Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup - Gluten Free

Usually, when I make chicken soup, I make it the same way. With noodles.  Same old chicken noodle soup every time. 

And by the way, to make chicken noodle soup gluten free, just use rice noodles.  They work very well in chicken noodle soup!

This week, I decided to try a new recipe for chicken soup.  Nothing wrong with the old one, just wanted to try something new.  And I am really glad I tried it!  It was a very good soup, and it is totally different than any chicken soup I have ever made before.  And no noodles, but lots of veggies.

It has a secret ingredient that to me is very strange for soup:  BUTTERMILK!  Yes, BUTTERMILK!  But I really liked the little tang it gave to the soup.  Nothing major, just an extra little zing.  It was creamy, comforting, and different from the same old same old.  When I saw this recipe had buttermilk in it, I had to try it just out of curiosity!  And I am glad I did!

I will definitely make this again.  We all enjoyed it, and it is perfect paired up with some warm, fluffy, gluten free biscuits!

Note:  You can use leftover chicken, or you can boil the chicken and potatoes early in the morning.  Then they will be cool and ready to dice when you make the soup.  If you have leftover chicken but no potatoes, use a can of diced potatoes instead.

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup

3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

2 cartons chicken broth

3 tablespoons butter

3 medium russet potatoes, cooked, peeled, and diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 can peas and carrots, drained

2 cans mixed vegetables, drained

1 can corn, drained

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt to taste

1.  Melt butter in medium saucepan.  Saute the onions and celery over medium heat until the onion is transparent.

2.  In a large Dutch oven, combine the diced chicken, chicken broth, sautéed onions and celery, potatoes, peas and carrots, mixed vegetables, and corn.  Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 30 minutes to an hour. 

3.  Whisk together buttermilk and cornstarch until it is smooth.  Add this to the chicken and vegetable soup, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. 

4.  Add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.  Give it a good stir, and it is ready to serve.

Gluten Free 7-Up Biscuits Recipe (as well as regular 7-Up Biscuits recipe)

I made my favorite gluten free biscuits today, as they go really well with a nice hot bowl of soup.

They turn out light, fluffy, and buttery every time!  And they are super easy to make, with only 4 ingredients.

Gluten Free 7-Up Biscuits

4 cups of gluten free Bisquick

3/4 cup 7-Up or Sprite (NOT diet)

1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream

1 stick melted butter

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Melt 1/2 stick of butter.  Pour it into a pie plate.

3.  With a wooden spoon, stir together the gluten free Bisquick, 7-Up, and sour cream. 

Now here's the tricky part.  If it seems too dry, add more 7-Up about 1/4 cup at a time.  Sometimes I need the whole can, like I did today, other times about 1 cup does the trick.  It should be very thick, but the dry ingredients should be completely incorporated.  If you still see powder from the Bisquick, add more 7-Up.   The biscuit dough should retain its shape when you drop it into the pan.  It should not be thin or runny.  Hope that makes sense!

3.  Using 1/3 cup measure, drop mounds of dough into the pie plate on top of the butter.  You should have 9 mounds when you're done.  If you have batter left, simply dollop it on top of the mounds you already have.

4.  Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, or until they are beginning to brown.

5.  While they are browning, melt the other 1/2 stick of butter.

6.  Remove the biscuits from the oven.  Pour the butter evenly over the tops of the biscuits.

7.  Return the biscuits to the oven, and bake another 5-10 minutes or until nicely browned.

8.  Let cool a bit.  Serve warm with butter.

Look how nice and fluffy they turn out!  They are moist, soft, and yummy slathered with butter!  These are a real treat for gluten free eaters! 

Sometimes I use Aldi's gluten free baking mix instead of gluten free Bisquick.  Aldi's also has a gluten free yellow baking mix.  It looks like gluten free yellow cake mix, but on the box it says GLUTEN FREE YELLOW BAKING MIX.  I have made these biscuits using 3 cups of their regular gluten free baking mix, with 1 cup gluten free yellow baking mix, and I have to tell you they are REALLY DELICIOUS!  My husband loves them, and he does not usually eat gluten free foods!  The yellow baking mix gives them a sweeter taste.  If you can find it at an Aldi's store, get it and try it.  They don't always carry it, so I buy several boxes when I can find it.

Now, for those of you who want to make regular biscuits, the recipe is exactly the same.  Just use regular Bisquick. 

Weekly Menu Plan January 21 to January 28, 2018

Busy, busy week ahead shuffling grandkids to all kinds of sports and music practices, meets, and games this week.  We are so blessed that they only live a few minutes from us, and that we can help out!  And it looks like we have many weeks like this from now until the end of March, when hopefully things will begin to phase out.

That means, though, that our afternoons are pretty full from 3:00 to 6:00, which really cuts out time to prep meals!  And we're OLD so we like to eat early! 

