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Hearty Cheese Soup

This soup is amazinggg!
In a small saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cubed peeled potatoes, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup celery, 1/4 cup sliced carrots, 2 tbs chopped onion, 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules, 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes, 1/4 tsp salt & a dash of pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover & simmer 10-12 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine flour & milk until smooth. Stir into vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook & stir for 2 minutes (until thickened). Reduce heat to low & stir cheese until melted.
This makes 2 servings. I usually double the recipe so I can freeze some for later. Enjoy. :)

Black Bottom Strawberry Cream Pie

Make this for your man when he comes home. :)
Heat oven to 450*. Make Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust as directed on the box using a 9-in glass pie pan. Bake 9-11 minutes (lightly browned) & cool completely for about 15 minutes.
Spread hot fudge (about 2/3 cup) in the bottom of the cooled & baked shell. Refrigerate this for an hour.
In a small bowl, beat 1 8oz. package of cream cheese (softened) & 1 cup powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed (or by hand if you choose) until smooth. Spread this over the fudge layer in the shell.
In a medium bowl, gently stir 2 cups fresh quartered strawberries with 1/2 cup strawberry pie glaze. Spoon this evenly over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for about an hour.
Enjoy. :)

Garlic-Basil Chicken

Super simple chicken dish...
In a pie pan, mix 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tbs dried basil leaves, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tbs lemon juice & about 1 tbs of olive oil. Coat 2 chicken breasts with this mixture.
In a skillet, heat 1 tbs of olive oil on medium heat. Add the chicken & cook for 5 minutes on each side (until browned).
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover & cook 10-15 minutes (until chicken juice runs clear remember!)
You can pair this dish with buttered noodles & steamed vegetables! Enjoy. :)

Chicken-Ramen Soup

The ultimate comfort food.
Making soup is a habit my grandma has passed on to me. It's just something about the aroma it gives off that makes me feel instant comfort.
One of the easiest soups to make is Ramen soup.
Add chopped carrots (1 cup), chopped celery (1 cup), chopped onions (1/2 cup) & garlic (2 cloves minced) to a dutch oven over medium heat & cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in 2 cups of cut up rotisserie chicken as well as 6 cups of water & the seasoning packet from the ramen soup bag. Add salt & pepper to taste & reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes.
Stir in the ramen noodles & simmer uncovered for about 3 more minutes.
Doesn't your house smell amazing? Tastes good too! :)

Simple Syrup & Sweet Tea

Another summer staple, whether your southern or not, is Sweet Tea.
First, you have to make simple syrup. Super simple, hence the name. Bring 2 cups of cold water to a boil. Bring the heat down to low & stir in 2 cups of sugar. Stir constantly until sugar dissolved. Cool to room temperature & then keep refrigerated.
Once you have your simple syrup, sweet tea is even easier. Make a pitcher of Iced tea. Then mix about 85% iced tea & 15% symple syrup & you're done.

Frozen Citrus Slices

Just tried this today! I'm a huge fan of lemonade & iced tea, but one thing I hate is using ice cubes to keep it cold. If I don't drink it right away it gets too watered down. So, today I made citrus slices. I cut a couple lemons & limes into slices & lined a baking dish with wax paper & layered them. I popped them in the freezer for a bit & then poured myself a glass of lemonade & instead of using ice cubes, used one of the frozen lime slices. Tasted better & didn't get watered down!
Great ideas for parties & what not as well as a cute decor for drinks. :)