Hopefully this weekend…

I’ll finish uploading pictures from our recent trip to California.

Adorable Cookies

If Andrew and I were able, we would totally be having a Mardi Gras party to celebrate Fat Tuesday—the feast before the beginning of Lent. We thought in honor of our year of holidays it would be fun, but then realized we aren’t available Tuesday.

I saw some adorable ideas online, so in case you’re interested in carrying the torch, here is a tutorial to make some adorable cookies and some downloadable print outs for your party.

We would definitely be making the mask cookies, although I realize they wouldn’t be nearly as pretty. Decorating with icing is hard. We learned that lesson with our Christmas tree cookies. It’s okay though, we’ll just have to keep practicing:)

photo source

Soup Recipe

Andrew made some rockin' soup last week. The recipe looks a little crazy (evaporated milk, bbq sauce, etc.), but it turned out great. All the interesting ingredients came together to create a unique flavor and great consistency. It was the first soup we’ve ever made from scratch to have a thick and creamy consistency. It's usually difficult to produce thick soup at home, but this recipe nailed it! I think it had something to do with the evaporated milk, but I may be wrong.

We followed the recipe to the T with the exception of using a green pepper instead of a red one and we cooked chicken breasts instead of using a rotisserie chicken.

Smoky Roasted Chicken and Corn Chowder
Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Source: Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Feb-March 2009 Issue
 

Ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes, well drained
• 1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream-style corn
• 2 cups roasted chicken breast, chopped
• 1 tablespoon hickory flavored barbecue sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

 

Directions:

1. Cook chopped bacon in a large, non-stick soup pot over medium-high heat until lightly browned but not crisp. Stir in onions, celery, red pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Add thyme and flour. Mix well. Stir in broth and evaporated milk. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and stir continuously until soup thickens slightly.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.