This week's meals will be either easy to make, made early in the day and reheated, or convenience foods.  I can handle that!  I like to cook and bake, but when I have a ton of stuff to do I LOVE convenience foods!  So here's a look at what's for breakfast and dinner this week:  (Details follow)

Breakfast Details:

Sunday - Pancakes from Gluten Free Bisquick mix

Monday - I use Luck's Brand fried apples, warmed with a little extra cinnamon and brown sugar

Tuesday - French Toast Sticks are frozen from Aldi's (my husband loves the cinnamon kind)

Wednesday - Breakfast Bagels are buttered toasted bagels (mine are Udi's gluten free), sandwiched with 2 fried eggs, 2 sausage patties, and a piece of American cheese; Instant oatmeal

Thursday - Southern Style Chicken Biscuits are Jimmy Dean's frozen

Friday - Amish Breakfast Casserole is from Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen and is gluten free (WOOHOO!)

Saturday - Cranberry Bliss Coffee Cake is from Let The Baking Begin, and I might make it gluten free, don't know yet; I always mix crushed pineapple into my cottage cheese to sweeten it up a bit

Dinner Details:

Sunday - Oven Baked Pork Chops are from Kitchme blog; Creamy Pea Salad is from Love Bakes Good Cakes; Chocolate Cupcakes are from a boxed cake mix and canned frosting (easy and fast)

Monday - Creamy Chicken Soup is a new recipe I never tried before, and I will share it if it's good (if it's not we will block it from our minds); 7 Up Biscuits are tried and true and I will post the recipe later this week, they are super easy; Cherry Cobbler is from All Recipes

Tuesday - Just regular hamburger patties topped with onion, cheese, and pickles;  I use frozen Easy Fries from Ore Ida, you just microwave them and they turn out pretty good!;  Baked Beans are from Sweet Little Bluebird and I will make them in the crockpot; Chocolate Cream Pie is from King Arthur Flour (I will use a purchased Pillsbury pie crust and just make the filling, topping will be Cool Whip)

Wednesday - Turkey Manhattans are very easy, just heat 1 to 2 pounds of thick-sliced deli turkey breast meat with 2 jars of Heinz turkey gravy in a large saucepan till it's nice and hot, serve open-faced over two pieces of good white or whole wheat bread, along side mashed potatoes (potatoes and sandwich have gravy poured over them); can't get much easier than that!

Thursday - Self-explanatory

Friday - Fish is frozen battered fish from Sams Club (I am eating plain fish filets with no batter); Coleslaw is from Dinner Then Dessert and is a KFC Copycat

Saturday - Crockpot Beef Stew is from Family Fresh Meals; the 7-Up Biscuits are the same as Monday's (I just have a taste for biscuits and I can make them gluten free)

That's it for what we will be eating this week!  Hope you found something you can use, or at least got some good ideas for what you'll be eating this week!

Cherry Crisp Pie

Today was a great day for making snow angels....or for staying inside for some baking and sewing, which is what I chose to do.  To me, snow looks prettier from INSIDE my kitchen!

Now I know I had Pineapple Upside Down Cake on my menu plan today, but.....for some reason I never made this Cherry Crisp I had intended to make a couple weeks ago on January 3rd.  I was wanting something quick and easy to make this morning, so I could get some sewing done.  So I made an executive decision and Cherry Crisp Pie was in the oven before I even ate breakfast!

The original recipe came from Julie's Eats and Treats.  She called it Cherry Crunch Pie or Cherry Crumble Pie.  For some reason, I kept thinking of it as Cherry Crisp Pie by mistake, and that name has been branded on my brain.  But Julie's Eats and Treats is where it came from!

I only changed a couple things.  I made it gluten free, and added a sprinkle of brown sugar and an extra can of cherry pie filling.  I also baked it at 375 degrees because my oven tends to run a bit cold. My husband loved it warm from the oven, with some vanilla ice cream on top.  I like mine cold, so I refrigerated some for me and it was so good!

Here it is fresh from the oven:

Here is how I made it:

Cherry Crisp Pie

1 stick of butter, (1/2 cup), room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1 cup quick oats (I used gluten free oats)

2 cans cherry pie filling
1/4 cup brown sugar

1.  Mix the butter, 1 cup brown sugar, flour, and oats in a medium sized bowl. (I used a wooden spoon to mix it together). 

2.  Pour at least 1/2 of that mixture into a pie plate, and press with a wooden spoon to cover the bottom and sides of the pan.  I used maybe 2/3 of the mixture, because I wanted a sturdy bottom crust.  There was plenty left for the topping.

3.  Pour the 2 cans of cherry pie filling into the crust. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of brown sugar over the top of the cherries.

4.  Sprinkle the remaining oat/flour mixture over the top of the pie filling.

5.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until the topping is nicely browned and crunchy.

We both enjoyed this after dinner with a nice cup of hot chocolate!

Menu Plan for January 14 to January 20, 2018

These first few weeks of January have been crazy busy with icy, snowy weather, unexpected snow days, and a wonderful surprise anniversary dinner thrown by my daughter and son!  Absolutely wonderful, I am truly blessed.

