Soup Soup Soup and CSN Giveaway

I seriously need a new drop leaf table. Mine has seen better days. Between the cats scratching the top every time they got caught up there and the legs starting to get wobbly, I just can't take it anymore. I know where I'd like to get a new one. CSN!

Can I just go on for a few minutes about how much I love soup? I mean, seriously. Even if you don't want to make some Chicken Noodle from scratch, there are hundreds of cans available at the grocery store to choose from (I know, it's not really in line with the Food Revolution, but I can't help that the baby wants Campbell's Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup with Chicken). And it's that time of year when people won't look at you funny for eating soup or bringing leftovers to work for lunch.

Last night, I went over to my best friend's apartment for her amazing Broccoli Cheese soup. I'm not kidding when I say that it's better than Panera's. There are so many tiny little carrot sticks and so much broccoli that each bite is packed with good-for-you veg. One thing that could be improved upon is the cheese. She used Velveeta which melts much better than using real cheese, but it certainly isn't great for you. You could always substitute a can of cream of cheese soup (again, not great for you) or make a cheese sauce beforehand to add into the soup at the end. I can't guarantee how it will work, but melting cheese in boiled milk usually makes for a pretty smooth sauce.

I must say, Aloysius was very happy with the soup. I ate a big bowl along with two slices of sourdough bread with butter and was pleasantly full. Speaking of little Alo, would you like to know the cupcakes gender? It's a boy!!! I'll admit to hoping for a girl, but I'm quite happy with a little boy. Especially since he lets me eat soup! Enjoy the soup. I'm gonna make me a sandwich.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
Recipe by Anne (definitely check out her makeup blog)

3/4 cup chopped carrots (she used the precut, matchstick carrots)
3/4 cup broccoli (she used frozen florets, but fresh would work fine as would a blend of stalks with florets)
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Paprika (dash or a little more, depending on taste preference)
Dash of salt
1 cup cheese

1. In a large pot, combine veggies, broth, and water. Heat to boiling then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until veg are tender.
2. Combine milk, flour, paprika, and salt. Stir into broth and veg and. Cook, stirring until thick and bubbly. Add cheese. Stir until melted.

If you've stuck with me to this point, congratulations! I'm hosting another giveaway. CSN is offering one reader a $35 gift certificate to be used on any of their websites. Unfortunately, this giveaway is open only to US residents since CSN does not ship internationally (hence why I did the last giveaway the way that I did). To enter please do the following:

1. Pop on over to Anne's blog and welcome her to the blogging world.
2. Come back here and leave a comment letting me know what a friendly person you are.

That's it! You have until Wednesday 22 September, cause that's my hubby's birthday. I'll use Random.org again to pick the winner. I know if it were me, I'd choose something this time from their great bistro sets!

Planning a Bridal Shower

The other day I had a friend over for dinner so we could get some planning done. You see, her cousin (my best friend) is getting married in October. Since she is the maid of honor and my sister and I are bridesmaids we figured we needed to get some stuff done so that she'll have one great party (we're surprising her with a trip out of state for her bachelorette party, but we can't agree on when we should tell her, and I can't tell you guys just yet either).

My sister and I call both of these girls our cousins because they might as well be family since we spend every holiday with them and their family so I apologize now if I confuse you by switching back and forth to calling them cousins and friends (they're both in my book). Since I've been making a lot of Mexican food lately, I thought I'd go a different route and try my hand at Chinese. The closest I've ever been to making anything Asian inspired is rice, and I burn it every time if I don't use a rice cooker.



I asked my sister if she'd rather have broccoli beef or sesame chicken, and she chose beef (we'd been eating a lot of chicken lately). I had a recipe saved in recipe box on All Recipes that I'd been dying to try, and now I had my chance. I made a special trip to the grocery store so we could use fresh broccoli (all we had was frozen), and I think it really made it taste great.

Needless to say, we didn't get a whole lot of planning done. We ate dinner then ended up at the bookstore to look at bridal books. Then of course it was time for dessert, so we went to get some ice cream before heading home. Hopefully, you'll like the recipe as much as I did. Enjoy!

Broccoli Beef
Recipe from All Recipes, adapted by me

1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 pound boneless round steak, cut into bite size pieces 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger root 1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper 4 cups chopped fresh broccoli

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, broth, sugar, and soy sauce. Stir until sugar and flour are dissolved.
2. In a large skillet or wok over high heat, cook and stir beef 2 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Stir in broth mixture, ginger, garlic, and broccoli. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens.