Wild Rice Chicken Soup

Happy Wednesday!   Was a beautiful day, even with the rain but tomorrow brings more cold and more snow!  This is my first year of really having this much snow to deal with and I'm afraid I'm over it.  Such a beach girl ready for the warmer days ahead!  So another soup is on the horizon.  Made it for Mom and Dad and it was big hit.  Even had enough to freeze some, sure hoping that turns out ok.  We shall see!  Stay warm and safe friends.  Talk to you Saturday.  Oh, forgetful me, this recipe is from a cookbook I have used quite a few times already.  It is out of the Better Homes and Gardens Diet Cookbook.  Enjoy!

Wild Rice Chicken Soup

1 6.2 oz package quick cooking long grain and wild rice mix

2 14 oz cans reduced sodium chicken broth

1 Tablespoon snipped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

      (I used fresh)

4 Cloves garlic, minced

4 Cups chopped tomatoes (I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes, fire roasted)

1 9 ounce package frozen, chopped cooked chicken (I stripped a rotisserie chicken)

1 Cup finely chopped zucchini

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon Madeira or dry sherry (I used sherry)

Prepare rice mix according to package directions, except omit the seasoning packet and the butter.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven combine chicken broth, thyme and garlic; bring to boiling.  Stir in the tomatoes, chicken, zucchini and pepper.  Return to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.  Stir in cooked rice and Madeira or sherry.  Heat through.

Mom and Dad had it with buttered sour dough bread, excellent!  Hope you enjoy like we did!

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken on Brown Rice

Hello all!  Hope the week is treating you well.  I'm sure you all have the same problem I do, on some afternoons you just don't have the energy left for dinner.  This is when we all love to pull out our slow cooker.  This recipe was just too easy and super good.  I doubled it, which seemed to work out just fine.  I was at Food Lion when looking for my ingredients and was only able to find a Pace brand salsa that was Mango and Peach, so that's what I used.  It had a little spice to it, worked out fabulous!  Another thing, I had only Jasmine rice and for us it was perfect.    Let us know if you make any of your own changes.  Remember people out there might benefit from your smarts! ;-).  See you Saturday!



CROCK POT SALSA CHICKEN ON BROWN RICE


YIELD: 8-10 PREP TIME: 15 minutes COOK TIME: 4 hours TOTAL TIME: 4 hours 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 lbs:)
12-15 oz. peach salsa
salt and pepper
2 cups brown rice
3 cups chicken broth (or water)
1/2 cup cheese (I used Parmesan, but you can also use Jack)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the crock pot with cooking spray.
Cook the rice either on the stove or in a rice cooker. (If rice cooker, use these proportions: 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of liquid--broth or water). Salt and pepper; optional to add cheese and cilantro. Fluff with a fork when done cooking and set aside.
Cut chicken breasts in half, lying on the bottom of the crock pot. Salt and pepper the meat.
Cover the chicken with salsa. Place the lid on the crock pot and cook on HI for 3-4 hours.
Shred the chicken with a fork right in the crock pot. The juices will absorb into the meat.
Serve on brown rice, use for any Mexican dish (such as burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, tacos, or freezer burritos). Optional to freeze (up to 3 months) in Ziploc bags.
*You can really use just about any cut of chicken for this recipe. For easy shredding though (so that you don't have to mess with bones), I recommend boneless chicken breasts or thighs. Also, you can use 12-15 oz. of salsa, it doesn't have to be exact.
Are you following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest? Thanks being here today, and if you’d like to subscribe to Reluctant Entertainer, to have each post delivered straight to your e-mail box, then please add your email, here. It’s really easy!

posted in FAMILY LIFE & FAITH & FRIENDS, HOSPITALITY, MAIN DISHES, RECIPES, SLOW COOKER

Rice and Raisins

So my Spicy Mom brought it to my atention a while ago, that we don't have a lot of recipes that she can get the ingredients for in her small town grocery store. So I thought I would try to pull out some oldies but goodies that she used to make me.

First up is a quick dish that she used to make me for any meal and use up the leftover rice. I tend to make extra rice just so I can eat this over the next couple days.

Rice and Raisins
Cooked rice (1-2 cups per serving)
Raisins
Cinnamon
Sugar
Milk

Everything is to your taste.  Put everything in a microwave bowl and heat until it is warm. Eat up! It is filling and great on a cold winter day!

Easy side dish

We had an amazing weekend touring the hills with my in laws this weekend! We went places that even after 14 years out here we've never been to!  I even faced some fears! The doctors here at the Asylum were pretty impressed!

Today I'm sharing a recipe I found at Cooking Light's website. It's a quick and easy side dish!

Rice Pilaf

 Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add 1⁄2 cup chopped onion and 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger to pan; sauté 2 minutes. 

Stir in 1 cup water, 1⁄2 cup long-grain rice, and 1⁄4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. 

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. 

Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.

The cilantro is great if you have it, but I've done without.  I have also used powdered ginger in place of the fresh!

Have a great week!