Wild Rice and Turkey Soup

Another yummy soup. I love soups especially when I can make them in the crockpot.

Here is what you need:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 medium stalks celery, diced (1 cup)
2 medium carrots, diced (1 cup)
1 cup diced smoked turkey (6 ounces) ( I used 1lb ground turkey)
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated fat-free milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup frozen peas

1) if using ground turkey, brown in skillet. Add the oil. Sauté the onion, celery, and carrots. Add to the crockpot.
2) combine all other ingredients except milk, flour and peas into the crockpot
3) cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.
4) during last 30 minutes of cooking, add the mix the milk and flour in a small bowl. Add to the crockpot and stir to incorporate. Add in the peas.
5) cook until the peas are done and the soup has thickened.

Enjoy!

Zuppa Toscana Soup

This was a super yummy soup. It is supposed to be a copycat to Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana. I have not had that at the Olive Garden for a long time so I can not say if it was a "true" copycat. I do know that this was super yummy and we LOVED it. And the best part is...I made it in the crockpot!!!

Here is what you need:
4 slices bacon, diced
1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (32 oz) chicken stock
3 cups russet potatoes, cubed
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups kale, in bite size pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream
parmesan cheese, grated

1) brown sausage in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté. Drain.
2) combine all ingredients except kale, parmesan and whipping cream into the crockpot.
3) cook on low 6-8 hours.
4) during the last 30 minutes to hour of cooking add the kale and whipping cream.
5) serve topped with Parmesan if desired.

Enjoy!!

Chicken Ranch Tacos

I made this awhile back. I used a pork tenderloin instead of chicken. It was quite tasty. I am not sure why I never think about doing the simplest things when I cook.

Here is what you need (as it is written):
3 chicken breasts (i used a 1 lb pork tenderloin)
1 pkt. taco seasoning (chicken or beef)
1 pkt ranch dressing mix
1 can chicken broth
taco shells
lettuce
cheese
Any other taco topping

1) Place frozen chicken or pork in the slow cooker. Add the taco seasoning and ranch mix. Top with the broth.
2) Cook on low all day or on high for 3-4 hours.
3) Shred the chicken.
4) Use the taco shells or tortillas and form your taco.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken & Cheese Lasagna Roll-ups

I found this recipe tonight on Pinterest. The only change I made was to the sauce. I used a jar of Alfredo sauce instead of the spaghetti sauce. It was SO good!!! RJ ate the entire thing without bribes and complaining!!!

Here is what you need:
3 cups chopped cooked chicken 1/4 cup milk
1 cup Ricotta cheese
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups Prego Spaghetti Sauce

1) In medium bowl, combine chicken, cheeses, milk, and pepper
2) Spread 1/2 cup mixture on each lasagna noodle; roll jelly-roll fashion
3) In a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce
4) Arrange lasagna rolls, seam-side down in sauce in baking dish
5) Top with remaining spaghetti sauce
6) Cover and Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot
7) Serve, if desired, with additional Parmesan cheese.

Scripture Cover

This may seem somewhat "juvenile," but I wanted to make a book cover for my scriptures. Every Sunday, they get thrown into my church bag with my other books I have to take to church. The corners on them were starting to wear and look haggard. I love my scriptures, and I didn't want them to break or ruin sooner than need be. I thought this was the best solution. The color is not my first pick but I love the way the cover turned out.

Orange Chevron Baby Blanket

Even though it is a lot more work, I LOVE making chenille baby blankets. I love the look of the "quilted" top and the "ragged" backs. I knew for quite awhile that I wanted to do a Chevron stripe one. It just took me awhile to find fabric I liked.

Here is the completed blanket. The back fabric was "earth tones" with brown, green, and yellow. My only regret with this blanket was that the green and yellow didn't show up in the "ragginess" more.

As a whole, I love it!

Girly military Camo blanket

I really wanted to do something with camouflage. It might just be the country in me, I don't know, but I really wanted to complete a camouflage blanket. I knew that I didn't want it to be a "dark" blanket though. I saw this idea for ragged stacked blocks and I knew it would be perfect. I love the "ratty" look and I think it turned out cute. :)