Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I was craving my favorite baked chicken recipe, but I was missing an essential ingredient -- cream of mushroom soup (condensed from a can).

I didn't want to venture out in the snow storm, so I thought I'd get creative! I knew I had mushrooms in the fridge and the other basic soup ingredients.

This recipe calls for:

• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbs onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tbs butter
• 3 tbs flour, separately used
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup cream, or 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

To start, I rinsed and wiped down the mushrooms with a paper towel.

I then slices the mushrooms, stems and caps in-tact.

(Tip: Slicing mushrooms always reminds me to make sure my knife is sharp because they are so delicate! Most accidents in the kitchen occur from dull blades because you cut harder with a dull blade. Every time I pull a knife out for use, I sharpen it just a few times. To learn how, here is a great video.)

Then, I chopped up the onions and garlic.

I threw the butter in my 9 in skillet. You will need the surface area for the vegges to cook, but deep enough for about 3 cups of liquid.

I started to cook down the mushrooms, onions, and garlic.

They looked and smelled amazing after about 5 minutes.

I then added 2 tbs of flour to make a roux.

I mixed in the flour and then grabbed the chicken stock.

I used a low-sodium chicken broth so that I can control the amount of salt. I measured out 2 cups.

After adding the stock, I mixed the contents of the skillet to make sure all of the flour becomes incorporated.

While it was slowly thickening up, I got the cream mix ready.

I started with 1 cup of heavy cream. 

Then I added the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

I used a fork to try and mix the dry ingredients, but looking back, I think I would use a larger cup/bowl and lightly whisk the cream mix.

I added it to the soup...

... and slowly stirred it until it thickened a bit more.

This soup smelled amazing and tasted even better!

It was the perfect treat on a cold winters day!

To see the mushroom and cornbread stuffing baked chicken recipe I used this for, click here!

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Chicken Won Tons

My mother-in-law came over to make Chinese food and I was more than excited! I love Chinese -- especially her Won Ton recipe!

To make it, we started by boiling 2 large chicken breasts -- about 1 1/2 pounds.

(Note: My mother-in-law, Wendy, shared that she has used ground chicken in the past, but it doesn't stick as well. She has also used rotisserie chicken, but she said it came out to be a pasty consistency. This is the best way to guarantee a shredded, perfect consistency.)

Then, we reserved the chicken stock to use in our fried rice recipe later, but this step is optional, of course.

I diced up the chicken breasts...

... and threw it in my food processor.

We shredded the chicken first, then added the 2 other ingredients.

First, a 1/4 cup of soy sauce...

... and one bunch of sliced green onions.

After a couple more pulses, the won ton filling was done! Wendy balled up some mix to show how it holds together perfectly!

Wendy spread out the won ton wraps and brushed water along the sides.

We put about a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each wrap and then got started folding the edges.

To fold the won tons, you fold it in half to make a triangle. Then, you take one corner and fold it to the middle. Lastly, you take the other corner and fold it in the middle so the two corners overlap.

Wendy fried the won tons in hot Canola oil, but you are welcome to use any oil. Vegetable oil would work nicely here as well.

(Tip: Put the won tons in back first and then finish them on their fronts. They won't take long -- so don't walk away from the stove!

All done! They were delicious!!

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Shrimp Egg Rolls

My mother and father-in-law came over to make Chinese food and I was so excited because my mother-in-law, Wendy, has the best egg roll recipe! 

Of course, you could substitute the shrimp for chicken and make chicken egg rolls!

The ingredients include:

• Bean Sprouts, 2 8 oz bags
• 1 bag (or half a head) of shredded cabbage
• Egg roll wrappers
• about 4 stems celery, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, sliced julienne style
• 2 cups shrimp, cooked
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar

To start, Wendy sauteed the celery, bell peppers, celery, and green onions in a large non-stick skillet in some olive oil.

Looking great!

After they had cooked down, Wendy added the soy sauce...

... and peanut butter.

She also added some freshly grounded black pepper.

After a quick mix, she added the sugar.

Wendy had brought over pre-cooked shrimp, but you could also use fresh shrimp and cook it down. She diced it into bite size pieces, and threw it in a small pot to cook out any water. If the shrimp contains too much moisture, it will make the egg roll soggy.

After the water was drained out, Wendy added it to the veggie mix.

Quick mix!

We then added both bags of fresh bean sprouts.

We let the bean sprouts cook down just a little bit.

Then, we spread a layer of the cabbage on top if the egg roll filling. 

After a couple minutes, we mixed the filling together.

In a large colander, we drained the filling.

We placed the filling back on top of the skillet to drain for about 30-60 minutes.

After some time chilling in the fridge, Wendy spread out some egg roll wraps and brushed water along the edges.

We piled about 3 tbsp of filling in one corner.

To wrap the egg roll, you take one corner and start to roll it over. Make sure that the filling is tight and cylindrical. This took me a bit to figure out. You don't want the filling to seep out.

Then you roll it up just a bit more and then fold in the sides (just like a burrito!).

Perfect!

Then just finish rolling it up!

Perfect! If the tip, or any part of the egg roll wrap won't stick to itself -- just add some water.

We fried the egg rolls in some Canola oil, but feel free to use what you have on hand. Vegetable oil would work well for frying.

They already look amazing!

All done!

Our spread included chicken won tons, shrimp egg rolls, and chicken fried rice!

We ate our delicious Chinese food with some sweet & sour sauce.

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis