Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Prairie Fume Chicken Wild Rice Soup



One of my favorite white wines is Prairie Fume and is produced and bottled at the Wollershiem Winery in Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin. The original recipe for this Chicken with Wild Rice Soup called for white wine, but I added a little extra to really taste the flavor of the Prairie Fume. You could really use any white wine, but make sure you love it because you can really taste it in this soup!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice

7 cups chicken broth

3 cups roasted chicken, cut into pieces

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

2 Tb. vegetable oil

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup margarine

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 cups milk

1 cup white wine (Prairie Fume)

Directions:

1. Cook the wild rice according to package. Set aside.

2. In a large pot, saute the celery and onion in the oil for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until everything is tender.

3. Add chicken broth, diced chicken, and cooked wild rice into pot. Simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Whisk in milk slowly and continue to cook and whisk mixture until bubbly and thick. Then add all of milk mixture to the broth pot mixture. Stir until fully milk mixture is completely incorporated into broth.

5. In a blender, measure out two cups of the soup mixture. Blend mixture until mostly smooth. Add back to the rest of the soup in the pot. Stir in heavy cream and white wine. Allow all flavors to incorporate uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

G's side notes:

I love to partially blend soups that are supposed to be thick. I feel it just helps the thicken process, and blends the flavors. The soup also freezes very well, so you can make a lot, and save it for a rainy (or snowy) day!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Super Easy 3 Cheese Macaroni




I have never met a cheese I didn't love. Since this will be my first ever blog, I thought it only appropriate to post one of my favorites - Mac n' cheese. I have tried many mac and cheese recipes, but this one intrigued me as the noodles cook in the oven and then cheese is added later. The original recipe called for just cheddar cheese. I added the Colby Jack and Parmesan cheese for an added layer of flavor. Also, my own personal touch was the cheese crackers crumbled on top. You can definitely omit these as it does add a different taste. But, also so yummy!


Ingredients:
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 cup plus 2 Tbs. uncooked elbow macaroni
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2 Tbs. butter, cut up
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded Colby jack
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crumbled cheese crackers

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium baking dish (8x10 inches), combine broth, macaroni, evaporated milk, butter, flour, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for 50 minutes. Stir after 15, and then again after 30 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and stir in cheddar and Colby jack cheeses until melted.
4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, and crumbled cheese crackers over mac and cheese. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes or until golden brown.
G's side notes:
The noodles did taste a little "over done" as they did not have a "bite" to them. This recipe however got better over time. Many macaroni and cheese recipes do not re-heat well, but this one did. This is important for me because I always have left overs!