Creamy Chicken Pasta Soup from Cookingplanit.com

Where to being....where to begin.  I am so excited to share this recipe with you guys.  This is a review of a wonderful website AND includes a FABULOUS recipe.  This was really hard for me because, I am not a follower or rules.  I am not a follower of recipes (accept my own) and my attention span is as long as an ant.  I did it though, I followed the steps, exactly as written so I could offer you a real opinion and my real experience.

That being said, you all may know from my many reminders I am part of a group of 50 bloggers all working with Cookingplanit and T-fal.  I am always completely honest with you all when I do these things and I NEVER endorse or review positively a product or site I think is crap.  I am thrilled to share BOTH of these with you.  And I think this review and recipe are beyond, well worth your read.  Because of these kind folks, I get to give back to you all, and I will give you more info on THAT in a couple of days!

Cookingplanit is a website that gives you recipes, any which way you like them, step by step instructions on prep and cooking and how to get it all done, your whole meal, at the same time.  That is my biggest kitchen challenge, getting everything done at the same time!  You can register on the website for free, to use for FREE.  It is easy and (hint, hint) you WILL need to be registered there to be able to win the set of T-fal pots and pans later this week).  You can also buy the app for your IPhone for 2.99.  It makes your grocery list, tells you what time it will be ready, and pretty much does everything but cook the meal!  For that, you are going to need an entirely different website! HA!  Another thing I really love is being able to pick the ingredients I want, the kind of meal I want,  and that it will take food allergies into consideration as well.  Just go check it out, my fingers hurt and if I could come to each of your homes and pull it up for you, I would.  That is how strongly I feel about it.  They are always adding new recipes too! 

There is ONE teeeeeeny little detail I would love to see Cookingplanit incorporate into their website.  That is alternate ingredients.  I substituted 2 things, both of which as a cook I know I can substitute but for someone who is new to the kitchen, they may be unsure. 

As part of my Cookingplanit adventure, I was asked to pick a recipe and make it, and then share with you all.  Oh gosh.  It took me weeks to decide, I mean, have you BEEN over there?   Everything looks fantastic.  I am a soup lover as you all know, and you know I cook for my parents for their freezer as well so I had a double agenda, I wanted something I would enjoy as well as my 80 year old parents who can't eat with as much spice and such as they may have once.  I found the answer to my dreams.  In fact, this pot is goin' down MY hatch, I will make them another batch! 

On a serious note, I am positive you will enjoy the kitchen ideas, assistance, and learn a ton.  I hope you enjoy the site as much as I do, in fact it is now a permanent fixture on my bookmarks BAR, yea, I know, the BAR not just the regular bookmarks.  See?!?!

Here are a couple of things I changed.  I used skim milk instead of heavy cream and I used rotini pasta instead of penne.  I felt like the creamy broth would just get caught up in the rotini better.  I also omitted the wine and used extra chicken stock in its place.  Here are the ingredients and directions as they are on the website for.... Creamy Chicken Pasta Soup



I hope this was helpful for you and you check out this delicious soup for sure!!

Remember, giveaway is coming up soon, in the meantime make sure to get entered in one of the current giveaways!

The Cooking Planit and T-fal 2013 Giveaway
Start	End	Flight 1	Flight 2
8/19/13	8/25/13	Baby Boomster	Mrs. Schwartz's Kitchen
8/20/13	8/26/13	CopyKat Recipes	Daily Dish Recipes
8/21/13	8/27/13	Lisa Cooking	LarksCountryHeart
8/22/13	8/28/13	ME Redone	Hot Eats and Cool Reads
8/23/13	8/29/13	Mother Would Know	The Two Bite Club
8/24/13	8/30/13	Sophistishe	Citron Limette
8/25/13	8/31/13	Kitchen Concoctions	Cupcakes and Kale Chips
8/26/13	9/1/13	I Can Cook That	Leave a Happy Plate
8/27/13	9/2/13	Peaches & Cake	i love my disorganized life
8/28/13	9/3/13	Diddles & Dumplings	Yates Yummies
8/29/13	9/4/13	Basil Momma	Cooking With Libby
8/30/13	9/5/13	Persnickety Plates	Creole Contessa
8/31/13	9/6/13	Ancestral Chef	Bite Sized Blog
9/1/13	9/7/13	The Staten Island Family	Mamal Diane
9/2/13	9/8/13	Food Fash	Recipes For My Boys
9/3/13	9/9/13	The Wicked Noodle	Hungry Little Girl
9/4/13	9/10/13	Unorganized Mommy of 3	The Tasty Fork
9/5/13	9/11/13	Yi Reservation	Dixie Chik Cooks
9/6/13	9/12/13	Chicago Foodie Sisters	The Fountain Avenue Kitchen
9/7/13	9/13/13	Cooking from a SAHM	FoodThoughtsOfaChefWannabe
9/8/13	9/14/13	Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen	Rants from My Crazy Kitchen
9/9/13	9/15/13	What Jew Wanna Eat	Sumptuous Spoonfuls
9/10/13	9/16/13	The Mama Report	Busy Mom of Two
9/11/13	9/17/13	Culicurious	Huppie Mama
9/12/13	9/18/13	Three Diets. One Dinner.	Spice's Bites

