going for mush, we want a little bite to them veggies, but we want to cook them so they are a bit more tender.

When they are at your desired level of tender crisp, add in flour, and stir, coating the veggies for about 1 minute.  Now add in chicken stock and cream/or half and half.  Stir to get the flour dissolved, add the chicken back in,  and bring to a boil, let simmer heavily until your mixture begins to thicken.

Pour into a greased or sprayed 9x13 pan and place your refrigerator biscuits on top.  Bake according to biscuit directions.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!

Kielbasa and Corn Chowder

This one goes out to my sister Karen who has been requesting a corn chowder recipe.  While I think I stepped outside the "corn chowder" box, it is fantastic  She seemed happy with her outcome so it is time to share it with you.

I wanted to get another soup or two in before winter passes us by.  Soup is my love, well, George is my love.......well.......yea, its George for sure but soup is right up there!

This is just a basic start to soup and then I added what I would want in a corn chowder.  Tradition is probably thrown out the window here, since I am not sure what is involved in a true, traditional corn chowdah.  HA, I wanted to type it that way this entire post.  I liked the smoky kielbasa, I am not a huge potato in soup fan, so I went easy on that, feel free to double the amount of potato, but, I am here to tell you this is pretty damn awesome as it is.  Ok I take it back, try it my way first then the second time, because trust me, there WILL be a second time, make it your way. 

Now get up off of that thang, and get cooking!
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 small onion diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 cups frozen corn
14 ounce ring of kielbasa, sliced into coins
1 can, creamed corn
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, melt butter and oil and then add carrots, celery and onion.

Stir for 5 minutes, until your veggies begin to soften.  
Add in potatoes and sausage.  Stir and let sauté another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

 

Add in corn, and stir well.  Add in chicken stock, creamed corn, and half and half.  Let simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remember the sausage is salty and the stock can be depending on the variety you use. 

 

Enjoy a hot bowl of this with a piece of crusty bread and butter.  Oh YUM. 

 

 

 

 

-Just For 2 Series: Simple Oyster Stew For Two

I feel like the title should say in parenthesis "And being the daughter of Santa" !

Happy ALMOST Christmas! ACK!  Who has their shopping, wrapping, decorating and baking done?  Not me!  I did take time though to make one of my husbands favorite soups, and I wanted to share our food tradition as a child in my family since it includes this!

What says "Christmas" like oyster stew?  Well it does for me anyway, my mom always made oyster stew on Christmas Eve.   My family always opened gifts on Christmas Eve.  Christmas morning we woke up to what Santa had left us!

Ok, wait, let me back up. (You know there is a story here)  My dad has played Santa for probably 50 years or more.  He has a beautiful suit, he is a jolly man, who has the perfect build for Santa! (wink)  He was always Santa at all of our local stores, movie theatre and local events.  MANY times we sat on his lap, asking for our biggest dreams, having no idea it was our own daddy under that beard and wig.  Magical, to me, it is just magical as an adult looking back.  As we got older, and grandkids came into the picture, we had an "incident".  My nephew Brandon, probably  4 or 5 at the time, walked into Grandma and Grandpa's bedroom while we were getting "Santa" ready.  He stopped dead in his tracks, almost like time stood still.  He said, "Grandp..Santa"?  Well, now that creates a problem with about 10 other grandkids in the other room, doesn't it?  (and about 10 more that would come later along with the greats!) So it became common knowledge to the grands in the family that Grandpa was one of Santa's "helpers".  That realistically Santa couldn't get everywhere in one night, but they couldn't tell their friends because he wouldn't be able to keep his special suit and make so many children happy.  Hey, call it what you want, it has worked for a good 30 years now!  We would white shoe polish all of his facial hair since he had black hair, even when he shaved it looked dark, cherry red the tip of his nose, cheeks and lips, double side tape his moustache in place so his beard would fall in a perfect wave down his rich red velvet jacket.  His wig, was smoothed and perfectly fixed before he it was topped off with the magical hat that seemed to instantly transform him into the real Santa.   We would pull up his boots topped with white fur, then on went the snow white gloves and his little wire rimmed glasses.  He would gather his big red bag that "Mrs. Claus" made and off we would go.  Lots of us kids helped but a few of us loved it more than others.  He took these jobs on Christmas Eve to help fund Christmas for his own 10 children and wife.  Starting at about 5pm, one of us, or a couple of us would drive him from job to job, there would be gifts left in garages, in cars, in backyards, and in dog houses. He would fill his bag with them and knock on the front door, or just burst through as he would turn his head and holler back out the door "Come on Blitzen, calm down"  or "Donner, don't you take Rudolph's carrots" or other similar lines.  Sometimes we would peek in windows undetectable to absorb some of the Christmas joy being spread by the man we simply called "dad" but always knew he was made to be, lived his life just like, and in our hearts WAS the REAL Santa.   We helped him deliver a horse with her mane adorned in tinsel, in the snow and ice, up a huge icy hill.  We had to get her at a local stable and walk her to her new home!  There were puppies, kittens,  and one of the most moving deliveries was a simple candy cane, to a woman lying in her bed, taking her last breathes.  She wanted Santa to bring her a candy cane.  In small towns word travels fast and he had heard of her last wish.   So he entered her home with a gentle "HoHoHo", walked her bedroom that had not much more than a bed, and a light bulb hanging from a wire.  With snow falling outside her window  on that Christmas eve he gave her, that candy cane and witnessed the smile of an angel.  He kneeled beside her to pray and as she grabbed his white gloved hand she said, "It's really you Santa".  Her last words.  He was infamous for entering mass right after communion, during the time we call meditation.  He would enter through the back of the church in his santa suit, walked quietly down the center aisle to the stares of disbelief of every child (and adult) there.  He knelt at the nativity, removed his hat, and later admitted that he shed a tear and prayed for all children and families to be healed, happy, and always know the love of Christ.  He got up, put his hat back on, and walked quiet as could be right back out. Sometimes he couldn't resist a faint "HO HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL" as he exited.    I am guessing you could hear a pin drop for the  next 5 minutes. 

