Avgolemono - Lemon Rice and Chicken Soup Recipe

Hola Amigos! How is this Polar Vortex treating you? Today was supposed to be back to school after Christmas vacation, but school was cancelled leaving kiddo more time to do this:

With temperatures getting lower literally by the hour, only something hot and creamy will do the trick to bring the body back to an "I'm ready to go outside and do more shoveling" state of mind!

This is one of my favorite soups and the I get it every Friday (the only day they prepare it) at the Farmer's Restaurant by my house. I'm not 100% sure my version has all the "magic" ingredients they put on theirs, but is quite close, and will do for as long as we remain snowed in!

You can have it with pita bread on the side or like me, open your oyster crackers and have fun. I always keep a big bag or 2 at home.

My soup has a bit more rice therefore thicker than the Farmer's version, but as you all know, I just love rice, maybe as much as I love chocolate , lol...crazy I  know!

I sure hope you are not part of the 140 million Americans feeling the effects of the "Freeze" as the Weather Channel reports. But if like me you are stuck right in the middle of the whole thing, this is your soup to have! Trust me, you will thank me after several bowls! stay safe, stay warm and remember everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Avgolemono - Lemon Rice and Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 Large Whole Chicken Breast,  Chopped (around 1 1/2-2 cups)

5 Cups Chicken Broth (for more wholesome flavor use the broth where you cook your chicken)

1/2 Cup Rice (I use 3/4 Cup since I like my soup thick and with lots of rice)

1 TBSP Butter or Olive Oil

1 Cup Onion, Diced

1/2 Cup Carrots, Diced 

1/2 Cup Celery, Diced

3 Eggs

1 Large Lemon, Juiced

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Salt to taste

Lemon slices for garnish

Pita Bread or Oyster Crackers 

Directions:

In a pan, melt the butter on a little bit of oil for it not to burn or heat olive oil alone and saute veggies until onions and celery are translucent, around 5 minutes. Set aside.

On a large pot add chicken broth bring to a simmer and add rice. Cook until rice blooms (opens), add sauteed veggies and chicken. Add red pepper flakes and salt if needed. Keep cooking for flavors to integrate, about 5-10 minutes.

Now comes the tricky part, in a separate bowl beat eggs and while doing this add the lemon juice. Keep the whisking going, now slowly add a ladle at a time of the soup mixture to temper the eggs, you don't want to end with an omelette in you soup. Add one or two ladles full, I don't mind if rice or veggies get into it, the idea is to bring the eggs at the same temp of the soup in the pot.

Pour the egg-lemon mixture into the soup pot keep  mixing  and remove from heat. Serve hot with lemon wedges, oyster crackers or pita bread, enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes                           Cook Time 30 Minutes                            Serves 6

Sharing my tangy hot soup at these Fabulous Parties:

Smart School House, Ginger Snap Crafts, All She Cooks, Lady Behind the Curtain, Ducks' n a Row, Kitchen Meets Girl, My Girlish Whims, Memories by the Mile, My Snippets of Inspiration, Gina's Craft Corner, Little House Living, Feeding Big, Love Bakes Good Cakes

Bean and Chorizo Crock Pot Soup Recipe

Hola Amigos: These is the season for soups! When it's cold outside all you want is to feel warm all over and sometimes the only way to do that is with a good old fashioned soup.

Today I'm sharing with you an easy recipe for a very tasty bean soup on the crock pot that hits just the spot.
The richness of the beans with the spice of the chorizo makes it ideal for fall and winter! Even the color is inviting and "fall-like"

I'm using for this recipe the new chorizos by Johnsonville. They are less spicy than your traditional mexican chorizo, very affordable ( I got mine with a 2 for $5.00 deal) and since they are milder in flavor, the soup is also kid friendly.

This soup is good by itself, it has big chunks of chorizo and beans, very satisfying. Top it of with sour cream, some green onions and of course some crispy Bacon. Also,if you are like me, no soup is complete without it's side of white rice! I know, It's tradition in my country to have soup with rice, I guess it's like having hamburger with fries here in the US.

Thank you for visiting the blog today! Lately I've been letting the recipes do the talking. Simple but tasty homey foods require few words and big appetites! Once you are full, then we can talk, lol. Have a beautiful day and remember my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Bean and Chorizo Crock Pot Soup

Ingredients:

1 Cup Navy Beans

1 Cup Pinto Beans

or use 2 Cup bean combination of your choice

1 (14.5 Oz) Can Diced Tomatoes

1  Large Onion cut in quarters

2 Clove Garlic finely minced

1/4 Cup BBQ Sauce

4 Cups Vegetable broth 

1 (16 Oz) Package Johnsonville Chorizo

Salt, Pepper to taste

3 Slices of Bacon Crisp and Chopped

Sour Cream

Green Onions

Directions:

Rinse and soak your beans the night before. When ready to cook, drain soaking water and place beans in your crock pot with tomatoes, onion, garlic bbq sauce and broth. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for 4-6 hours. Once is ready, scoop about 4 ladles full of beans and 1 or 2 chorizos. Put them in  a food processor and process until smooth. Add this mix to the contents of your crock pot to thicken the soup. mix. Serve with some sour cream, green onions and chopped crisp bacon. Enjoy.

Prep Time: Soaking the beans overnight               Cook Time 4 hours                       Serves 8

Sharing my hearty soup at these Fabulous Parties:

Smart School House, Ginger Snap Crafts, Made to be a Momma, My Girlish Whims, All She Cooks, Ducks 'n a Row, The View from 510, Hi! Its Jilly, Memories by the Mile, Fluster Buster, Creative Geekery, Lamberts Lately, Posed Perfection, Krafty Cards, A Glimpse Inside, Gingerly Made, Live Laugh Rowe, Made in a Day, Saving 4 Six, The Crafty Blogstalker, Sparkles and a Stove, Simply Dream and Create, Consider me Inspired, The Mandatory Mooch, Artsy Fartsy Mama, What's Cooking Love?, The Best Blog Recipe, Juggling Real Food and Real Life, The Girl Creative, Sweet Haute, Jennifer Rizzo, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, The Answer is Chocolate, Rattlebridge Farm, Tidy Mom, My Turn (for Us), Becoming Martha, Craft Dictator, The Jenny Evolution, Living Better Together, My Personal Accent, The Pin Junkie, Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Liz Marie Blog, 504 Main, Foodie Friends Friday, Diana Rambles, The Thriftiness Miss, Today's Creative Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, The Wondering Brain, Angels Homestead, Too Much Time on my Hands, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Made from Pinterest,SewLicious Home Decor, Lemon Paper Designs, Twigg Studios, Suburbs Studios, 2 Crochet Hooks, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Flamingo Toes, Serenity You, Everyday Mom's Meals, I Should be Mopping the Floors, My Mixing Spoons, Under The Table and Dreaming, This Gal Cooks, A Pinch of Joy, Lines Across, The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen, The Chicken Chick, Between Naps on the Porch, Feeding Big, Watch Out, Martha!, A Southern Fairytale, The Gunny Sack, Our Table for Seven, Hun...What's for Dinner?, Chef In Training, Home Stories A to Z, Nap Time Creations, Mnady's Recipe Box, Sugar Bee Crafts, Cozy Little House, Lady Behind the Curtain, A Bright and Beautiful Life, Katherine's Corner, Gina's Craft Corner

Woodland Ogre Halloween Beef and Pasta Stoup Recipe

Hola Amigos: Not everything hasto be skulls, bones and witches for Halloween right? there are plenty of other fun characters out there to play along with make a recipes around them. This is one example, the friendly (?) Ogre!
We all learned to love that green fellow capable of making the "princess"  forget about getting  the ultimate makeover and be true to herself.  I wasn't quite fond of his taste for dinner (neither were the 3 blind mice) but I'm sure this dish would satisfy his appetite and the appetite of any of our own big and little ogres at home!

It's a crock pot dish too...so no need to slave over a cauldron  to enjoy comfort food at the end of a cool Fall or Winter's day!

Just like a real Ogre would do, don't even worry to much about perfectly cutting veggies, just rough chop everything and after 4 hours or so enjoy the goodness!

As you can see here, nothing is Mushed <-----not quite sure that's an actual word but you get the idea. Everything remains whole giving it the perfect "Stoup" consistency...a Stew and Soup together! what is not to love about it!

Here you have it my friends! Like our favorite character said once "Ogres (and bloggers) are like onions", no we don't stink, but we have layers and deep inside we all believe in fairy tales and we  bring them to life with projects, crafts or why not a recipe! Enjoy and remember that everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Woodland Ogre Halloween Beef and Pasta Stoup

Ingredients:

1 (1 1/2-2 Pound) Chuck Roast

1 Small Bag Frozen Stuffed Pasta

(I had Ravioli handy, but you could use Tortellini too)

1 14.5 Oz Can Petite Diced Tomatoes

1 14.5 Oz Can Sweet Corn

1 14.5 Oz Can Beef Broth

1 14.5 Oz Can Condensed Tomato Soup

1 Large Onion Chopped

8 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms

Salt, Pepper, Celery Salt , Onion Powder to taste (or use your own favorite spice mix)

Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Get your Crock Pot ready.