French Dip Sandwiches...

Good Evening friends!  Can you believe it?  Two days, two posts.  Whaaaaaatttt?  I hope that you are all doing well, enjoying summertime, soaking up the sun as Sheryl Crow would say.

I had the pleasure of attending my niece Cynthia's college graduation party and my nephew Trevor's high school graduation on the same night.  The meat my sister served, shredded and with choices of sauces, was out of this world.  No, I am serious, it was unlike any other I have ever eaten.  When I asked her how she seasoned it, she said she used Jim Baldridge's Secret Seasoning.  Wowzer.  I immediately knew I wanted to try this, and I wanted to make a french dip out of the meat I seasoned with this seasoning.  This is a Nebraska based company, so I am completely unsure if you can buy it in any other states other than their website Jim Baldridge's Secret Seasoning.  It is an MSG, gluten and allergen free seasoning.  The flavor is that of a smokey, oh I don't know, I can't explain it, it is just that good.

This is less of a recipe and more of a method.  You can use any roast you like, you can even put it in the crock pot.  Yes, I said it, CROCK POT.  A fattier roast will do better, especially if you want to shred.  I wanted to thin slice so I chose one that has virtually no fat.  I used a very lean roast, that would only get tougher the longer I cooked it but I knew I wanted to slice it for french dips ahead of time so I didn't worry that it had no fat.

Here is what you will need for MY method:
2-3 lb beef roast (or pork for a more pulled pork effect)
1 can beef consume (yes, I DID cheat)
1 cup water
1 beef boullion cube
Aluminum foil
1 roasting bag or slow cooker liner bag
4-5 crusty long rolls
Sliced cheese of choice
JIM BALDRIDGE'S SECRET SEASONING!

Here is how I used the seasoning.  I took 2 eye of round roasts, smallish, probably 2-3 lbs in total.

I used 1/4 cup of seasoning, and patted it into the roasts and put them in a Ziploc and let them marinate in it overnight.  Actually it was a full 24 hours.  At that time, I took another 1/8-1/4 cup and massaged more into the meat.  Yes kids, I massaged it good!

I then put it into a slow cooker liner bag.  I added 1 cup of water and 1 beef bouillon cube.  Tie that puppy up, tight!  Now you are going to proceed to wrap it in 3-5 layers of foil.

Go ahead, git-r-done.  (sometime I will tell you how when I hear that phrase I shoot flames out of my.....everywhere)

Now, put it in a 9x13 pan, and cook it on 200 degree's, for about 5-7 hours.  You can go 300 for 3-4 hours.  You can also put it in your crock pot, on low for about 10-12 hours.  If you put it in the crock pot you obviously will not be able to slice it, you will need to do shredded beef sandwiches.

You can serve with BBQ sauce or whatever you choose.  Admittedly, I need nothing, the flavor is awesome all alone.

Now heat up that consume`, and add some juice from the bag your meat was in!  You can add a drop of Worcestershire sauce if you like too!  Makes amazing Au Jus!

Lucky for us, the fine folks at Jim Baldridge's Secret Seasonings have sent me a couple of bottles of their awesome spice to share with my readers.  So leave a comment below and it will be your entry to win. There will be 2 winners chosen by random.org.  Please, only one entry per person.

You have until June 20th (8pm CST)!!