Now I am looking at another very busy week, while trying to keep to my cleaning schedule and get some sewing done each day. I really like having a good dinner to look forward to each day!  I am trying to prep as much as I can in the morning.  My day is split, because in the morning I go to my daughter's house and get the youngest granddaughter on the bus after everyone else goes to work and school.  Then I come home, but go back in the later afternoon to get the same granddaughter OFF the bus and run everyone to lessons or whatever, until someone comes home to take over.  Then I go back home and eat dinner with my husband and enjoy our evenings. So dinner planning is a necessity for me!

Here is a look at this week's plan, with links and details below:

Breakfast:  (links and details)

Sunday:  Pancakes are from a box mix (I use gluten free Bisquick)

Monday:  Self explanatory

Tuesday:  I buy frozen breakfast burritos (Monterey brand) and heat in microwave

Wednesday:  Pancakes are the same as Sunday

Thursday:  I buy frozen hash brown patties at WalMart, Aldi's, or Kroger.  I think Kroger's brand is gluten free, not sure, but one of them carries gluten free hash browns and they are really good.  They bake for about 30 minutes, and get nice and crispy. 

Friday:  I buy Jimmy Dean's frozen Southern Style Chicken Biscuits.  My husband likes them, but of course I eat something else that is gluten free.

Saturday:  The Grits, Sausage, and Egg Quiche is from All Recipes;  Fried Apples are canned Luck's fried apples with a little extra cinnamon and sugar, heated on the stovetop

Dinner:  (links and details)

Sunday:  Egg Rolls are frozen from Sams Club;  Chicken Fried Rice is from Life in The Lofthouse; Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake is from Betty Crocker

Monday:  Crockpot Pork Chops are thick pork chops from Sams Club with THIS SAUCE from Family Fresh Meals (it says for chicken but we love it on pork chops too!);  Boston Cream Pie is from Kraft

Tuesday:  Easy peasy day.  I use bagged salad, frozen Stouffers lasagna, frozen garlic bread, and frozen eclairs.  Salad, lasagna, and eclairs are from Sams Club.  Garlic bread I usually buy is from Aldi's.  I usually take more than half of it to my daughter's house, because it is too much for us and I can't eat it anyway due to being gluten free.  I will probably eat a leftover pork chop.  But my husband likes it, and I like to give him some variety! 

Wednesday:  I am trying this meatloaf this week because it is gluten free (I will use gluten free oats). I usually make it with a similar recipe, so will hope this one turns out! 

Thursday:  Old School Chicken and Rice is from Plain Chicken, and makes plenty to share!

Friday:  Slow Cooker Apple BBQ Ribs is from Recipes That Crock, and sounds really good! I have a busy Friday, so will probably make mac and cheese from a box that is also gluten free; Reese's Peanut Butter Poke Cake is from Six Sisters' Stuff

Saturday:  Self-explanatory

Hope you find something to try, or at least get some good ideas!  Have a great week!

The 2018 Finish-A-Long

I am hopping on to this Finish A-Long this year.  I have no idea if I can finish these projects or not, but I am going to give it my best shot!

First off, I need to quilt this Halloween top:

And I want to make the Have Yourself A Quilty Little Christmas quilt that I just started.  I have one block done.

And then there's the Pat Sloan Button Club mini for January that I have pulled fabric for but need to start:

And I have a bunch more projects in the back of my mind.  But first things first - maybe this will give me the incentive to finish what I start!

Menu Plan for 1-6 to 1-13-2018

Thanks to a snow day, I had time to plan next week's menu!

Here it is:

Here are the details and links:

Breakfast:
Sunday:  Turtle Muffins (from Your Cup of Cake)

Monday:  I use a packaged Sausage and Gravy mix from Sams Club, Pillsbury Grands for the biscuits

Tuesday:  Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal (very easy to make gluten free) (from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures)

Wednesday:  Amish Breakfast Casserole (from Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen)

Thursday:  French Toast Sticks from Aldis

Friday:  self-explanatory

Saturday:  The Chicken Biscuits are from the frozen food section, I believe they are by Jimmy Dean

Dinner:
Sunday:  Hot Chicken Salad (from Paula Deen)

Monday:  Country Fried Gravy is frozen from Sams Club, Blueberry Pudding Cake (from Taste of Home)

Tuesday:  Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos (from Food Fanatic);  Amish Peanut Butter Pie (from The Baking ChocolaTess)

Wednesday:  Chocolate Éclair Cake (from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

Thursday:  Self-explanatory

Friday:  Quick Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Bowls (from Crunchy Creamy Sweet)

Saturday:  Slow Cooker Pork Chops - thick cut pork chops from Sams Club put in slow cooker with This BBQ Sauce (from Family Fresh Meals) (even though it says chicken it is good on pork chops too!);  German Chocolate Cake (from That's My Home)

That's it for this week!