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The sniffles got nothin’ on this soup!

Cold nights are upon us folks, and I could not be less thrilled.  I detest the cold, and living in Miami, well, I get very little of that.  Tonight, though, it is freezing (for me!).  It is a whopping 65 degrees! I am bundled up in sweats, a hoodie, and a blanket over it all and right about now I am wishing for a pair of gloves to wear too.  You may say I’m exaggerating but my body is not cut out for this.  I need the warmth all day, every day!

Well, I have discovered the trick to keeping myself warm at all times: constantly eating soup! The amount of soup I have made in the past month is more than 3 times the amount I have made within the whole year.  I have tried so many recipes for a good, warm, filling and nutritious soup, but I always come back to this one: Chicken Bacon Rice Soup.

It is full of veggies and has loads of potato (which I love!) and also has plenty of chicken (which my husband loves). This is an all-around wonderful soup that I will likely make over and over again throughout this winter.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Plain Chicken.

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Quick Tip: Sprinkle a bit of hot sauce over it if you like some heat!

An easy casserole to toss together when you’re having a busy day.

What makes a great dinner recipe? Well, according to my husband, most importantly: it needs to have some sort of protein.  But to him, that does not include eggs, or beans.  It needs to be more than that.  In his book of dinners, it includes chicken, turkey, pork chops, beef chunks, even ground beef (although he finds ground beef disappears in his food and then does not like it so much.  He likes to taste those chunks of beef when he is eating.

Well, the list after that is funny.  He loves food that has some sort of carb on the bottom of a casserole dish (say rice or mashed potatoes), then has the meat, then has loads of cheese and a crispy topping of some sort.  Well, I told him that is a pretty tough bill to fit, but I would do my best to find something.

I searched for quite a while and still came up empty handed.  I mean, those were some specific requests! Well, after a long search, we ended up finding this amazing recipe. It is everything on his list! French Onion Chicken Casserole.  I mean, just the name of this makes it sound amazing!

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Quick Tip: Use any of your favorite styles of French fried onions for this.

I Can’t Believe How Awesome These Turned Out!

If you’re a busy mom or dad, or just someone who enjoys home-cooked meals but doesn’t always have the time for all the prep work, we’ve got just the thing for you! We all know preparing a pot pie can be a little time-consuming but these super cute mini chicken pot pies will be ready in 40 minutes!

My husband loves these; he often has to leave for work so early, he doesn’t have time to eat breakfast. So I try to keep a bunch of these pies always ready in the freezer – he can just grab one, throw it in the microwave oven for 30 seconds and have his breakfast in the car!

I have been making a batch of these almost every week, ever since I first tried the recipe. You can make so many variations just by adding different kinds of protein or frozen veggies, and adding all kinds of herbs and spices you enjoy the most. I love adding a little taco seasoning with the chicken!

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Quick Tip: Make these ahead and freeze for a quick grab-and-go breakfast or lunch!

This Simple Southern Comfort Food Is All You Need To Make Your Family Happy

Ladies and gentlemen, what you’re about to witness may be the very best chicken and dumplings recipe ever known to man. My family sure is crazy about it, and so is everyone else that ever happens to come by when we’re having this classic comfort dish! I always make a double batch – I know people are going to want seconds (or even thirds), and I’d like to have some leftovers for the next day, too!

I believe this recipe is very close to the one my late grandmother always made. Unfortunately, her recipe has gotten lost over the years but my mother agrees with me that this is as close to her old recipe as it gets. And we all know that old-fashioned recipes are always the tastiest, don’t we?

I cannot imagine a better way to warm up after a day outside in the chilly weather, than a big serving of chicken and dumplings. There is something so very cozy and comforting about it! And with a recipe like this one, you will double the pleasure.

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Quick Tip: This recipe makes 6 servings.

This soup will cure all the worries in the world!

Did you know that according to Wikipedia, in 2000, “scientists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha studied the effect of chicken soup on the inflammatory response in vitro. They found that some components of the chicken soup inhibit neutrophil migration, which may have an anti-inflammatory effect that could hypothetically lead to temporary ease from symptoms of illness.” Well, anyone who’s ever had chicken noodle soup knows it does cure pretty much anything!

I can’t think of a more comforting meal for those moments when you’re feeling a bit under the weather, or when you’re homesick, or suffer from a broken heart. A hot bowl filled to the rim with this magical concoction will make you feel better in an instant.

However, there is a huge difference in how you make the soup – you could just throw a bunch of these ingredients together and make a meal that will fill your belly. But if you follow this recipe and do it like it always should be done, you’re going to end up with a nectar from the heavens! After trying this recipe you will never go back to your old one again.

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Quick Tip: This recipe makes 6 to 8 servings.

Whenever I want to eat something and I don’t know what it is, I settle for something soupy. That way, when I find the taste I am looking for, I still have room for it. Soups have a lot of flavors in them, and one or two of the flavors might remind me of the taste that I am craving for. Does it make sense? Perhaps not. But think about it this way-you’re searching for something that you need and you can only find it by scanning through the shelves.

Chowders are my favorite things in the world. I love the texture of chowder because it’s thicker than the usual soup, but at the same time it’s not that thick that will remind you of oatmeal. It usually melts in the mouth and that’s what my family and I love in our soup.

This bacon corn chowder from Cooking Yo is one amazing dish that I tried for my family one night. The bacon truly adds more flavor to the chowder, making this extra special. I think it’s true that “everything’s better with bacon”!

When I made this for my family, they became instant fans. They finished their bowls in no time and even wanted to ask for a second serving. I needed to remind them that there’s still dessert, and that’s when they stopped shoving their bowls towards me LOL

Photo courtesy of Cooking Yo.

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Quick Tip: Use additional vegetables like mushrooms or shredded carrots, if you like.

Mom loves salad dressings. She loves them so much that she puts them in anything. If I’m addicted to cheese, she’s addicted to them. I swear I saw her use the Thousand Island dressing on bread and with peanut butter. How weird is that? But I guess this is the reason why she is able to come up with a lot of recipes that taste really good—with her experimenting with tastes like this. I remember one time when she used caesar dressing in marinading chicken breasts just because she’s tired of using the usual marinade. It tasted delicious, albeit a bit weirdly at first. It tasted nutty.

This recipe over at Southern Bite reminds me of my Mom’s weird kitchen ideas; those experiments that have gone right. This roasted garlic ranch chicken bake recipe uses ranch dressing to create a really scrumptious meal from chicken and potatoes. The philosophy behind this accidental dish is similar to a dump cake. The ingredients are put together in a dish without the cook doing some kind of mixing. They just all come together in the end, resulting to one perfect dish that everyone will love.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Southern Bite.

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Quick Tip: Perfectly paired with a glass of white wine.