Please enjoy these sandwiches, you can have cheese or no cheese!  Slice your meat THIN!  Toast your rolls they are SO much better that way!

Your "Jim Baldridge is my new best friend"chefwannabe
Chris

Grillin' and Chillin' with Fire and Flavor

Summer is here, ready or not!  Get those grills fired up and slather on some sunscreen.  Get yourself a cold one and lounge in your grilling throne while your steaks come to the perfect level of done for you, all while you just chill!

I have a product I think you are going to love.  Do you can?  Do you pickle?  Do you roast?  And I KNOW you grill!   When I heard of this company I thought to myself, "Self you aren't a HUGE fan of grilling, but this is something incredible and you owe it to your grill and your food to give it a shot".  I am a very honest person, lying about a product for me is NOT an option.  I respect my readers to much than to mislead you, and I owe more respect to a company I review to NOT be honest.  Sometimes being opinionated is a curse!  Anyway, none of this is a problem here.  These Fire and Flavor products are off the charts, awesome.   One of the best things....?  You can pronounce and KNOW every single ingredient!  Simple and natural!  This company was founded in 2003 by Gena and Davis Knox.  They have expanded to 14,000 retail stores with their products!  Incredible drive and determination I say!

So, my camera decided to not transfer some of my photos to the card but delete them off my camera, I will give you such a descriptive interpretation you will swear you can taste it.  You might even sweat as if you were out grilling and might need to grab a cold beer to satisfy your summer thirst!


First off I tried the Sweet Ancho Chile (seasoning for oven roasted fries).
Shut the front door.  These are so good, don't let the fear of heat get to you, they aren't spicy hot!  I squeezed a little lime juice over the top before serving as well, and shaaaa-ZAM!  This seasoning, seasons 5 LBS of potatoes!!!  (sweet or regular).  This is my ONLY wish with this product.  That they had a ziploc closure on the packaging.  5lbs is alot of potatoes MOST people won't be making that many for one meal and even though I just popped mine into Ziploc I do wish they had their own little closure thing.  By the way did I mention I love their packaging?  I do.  For the record.  I don't see any reason you couldn't put your wedges on the grill as well.  I might par cook my potatoes in the micro for 5 minutes, but then oil, and season them up and throw them on the grill with your meat or fish!  Retails for only $3.99!

Next I tried the Crispy Icebox Dill Spices.  These were great as well! I just made one container, (thank you to my fav Chinese takeout place for these great reusable containers).  Look at the spices and flavor in there!  There are easy directions on the back of the package.  I would advise soaking your cucumbers in cold water as it suggests first, for a crispier pickle.  I like crunchy pickles so that is my opinion.  They are kind enough to give you directions for quick refrigerator pickles or shelf stable canning of the pickles.  This retails for only $3.99!

Next are the Fire and Flavor Cedar Grilling Planks.  These are AwWwwwsssooOmmmmMeeeE!  So easy to use and the flavor infused into my chicken like crazy!  It was smokey, woodsy, and rustic, and so moist and juicy!  I wish I had photos but I will insert a photo of the planks from the website.

They are so easy to use, you just soak them in water.  This is SO important!  Don't skimp on your time, make sure they are soaked well and make sure your grill is to the directed temp.  I cooked chicken because I wanted a good healthy and honest flavor to come through and I thought the mild chicken flavor would allow that.  Please, try these.  You can even reuse the planks, if you follow the directions on how to do so!!   Fire and Flavor also has put out these Cedar Papers.  You roll your food in them after following the directions and throw them on the fire!  They are single use, and there is a recipe right on the package for you, if you like.  I don't want to open the package so you will have to just read the directions if you get them!  There are 8 in the package.

Then there is a Salt and Vinegar Seasoning.  If you follow my blogs you will know I posted a Roasted Sunflower Seed recipe.  I did a second batch using some of this seasoning and it was incredible.  I love seasonings I can use for more than one thing!  I will be doing potatoes with them next week, my husband grew up in England, he will love them!  He keeps asking me when I am going to make them!

I really couldn't be happier with these products.  I feel they were a complete hit, and completely worth their inexpensive price.  You get so much product for the money.  They deliver in every way.  There is such a huge array of products, I urge you to go check them out on their website and do some shopping.  Father's Day is coming!  Perfect for your dad and his grilling addictions!

