Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

cream of mushroom soup

Have you been trying your best to kick the processed foods out of your house?  Are you a Southerner that likes your “cream of something” soup?  I mean come on, there are about a gazillion recipes now days that call for at least one can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken Soup.

Have you read the label?  Have you been avoiding it on purpose? :) Don’t go hide under your bed!  I confess!  I confess!  I was also hanging on to my beloved cream of something soups!  I had figured out how to make cream of chicken soup but cream of mushroom soup was blowing my mind!  I mean, I just knew it had to be impossible to mimic that deliciousness!

Well, I am about to show you the magic behind the curtain and you are going to be so surprised!  It is REALLY simple!  And, what is better, it only takes a couple of ingredients you probably have on hand.  Are you as excited as me!?  You can finally kick that can to the curb!  Processed foods be gone!  Real food tastes good and is good for you!

Do you remember the post I did about making Swedish meatballs a LONG time ago?  This recipe is one my mom used to make when I was a kid.  It is one of my favorite comfort food dishes.  I was so excited to remake this recipe.  It once called for a can of cream of mushroom soup…now I use my homemade version and it is EVEN BETTER!  Not only is it better tasting…it doesn’t have all those yucky fake foods in it.  REAL, Wholesome food tastes good and doesn’t have to be difficult.

Read my redo post here. You’ll be so glad you did!

What other old standbys/family favorites would you love to see remade?

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Real Food Remake: Swedish Meatballs with NO canned soup

swedish meatballs

Some of my favorite meals are still the ones my mom used to make me when I was a kid.  I love southern comfort food.  Chicken pot pie, chicken casserole, hamburger steaks with mushroom soup, cubed steak, and swedish meatballs are amongst some of all time favorites.   Unfortunately, many of these dishes included “cream of something” soup as do many of the quick recipes all mom’s have in their recipe arsenal.

I will be the first to confess that I had kicked most all the processed foods but canned cream soups were still in my pantry.  I wasn’t sure how to replace them.  It seemed a daunting task and too much trouble.

But, lo and behold, I finally got the gumption to try to make my own.  And, I am so thrilled {almost giddy} that it actually turned out and it tastes JUST LIKE the canned version…if not better.

I’ve been trying to remake some of my favorite recipes using good, wholesome ingredients.  I replaced the processed foods and added REAL foods.  The results are almost always a superior tasting dish.  REAL FOOD TASTES GOOD.

I’m going to share some of my remakes here and first off is my mom’s Swedish Meatballs.

The original recipe was posted here. It called for homemade meatballs (which I will repost here) and a can of cream of mushroom soup mixed with milk.

Here’s the redo:

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Cookwell Oils – Family Recipe Remade

cookwell

With the New Year many of us have made resolutions or agreements with ourselves to get healthy or to lose weight.  With so many people looking to make healthy food that still has flavor I thought it would be a great opportunity to work with Cookwell Oils and Chef Jake Fisher–Cookwell’s professional chef and inventor of menu favorites at popular restaurants like Applebee’s and Pizzeria Uno to remake some old recipes that belonged to my family.  The remade recipes are healthier versions of my family’s favorites – Beef Stroganoff, Pumpkin Bread, and Potato Latkes.

All these recipes originally called for a good amount of oil.  I have already made a lot of changes to the types {and amounts} of oils we eat.  I choose healthy oils as much as possible – like coconut oil for frying and in the place of recipes that call for solid shortening, and olive oil for roasting and sauteing.  I use butter for finishing sauces and for bread – good homemade bread has to have a bit of butter. ;)

So, I chose these recipes because they were some of my family recipes that still remained that I hadn’t figured out how to change – especially the Beef Stroganoff and Pumpkin Bread because they called for large amounts of vegetable oil.