Make a bed with your chopped onion and place the roast on top, add the rest of ingredients except the Parmesan Cheese.

Cook for 4 hours. Serve with some Parmesan Cheese on top and Enjoy

Personal Tip: I like to use chuck roast for soups because it's not expensive and it gives the best flavor to soups, stock and broths, but I don't like the fact that it has bones and a bit too much fat for my taste, so I take the extra step of trimming the bone and fat before I freeze it, so it is ready to go when I need it. 

Prep Time: 5 Minutes                              Cooking Time 4 hours                         Serves 6 Bowls

Sharing some Ogre Chow at these Fa-BOO-lous Parties:

The 36th Avenue, 52 Mantels, The Mandatory Mooch, Sweet Haute, Saving 4 Six, Lamberts Lately, What's Cooking Love?, A Handful of Everything. Live, Laugh Rowe, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Katherines Corner, The Best Blog Recipes, Craftionary, Tidy Mom, The Girl Creative, One Tough Mother, Home Maid Simple, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, 504 Main, Craft Dictator, Do Small Things with Love, Diana Rambles, Sara Howe, Planned in Pencil, Living Better Together, The Jenny Evolution, Shaken Together, The Pin Junkie, Tatertots and Jello, Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Serenity You. Classy Clutter, Who Needs a Cape, Cheerios and Lattes, Too Much Time, Twigg Studios, Life on Lakeshore Drive, WCFS, Your Homebased Mom, Mommifried, The Thriftiness Miss, Under the Table and Dreaming, Dear Creatives, Flamingo Toes, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Frugal Foodie Mama, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Coastal Charm, Between Naps on the Porch, Carrie This Home, A Pinch of Joy, PandP Kitchen, Jembellish, A Southern Fairytale, Setting for Four, Titi Crafty, Huckleberry Love. VMG 206, The Gunny Sack, Ladybug Blessings, Home Stories A to Z, Chef in Training, Our Table for Seven, Nap-Time Creations, Mandy's Recipe Box, The Everyday Home, The Well Crafted Home, Smart School House, My Sweet Mission, Lady Behind the Curtain, Thank You Honey, All She Cooks, Ducks n' a Row, Six Sisters's Stuff, Call Me PMc

Rapidito en Viernes=Quicky Fridays

Hola Amigos! Friday is here and what a weekend this one promises to be! Pre-Superbowl parties on Saturday and the game on Sunday!
This morning looking through some paper work I ran into a postcard from some paradise island saying something to the effect...Wish You Were Here! and I said...well I might not be able to get on my magic carpet and transport myself to a sandy beach coconut in one hand and suntan lotion on the other...but I can pretend I'm there via food! So I did! Seafood, coconut, ginger and lime..yummm....and everything is done in less than 30 minutes!...I'll take that for now!!! Here is my recipe perfect for a rich, tasty soup that will make you feel right in the middle of a Thai Market, a Pacific Island Restaurant...or a Tropical Beach in no time at all perfect for this busy weekend or anytime you feel like traveling without leaving the comfort of your house.

Island Paradise Scallop Coconut Soup

3 cups Vegetable Stock

1 cup bottled Clam Juice

2 TBSP Fish Sauce

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

8 oz Sliced Fresh Mushroom 

2 TBSP Fresh Ginger, chopped

1 cup Fresh Snow Peas

1/2 Pound Scallops

1/2 Pound uncooked Shrimp, peeled and de-veined 

1 can Lite Coconut Milk

1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice

1 TBSP Cilantro

2 TBSP Green Onions, chopped

1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

In a large soup pot. whisk together stock, clam juice, fish sauce, garlic and ginger. Bring to a boil.

Add mushrooms, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Add snow peas, scallops and shrimp. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook for another 5 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk, lime juice, cilantro, green onions and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes until thoroughly heated.

Listo!

This soup will easily serve 4 !

There you go my friends and easy trip to the islands. Delicious, somewhat healthy since we used lite coconut milk, but most importantly done in about 30 minutes ! 

Wishing you a great weekend and a  fun Super Bowl Celebration among friends and family always keeping in mind that everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love !

Besitos,

Lizy

Joining these Fabulous Parties:
This and That
Dear Creatives
Rattlebridge Farm
Consider Me Inspired
USS Crafty

The Self Sufficient Homeacre
A Pinch of Joy
Mom's Test Kitchen
Hun...What's for Dinner
Call Me PMc
Semi Homemade Mom
The Shaffer Sisters