Friday, October 3, 2008

A Great Fall Weekend
Use Up Your
Leftovers Crockpot Recipe
and
A Fantastic Thrift Store Find

Last fall I bought myself a Hamilton Beach Stay and Go Crockpot. I figured since I was married now, I should have a crockpot that allowed me to travel. Just in case I got invited to a potluck. When your single everyone just tells you to bring chips to a potluck. I wanted to be prepared for couples life. So I spent all last fall and winter trying crockpot recipes. I had planned on just going to church potlucks but I was informed by actual church going friends that I can't just show up with a crockpot full of food. I probably need to be a member. Too bad I got a killer crockpot! This is a recipe I make often, mostly because it uses up leftovers.

I have used up left over chicken, grocery store roasted chicken, turkey, ground turkey, veggies left from a party tray or veggies just hanging out in the crisper with this recipe.

I don’t ever measure anything for this. I just use up what I have and eyeball it. All my measurements are approximates. Add or subtract to fit your taste.

2 cans reduced sodium Chicken Broth or Homemade
2 cans reduced fat Cream of Chicken Soup or Cream of Mushroom
2 Tablespoons butter
Sliced Mushrooms
Chopped Carrots
Chopped Celery
1 medium yellow or sweet onion Chopped
Chicken breasts, canned, or left over chopped or shredded. Turkey works well too. I used ground turkey this time, that's why it looks weird in my pictures.
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 teaspoons or to taste Poultry seasoning
½ teaspoon minced garlic (or use whatever you have to taste)
1 package of Egg Noodles Cook and drain before putting in soup. I have used a variety of egg noodles, they are all good. The fancy homemade frozen kind are really good.

If you have to cook chicken breasts for this ,I cook them with some McCormick’s Montreal Chicken seasoning for a little added flavor. I have found this really makes the best soup. If you are using left over chicken or canned chicken add it in to the crock pot and let it simmer a while before you start adding salt. Sometimes those rotisserie chickens or canned chicken can be a little salty.

Chop onions and celery, then sauté in butter with poultry seasoning and minced garlic until onions are tender. Then add to crock pot
Add all soups, chicken, carrots, and mushrooms. Let cook until carrots are done. About 2 hours. Then add cooked egg noodles. Sometimes I like to make this soup thicker by adding some cornstarch and water to thicken. You can also make this soup on the stove top, just start your carrots in the broth first before you do anything else.

This is great with buttermilk biscuits. I was too lazy to make some this time so we had fresh French Bread. Every time my Dad comes to help with something at my house, this is what he requests for payment of services. Enjoy!

Yesterday I had lunch with Donna to catch up on how her trip to Sweden was. I KNOW! I told her.............DO A POST! We all want to see pictures and hear how it was. She's being a slacker and I'm calling her out right now!

****Early Morning Update*** Donna updated her blog

On my way home I decided I would stop in at one of my favorite thrift stores to "just look". Well I found a couple things and when I was on my way out I spotted these pillows. I almost wet my pants with excitement right there in the middle of the store. There they were...........silk, down filled, pink, green, and white stripped and MINE ALL MINE! I grabbed them up and ran to the counter to pay before anyone could see me with them. I didn't want to risk getting knocked down and having them taken from me. You know how those crazy thrift store shopping ladies are!

They are going to look fabulous in my new not so boring bedroom! The color of greens are a perfect match to my vintage curtains and the pinks are the shades I was thinking and dreaming about to go with that green. I'm thinkin now I need some pink Toile or some black and white check. What do you think?

Today Donna and I are going to do a little junkin! It's been months since we had a Junkin Friday. I'm excited to hang out with her, try some place new for lunch and find some fantastic thrift store bargains.

Have a great weekend

3 comments:

Laurie Anne said...

Very fun finds. Good luck junkin' today :0)

Barn House said...

OK, are you bringing us some of this deliciousness RIGHT NOW??? Joe spends all of our money shopping for BH and I am starving to death! Good thing we are both competing for the role of "Skelator" for our Season Finale. He has a head start (that b@st@rd!)...but I am hoping to surpass him by the time we go to Hawaii in December. I WILL NOT be ashamed sunbathing on the beach! lol

Jermonne

Karen said...

Timi,

Hey, the drapes look so awesome - I'm glad they found a home! Thanks for coming to my g-sale - Karen (elegant granola).