Chicken Wonton Soup

Chicken Wonton Soup

For this recipe I was inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest that I tweaked to bring it more to my taste, see the original recipe here: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012201220322  This recipe calls for Cilantro Chicken Wontons that I purchased at Trader Joes, you could substitute any type of wonton or pot sticker that you would like for the recipe.  Also I used cabbage and carrots in mine, but you can use any combination of veggies that you would like. 

2 large cans/cartons of chicken broth

1 bag of wontons

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp sesame oil

2 TBS soy sauce

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 cups shredded carrot

In a pan add sesame oil and minced garlic and sauté until garlic is light brown, then add chicken broth soy sauce and veggies and bring to a boil.  Once soup is boiling add wontons and cook until done, about 5 to 10 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

So lately I have been really into trying out new recipes; I found several on Pinterest that sounded good and what I ended up with is a bit of a mix of a few recipes that I liked.

1 carton creamy tomato soup or a family sized can of tomato soup
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream or 1 cup if using regular tomato soup
1 pound ground Turkey
1 pound refrigerated tortellini
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
2 TBS dried basil or 4 cubes of frozen basil
1/4 cup parmasean cheese
2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp olive oil


Add olive oil and minced garlic to pan and saute to release flavor until light brown. Then add ground Turkey, oregano, basil and garlic salt and brown. I used 90 percent lean Turkey so I did not drain. Once meat is browned add tomato soup, broth and heavy cream and bring to boil. Once boiling add tortellini and cook until tortellini done, about 5 minutes. Add parm. and any extra herbs to suit your taste.

Enjoy!

Cute Makeup Brush Storage

This is yet another idea that I found floating around on Pinterest, and I am not sure who to credit with the original idea since I have seen so many different versions of this floating around on there.  This holder was super cheap to make, and took no time at all.  I bought the glass container and 2 bags of decorative rock at the Dollar Tree, so this cost me a whopping $3!  It makes putting my make up on easier since I don't have to dig around in my make up bag for my brushes anymore :)

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

This recipe is one that I concocted myself with a little experimenting in my kitchen and everyone loves it when I serve it.  I have a tip for the fresh basil on the bottom of the post :)

Ingredients:

3 cans tomato soup
1 soup can full of water
1/2 soup can of milk
2oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp sugar (to cut the acidity of the tomato)
2 tsp garlic salt
3 tsp chopped basil
2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese

Combine all of the ingredients in a pot and cook until boiling to help the cream cheese blend in smooth with the rest of the soup.  Then simmer on low for 20 minutes to really let the flavors blend together.

I love to serve this with grilled cheese sandwiches.

For the basil in this soup you could use fresh basil and chop it yourself to add to the soup, this is what I did the first few times I made it.  A while back I found herbs that are chopped fresh and frozen into little cubes for you to add to your recipes.  I love to use these for making this soup, each little cube is equal to one teaspoon of the herb fresh;  I find mine at Trader Joe's.

Steam Your Microwave Clean

Last night my boyfriend made bacon cheddar popcorn in our microwave, and tonight when I opened it up the stink blew me away.  That prompted me to use a trick that I learned on Pinterest which is an easy way to clean, and get the stink out of your microwave.  Best yet it is super quick and easy to do!

Heat a bowl of equal parts water and vinegar in your microwave for 5 minutes, and when it is done just take a rag or some paper towel and wipe the inside clean.  The steam breaks up the stains, and the vinegar helps to take the nasty smells out of your microwave.  I will warn you, your kitchen will smell like vinegar for a little bit afterward; but it is a good trade off to have your microwave clean.

Cute Baby Shower Ideas

As soon as I knew that I had a baby shower to plan for my sister, I turned to pinterest for some creative ideas that I could try out.  Out of the tons of ideas that I found on the site, I chose two of the simpler things that I would be able to make the time for.  So enjoy!

Duckie Punch

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it came from this blog:  http://tidymom.net

Ingredients

• 1 packet blue, unsweetened Kool-Aid
• 1 (2 liter) bottle Ginger Ale
• 1 (64 oz) bottle White Grape Juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 scoops pineapple sherbet
• 2-3 Rubber Duckies
• maraschino cherries (optional for garnish)
• orange slices (optional for garnish)

Instructions

1. Chill ginger ale and grape juice over night
2. Remove sherbet from freezer about 1/2 hour before serving punch to soften
3. In a large bowl, combine Kool-Aid packet, sugar and chilled juice. Stir to blend.
4. Slowly add chilled ginger ale.
5. Float 8 scoops of softened sherbet on top
6. Add Rubber Duckies (don’t forget to wash before using)
7. garnish cups with cherries and orange slices

This was super easy to put together at the shower, the only thing that was a little tricky was finding the Pineapple Sherbert.  I followed the recipe to the "T" and everyone loved it!  The only thing that I would change is adding a little less sugar, it calls for one cup and if I make it again I will only use 1/2 cup.

Guess the Birthdate Calendar

The next spiffy idea I found on Pinterest for a baby shower was a "Guess the Birthdate Calendar" which I thought was a great idea.  The one on Pinterest was a little bit fancier than the one I made, but I just didn't have enough time to get fancy.  I made the calendar on my word processer on my computer, then I bought the ink pad and the baby feet stamp; the total I spent on this was just under five dollars.  Have your guests put a stamp on the day they think the baby will be born and then write there name on it.

The day of the shower it took me about ten minutes total to set up both of these, which left me plenty of time to help decorate and set up the food!

Just enough Time in Our Days

Let me start by saying I love Pinterest!  That site has motivated me to try out so many cool and creative things, that I might normally have never thought of.  With my life being so busy with full time school and two part-time jobs it is hard for me to find the time to do the things that I enjoy doing.  This blog is about the handy home-made things that I can find the time to make; some will be ideas that I find online and other's will be originals.