Fall Comfort Food: Bacon Blue Cheeseburger Soup

As promised earlier today, I posted that I would be creating new recipes for this blog.  In a stroke of creativity this evening (and a craving for soup), I have created something delicious that includes meat, cheese and potatoes...on a very meager budget. 

I absolutely LOVE bacon and blue cheese together.  I love bacon blue cheese hamburgers, and I LOVE cheese of all kinds.  So why not combine all these flavors into a soup for Fall?  I love it when the temperatures begin to drop and we start marching toward Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The sweet goodies begin to magically appear from the kitchen, and people want to drink hot cups of something delicious and build a fire.  Summer used to be my favorite time of year, but I believe Fall has slowly taken over.  I love the fires, the toasted marshmallows, and pumpkin spice in everything.   love the colors, smells, and warm comfort of Fall favorites.  Most of all, I love the food that we eat in the Fall when it starts to get cold--chili, soups, turkey, stuffing, hot chocolate, etc.  This is the time of Shepherd's Pie and meatloaf.  Fall is flavorful.

Tonight, it's Bacon Blue Cheeseburger Soup at our casa.  It's easy to make, smells great on the stove, and doesn't break your budget.  Enjoy!

My daughter's first bite shows the goodness of this recipe...her eyes rolled back in her head...and she just said, "Mmm."

Bacon Blue Cheeseburger Soup

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (70% lean)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 Tbsp. salted butter
1/4 c. blue cheese (crumbled)
2 Tbsp. real bacon bits
3 medium russet potatoes
3 c. chicken stock
1 can evaporated milk
6 oz. Velveeta cheese product
1 pkg. dinner rolls
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (for garnish)

Brown hamburger meat in a stock pot on medium heat.  Add oregano, onion powder, paprika, garlic, seasoned salt, white pepper and butter to pot. When the meat is getting brown, add blue cheese crumbles and bacon bits, turn heat down to medium-low. Drain grease off the meat. Cube potatoes and add them to the meat.  Let the flavors cook together for just a couple of minutes.  Turn the stove down to low and add chicken stock.  Allow the soup mixture to cook on low for 25 minutes, barely bubbling.  Add the evaporated milk and the Velveeta cheese. Mash the potatoes in the soup to make it thicker.  Mash until your own desired consistency is achieved. Mix until cheese is melted and soup is creamy.  Serve hot! Sprinkle sharp cheddar cheese on top of each bowl of soup.

Servings: 6
$2.15 per serving

Serve with warmed dinner rolls and butter. Optionally, you can serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Happy Fall holidays from my house to yours.

--The Cheap Gourmet Mom

NEW Recipes (coupons, budgeting and meal planning too!)

Hello to everyone out there who has been following my blog.  I sincerely hope you have enjoyed the recipes and anecdotes.  I have started a new blog as well called "Forgotten Lunches Full Hearts" at http://forgottenlunchesfullhearts.blogspot.com. If you want to check out that blog, I believe you will like it as well.

As for this blog, the reason it has gone silent for a time is that I have been working outside the home for the past year.  When I was writing this blog, I was at home, able to create wonderful new recipes on a regular basis.  I have settled into using these cheap gourmet recipes in my monthly meal planning.  I am going to return to writing on this blog with some great NEW RECIPES and tips for budgeting, couponing and meal planning--whether you stay home and care for house and children--or you're like me now and work full-time.  Both groups of people need cheap, delicious and easy recipes for their homes. 

Please be patient with me as I work to create some new meals.  I thank you for visiting my blog, and I sincerely hope that it has been a blessing to you.