Here is where it gets even more exciting.  The kind folks over at Fire and Flavor send me some goodies to give away to one of my readers!  I saved out a few cool items and added a Grilling cookbook!  The rules are easy.  When you have done each of these leave me a comment here saying you have done so.  So if you do them all, you will have left me 5 comments! (5 entries)  Got it?

1. Follow here me on Blogger.
2. Follow me on Facebook
3. Follow Fire and Flavor on Facebook.
4. Follow me on Twitter.
5. Leave a comment under this blog with the product you would most like to try from their website.

This giveaway is open from the minute I broadcast this blog until 6 p.m on Sunday, June 10th.  I will use random.org to choose my winner.

Remember when you follow me on Facebook to add FoodThoughtsOfaChefWannabe to your news feed or a list so it will show up in your news feed!  I love having an interactive FB page, but with all of their new craziness, unfortunately unless you do this, I cannot reach all of you!

I can't wait for one of my lucky, faithful readers to get to try these products!  Make sure to get entered and thank you as always for reading and keeping me entertained with your funny food stories, photos and opinions on everything!

Your "Fire and Flavor lovin"chefwannabe

Chris

Taste Traditions of Omaha - Product Review

Hello to all my wonderful readers!  The weather in Nebraska is gorgeous, almost 75 degrees on an early March day!!  Seems hard to talk about comfort food but we know how quickly the weather changes around here!!

I wanted to introduce you all to an Omaha company called "Taste Traditions".  This company has been supplying restaurants, delis, schools, the armed forces, etc for 35 years.  They supply gourmet soups and some specialty frozen foods.   The food is a "boil in the bag" type of product, kept in your freezer until you are ready to prepare. There are instruction on how long to cook in a pot of boiling water if it is thawed or frozen and you have the option of emptying the food straight into a pot and cooking it the old fashioned way!

These products aren't cheap.  They also aren't the most expensive you will run into.  I feel completely confident in telling you they are worth the money in convenience if you have money to spare for that.  A busy family, working parents, or busy professionals, these are great for a family or adults on the go.

When asked about doing a review of this food, I was excited.  I had heard of their mac and cheese especially!!  I chose 4 items to review.  Chicken Noodle Soup, Lobster Bisque, Mac and Cheese and Beef Taco Meat.   Let me take you through my thoughts on each one.

Chicken Noodle Soup- The flavor of this soup is amazing.  The veggies taste like you just chopped them from your own crisper drawer, the broth is so rich and delicious.  This soup is not lacking anywhere in flavor that is for sure!!  I was slightly disappointed it didn't have more noodles, chicken, etc in it.  It is the only thing in my opinion that could and definitely should be improved upon.  For the price of this soup, $16.98 for a 48oz. bag, I felt it needed more ingredients.

Lobster Bisque- Another great product.  Creamy, full of flavor and richness.  My husband is the huge lobster bisque fan in the house and his exact words were, "probably the best I have ever eaten".  He is an east coast boy so I think that says alot.  I enjoyed it too.  Was obviously made with and flavored with lobster, nothing fake.  This I believe to be a great value at $17.98 for a 48oz. bag.   What a fancy starter for a nice dinner!

Beef Taco Meat-  LOVED.  A HUGE amount of meat.  I think we got 3 or 4 meals out of this!  Perfect taco flavor,  We use it on nacho's, walking taco's,  taco salad's and Frito pie's!  Not alot to say, great flavor, not to spicy for those who don't like to much.  This is a busy mom's dream right here.  Again, 17.98 for a 48oz. bag.

My best is saved for last!!

Macaroni and Cheese-  Now close your eyes.  When you dream of a steaming bowl of macaroni and cheese, all creamy and stringy and gooey, THIS is the mac and cheese of your dreams.  Wait.  Don't you guys dream of mac and cheese?  Oh.  Well.  You will after you eat a bowl of this!  Smooth and creamy, more cheese than the law should allow!!  Would be perfect also to prepare and put in a casserole with your own breadcrumbs on top and baked.   Do your friends and family a favor, serve them this mac and cheese next time they come over for dinner!!  It is 15.98 for a 48oz bag.  BUT- THIS MONTH ONLY- it is 50% off!!  Only $7.99 a box (plus shipping)!!!

