Drive Thru

Here we are another week gone by. Is it me or does the month get a little bit busier and crazy as the month progresses? Yikes!
You will like our third feature writers blog today. Corrine DeJong is a local massage therapist and avid cook/baker. I think you will enjoy what she has to offer in our Recipes and Relaxation blog post!

We live in a hectic “drive thru” world meaning that we “drive thru” to get our coffee, our breakfast, lunch and dinner, our gallons of milk and our dry cleaning.  We cruise thru to do our banking and pick up our prescriptions.  We, as a society of moms are on the go, we are busy shuttling kids to school and sports and music lessons.  We make sure everyone in the house has everything they need to make their lives happy and successful…everyone that is except for one person…ourselves.

Recipes and Relaxation is about combining everything mentioned above but still having time for yourself that doesn’t include you sitting behind a locked bathroom door.

The recipes will be the main focus and the relaxation will come in when you realize you can make a dinner everyone likes and not spend a lot of time or money in the process.  You will find if you follow this blog that I believe in great food that can be prepared in just a little amount of time to make life easier.  I will add in short cuts and helpful hints along the way.

With the onset of fall comes the desire for comfort foods and this recipe fits the bill.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH DUMPLINGS

64oz Chicken Broth ~ I use Kirkland brand, it is organic & inexpensive

3 Carrots, peeled and sliced

3 Celery stalks, chopped

1 medium Onion quartered *

1/2 cup Rice

3-4 Potatoes, peeled and sliced ~ optional

3 cups diced Rotisserie Chicken **

Salt and Pepper to taste

2-4 cups of Water

Corn or Green Beans ***

Combine all of the ingredients above in a large soup pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer for at least one hour, the longer it simmers, the better it tastes.  I make the soup the night before and then put it in a crock pot with a liner, on low in the morning.  About 20 minutes prior to serving, I transfer it back into the soup pot and bring it to a boil but if your crock pot will heat it to boiling then there is no need to transfer it back.

Combine Dumpling ingredients in a bowl until blended:

2 cups of Bisquick Baking Mix

2/3 cup of Milk

Spoon the dough onto boiling soup, cover tightly and reduce heat to low for 12-15 minutes.

*   I finely mince the onion so it is tasted but not seen by my son

**  Watch your local grocery store for Rotisserie Chickens to go on sale, buy 2 or 3 and bone them out.  You can use the meat right away or freeze it for later. It is a fast and easy way to get great tasting chicken without having to fuss with cooking it yourself.  Most Rotisserie chickens yield about 3 pounds of useable meat.

***  I will add green beans, corn or other veggies that are left over in my fridge as well.