Creamy Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

This soup is so yummy & comforting on a winter day! I love a good, hearty fresh soup. Everything is thrown together into one pot and simmered, perfect served with bread and leftovers are just as good. For the chicken, you can either cook up 2-3 chicken breasts or thighs in the crock pot with some chicken broth, low for 4-6 hours until cooked through then shred or cube, or use leftover rotisserie chicken. I like to buy a couple rotisserie chickens at a time, shred them and portion the meat into freezer bags, and freeze for pulling out to throw into soups, chicken tacos, enchiladas, chicken salad, anything! (credit to Jean Baranczyk for that rotisserie chicken hack ;)) The great thing about soup is you can easily substitute or add different veggies that you have. Any veggie would be good in this soup, some frozen peas perhaps? You can also use whatever kind of rice you like. Once you add the rice, just simmer for as long as the rice package says to cook. I used a wild rice blend, which takes longer to cook since it's a harder rice. Wild rice takes about 45 minutes to cook, whereas jasmine, white or brown rice (not minute rice!) takes about 15-20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 3 TB butter

• 1 TB olive oil

• 2 carrots- scrubbed, peeled & diced or sliced into rounds

• 2 stalks celery, diced

• 1 onion, diced

• 16 oz sliced mushrooms

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 TB Italian seasoning (I used a mix of dried fresh herbs from my garden - basil, parsley, oregano, thyme)

• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 1 cup wild rice blend

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced (as mentioned above, leftover rotisserie chicken works great!)

• 1 cup heavy cream (or milk)

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/3 cup flour

• 1/2 - 1 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

• salt & pepper to taste

• Optional - dash each of dried dill, mustard, celery, cayenne (I used a seasoning that is a blend of these spices. It added an extra warm, savory flavor)

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot with a lid, melt the butter with the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion & mushrooms and season with a little salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies begin to soften and mushrooms release their juices, about 10-15 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning & smoked paprika. Stir and cook another minute.

3. Add the broth, rice & chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, until the rice is cooked. If using white or brown rice (not minute rice!) simmer for about 20 minutes. Wild rice takes a lot longer to cook.

4. Add the heavy cream. Make a slurry by whisking the flour into the milk. Add to the soup; this is the thickening agent. If you don't have heavy cream you can use all milk, so 1.5 cups milk with the flour mixed in. I like to use heavy cream because it speaks for itself - it makes the soup extra creamy.

5. Mix in the Parmesan cheese until melted. Taste and season with more salt & pepper. I ended up adding a healthy amount of extra salt. Always wait until the end to taste test and add more salt, as different chicken broths can be salty and you want the other flavors to marry before adjusting. Enjoy!!!

Soft, Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are 3 secrets to these thick & moist cookies: more brown sugar than white, cornstarch instead of baking powder, & chilling the dough! This allows the butter to firm back up and not melt as fast, keeping the cookies thick and not flattening out.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter, room temp

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg, room temp

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp cornstarch

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until smooth & creamy. Add the sugars and mix on medium speed until fluffy & light in color. Mix in egg & vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda & salt. On low speed, gradually mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The dough will be thick. Add the chocolate chips and mix for a few seconds until evenly distributed.

3. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil and chill for at least 1 hour, up to 2 days. Chilling is mandatory for this dough to achieve thick & puffy cookies.

4. Remove dough from the fridge and allow to sit at room temp while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

5. The chilled dough will be crumbly, but comes together if you roll into balls with your hands. Roll balls of dough about 1.5 TB each.

6. Bake for 10-11 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges/tops. They will look extremely soft & under cooked, but will continue to cook & set as they cool, and you want them to stay soft & moist. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Easy Mexican Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice, NOT minute rice (I like using jasmine rice for all my rice needs, it's just more rich but any white rice will do)

• 3/4 cup chunky salsa (spice level up to you)

• 1.5 cups chicken broth (I dissolve 1 chicken bullion cube in 1.5 cups water)

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp dried cilantro (or fresh if you have it!)

• 1 tsp fresh lime juice

• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Combine chicken broth & salsa in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add rice, garlic powder, onion powder and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid has been fully absorbed and rice is soft.

2. Turn off heat, fluff rice and add cilantro & lime juice. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Fluff again and add salt & pepper to taste.