Your items will be shipped to you in a Styrofoam cooler containing dry ice.  It will be frozen when you receive it.  Put into your freezer, let your dry ice stay in the cooler uncovered in a safe place until it evaporates and then dispose of appropriately.

I love this company.  I love the whole concept and I think the quality of the product is worth every penny.  Like I said, if your budget allows for convenience, these items should be in your freezer at all times!!  I look forward to trying some other soups and entree's in the near future!!

Thank you Kelly for the opportunity.  I love reviewing great products and you gave me a great one for sure!!

Your "so I dream about food sometimes, SUE me"chefwannabe
Chris

All opinions are mine.  They represent my experience and personal opinions of this food from time I received it through preparation and taste. I was not monetarily compensated for my review.  All photos are property of Taste of Traditions.  

Mr. Pete's Cajun Spices, DO NOT go another day without it!

Where to begin.......first of all, I am in no way, shape or form being paid for this review.  I am not gaining anything but satisfaction in knowing that I stand behind an excellent product that not only delivers, but delivers at an incredibly budget friendly price.  I want to share it because I feel I would be doing my readers a disservice if I didn't.  

When I first started a Facebook page for my blog, one of my first "fans" was Mr. Pete's Cajun Spices.  It seems we just kind of struck up a friendship via our FB pages and clicked right away.  They have been great supporters of my blog.  Though their products are not available to me locally, I was interested in their spices for myself and obtained their famous "Fish Fry".   Now it is no secret I am a seafood fan but not a huge FISH fan.  Well, when I read this could be used for chicken, or pork chops as well, I was all in!

Tonight I decided to try the fish fry on some boneless pork chops.  I had a large pork loin that I had cut into 3 pieces.  (I buy those big boys when they go on sale).  I cut 1.5
inch thick pieces and pounded them out to half their original thickness.  

I love hot and spicy so I knew with "cajun" in the name, we were looking at some spice.  I admit, I stuck my finger in the bag and tasted it to see if I was going to be breathing fire when I was done, but didn't actually taste much "hot" at all.   It really wouldn't have mattered, I was going for it either way!  Flames couldn't be so bad a cold beer couldn't put them out right?

Here is what I did....

Soak your meat in a bowl of water.  Not like a 2 or 3 hour soaking, I just put the meat in literally 1 or 2 minutes before I was going to dip them in the mix.  As you can see.....

Dipped them in the bowl of Mr. Pete's, coating them well, really pressing the mixture into the meat.  

I don't have a deep fryer so I just used a skillet with a little more than necessary oil in it. (I used canola) I had pounded the pork chops thin so I knew that they would be totally covered in oil.  I let the oil get to 350 degrees or very close to it.  I did one chop at a time, approx 3-4 min was all it took.  Put them on a cooling rack in the oven (just on warm) until I had them all done.  

Let's face it, we eat with our eyes first.  The color on these bad boys was incredible!!  So visually pleasing!  I was still basking in how pretty they were when my husband came in, saying, "WOW, those look AWESOME".  

Yea, we were pretty impressed with the taste too.  And spice, oh yea, there is a little kick but it comes and goes,doesn't stay so long you can't enjoy the rest.  I mean it is perfection in a bag.  It isn't horrible spicy even on a short note, it is just the right amount of spice, like a pleasant WOW and then it's gone. The flavor is delicious.  You can see how the pork chops turned out, don't they look great?  This isn't a breading and it isn't a full on batter, I don't know.... it is again a perfect combination.  

Now, I used the 16 ounce pkg.  I did 7 pork chops that were quite sizable and I have half of it left.  I can taste it on fried chicken as I type.  My husband is dreaming of it on some fresh oysters and some nice flounder much like this....Mr Pete!   This 16 ounce bag comes at a cost of, $1.95. (plus shipping if you order online)  No, I am not kidding.  You can order it here Mr. Pete's Cajun Spices Online Store.  Now I happen to know for a fact, because I have done it NUMEROUS times, that you can go to your favorite grocery store and ask them to carry it!  I am doing this myself.  You should too!

There you have it, my first product review.  Oh boy did they set the bar pretty dang high for everyone else!!

Your "lovin' her spicy friends"chefwannabe

Chris