Kate's Kitchen

I enjoy cooking but I am probably a much better baker because truth is, I'm a recipe follower. Unlike Enoch and my momma, I can't just throw things together without a recipe, taste it, and state exactly what the item needs to make it taste wonderful. I've been trying to cook more lately since I've been out of school, and I'm trying to build a base of go-to recipes.  Last week, I made Broccoli Soup and Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

Broccoli Soup:
- 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. broccoli
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup of shredded carrot
- 2 tbsp. margarine
- 1 med. onion
- 2 tbsp. flour, cornstarch OR potato flakes
- salt & pepper
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup skim milk

I used a dutch oven because I'm in love with mine but you can use a small pot big enough to hold all of your ingredients.  Saute margarine and onions until onions are soft. Add flour, cornstarch OR potato flakes and stir.  Add liquid ingredients (milk, chicken broth), then add broccoli and carrots.  Season with salt and pepper.   Let the mixture cook down and once it looks like utterly disgusting goop and the broccoli is VERY soft, blend all of it in a blender.  I top mine with cheese and have some toast with it!

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps:
- 24 ounces of chicken breasts
- 1 celery stalk (whole)
- 1/2 of a diced onion
- 1 clove of garlic, diced
- 16 ounces of chicken broth
- 1/2 cup of hot sauce (Franks or Texas Pete)
- Lettuce (the recipe recommended bib or iceberg but a head of romaine worked just fine for us)
- Shredded carrot, thinly sliced celery, & sour cream.

In a crock pot combine first 5 ingredients listed.  Cover and cook for 4 hours.  Remove the chicken and shred.  Discard all remaining broth (including celery stalk) except for 1/2 cup.  Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot along with the 1/2 cup of reserved broth and 1/2 cup of hot sauce.  Stir and let cook 30 minutes.  To serve place chicken on lettuce to eat like a taco (I was a little apprehensive about the lettuce but it was quite yummy).  I topped mine with some shredded carrot and sour cream that had Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix stirred in.  This was a recipe I found on Pinterest and it was absolutely delicious! Enoch loved it too, and he decided to put his chicken on sourdough bread with lettuce and make a sandwich out of it, so there's another serving option.

Enjoy!

Fresh Beginnings

I dislike the fact that it has been so long since I last blogged so I'm really really going to try to jump back on the ball!

Major Life Updates:
I'm a college graduate.
I have a job! I will be teaching 5th grade at a new, local charter school; I am ecstatic, nervous, and thankful.

Yep that just about sums up my life right now.  I'm taking some time this summer to relax, spend time with Enoch & family, work a little, and prepare for the 2012/2013 school year.