C.’s Comments (group member since Apr 20, 2013)

C.’s comments from the Clean,Non Religious-Reads group.

Both the potato soup and chicken corn chowder sound Yummy!

What are some other favorites and how often do you all fix a big pot of soup? I usually make some about 3-5 times a month.

I am reading ~Snow Angel Cove (Haven Point, #1) by RaeAnne Thayne, and am so happy to have found a clean/nonreligious contemporary series with a cowboy/executive hero, what's not to love, (swoon)!

Hi, and welcome to all newbies of the group.
Would love to know how you found this group.

I hope you find many new titles to enjoy from our bookshelf[many more on my profile bookshelf].

Please feel free to join in the discussions, and don't forget that you are able to create your own discussion topics, just please place them in the proper/appropriate folders, or send me a PM if you don't see one for your topic.

Happy Reading!
Group creator/MOD
~Chris~

Thanks Desiree, I will check out some of your reads.

Though not a believer in the supernatural/paranormal I do enjoy books/films featuring it.

I have enjoyed some time-travel romances featuring ghosts, lol!

Anyone here read the Twilight series?

For me, the only vampires are those from the old classic horror films, lol!

Old Time Beef Stew Recipe. This is the recipe that I have used for decades, but I also include one can each of stewed tomatoes, drained peas and drained corn.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons cooking oil

4 cups water

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced[or whole, on toothpicks]

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 -2 bay leaf

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

6 medium carrots, bias-sliced into 3/4-inch chunks

1 pound small white onions, peeled and halved

4 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 cup cold water

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions
1.In a large pot cook all the meat at once in hot oil over medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown, stirring occasionally. Drain off excess fat. Add the 4 cups water, sliced onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, bay leaf, and allspice. Bring just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2.Stir in carrots, sliced onion, and potatoes. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 30 minutes more or until meat and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.,and garlic cloves.
3.In a screw-top jar shake together the 1/2 cup cold water and flour until combined. Stir into stew. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook 1 minute more. Season stew to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 6 servings.

Chunky Chicken Pot Pie Soup
•2 Tablespoons olive oil
•1 small onion, diced
•2 stalks celery, diced
•1 cup mushrooms, diced
•½ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed between fingertips
•salt and pepper
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•3 medium carrots, cut into rounds
•3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
•16 oz [cooked] chicken breast, diced small
•¼ cup all-purpose flour
•4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
•¾ cup frozen peas
•2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
•1 cup milk

1.In a large saucepan, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil on medium high heat. Add onion, celery, mushrooms, thyme and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often, add garlic and cook another minute. Add carrots, potatoes, the cooked chicken and the flour.
2.Stir in the chicken broth, frozen peas and parsley.
3.Bring to a simmer and cook 25 minutes. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the milk, bring back to a simmer and cook 5-10 minutes.

Mushroom-Spinach Cream Soup

25 mins to make • Serves 10
1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

2 small onions, chopped

6 tablespoons butter, cubed

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

4 cups milk

1 carton (32 ounces) chicken broth

2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1.In a large saucepan, saute mushrooms and onions in butter until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended; gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
2.Stir in spinach. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Chicken and Dumplings

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
about 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs[more flavorful than breasts, but may use 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
1 1/2 T. olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. table salt (or 3/4 tsp. fine sea salt)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup all-purpose[or self-rising] flour
frozen peas or mixed vegetables

For the Dumplings:
1 cup all-purpose flour[or may use self-rising flour,omitting the baking powder and salt]
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
1/2 cup milk
1 T. vegetable or canola oil

Place the chicken broth, water, and chicken in a large pot or Dutch oven. Bring the liquid to a boil, and boil until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the broth and shred it with two forks. Set the chicken aside and keep the broth warm on the stove.
While the chicken is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, and onion, and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 6 to 7 minutes.
Once the chicken has been removed from the broth, add the cooked vegetables to the broth, along with the salt, thyme, and black pepper. Stir to combine, and bring the broth to a simmer.

