KerriansKitchen

KNR, p. 272 “Tomato Basil Chicken Soup”

February 24, 2021

We love all kinds of soups, but don’t always have broth on hand to make the base for a hearty one. Here’s a recipe that uses a can of soup from the grocery store shelf as the already flavored base, but becomes a filling meal for 3-4 when the other ingredients are added. The prep is simple – takes only ten minutes. Then depending on whether you have a cooked chicken on hand or uncooked chicken cutlets, use a crockpot or a large spaghetti pot, it will take anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours to cook.

 

Chin Bawambi, a previous contributor to our recipes and an enthusiastic cook, often uses a crockpot and this recipe was devised with that in mind. The Kerrian kitchen doesn’t have a crockpot, but we found that a spaghetti pot worked well for us. We just had to watch it and stir more frequently. He promises that no bodies wound up on the floor in his kitchen either, while he worked from home and created this delicious meal.

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"Tomato Basil Chicken Soup"
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2-3
 
Ingredients
  • One can tomato basil soup, Progresso
  • 1/2 can Goya black beans (about one cup)
  • 1 pound uncooked tenderloin chicken, cut into one inch chunks
  • 1 teaspoon Montreal chicken seasoning
  • 6 baby carrots, cut into one inch pieces (about one cup)
  • 3 celery stalks, trimmed and diced, (about one cup)
Instructions
  1. Use a crockpot.
  2. Pour tomato basil soup into the pot, then add black beans.
  3. Place the uncooked chicken chunks on top of the black beans.
  4. Sprinkle the Montreal chicken seasoning on top.
  5. Add carrots and celery and stir entire pot of ingredients until mixed.
  6. Cover and cook at medium high heat for first hour, then drop to low for another hour, stirring every 30 minutes.
  7. Celery and carrots should be fork tender when done.
  8. Serve with garlic bread.
  9. Variation: Chin reveals that the recipe also works well with beef as the meat ingredient.
Notes
Tips:
If using a spaghetti pot on the stovetop, cover and cook on medium for the first half hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes. For the rest of the time, drop the temperature to low and simmer until carrots and celery are tender, stirring every 10-15 minutes.

If using a cooked chicken, chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces, drop into the pot and mix with the other ingredients. Cook on medium heat until veggies are tender, about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

 

KNR, p. 257 “Jalapeno Tex-Mex Cheese Bread”

May 11, 2020

 

 

 

During the pandemic, we’ve tried a few quick bread recipes, because yeast cannot be found anywhere. This bread is so creamy and moist that it’s going to be on the menu at the Kerrian house long after Covid19 has left the planet. Sheila played around with the balance of peppers, and finally decided to leave out habanero pepper, since that one is harder to find in the average grocery store. We can toast the cheesy bread for breakfast or serve it for lunch/dinner with chili.

 

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"Jalapeno Mexican Cheese Bread"
Author: 
Recipe type: bread
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon powdered garlic
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 ounces (1 package) shredded Mexican 3 or 4 cheese mix
  • 1/4 cup drained, diced jalapeno peppers (canned Old El Paso works well)
  • 2 Tablespoons diced fresh red bell pepper
  • 1 extra large egg
  • 1 cup 2 % milk
  • 3 Tablespoons melted margarine
Instructions
  1. Thoroughly whisk dry ingredients together in large bowl.
  2. Add shredded cheese, jalapeno peppers, and red bell pepper, and stir.
  3. Combine milk, egg, and butter in small bowl and beat lightly with a fork.
  4. Make a well in the center of the cheese/flour combination and pour the liquid into the well. Blend dry and wet ingredients together with a large spoon, being careful to spread the peppers throughout.
  5. Pour the mixture into a greased and floured 9”x5” bread pan.
  6. Bake for 45+ minutes in 350 degree oven until golden brown on top and done in the center - skewer inserted in center will come out clean. Edges of the loaf should pull away from the sides of the pan in final five minutes of baking.
  7. Cool in the pan on a rack. Slice, serve and enjoy.

 

First and foremost, the listed ingredients have been easy to find at the store. We make extra every time and pass it around to the neighbors. Give it a try.  🙂

 

* Photos taken in the Kerrian Kitchen

 

 

 

KNR, p. 255 “Easy Chicken Soup”

November 17, 2020

 

Honestly, it’s been odd doing the grocery shopping during this time of shortages. I head to the usual aisles for the produce and find a ready supply of celery and carrots, but not always potatoes of any kind. Fresh onions and garlic? None in sight for days. Our store makes rotisserie chicken every day, so when we can’t find raw chicken in the meat section, we grab a cooked garlic roast chicken which can serve four hungry people – more if you make soup with it.

 

We picked this soup recipe for Kerrian’s Notebook because the ingredients have been available every day, no matter which large grocery store we visit. We’ve made it several times during the last three weeks, so it’s definitely been taste-tested. Adjust the spices to your family’s palate.

 

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"Easy Chicken Soup"
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4 to 6 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 1 32ounce box of low sodium chicken broth (Swanson’s has a nice organic version)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1.5 cups sliced fresh baby carrots
  • 1.5 cups diced fresh celery, 1/4 inch pieces
  • 1 cup canned diced potatoes
  • 1/2 cup potato water from diced potato can
  • 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 heaping teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 cooked rotisserie chicken
  • 1/2 cup canned young sweet peas
Instructions
  1. In large soup pot, sprinkle sea salt evenly on bottom of pan.
  2. Add carrots, celery, and one cup of the chicken broth, cover the pot and simmer on medium high heat until carrots and celery are tender, ten to fifteen minutes, stirring every five minutes.
  3. While celery and carrots are simmering, chop the rotisserie chicken into 1/2 inch pieces, (about 3 cups) and set aside.
  4. Reduce heat to medium, add diced potatoes, potato water, garlic powder, and onion powder to pot and stir.
  5. Add 3 cups chicken broth to the pot and stir.
  6. Add 3 cups chopped chicken to the pot and stir until well mixed.
  7. Cover pot and heat soup mixture for about ten minutes until it bubbles around the edges, stirring occasionally.
  8. Add peas to the pot, tossing gently, and heat another five minutes.
  9. Remove from heat and serve with crusty bread or crackers.

 

As with any home prepared food, the leftovers keep for up to four days in the refrigerator.

Good news: it can be frozen in individual portion containers, and freezing extends the shelf life for two weeks. So double the recipe and you’ll have enough for another night. You might want to add more chicken broth when reheating.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

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