Nashville Wife

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Soups

A Giant Peach in Your Yard

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We recently returned from a four-day road trip to the Florida Panhandle. This was our first vacation with two children, and while it was a lot of work, it went well. The seven-and-a-half-hour drive there was surprisingly smooth. Our stops only amounted to one hour, which I find to be impressive. We weren’t able to stop at Rodney Scott’s, Mr Handsome’s favorite BBQ spot in Birmingham, because it was nearing rush-hour, so we wanted to keep going to stay ahead of traffic.

We pulled off at a little hole in the wall barbecue joint outside Montgomery. The town was called Clanton, and its water tower was a giant peach. What would you think about having a giant peach in your yard (see photo above)?

The BBQ was fantastic–super moist and flavorful.

Little Buddy thoroughly enjoyed dipping pieces of ribs in the BBQ sauce. 

When we finally arrived in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and set up our condo, it was pushing 11:00. The condo was the size of some people’s living rooms, but it had a small master and bunk beds. I was unsure about having Little Buddy sleep on a bunk because he still needs a rail. I had purchased some travel bumpers made of memory foam in anticipation of the trip, and they worked great. They go under the fitted sheet. Little Buddy slept soundly on the bottom bunk. He did wake up a couple times, but that happens most nights a home, so we weren’t surprised. 

Quick Chicken Noodle Soup

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chicken noodle soup recipeIn the Northern Hemisphere, spring is underway, and summer is just around the corner (which means it’s early fall for my readers in the Southern Hemisphere, right?). Here in Tennessee, the weather is slowly warming up, but our evenings are cool, which means that soup is still an appropriate dinner food. Mr. Handsome isn’t a huge fan of chicken noodle soup because he associates it with being sick. I, on the other hand, love it, but when I do cook it, I usually try to make sure there are some leftovers in the fridge for him.

Mr. Handsome was sure that after my labor and delivery, I would no longer have any desire to eat chicken soup. You can read more about it in my birth story posts, but I was only able to eat clear liquids for 30 hours, and plain chicken stock was one of the few things I could have. I ordered several bowls from the hospital kitchen while I was in labor, and we laughed because it came on a plastic tray with a fancy cover.

Honestly, I think I enjoy chicken soup even more now because I remember how starving I was while in labor and how that stock really hit the spot. And even though my delivery was really difficult (I recently read that drug-induced labor initiates much stronger contractions that are closer together than natural labor, which explains why I had insanely painful contractions with barely any breaks nine hours before my baby was born), I somehow look back on the whole experience with rose-covered glasses.

Now back to the soup. This recipe for chunky chicken noodle soup is from my childhood. It can be ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes if you use prepared chicken stock. If you buy a rotisserie chicken for dinner the night before, you can make your own chicken stock the next day by boiling the carcass and adding herbs, but this soup tastes great whether you use homemade or store-bought stock. If you really want an easy meal, buy an extra rotisserie chicken and use the meat from that one for the soup….

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Baked Potato Soup

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While planning meals for the week, I decided to try a few new recipes. I’ll admit that Mr. Handsome was a bit nervous when he heard, but he has been pleased with the results so far. Two nights ago, I experimented with potato soup, and we both loved it.

Picture a loaded baked potato in soup form, and that’s exactly what this recipe tastes like. It takes a bit of time to make but is so worth it. This soup is creamy and wonderfully flavorful. It’s not an especially healthy meal, although it does contain a decent amount of vegetables and has less fat than conventional potato soup. If you want to make it healthier, you can substitute some of the potato for more yellow squash. You can also use more milk and less heavy cream, but expect a runnier soup if you make that change….

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Cheeseburger Soup

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When my husband requested that I make a dish called cheeseburger soup, I admit I was skeptical. A cheeseburger in soup form? How could that have any health value whatsoever?

Mr. Handsome’s cousin brought it to a family Super Bowl party a few years ago. “I’m not usually a soup guy, but it was delicious,” he told me. So I decided to be a good wife and track down the recipe, which ended up being from Taste of Home.

I made it last night with quite a few alterations, and we both loved it! And guess what? It is decently healthy (especially with my change)!

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Cheeseburger Soup

Servings 10 cups

Ingredients

  • ½ lb ground beef
  • ¼ tsp seasoned salt
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 3 cups carrots, diced
  • 3 cups celery, diced
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 5 Tbsp butter divided (2 Tbsp can be olive oil)
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 cups potatoes, diced and peeled approximately 2 large potatoes
  • ¼ cup flour I use a mixture of white and wheat
  • 1⅔ cup shredded cheese cheddar or Mexican style
  • 1⅓ cup milk
  • salt to taste approximately ½ tsp

Instructions

  1. In a small skillet, brown beef with seasoned salt. Drain and set aside.

  2. In a 5-quart saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil, and parsley in 2 Tbsp butter (or olive oil) until they begin to soften (10-15 minutes).

  3. Add chicken broth, potatoes, beef, and garlic. Bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes (until potatoes are soft).

  4. Meanwhile, melt remaining butter (3 Tbsp) in the skillet, and add flour. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to bubble (3-5 minutes). Add to soup.

  5. Bring soup to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
  6. Stir in cheese, milk, and salt. Continue stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home