Broccoli, lentil, and chicken soup

Yup, it's the day before grocery shopping, aka creative soup making. Today there were 6 leftover roasted chicken legs, a bag of frozen broccoli (purchased for days like this) and the usual soup ingredients. Broccoli and lentil  end up being a drab looking soup but the addition of Hungarian paprika and lemon zest gives it a nicer color and a bright flavor. 

Here's what you need:

3 onions diced

4 celery stalks diced

3 carrots diced

1 lb chopped frozen broccoli 

1 cup red lentils

2-3 cups cooked chicken cut up

8 cups chicken stock

1 lemon zested

1 TBS good paprika

1 tsp dried rosemary 

Salt, pepper, garlic powder 

 Start by cooking your mire poix in a small amount of oil. 

Once that cooks down a bit, throw in the broccoli and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sauté for 5 minutes. 

Add lentils, broth and chicken. 

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes 

Or until it looks like this:

Next, season with the paprika, lemon  zest and rosemary. I argued with myself about adding lemon juice and decided against it, the zest adds a nice subtle lemon taste and my taste buds like lemon more than most people's. 

Try it, it's a nice, healthy chicken soup variation. 

I almost forgot crafty news! 

I managed to crochet this wool beanie this week. 

I just love this seed stitch, it almost looks woven. 

Bacon Jalapeño Chicken

Grilled chicken season is over at this house, time for some different ideas. I had chicken, bacon, jalapeño and cheddar...it's not going to be a healthy dish, although there is nothing wrong with a little decadence. I think I will make bite size versions of this as an appetizer for the World Series, let's go Mets! Here's what you need:

Chicken breast (cut into 4 lengthwise quarters) 

1/2 jalapeño for each chicken piece 

Bacon, I slice per chicken piece

Seasoning of your choice

Shredded cheese optional

Here's what you do:

Cut up your peppers and chicken. Season the chicken, I used my standard salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, cayenne, paprika, dried parsley. 

Place the pepper on top of the chicken and wrap the bacon tightly around it, making sure the ends are underneath. You can secure with a toothpick if you'd rather not live life on the edge. 

You can get them prepped up to one day ahead, keep covered in the fridge until you are ready to cook. 

In a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat, bottom side down first. 

Turning gently after about 5 minutes, the bacon should be getting brown and crisp. Cook another 5 or so minutes until chicken is no longer pink in the center. They can be finished in a 400 degree oven if needed. You can top them with shredded cheddar and place under the broiler for a minute. I forgot to do that before I took the picture!

I served them with some roasted asparagus and smashed new potatoes. 

Tip of the month:

You can download all sorts of printable labels on Pinterest. I love storing in jars and I really love these chalkboard looking labels. I just used mod podge to stick them on. Currently, this half shelf is the only organized part of my life. 

On to Crafty business:

I've been working on these vintage animals 

Flannel throws for future gifts

Another baby hat (it will be an owl hat) 

And of course, this pun towel 

Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

Switching the chili up a little today. I meant for this to be sweet potato turkey chili but I forgot to buy ground turkey. More often than not I forget the main ingredient when I'm shopping but today  I'm glad I forgot turkey because it was really good with chicken. This dish is so hearty and very filling. 

Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut up

1 lg onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

Peppers- sweet and not a whole bunch of them I used 1 cubanelle and a few mini peppers

2 carrots diced

2 celery diced

2 jalapeños diced

1 can crushed tomato

1 box chicken stock

Salt, pepper, cumin, ancho chili powder, cilantro and parsley. 

Sauté veggies (minus potato) in a bit of oil until tender, season and add potatoes. Sauté a minute, add tomato and stock. Bring to a boil, add chicken, reduce to simmer. Simmer uncovered for approximately 45 minutes until chili thickens. Add fresh herbs at the end. 

In crafty news:

I'm cranking out more cute baby hats! Crochet is my fall sport. 

Multi-functional spaghetti squash

I abandoned the grey hat and whipped up this cute one on my night off. I can't wait to see the newborn that will be wearing this! It fits perfectly on this spaghetti squash but I had other plans for it. 

The day before grocery shopping results in my most inventive cooking. Leftover cheese, an open box of chicken broth, a small amount of spinach...

Cheesy baked spaghetti squash

1 squash

1 chopped onion

2 cloves crushed garlic

Olive oil

Chopped spinach

8 oz cheese (I had mozzarella and provolone)

Handful of grated Parmesan 

1/4 cup flour

1.5 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup light cream

Salt, pepper, red pepper

Preheat oven to 375, cut squash in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. Sauté seasoned onion and garlic in oil until wilted and browned. Add flour and cook for a minute. Stir in chicken broth, bring to a boil and add cream. Toss in spinach and shredded or chopped cheese until smooth. When squash is done, (keep oven on) scrape it out of skins with a fork and combine with cheese sauce. Spray a 9x13 pan and transfer squash, sprinkle with parm. Bake 20 minutes and broil top for a few minutes if it doesn't brown. This would be a good enough meal on its own for me but I'm serving it with some chicken and a salad. 