--The Cheap Gourmet Mome

Childhood Comfort Food All Grown Up: Garlic Chicken Cheese Pockets

In our home, sometimes we like to enjoy some childhood comfort food.  You can almost always find Pop-Tarts on our shelves, despite their lack of wholesome nutritional value, chicken nuggets, and we LOVE quesadillas!  Another childhood comfort food that I remember from quick lunches in high school: the pastry pocket called a Hot Pocket.  The processed meat and gooey cheese was yummy when I only had 15 minutes to scarf down lunch.  As an adult, I find myself creeping back to some of those comfort foods from my childhood, despite how disgusting they may seem to me now.  What's a girl to do?  My answer: make a grown up version of an old classic comfort.  This recipe morphed from losing my desire to eat the processed version of this meal, but still wanting the yummy goodness of pastry, cheese and chicken (with a little garlic thrown in for good measure).

Here's the recipe (super easy)!

Garlic Chicken Cheese Pockets

2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil (or coconut oil)
2-3 boneless chicken breasts
6-8 Tbsp. of sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup of melted butter (organic if possible)
kosher salt
black pepper


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute chicken breast in a medium skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Cook until heated through and juices run clear, add minced garlic and cook 2-3 more minutes, then combine the cream cheese with chicken in the skillet.  Melt butter in the microwave for 30 second.  Unroll crescent roll dough (or use the seamless kind) and separate into 4 equal rectangles (2 perforated rolls per rectangle).  Press seams of the dough together.  Brush the edges with butter and spoon 1-2 Tbsp. of chicken/cheese mixture into the center of the rectangle. Place another dough rectangle on top of the first and crimp edges with a fork, sealing the mixture inside.  Brush the top of the pocket lightly with butter.  Repeat until all the dough and chicken mixture has been used.  Bake for 12 minutes or until slightly crispy and golden brown on top!  Enjoy.

Serves 6 at $2.08 per pocket (these are large!)

From my kitchen to yours,

--The Cheap Gourmet Mom

Less is More: Mini Taco Flower Cups

Recently, my church hosted a Game Night for adults.  I have to give a big shout out to Life Church in McAlester, OK.  They know how to throw a good party!  As we planned for this game night, we chose finger foods as a theme for our potluck food items.  We asked people to bring their favorite finger foods to share with the group.  Being the foodie that I am, I had to make something a little special!

I tried to think of foods that people normally eat during the week, but do something different and special with comfort food.  After perusing some recipes, the idea came to me...Mini Taco Cups in the shape of flowers.
Ordinary comfort food becoming extraordinary!  I decided to make half of the batch with black beans.  The other half was without beans.  My husband hates beans.  I wouldn't be allowed to come home if I made them all beanie.

I decided to make a little taco bar to go.  I used won-ton wrappers to make the flower cups and filled them with seasoned Angus ground beef, and black beans for some, and topped each one with a small pile of shredded Mexican blend cheese.  I took bowls of lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream - so each person could make the taco in their own style.

The next time you are invited to a swag shindig, bring some Mini Taco Cups dressed as flowers!

Here is the recipe:

1 lb. Angus ground beef
3/4 c. water
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can organic black beans
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 small roma tomato
1 white onion
1 medium jalapeno
1 1/2 cups of Mexican blend shredded cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1 pkg. won-ton wrappers
3 Tbsp. coconut oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet.  When the meat is mostly cooked, mix in taco seasoning and water. Cook on medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes. Lightly brush each cup in 2 regular muffin pans (total of 24 taco cups) with coconut oil.  Take out two won-ton wrappers and criss-cross them on top of each other, then press them gently into the muffin cup.  You want them to be alternating on top of one another so that it looks like a flower.  When your meat is fully cooked, spoon 1 rounded Tablespoon of meat into each won-ton flower cup.  On half of the taco cups, spoon 1 teaspoon of black beans in each taco flower cup.  Sprinkle cheese on top of each cup.  Place in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes.  Chop tomato, onion and jalapeno, mixing them together to make pico de gallo.  Take pico de gallo, lettuce, and sour cream in containers with you to the party (with your taco flower cups).

Enjoy!

Serves 24 @ $.75 per serving

Life's short.  Have a party!

