Friday, January 30, 2009

Chicken Challenge Correction


Remember my Chicken Challenge post?  I was wanting a cyber pat on the back from my blogging audience because my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Rapunzel (the one with all the hair), didn't seem impressed with my results.

I stand corrected.  Here is an email message that was buried in my inbox.  It is from Rapunzel:

I was very impressed !!!  I was just impressed earlier than you thought I'd
be.  I couldn't get over the size of the chicken before you got to the rest
about boiling the bones after you had already cooked the chicken because
the marrow makes really good broth.  And then making chicken enchilada
casserole without rolling up the tortillas - a layer of tortillas, a layer
of "slop" - as you called it, a layer of cheese...  And you used green
pepper because Jouster had purchased 4 green peppers instead of green
onions before Christmas.  Your family loved it (and I'm sure mine will too
on Saturday night when I make enchiladas the easy way!!!).  You also make
your cream soup from a home made mix, remember, we calculated how much it costs and it's a good deal, you were going to send me the recipe.....   Nexttime if you don't think I'm impressed, ask me.  I must have been impressed to remember all of those details, don't you think?

You are my bestest friend too and when I get to talk to you sometimes we go
too fast from subject to subject so I don't get to tell you how great you
really are!!!!

I'd have put this all into a comment on your blog, so everyone can see how
truly impressive you are to me, but either I can't comment from here, or
you have changed your settings.   Feel free to paste my rebuttal into your
blog if you so choose.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Rapunzel

I should have known better.  In the 14 years we've been friends she has always been impressed (or pretended to be, anyway) with everything I excitedly share with her.  This particular day I couldn't shut my mouth long enough to hear her giving me an 'atta girl' through the telephone line.   Isn't she a great friend?  Everyone needs a Rapunzel in their lives.  Some day I will tell you the story of how our friendship almost never came to be.

In reading her message, you'll see I don't buy cream soup in a can anymore.  It takes a little more forethought in preparing meals, but now that I've done it for a while, I don't even notice.   In case you are interested, here is the recipe (It originated from my my Sister-in-Love, The Queen of Spring Lake.):

Cream Soup Mix

2 c. powdered milk
3/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. chicken bouillon
2 T. dried onion flakes
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried basil

Combine all ingredients.  Mix well and store in an air tight container.

Yields:  4c. of mix  (12 cans of soup)

To replace one can of condensed cream soup:
Combine 1/3 c. dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water in saucepan.  Heat and stir until thickened.

It is slightly 'soupier' than the canned stuff when it's hot...so you may have to adjust recipes that call for milk.

I think I will add cheese to it when recipes call for cheese soup.  I chopped up a couple of mushrooms one day when I needed a can of cream of mushroom soup to top an egg bake--it turned out good.  I think you could replace the chicken bouillon with beef bouillon and it would look more like cream of mushroom soup.  This is a little yellower than mushroom soup would be.  Not noticeable in recipes though!  And oh, so  much more cost effective!  (Mine is MSG free since I use Frontier Chicken Broth Powder--if using Frontier, you'll need to adjust the recipe.  Regular bouillon requires 1 tsp per cup of water and Frontier requires 4 tsp.)

1/3 cup of dry mix is 95 calories
1 can of soup is 330 calories
 
 

2 comments:

  1. Know what? Many times in the free mags by the organic section at Cashwise, there is a $1 off any Frontier product coupon in them. I pick up a couple mags everytime I go... and I get $1 worth of whatever I need (default: Cinnamon - this is SO much better than McCormick's).... so then its free! I usually have to explain to the cashier that the bulk spices are Frontier brand, and they put it though without a problem. :)

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  2. Wow - what a friend. Yup, I need a few more Rapunzels... or maybe I just need more time to appreciate the Rapunzels I have!

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