In a small bowl, stir together the cold water and the flour. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the hot broth and vegetables, whisking constantly until well combined.

Add the peas and the reserved chicken to the pot, and stir for 1 minute.

To make the dumplings, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and thyme in a medium bowl. In another bowl, stir together the sour cream, milk, and vegetable oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. (It’s okay if there are a few dry spots of flour remaining.)

Heat the soup to boiling and drop teaspoons of the dumpling dough on top of the soup in a single layer. (The dumplings will expand quite a bit as they cook.) Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and let the dumplings cook undisturbed for 15 minutes. (Do not lift the lid during the cooking time.)

When they are done, stir the soup 'GENTLY' to break up the dumplings.Makes 4 large servings or 6 moderate servings.

7-Can Taco Soup
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 cup of chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 envelope of ranch dressing mix
1 envelope of taco seasoning mix
1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can of Rotel tomatoes, undrained
1 can of green chilies, undrained
1 can of chili beans, undrained
1 can of kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can of pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 can of yellow hominy, drained
Finely shredded cheddar,pepper jack, or cojita cheese, for garnish, optional
Chopped fresh tomato, for garnish, optional
Diced avocado, for garnish, optional
Shredded lettuce, for garnish, optional
Chopped cilantro, optional
Broken corn chips, optional
Sour cream, for garnish, optional

Cook the ground beef and onion in a skillet until beef is browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Stir in the ranch dressing and taco seasoning packets and cook and stir for another minute. Transfer to your slow cooker. Add the un-drained, diced tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, and green chilies, undrained chili beans, drained and rinsed kidney beans and pinto beans, and drained corn. Cook for 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH.

Serve with a sprinkle of cheese, chopped tomato, diced avocado, tortilla chips, green onion,and a dollop of sour cream, or your own favorite toppings, if desired.
[I like to place tortilla chips in the bottom of my bowl and top those with shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream before adding the soup].

I L-O-V-E homemade soups/stews how about you all?

Fall through Spring is definitely soup season, so share your favorite recipes here, and don't forget your crockpot too!

I will be adding mine as well.

You are welcome. I have been an avid Amazon customer since '98.IMO their AtoZ guarantee is the best there is, bar none.

Re:Where is the best place to buy classics?

I would say Amazon, where you can buy books from third parties used-in-'like new' condition, very low cost.

There is also Abe's Books and Books4U.

I finished Reese's Cowboy Kiss: Witness Protection - Rancher Style: Blake's Story (Sweet Montana Bride #1)
by Kimberly Krey which was nothing special, and am now reading~ and enjoying it.

Becky wrote: "I am currently reading by Brandon Sanderson, and will be starting [bookcover:I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban|178518..."

Becky, I read that Brandon Sanderson writes good supernatural fiction, so I want to check him out, plus 'I am Malala' is a definite must read!

While I am still in line for the Kindle editions to be returned to my library of the last in the Divergent trilogy~ and the post-apocalyptic ~

I just finished for the third time~ which I love because it is such a sweet, fun romance.

Now I am reading a YA post apocalyptic~ which I got as a Kindle freebie.

Desiree wrote: "C. wrote: I am reading, and enjoying ~ The Haunting ..."

That sounds like a great read!!!!!"


I'm at 82% and it really was a great read, despite having a few "F" bombs and GDs near the beginning, and one sex scene towards the middle. The story was so gripping that I couldn't stop reading, until I went to bed!

I finished the second book in the Divergent trilogy~Insurgent[another 5-star read] now while I am waiting for the last book to be returned to the library, I am reading, and enjoying ~ The Haunting of Maddy Clare

Becky wrote: "By the way, y'all might like the website Compass Book Reviews or something like that. They do language/sex/violence ratings, as well as just a general review. I found it helpful, though they might ..."

Yeah, I wish "all" books had a rating for content like movies are.

I'm totally with you on harm of any kind to a child, Becky.

I have read over and over that Outlander has explicit sex.