Sour Cream Cucumbers

I found this recipe somewhere years and years ago and it has been a family favorite ever since. The original recipe calls for cucumbers and onions only; I've added the tomatoes and peppers.

Sour Cream Cucumbers

2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 medium onion, sliced into thin rings (I use purple or sweet)
1 medium tomato, diced large
1/2 sweet bell pepper, diced (I use yellow to add a different color)
3/4 cup light sour cream
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup Splenda Granular
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and peppers in a bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the cucumbers. Mix well and chill about an hour before serving.

Jean's Leftover Turkey Soup

My mother-in-law, Jean, wasn't a great cook. She could cook and everything was edible and good, but all her food was pretty plain. In her spice cabinet she had...salt, black pepper, and garlic salt. Really. She made really good egg noodles and tried her best to show me how to make that, but it didn't stick in my head. Lol! She did, however, show me how to make this soup from leftover turkey. And it is really good!

Jean's Leftover Turkey Soup

1 whole leftover turkey
1 box Uncle Ben's Brown and Wild Rice
4 stalks celery, sliced thin
15 ounce canned carrots, undrained
15 ounce canned corn, undrained
water
1 box chicken broth, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Place leftover turkey w/bones in stock pot. Cover with hot water. Bring to a boil, then cook on medium until meat falls off the bones. With tongs and a fork, separate the meat from the bones. Strain the broth. If you want a really rich soup, use this broth for the soup. If, like me, want a lighter soup, reserve 1 cup of the broth. You can still save the rest of the broth and freeze into ice cubes for other soups or to sauté vegetables in.

Very carefully go through the meat and shred, making sure there are no slivers of turkey bones. Place the meat in a Dutch oven and cover with water or use the box of chicken broth. Add the reserved turkey broth. (If you're using just the turkey broth, you may still need to add some water or chicken broth.) Bring to a boil. add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until done, about half an hour.

Note: If you don't want to use rice, use your own seasonings and just make turkey soup. Add more veggies! Barley would be good too! Be creative...have fun!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I love soup in the winter. Actually, I like soup all year round, it just feels cozier in the winter. I came across a recipe for chicken noodle soup and made just a couple of changes to jazz it up a touch.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 cans chicken, drained (I use Member's Mark from Sam's Club) (if you use small cans, use 3)
26 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 boxes chicken broth
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup carrots, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch rosemary (rub between fingers to break up)
1 package egg noodles

Place all ingredients except noodles in crock pot, stir well and cook on High for 2 hours or on Low for 4 hours.

Cook your noodles separately and add when soup is done.

* I like to add noodles to each bowl instead of into the soup. This prevents the leftovers from having mushy noodles and also not everyone likes the same amount of noodles. You can also use rice (our favorite). I use the brown and wild rice mix from Whole Foods in their bin area.  Change things up for variety. Try using leftover rotisserie chicken. Try putting in some of the wonderful dried mushrooms from Whole Foods. (Rehydrate first). Make it yours! Enjoy!