Cookwell’s Oils come in a variety of options {available at Walmart} like grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, sunflower and olive oil blend, and flavored olive oils – like balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil and garlic flavored extra virgin olive oil.

cookwell2

They remade my recipes, sent me some fantastic recipe cards and a box of great kitchen gifts!  We gave the beef stroganoff recipe a test drive.  I think the concept of Cookwell’s oils are fantastic – and their mission is great – to help home cooks cook healthy meals.  And, they’ve made it easy to do that – all of the oils are labeled with what they are best used for {bake, baste, dip, or fry} and with their temperature and flavor grades.

Beef Stroganoff_1f

Beef Stroganoff_2b

I cooked the remade recipe for dinner this week – with two minor changes – I used a couple cups of water (to make more of a gravy) and I left out the dill.  While Chef Jake said it would bring freshness to the dish, my husband has a strong aversion to it. So, if you like dill, this would bring that element of fresh to the dish.  I LOVED that he swapped in Greek Yogurt in exchange for the sour cream that the recipe traditionally called for.  I had heard of swapping sour cream for Greek yogurt but had not really tried it.  I was a little skeptical that it would taste too tangy but it was great!  I couldn’t tell a difference AT ALL!

cookwell 3

The recipe was a hit.  Thanks Chef Jake Fisher for your help making over this family recipe! Here’s to a healthier year in 2013!

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart.   Walmart has provided me with product and/or compensation in exchange for my time and efforts in creating this post. My participation is voluntary. As always, my opinion is my own.

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Taco Seasoning From Scratch!

Taco Meat

I can’t take credit for this recipe.  It is one my mo has been using since I was a kid and it is the one I use… always.  It is WAY cheaper than buying those packets and there is way less salt in this recipe than in those packets you buy.  Enjoy!

 

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Vegetable Beef ABC Soup

vegetable Soup

Eating organic/local, fresh ingredients is costly.  So, it is all the more reason to use every last bit and to get the most mileage out of said groceries.  For example, when I cook a roast I save the drippings/broth in containers and freeze it to use in another dish – like this soup.  I also save the bits of beef.  If it isn’t enough to eat as leftovers I freeze them in a separate container – again, great for soup!  Bits of this or that make the best post of soup.  As a matter of fact, I made this soup for my family just last week and my whole family (my mom, dad, my husband, and I) declared it the best soup ever.

The soup is rich thanks to the leftover broth I used along with a spoonful of better than bullion.  It is a great dish for a cold night and it couldn’t be simpler.  AND, (as if you needed another reason to make this soup) the alphabet pasta makes it a kid-pleaser. ;)

 

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Meal Plan for Labor Day Dinner {Recipes Galore!}

Steak Dinner Anyone?

Its Labor Day weekend and that means everybody gets a little extra time to spend with their friends and family.  What will you do with that extra day?  Will you be having a BBQ?   I am and I’ll be serving steak, salad, broiled asparagus, and my favorite parmesan potatoes.  I thought I’d share the recipes with you today.  They are super easy recipes which make them great for entertaining because they won’t take you away from your guests for very long.  But, if you’ve already got your menu all planned out you can file these away for when you need a quick, delicious {and company worthy} meal.

Broiled Asparagus

:: Broiled Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus, washed {or how ever many you need}
FRESH parmesan {from a block – NOT a shaker can – you’ll be glad!}
Seasoned Breadcrumbs
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Boil the asparagus for about 3 minutes (until just tender). Remove them from the pot and place them into a baking dish with all the heads facing the same way. Sprinkle a handful of breadcrumbs across the bottoms of the stalks {this is one of those great recipes that don’t require REAL measurements – you can’t do it wrong!}. Then, shave fresh parmesan across the bottom of the asparagus, right over the breadcrumbs, using a microplane. Drizzle across the cheese and breadcrumbs with a small amount of olive oil. Pop the pan into the oven/broiler on hi/broil until the cheese is browned {just a couple minutes so you need to watch it!}.