Chicken Paprikash

Quick dinner today and it's one of my husband's favorites. Traditional paprikash is done slowly with chicken on the bone, no time for that today. I buy the good Hungarian paprika in the red can, the hot isn't too spicy and has a very subtle smoky flavor for this dish. 

Chicken Paprikash

2 boneless chicken breasts

1 cup chicken stock

1/4cup flour

2 tbsp. butter

salt, pepper, hot paprika

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 large onion sliced

8 oz. sour cream

fresh parsley chopped

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and set aside. Sauté onion and garlic in butter until they are slightly brown and wilted. Remove from pan and brown the chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, you may need to add a little oil or butter. 

Add the onions back in and season with a few tbsp of paprika, add flour and cook a minute. Stir in broth until the liquid thickens. 

Toss in fresh parsley and start stirring in sour cream until you have the consistency you like. 

Cook until sauce thickens again. I served this with egg noodles and roasted broccoli today but rice or any green veggie is just as good. 

30 minutes of uninterrupted time and this baby stocking cap will be done, so I'm figuring 4 days will do it!

Fidget remedy

I like to relax with my family; however, I am super fidgety. I always feel the need to accomplish something during waking hours, it really is no fun!
Enter crochet dishcloths:

Cotton yarn is cheap, crocheting a square is mindless, making this a perfect remedy for fidgety fingers. I am slowly giving away dishcloths to everyone I know because my cotton yarn/dirty dishes ratio is not balanced. To those of you with ants in your pants like me...learn basic crochet and make some dishcloths, it's a win, win!
Have a happy day.
Carol

I forgot...

what it felt like to sew cotton! I've been cranking out oilcloth stuff for so long, I needed a little break from it.
Over at http://apronista.ning.com/ there is a monthly project. April's was to use Recycled/repurposed/vintage fabrics.




I had the vintage table runner with pink crochet trim (maybe from my sister's MIL?) and I have been looking at it forever, knowing that it wanted to be something else. I just couldn't take scissors to it (I'm funny like that) and then it hit me... turn it sideways, gather it and it will be an apron!!! I added an embroidered hanky from my sister and Calamity Kim's shopping exursion in Sarasota last year. The waistband is new fabric.
It felt so good to run cotton through my sewing machine.
My little friend Hope is doing amazingly well. She had her surgery on Thursday and is recovering at a much better rate than anticipated. They are hoping to be back home in a few weeks. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, I really believe they work.

How's everyone holding up?

I'm doing ok here. I have successfully avoided a major nervous breakdown, I think I will make it to Christmas with my normal about of sanity in tact!
This week has been all about 16 hour days of work, shop, cook, drive, sew. Notice I didn't say anything about cleaning or laundry, that's today.
Here's a sampling of the handmade gifts that I have finished this week.



We had an awesome holiday work party on Thursday. 27 of us went to Chef Silvia's house http://www.chefsilvia.com/ where we learned to prepared a 5 course meal together while drinking wine and exchanging gifts. It was so much fun until we got stuck in 2 hours of traffic on the way home. When I got home Gabby was waiting at the door for me with basketball bag in hand...

Ugh, she had a game. It was a very long day. Great picture of her, huh?
OK, get back to work!

January black&white swap

"P" received her goodies and was nice enough to take pictures (I forgot).
We swap a 1 yard total of fabric (preferably from our stash) along with a small handmade goodie. Somehow we end up sending more little goodies.... it's awful hard not to!
I quickly realized I had crap for b&w fabric so I crocheted 2 goodies to make up for it. "P" always spoils me on the fabric end.



The scarf is a pattern from Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker and the pouch is a lined rectangle

poor me

It may be the flu.
To make matters worse, I think David is next.

productivity

I love being productive. No- I really need to be productive. In fact, if I am not being productive it troubles me. David tells me I'm squirrely when I am in hyper-productive-multitasking mode. I can't ever just sit and relax, unless I am having a glass of wine/coffee and chatting but even then my wheels are turning and I inevitably start fretting about the things I could be getting done. I envy people that can just be, and that's pretty much everyone in my life. I wonder if that's how Martha feels? I wonder why my house is never clean like Martha's. OK, I'm starting to get a little antsy so let's move on to crafts.
I made lots of things yesterday, and almost none that I can share today except for these pumpkins.

I got the pattern here . They took less than 1/2 hour from start to finish! I'll give them to my mom on Thanksgiving. Mom and Frank are having a sad week, it looks like their beloved dog Patrick may have liver cancer. They have had him for as long as I've had Sammy (13 years) and they love him just as much.
In between crafts I did tons of laundry and this blanket was in with Julia's bedding. I crocheted this while I was pregnant with her.


The summer of '99 was one long heatwave and I was completely miserable. When I wasn't floating in the pool I was making this blanket, it seems so much longer than 7 years ago. Anyway, I thought I would share a picture of this much loved blanket.
Today is "Deere John" quilt day after church and a trip to Joann fabrics. Wish me luck or at least productivity :)