--The Cheap Gourmet Mom

Light on Calories, Big on Flavor: Mediterranean Cream of Kale Soup

I love soup.  However, I used to eat rich, creamy, fattening soups. I loved clam chowder, cheddar broccoli, or any heavy cream soup.  In the past few years, I had was diagnosed with two heart conditions.  Thanks to my Lord Jesus Christ and His power to heal, my doctors have declared me HEALED.  However, for a couple of years before my healing came, I got a serious wake-up call about my bad eating habits.  I LOVE FOOD. I am a total foodie, as witnessed by my dedication to a blog dedicated to sharing delicious food recipes.  However, even the best of food can be killing you.  It can taste delicious going down, only to block your arteries, raise your blood pressure, cause obesity, diabetes, and a host of other health problems.  Food was created by God to enjoy, but people also need to use wisdom about what food to eat.

God has given me a unique talent.  I give him the credit for my ability to create these recipes because I used to be a heinous cook.  My husband lovingly choked down my food for years before I finally learned to cook.  I never dreamed I would be able to create original recipes that were both healthy and delightfully delicious.

Today was a creative day.  I have been hearing all the hype in the past few years about "super foods".  I have a bottle of pure 100% Acai berry juice in my fridge.  I make superfood smoothies and try to incorporate many of them into my cooking.  Avocado is probably my favorite one of these foods with superpowers to energize your body.  The newest food celebrity is KALE.  I admit, I have not been sure how to cook kale, what do with it, or how it should be eaten.  I have been clueless about kale.

So...of course, I bought a giant tub of organic kale at the grocery store.  It has been sitting in my refrigerator waiting for a stroke of creativity to hit me.  A friend shared a kale recipe with me, and although it would be delicious, it was a cream sauce for pasta. Today, I didn't have room in my caloric budget for more carbs.  I am a carb-fanatic, and I have to seriously watch how many carbs I eat.  I think there are 3 food groups, pasta, rice, and sugar.  Lord help me!  We eat pasta ALL THE TIME at our house.  I know it's bad...don't judge me.

As I stared at the kale, I thought "what on earth am I going to make?"  Then the Spirit of God inside me took over, and this is what was created:

Mediterranean Cream of Kale Soup

3 cups of water
3 chicken bouillon cubes (or substitute organic chicken broth for these two ingredients)
1 cup half & half
4 Tbsp. sweet cream butter
5 oz. (1 tub) of organic baby kale
3 Tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes (julienned, or chopped, without oil)
2 Tbsp. (rounded) minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. corn starch + 1 cup of water
6 slices Borden natural Gouda cheese slices

Serves 6 (2 cup servings) at $1.25 per serving

Bring water and bouillon cubes to a boil in a large pot, until cubes are completely dissolved (or substitute chicken broth). Add butter to the broth.  Chop baby kale into 1/2 inch pieces and cook in hot broth.  Stir.  Chop sun dried tomatoes and add to pot, along with minced garlic.  Cook on medium heat until kale begins to wilt.  Add half & half slowly to soup mixture. Mix 1 cup of water and 3 Tbsp of corn starch separately; stir until dissolved.  Add the corn starch mixture to the pot slowly.  As the soup cooks, it will thicken.   Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Simmer on low for 5 more minutes, then turn off the heat.  Serve in a bowl with cheese placed on top.  Cheese will melt to cover soup.

I just ate the first bowl.  It was DELICIOUS!  I hope you enjoy this culinary creation. :-)

--The Cheap Gourmet Mom

Southern Gourmet: Coconut Parmesan Chicken & Waffles

I have a knack for taking traditional comfort foods and transforming them into something new, healthy and delicious!  After watching friends share on Facebook about cooking chicken and waffles, I became interested in this glorious combination of flavors.  I had never eaten chicken and waffles until the the night before last.  I searched the Internet for a good recipe, but as usual, came up short of something truly wonderful.  I have trouble using other recipes because I am constantly modifying them anyway.  We have a joke in my house that I never cook a meal according to the recipe.  I guess it's the creative genius in me that drives me to culinary madness.

