This weekend didn’t quite go as planned. At 8am on Saturday when my mom texted asking me to call her, I had a gut feeling something was wrong. I called her and immediately could tell from the background noise (or lack thereof) that she was not in route to Michigan for Shea’s birthday celebration.
Instead she filled me in on the events of the night before – my dad ended up in the hospital. She talked me out of heading to Chicago to be with them. Sigh. Wishing my dad a very speedy recovery (and a discharge ASAP).
We moved forward with the day and honored our 3 birthday-ers with gifts, mac and cheese, and cupcakes! Shea loved her Anna (from Frozen) doll and her Frozen jammies that came with doll-sized ones to match. She also got really cute TOMS and a new game, among other things.
She loved on her Aunt Michelle who was in from Seattle for the occasion and soaked up all the love from her grandma and grandpa. We got out to enjoy the beautiful day at the apple orchard and even got to take a little hayride.
This morning before all of our company departed, I got busy. I started the day by looking through my bestie’s engagement pictures and taking advantage of a half-off sale at Loft.com. I guess there are perks to Mark’s business travel as he should be gone when the packages start rolling in. Oops. I then headed to Aldi and Meijer for my weekly shopping and came home to start making a mess of the kitchen.
I started with this soup because it was the perfect fall day to enjoy it. My father-in-law joined me with a bowl and he gave it high marks. My mother-in-law tried it and wanted the recipe…so, here you go, Susie (and thank you, Cooking Light!). I proceeded to package up leftovers to send home with others because my fridge is packed and we’re down a mouth until Friday. Needless to say, leftovers are on the agenda and this delicious soup is my lunch for tomorrow, too!
- 5 sliced uncured bacon, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups lightly packed curly kale, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 6 oz skinless rotisserie chicken breast (~1½ cups), shredded
- 1 (8 oz) package precooked wild rice
- 1 cup half and half
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high. Add bacon and cook 5-6 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in the Dutch oven.
- Add onion, carrot, and celery to drippings in pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add thyme, mushrooms, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add stock and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Add kale, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes. Stir in chicken and rice.
- Combine half-and-half and flour in bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir into soup; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Top with bacon before serving.
Weekly Menu: October 1st – 5th
- Sunday: Hearty Chili with pasta and sauteed zucchini
- Monday: leftover macaroni and cheese with pulled pork
- Tuesday: leftover pizza with salad
- Wednesday: waffles, chicken sausage, and mango
- Thursday: Mixed Berry Salad
Be well,