Parmesan Potatoes

:: Parmesan Potatoes

1 potato per person, plus a few extra
Lowry’s seasoning salt
FRESH parmesan
Butter

Bake the potatoes in the way you normally do, microwave, oven, whatever you like, until done. Split the baked potatoes in half. Slit the potato halves and place a very small amount of butter into each slit. Sprinkle the tops of the potatoes with Lowry’s season salt. Grate fresh parmesan over the tops of the potatoes with a microplane. Place the pan in the oven/broiler on hi/broil for 7 to 10 minutes (until browned and bubbly {broiling happens fast so keep an eye on them!}.

And, let’s not forget the steak.  Are you someone who uses a specific sauce or marinade while grilling your steaks?  Not me.  I think all a GOOD steak needs is a little salt and pepper.  I’ll be serving Ribeyes from Walmart.  Why Walmart?  I took the challenge to give Walmart’s steaks a try to see if they were as good as they were saying they were.  {Have you seen their commercials?}  I figured it was worth a shot – they are 100% satisfaction guaranteed.

I typically eat grass fed beef.  We go in with a few families to purchase a whole cow and then split the beef.  That usually includes lot of ground meat, beef stew cubes, cubed steak, roasts, and steaks.  All of this meat is good and lean, but the steaks have been a little disappointing this last time around.  So, when Walmart asked me to give these steaks a try, I was really interested in seeing if they were as good as they explained.

Well, they were.  This was the best steak I have had in a long time.  Will I by all my beef at Walmart?  Nah.  I like my grass fed beef.  If my local Walmart ever starts carrying local grass fed beef I’ll definitely reconsider.  But, I will not hesitate to buy a couple steaks every now and then for a treat from my local Walmart because these were fantastic!

*Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart.   Walmart has provided me with product and/or compensation in exchange for my time and efforts in creating this post. My participation is voluntary. As always, my opinion is my own.

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Zesty Taco Salad

Image Credit: Batter-Splattered

This recipe for taco salad is not the typical meat, cheese, and salad over chips (although that kind is delicious too).  This is a little different and a favorite of mine – full of flavor and a recipe a good friend shared with me several years ago.

:: Zesty Taco Salad

1 lb. grass fed ground beef, cooked and crumbled
1 bottle of catalina salad dressing
1 bag of cheese doritos OR organic corn tortilla chips
1 small or 1/2 of a large head of lettuce (shredded)
1 can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
shredded cheddar cheese

Crumble up the chips and combine with all other ingredients. Pour some of the slad dressing over the taco salad and toss to coat. You can always add more to taste – but you can’t take it away! You want to taste it, but not drowned it.

You can cook and prepare all ingredients ahead of time, but don’t assemble it until just before you are ready to eat. It will get soggy. It isn’t good leftover – but it is a great dish for a crowd!

*You can also add diced onion and tomato

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A Hearty Meal for a Low Price

This meal is hearty and delicious.  For me, it says home-cooked comfort food because it is a dish I grew up having as a child.  This recipe will feed six or four with leftovers for lunch.  Sure to be a man pleaser and kid pleaser alike – this meal won’t bust your budget!  See the list below to get the cost breakdown.

Shopping List:

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck $4.48 (or $6 for grass-fed beef)
1 onion $0.29
beef bullion $0.20
Cage Free eggs (1 egg $0.17)
1 can Campbell’s Mushroom Soup $1.14
crackers (about 6 = $0.06)
Potatoes (2 lbs = $1)
Butter (1/3 stick =$0.25 or $0.33 for organic)
2 cans of Del Monte Green Beans $1.92

Total cost is all bought at Walmart = $8.95 or $1.49 per serving.  I substituted grass fed beef and organic butter which I bought at my local health food store (Earth Fare) and the cost difference is minimal.  Total cost = $11.11 or $1.85 per serving.  Either way, your sure to get a delicious, filling dinner on the table for less.

:: Salisbury Steak

1 1/2 lb. ground chuck
1 onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (or crushed crackers)
1 can Campbell’s mushroom soup
1 beef bullion cube (I use a tsp of Better than Bullion)
1 cup boiling water

Mix beef, onion, egg, bread crumbs, and 1/3 of the can of mushroom soup. Make 6 patties out of the meat mixture and place into a shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Drain off grease.

Mix bullion cube and 1 cup of boiling water so that bullion dissolves. Mix in the rest of the mushroom soup and pour all of it over the meat into the baking dish. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

:: Country Potatoes

6 to 8 potatoes peeled and sliced
water
butter, salt, & pepper

Place potatoes in a baking dish along with a little water and a few pats of butter and salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes.

This post is part of a series on Making Meals Easier for Mom (Meal Solutions).  I hope you love it as much as I do!  Follow me and my fellow Walmart Moms, Jenn at Frugal Upstate, Heather at The Domestic Diva, and Lori at My Wooden Spoon, to get a fresh take on a new meal plan each week.  Walmart has provided me with compensation and a gift card in return for this post. Participation in this program is voluntary.  All opinions are my own.

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Cook It Once, Use it Twice – Meatballs

Whether you are a work at home mom or you work outside the home, I think this series will help you save time in the kitchen and make getting dinner to the table fast!  Meatballs are useful for so many dishes and it takes just as long to make a few as it does to make a whole bunch.  Another bonus is that they are a great way to stretch a few pounds of ground beef into several meals.

There are a hundreds of ways to use them but the assembly is the same.  Here’s what I do: Thaw out several pounds of grass fed ground beef (depending on how many you want to make.   I usually do 2 lbs at a time but you could easily do more).   I mix the 2 lbs of beef with 1/3 of a sleeve of crackers (about 10 to 12 crackers), 1 chopped onion, and 2 eggs.  I roll the meat mixture into 3 dozen golf ball sized meatballs and placed them on a baking sheet covered with a piece of parchment paper.

I place the baking sheet into the freezer.  After about an hour in the deep freezer you can take the meatballs back out of the freezer and bag them up in freezer bags.  I go ahead and place as many as I will need for a meal and label it. Then, place the bagged meatballs back into the freezer.  The reason for placing them in the freezer on the baking sheet before bagging them is to help them to hold their shape.  If I would have placed them directly into the freezer bags thawed, they would have lost their round meatball shape!

If you want to make some of them Italian style, you can roll out however many plain ones you want and then add some Parmesan cheese to the raw meat mixture and finish rolling the meatballs out.  That is what I did in the above picture and I wrote on the wax paper so I would remember which ones were which.

Now what can you do with all those meatballs?

  • Make Swedish meatballs: make regular meatballs.  Brown them in the skillet.  Add a can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup and a can of milk.  Simmer until meat is done and soup has made a gravy.
  • Make meatball sub sandwiches with a little provolone and marinara sauce
  • Make a classic – spaghetti and meatballs!
  • Make BBQ meatballs.  Place plain meatballs in a oven safe casserole dish.  Cook partially through at 350 degrees.  Then, add BBQ sauce (bottled or homemade) and cook the rest of the way through.
  • Slice meatballs and add them to homemade pizza for an interesting and deliciously different topping!
  • Meatball bubble biscuits – great as an appetizer or kid pleasing lunch or dinner
  • I haven’t tried it yet, but Meatball & Hashbrown casserole looks like something I’d like!
  • Mix 1/2 cup of grape jelly and 1 cup of chili sauce and pour over meatballs to make sweet and sour meatballs.
  • This meatball skillet looks like another great homemade hamburger helper type meal.
  • One more to add to my arsenal of meatball dishes is Paula Deen’s Layered Meatball Casserole

Now, pace yourself.  You don’t have to EAT that huge batch of meatballs all at once!  Remember, they last a nice long time in your freezer and you can pull them out any time you want to make a quick meal!

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Cook It Once, Use it Twice – Beef Roast


Last week I did this series on BBQ chicken in the crockpot and you guys had a lot to say!  Great!  I am glad you are enjoying this series and I can’t wait to share more of my tricks in the kitchen.  Whether you are a work at home mom or you work outside the home, I think this series will help you save time in the kitchen and make getting dinner to the table fast!

We all have hectic days and it is great to have something you can go to.  I love it when I feel like I’ve fed my family a great meal and we can still get to everywhere we need to be on time or have a little time to relax afterwards!

This week I want to share how I turn an inexpensive cut of beef into lots of meals!  First I start with an inexpensive roast that is suitable to cook in liquid in the crockpot.  This is usually a cheaper roast because it requires longer cooking (and would be tough if you tried to cook it like a potroast).  But, in the crockpot it turns into a buttery soft, delicious cut of beef!

And, to make it stretch even farther, I have lots of meals I can use it for that require only a little meat to make a hearty meal.  Of course, you can add more meat, but really meat should be thought of a side dish and vegetables should be the main dish in a healthy meal. We should be eating about 4 ounces of meat – but as Americans we typically eat a lot more than that!  One step my family has taken to be healthier is to have one meatless meal a week, but we also eat only small portions of meat on the other days!  It is great for our waistlines AND our budget!  And with these recipes, no one will even miss it!

Okay so on to our beef roast – I usually choose a chuck roast for my crockpot and I place the whole thing along with enough water to just cover it and an onion quartered.  I put it on in the morning on high and when I get home from work (dinner) it is ready!  You may need to adjust time and temp depending on your crockpot.

Depending on what I plan to use it for, I sometimes add “Better than Bullion” beef ‘paste’  and/or Lipton Onion Soup mix.  It makes a wonderful gravy for a roast beef and mashed potato dinner.  Then, the leftover gravy can be used for beef pot pie.

Here are all the dinners you can make from a crockpot roast {you will likely get 3 or more meals depending on how big your family is and how big your roast is}:

  • Good ol’ fashion beef roast dinner: leave it as is – make some mashed potatoes, green veggie, and add a little cornstarch to your broth and boil to make gravy!
  • Beef Pot Pie: Use some of the leftover shredded beef, 1 bag of frozen mixed veggies, some diced potatoes, and leftover gravy.  Pour into a premade or homemade pie crust
  • Roast beef hoagies: Saute some onions {and bell pepper if you like}.  Top hoagie rolls with provolone cheese, beef and onion mixture.
  • Beef Stroganoff: follow my recipe here but substitute roast beef for ground beef – delicious!
  • Supreme Burritos: Heat some refried beans.  Place beef, beans, and any toppings you prefer (sour cream, lettuce, salsa, tomatoes, onions, avacado, cheese, etc) into flour tortillas.   Serve with rice and some cheese dip!
  • Broccoli Beef Stirfry: Follow my recipe here.  Fabulous with lomein noodles or white rice.  And, you can use up what ever vegetables you have on hand too!  With stirfry anything goes!
  • Beef Stew: Add leftover beef and gravy (thinned with water or beef stock) to cooked carrots and potatoes
  • Alphabet Vegetable Beef Soup: Add leftover beef and gravy (thinned with water or beef stock) or broth to a soup pot.  Add a bag of mixed vegetables and some alphabet pasta to make a hearty soup!
  • BBQ Beef Sandwiches: Use leftover shredded beef and some BBQ sauce.  Put on toasty buns.
  • Roast Beef Hash: Chop up leftover roast.  Dice some Potatoes.  Fry potatoes on a hot griddle (like hashbrowns) in a little vegetable oil.  Add in leftover beef and continue to cook until warm.  Pour over some leftover gravy and cook a minute longer.  Serve it up with fried eggs and toast for a hearty Saturday morning breakfast or a delicious dinner.

Got any more ideas for leftover roast beef?  Share ‘em in the comments!

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