Couponing has gotten harder, so I have been trying to save money by making more things from scratch. One item that I hadn't even thought about making from scratch was Cream of ... Soup. I am constantly adding cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery ,and cream of potato soups into recipes, yet it hadn't even crossed my mind. That is until Pinterest. On a recent viewing session I saw this post, and had to do it.
I have been printing a lot lately and was out of ink. So I figured I could just look at the recipe online and print a label later. After reading all the reader comments, I decided to go ahead and double the recipe right away. So after fixing dinner for the family, I set to work.
Did I mention it was the end of the day, and I was a bit tired? Anyway, I poured all of the ingredients into the food processor in order to blend them well and break up any lingering large chicken bouillon cubes. It went quickly, so I poured most of it into a storage container, and made a test batch to try. It was good, but I was surprised by how spicy it seemed, not exactly what I had envisioned, but not bad. I decided to double check the recipe and noticed that instead of adding teaspoons of thyme, basil, and pepper, I added Tablespoons. Uh oh! My Vet (who knows my history with trying to follow a recipe) is snickering as he reads this.
Not being someone who likes to waste, I wasn't about to toss it. Instead, I grabbed a teaspoon and a Tablespoon in order to calculate the difference and then adjust the other ingredients accordingly. At this point I was fully committed. I sure hoped it tasted good, or I would be tweaking it until did!Luckily, My math skills are better than my ability to follow directions. I had to wait until later when I could get to the store to replenish depleted ingredients. This also allowed me to double check my calculations.
Success! I can happily say that it tastes great, and I am glad that I have such a large stock to use.
Cream of "something" soup recipe
1 cup non-fat dried milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup bouillon (if you have cubes you have to smash them up)
You can use whatever kind you like (ie, beef, veggie)
4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon pepper
**For the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water. Cook until thick.
I used it in this awesome recipe for Cheesey Wild Rice Soup and it made it even awsomer! (I know it's not a word, but truth is truth.)
I use a lot of condensed soups in the crockpot. Does this recipe equal a can of soup right out of the can? Can I add the mix and water right to the crockpot? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteFor the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water.
DeleteI use it in my crockpot as a subsitute for condensed soup, OFTEN. Since it is a base and doesn't already have the mushrooms, chicken, potato, celery etc., add some of that as well.
I am still using it for the first time in old family favorite recipes, and My Vet and I can't believe how much better they taste!
Good luck