Chicken & Dumpling Soup

This is a great meal if you're tight on time and tight on budget! It saves time and money by using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, frozen veggies and Bisquick for the dumplings.  Enjoy!
 
2 Tbl. butter
2 ½ – 3 cups cooked rotisserie chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 (12 oz.) bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 (48 oz.) low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper 

Dumpling Mix:
2 cups baking mix (Bisquick)
¾ cup milk

Melt butter in a heavy stock pot. Sauté the diced chicken, frozen vegetables and oregano in the butter for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Seasoning will depend on how salty the chicken was when it was cooked. Slowly add the chicken broth to the pot and bring soup to a rolling boil. This is important for the dumplings to steam properly.

In a separate bowl, combine the baking mix and milk until well incorporated. Drop large tablespoons full of the dumpling batter into the boiling broth. Continue to boil for 10 minutes, uncovered. Cover the soup and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, covered.

Took me a few tries to get this shot because it was still steaming and fogging my lens!

Pumpking Spice Loaf

Starbucks; a love/hate relationship.  The things I love most about Starbucks come out in fall: pumpkin spice latte, hot caramel apple cider, the new toffee mocha flavor and pumpkin spice loaf slices.  The things I hate: snooty baristas and of course the prices are ridiculous.  I pay the price every time I want coffee, because frankly I can't even make a pot let alone make it taste as good as they do...BUT when it comes to breakfast/pastry items I know how to make that stuff and I know that it certainly does not cost $1.95 for a stinkin' little slice.  So I made it my mission to find a recipe and I think I nailed it!

1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
¼ cup lt. brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
¾ cups canned pumpkin
¾ cup oil

350 degree oven. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. Beat Eggs, sugars, and vanilla in large bowl on high speed for about 30 seconds. Add Dry ingredients and mix well. Add pumpkin and oil and mix well. Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake approx 70 min. or until toothpick inserted come out clean. Cool on wire rack. 

 

And you can top it off with this pumpkin cream cheese recipe from Skinnytaste.com. It's just as good as the Einstein Brother bagels one!

8 oz Philadelphia 1/3 fat cream cheese

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (canned is fine)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp agave nectar (I just used honey)

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. You can easily 1/4 or halve this recipe if you wish to make less.

So there you have it, two recipes that you don't have to over pay for in the coffee shops and instead make them at home!

(By the way, Skinny Taste is my favorite site for low fat healthier meals.  I'm not on Weight Watchers, but I just like knowing recipes with the healthier options without losing flavor!)

Cooking/Baking for REAL

Recently, I was bitten by the Jealousy Bug; a terrible, infectious bite that gnaws at your cool disposition until it renders you pretty much useless to do anything without spiting at all those who have more than you do.  This "bite" I received was caused by being envious of someone who had everything I'm dreaming of having (kitchen/cooking-wise).  They have it all; the stainless steel pots and pans, the food processor, the grand-daddy of all Kitchen Aid mixers and every hand tool that you've ever seen.  And the kicker is, they don't even know how to use any of it and haven't even taken some of the things out of the packaging!

But fear not if you have been struck with the J.B. bite too before, I have found the cure!  It's easy, whenever you want what others have whether it be a talent, status clothes/accessories, a car or endless kitchen tools like me, just realize how you can do without.  Having those things doesn't make anyone a better person or have more passion than someone who doesn't.  It's just the same as my boyfriend Ben says about writing: "We should interpret and perform for ourselves...We should not deny ourselves."

And what that means pretty much is that we should not be held back by thinking we don't have the tools to do something, whether they are physical tools or tools of education, but as long is the passion to pursue our dreams is there, that's all that really matters. 

Remember where your heart is and never hold back, it will lead you to great places. <3