Here is a photo of the last time my dad was able to dress up.  We hold our Christmas celebration in a school gymnamsium since there are so many of us, 10 kids, spouses, grandkids, great grandkids but he always tried to dress up and make sure all of the kids sat on Grandp--oops, Santa's lap.  I will cherish this photo forever, this is my dad, the giver, the miracle worker, the rescuer, the selfless human who will take the shirt off of his back for a stranger, (and has).  The loving, supportive father, who would be surrounded by his children and grandchildren everyday if he could.  He was born to be Santa and in our hearts he always will be.  Now, he is just able to sit back in his grandpa clothes, and enjoy his family together, kids, grandkids, and great grandkids.  He is in all of his glory when he has his family near. 

This is how I grew up celebrating Christmas Eve.  I wanted to share it with you, so you could experience the magic of how the day went for me.  After my dad was done, he would come home, sneak in the back door, get cleaned up and join us for dinner. which was ALWAYS, chicken noodle soup, potato soup and oyster stew.  We were a large struggling family so oyster stew was a holiday treat that was not afforded any other time of year.  In the middle of the rural Midwest you don't get fresh oysters either, so my mom would use those from a can which is exactly how I made mine for you.  We would have deli meats and cheeses for sandwiches, then open gifts and then get dressed in our new Christmas dresses and suits and head to midnight mass where my mom was the choir director and organist.  Memories..........   Thanks for letting me share mine with you. 

If you are able to get fresh oysters, I would use a dozen for this recipe.  Keep the liquor, the juice from them, you will need it!  Even if you used canned, keep the juice!

This will generously serve two, maybe 3.  So if you need a bigger batch just double it or triple it.  I used 2 cans of oysters because my husband loves them but one is really probably enough for most people.  I will leave that part up to you.  This is three ingredients plus salt and pepper, does it get much easier?

You will need:
2 cups half and half
4-5 tbsp. butter (I know, but it is Christmas guys!)
1 dozen fresh oysters with liquid or 1-2, 8oz cans
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan melt your butter.  While it is melting drain your oysters but KEEP the juice!  When the butter is melted, add in just the liquid from the oysters and the half and half.  Let simmer for 3-4 minutes, until it is almost simmering.  Add in oysters and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.  If you are using fresh oysters, as soon as you see them start to curl they are done.  Don't over cook this or they will be tough!  Now salt and pepper to taste and serve!

Could it be easier?  It is silky, and perfect.  My mom would be proud, and Santa, well, Santa would be to busy to eat a bowl, but wouldn't mind, because spreading joy to the world is exactly what my dad does. 

People will jokingly say, "You know, if you don't believe in Santa (insert a plethora of endings).  I always reply with "I know Santa is real, he is my dad". 

Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Soup

I have an announcement people!  It is finally the season where eating soup is socially acceptable.  I mean, it could be 105 outside and I would be eating soup but I said it was "socially acceptable" now.  Thank goodness, I get tired of my closet soup eating in the summer months!  Constantly I hear, "How can you eat soup when it is SO HOT outside"?  I ask in return, "How can you drink a cold glass of water when it is SO COLD outside"?  Same diff peeps.  I digress........

This is one of my favorites and I will be the first to admit, I am a Campbell's Tomato Soup fan.  Yes, yes I am.  However, if I can make it myself, with no chemicals and all that ick, why not?  Will it stop me from keeping cans of it in my pantry, no, will it make me want it this way when I have what I need on hand, definitely.  I made this a huge pot, and we had some for lunch today and we might have it for dinner tonight, I don't care, I LOVE it!

Here is a Simmerman family tip.  Do you love grilled cheese with tomato soup?  Make your grilled cheese, make sure it browns maybe a bit further than you would normally take it.  Now let it cool a couple of minutes, cut into cubes.  Yes, that is right, cubes, then float those babies like croutons in your tomato soup.  Can I get a "HELL YEAH"?!?!  Sorry for the language, sometimes, I can't control it. 

So here we go with the easiest, but so yummy creamy tomato soup.  Now, even though you are using crushed tomatoes, I STILL take the time to stick my immersion blender in the soup and give it  a whiz up.  You don't have to by any means or you could use your blender.  I think it just adds a touch more silkiness to it. 

You will need:
28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
2 cups half and half
3/4 cup heavy cream
black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a pot.  Let this simmer for 20 minutes, with the lid partially off, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is burning.  Serve with some golden brown grilled cheese, crackers or just by itself!!

Enjoy!