I looked at recipes to get an idea of what I would like to create.  I searched my pantry to see if making this meal was even feasible with ingredients on hand.  What I found was this: coconut oil, boneless chicken breasts, generic waffle mix, Italian Panko bread crumbs and some Parmesan cheese.  Hmmmm....

Could I blend coconut (island flavor) with the traditional flavors of Italy?  I am all about cooking fusion food, so I gave it a try.  The result of this fusion was fantastic flavor!

Before making this recipe, read this article about the Benefits of Coconut Oil:
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html

Coconut Parmesan Chicken & Waffles

4 organic boneless chicken breasts
4 Tbsp coconut oil
2 cups Italian panko bread crumbs
1 egg
4 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
boxed waffle mix (enough to make 6 waffles)
water
maple syrup (for dipping sauce)

Serves 6 @ $1.25 per serving

Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Cut each boneless chicken breast lengthwise to make chicken tenders.  Mix waffle mix and water to make batter.  Set batter aside.  Begin battering chicken by dipping tenders in flour to coat, then egg, then Panko bread crumbs.  Place each chicken tender in skillet with oil.  Batter them quickly!  Cook tenders in oil for 10-12 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time. Cook waffles in a waffle iron.  As tenders finish cooking, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for final 2-3 minutes.  Pour maple syrup in small cups for dipping sauce.  Arrange waffles on plates with chicken on the side, or directly on the waffles.

 Enjoy!

Squashed Mac n' Cheese

The other day we tried something new...well, old and new.  My family loves macaroni and cheese.  I love anything with cheese, it is my weakness in the course of healthy eating.  I strongly believe that even when you are following a strict healthy eating plan, you should allow room for some "old favorites", including some comfort foods.  For me, this means I cannot give up homemade mac n' cheese.  I have been searching for ways to make this dish even slightly more healthy without losing texture or taste.  I will be honest, unless you begin to use fat-free cheese (I don't even like low-fat cheese, so fat-free is OUT), this dish will never be the most healthy bite of your life.

I am always trying to sneak extra nutrients into classic dishes.  I found out that squash is an excellent additive to mac n' cheese when made into a puree' and added to the cheese sauce.  With only a very slight difference in flavor (I think a positive improvement), I decided to perform a blind taste test on my husband and children.  While my husband was at work, I made homemade mac n' cheese with puree' of squash.  My husband and middle son are very selective eaters!

When they arrived home, I gave them a plate of mac n' cheese.  I saw my husband's face light up, as this is one of his favorite dishes.  I held my breath while he took the first bite, halfway expecting him to spit it out and begin to ask questions.  Surprisingly, he quickly ate the entire plate full of the stuff!  When he was finished, I informed everyone about the change I made, and they all asked me to make it again soon!  So, now I am sharing this delicious (and semi-healthy) creation with you.

Squashed Mac n' Cheese

16 oz. macaroni pasta
1 medium carnival squash (cut, roasted and puree'd)
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp. flour
2-3 Tbsp. organic butter
1/8 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. white pepper

Makes 8 cups @ $1.11 per serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Peel, cut and cube carnival squash and layer onto cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt, pepper and nutmeg on cubes.  Bake 30 minutes, or until fork-tender.  Boil water and prepare pasta according to instructions.  Make a roux in another saucepan of butter and flour.  When squash is fork-tender, place into blender and puree until smooth.  Mix squash puree into roux in saucepan.  Add shredded cheddar cheese and heavy cream.  Whisk until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.  Season with garlic salt, kosher salt, and white pepper.  Drain pasta noodles and combine with cheese sauce.  If desired, you can bake this mixture in 9" x 13" casserole dish and sprinkle a little extra shredded cheese on top, baking until cheese is melted.  If not, simply spoon onto a plate and serve hot!

I hope you greatly enjoy this twist on homemade mac n' cheese!

From my home to yours~
Sarah Cox
-The Cheap Gourmet Mom