Not Your Typical Broccoli Cheese Soup

When most people think of broccoli cheese soup, they imagine a bowl of broccoli pieces swimming in a thin cheddar cheese sauce. I'm not knocking other recipes. I have tried many variations and they have ALL been mighty tasty in my opinion. However, THIS one will grab your taste buds, slap them around and say "Wake Up!" You are in for A treat! My husband HATES broccoli and....well just about ANY green vegetable there is. But I make THIS soup? He is more than happy to be the good example to his kids and eat ALL of his veggies!

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. bag of frozen broccoli
1 16 oz. bag of frozen cauliflower
1 heaping cup of long grain rice
6 cans of Swanson chicken broth
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 pint of half and half
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or according to taste)
1 1/2 tsp salt (or according to taste)

Directions:

In a large pot, put in broccoli, cauliflower, rice and chicken broth. Heat over medium high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently until the mixture has absorbed most of the broth. Remove from heat and using a potato masher, mash the mixture until mushy! Place back on heat reducing the temp to simmer and add in the remaining ingredients, stirring to mix well and making sure that the cream cheese has completely melted into the soup. If the soup is too thick just thin it down with some milk. This soup is especially good with Chicken in a Biscuit Crackers!

Chicken Pillows

This is my daughter Aubree's absolute most favorite dinner and is what she asks me to make every year for her birthday. I must admit that I enjoy them very much as well. Just the name alone makes people say "OOOHH, that sounds GOOOD!" It's a little time consuming by the standards of some people out there, but once you taste them you'll understand why they are worth the extra time.

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been boiled and either cubed or shredded.
2 tbs. softened butter or margarine
12 to 16 oz. of softened cream cheese (depending on how much you like cream cheese!)
dash of pepper
2 cans of refrigerator crescent rolls
1 stick melted butter or margarine
1 box of dry Stove Top Stuffing w/seasoning that has been pulverized in the blender until you have fine crumbs.


1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 soup can of milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix prepared chicken with cream cheese, butter and pepper, stirring to mix well. Roll out crescent rolls and place an equal amount of chicken mixture in each crescent roll. Then one at a time, roll up each filled crescent roll, making sure to pull up and pinch the sides to hold in the mixture. Dip in melted butter and roll in seasoned bread crumbs. When you have all of the rolls done, place on an ungreased cookied sheet and bake for about 25 to 28 minutes.

In a medium sized saucepan mix the cream of chicken soup with milk and heat over medium low heat until heated through. This sauce is to go over the chicken pillows once they're on your plate. I always triple the sauce recipe and also use it as a gravy to go over rice.

Porcupine Meatballs

I like these because they have kind of meatloaf texture and flavor. The nice part is that they are easier to serve because you don't have to deal with slicing it like you do meatloaf. I serve them over rice using the sauce as the gravy.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. of hamburger
2/3 cup long grain rice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)
1 tsp. Lawry's season salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8-1/4 tsp. pepper
1 15 oz. can tomato soup
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix hamburger with rice, 1/2 cup of water, (chopped onion), season salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Form meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place the porcupine meatballs in an ungreased 2-quart shallow baking dish. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the porcupine meatballs. Cover with lid or foil and bake at 350° F. oven for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake porcupine meatballs 15 minutes longer.

Dutch Oven Potatoes

This recipe begins with a pound of bacon! How can that NOT bring a smile to your face? I never have the time to cook with my dutch oven on hot coals outside, so I just put my dutch oven inside my regular oven. Dutch oven purists may look down upon me, but I have never had any complaints from my family or friends when I serve this one up!

Ingredients:
1 lb. of bacon diced
1 lg. onion sliced
6 or 8 potatoes (depending on size) sliced
1 cup sliced or shredded carrots
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat your dutch oven on top of the stove and fry bacon and onions till bacon is cooked and onions are clear. Stir often so as not to stick. Remove from heat and add in remaining ingredients, stirring to coat well. Bake for 35 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Now I've never tried it myself, but I've heard that sliced mushroom added to this dish is pretty tasty!