Recipes

My Family Dinner Favorites: Chicken Caldo (Mexican Style Chicken Soup)

November 21, 2016March 17, 2017 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

My littles and I have all been under the weather this weekend due to this cold front that came in. The only thing we want to eat when we’re sick is chicken soup! It’s like magic..It just makes us feel better!

This recipe is filled with chicken and plenty of hearty veggies. The great thing is you just throw everything in the pot and let it cook!

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 small zucchini

2 small yellow squash

3-4 small red potatoes

10-15 baby carrots

1 cup frozen corn

1 half head green cabbage

1 small bunch of cilantro

1 can low sodium chicken broth

1 chicken bouillon cube (I used Knorr brand)

cumin, garlic powder, salt & pepper

steamed white rice

*optional (lime wedges and hot sauce)

Directions:

First prep your chicken and veggies.

Wash, then trim the tops and ends off of your zucchini and squash. Cut them into 3-4 pieces depending on the length. You want nice uniform chunks.
Wash and cut your potatoes into halves.
Next, cut your cabbage in half and then cut that half into quarters. (I keep a little of the stem on to keep the large chunks intact.)
With the cilantro, I just rip off a handful and run it under some water to get any dirt off.
Trim any excess fat off of the chicken thighs.

To cook:

Take a 6 qt. stock pot and fill it up about halfway. Add your chicken thighs, seasonings, and the bullion cube, then place it on high heat. (I used a sprinkle of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ground cumin.)
Next, add all your veggies with the cabbage and cilantro on top.
Now add the can of chicken stock. You want enough liquid to cover most of the cabbage without overflowing when it’s boiling. Add more water if you need to.
Bring to a boil stirring occasionally.
Once it starts to boil, cook for about 10 min. or until the cabbage is soft.

To serve, I make sure to get a couple of pieces of chicken,and a mix of all the veggies in each bowl. Add a spoonful of rice to the top and your soup is good to go! For added flavor, try a dash of hot sauce and a squirt of a lime wedge. That’s our favorite way to eat ours!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and it makes you feel better when you’re not feeling well. What are some of your family faves when your feeling under? I’d love to hear about them! Leave me a message if you try this recipe or have any questions.

Thanks for reading,

~The Dimestore Gypsy

Recipes

My Family Dinner Favorites: Chicken and Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

November 13, 2016March 15, 2017 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

It’s finally starting to feel like Fall here in Texas! We have been having some cooler weather the last couple of days and I’m loving it. I made these stuffed bell peppers for dinner last night and they were a big hit so I thought I’d share with you.

While out at the grocery store, these huge, bright green bell peppers caught my eye and I just had to get some. They looked so fresh and I have been wanting to try stuffed bell peppers. I’ve never tried them before so I thought these would be perfect. All together, I believe this meal was under $10 for a family of 3-4.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken (I used Purdue from Kroger)

1 cup of any rice you’d like (I used Knorr rice sides in cheddar broccoli)

1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken condensed soup

1/4 cup chicken broth

1-1.5 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for topping

3-4 bell peppers ( I used 3 for my family)

*optional (frozen steamed veggies)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the tops off of your bell peppers and remove the seeds/ribs carefully as to not damage the pepper. Rinse inside and out. Set aside. (Test to see if they stand straight up to act as a cup for your filling. If not, you can cut just a small slice off the bottom to help it stand flat.)
Take a 3 qt. sauce pan and fill with water. Bring it to a boil and add your peppers for 2-3min to soften. Set aside when done.
Next, cook your ground chicken. Be sure to season to taste. (I used a sprinkling of each: salt, pepper, garlic pepper, chili powder, and oregano) While browning the chicken, I used the microwave directions to cook my rice so it would be done at the same time as the chicken.
Now add 1 cup of the cooked rice to your cooked chicken and mix.
Add about 3/4 of the can of soup, add the chicken broth, and mix.
Place your bell peppers standing up in an ungreased baking dish. (I used a small glass rectangular baking dish, but you can use whatever dish you prefer.) Add the filling to each bell pepper and really pack it in!
Next I added a small spoonful of the leftover cream of chicken soup to each bell pepper.
Top each with the shredded mozzarella and bake uncovered for 30 min.

I added a bag off Birds Eye Select steamed Brussel sprouts and our meal was complete!

These peppers were so good and so filling! I hope you enjoy. Let me know how they turn out if you decide to make these.

Thanks for reading,

~The Dimestore Gypsy