Cooking Tip: How To Make Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cooking Tip: How To Make Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe

Cook Time:  20 minutes  

Difficulty:  Easy

I have a tough time using something out of a can, especially when I can make it from scratch and control the ingredients.   Take for example Cream of Mushroom soup, a constant in most casseroles.

With two family members sensitive to gluten and certain ingredients in canned soups, I was on a quest to make this homemade version.

This homemade version of the store bought canned cream of mushroom soup is delicious and so very easy.  You may never go back to the store bought version again.  It's that good!  (Sorry Campbell's). 

This recipe is equivalent to 2 cans of store bought cream of mushroom soup and will last in the refrigerator for a week.  This recipe would also be good for "Cream of Anything Soup" (asparagus, chicken...).  That will be a future blog.

Ingredients

• 1 package of baby bella mushrooms, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) butter
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) butter
• 2 Tablespoon (Tbsp) flour (we tested this recipe with Bob's Mill GF All-Purpose Baking mix)
• 1/4 cup Sherry (optional) 
• 1/4 teaspoon Truffle Oil (optional)
• 3/4 cup homemade chicken broth (If don't use Sherry, increase chicken broth to 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup half & half (can substitute light whipping cream)

Preparation

Turn skillet on medium and melt 2 Tablespoons of butter.   Place chopped mushrooms in pan and cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes.  Add minced shallots and cook until shallots are translucent (about another 5 minutes).  Remove mushrooms and shallots from pan and place in a bowl or on a plate.  Set aside.

Add 1 Tablespoon butter and flour to pan and stir for a couple of minutes.  Add Sherry and chicken stock (I always have homemade chicken stock in the freezer) and stir.  Mixture will begin to thicken.  Add Garlic Seasoning, pepper, Thyme, and stir.  *At this point I added Truffle oil ...well, because I had it on hand, but this is completely optional.  I just love the extra richness it adds to any mushroom dish.

Add mushroom and shallot mixture back to pan as well as half and half and continue to cook on low, stirring occasionally, until soup is thick and creamy (about 10 minutes).  

Cool completely and place in a large mason jar if not using immediately.  There you have it, homemade cream of mushroom soup!  Enjoy!

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Asian Beef Stir-Fry Recipe

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Asian Beef Stir-Fry Recipe

Stir-frys are a quick and easy way to provide a delicious meal in minutes.  

In this recipe, we used Terrapin Ridge Farms Ginger, Miso & Honey Dressing as the marinade and sauce to elevate this dish to the next level.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Beef Tenderloin, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup, plus 3/4 cup Terrapin Ridge Farms Ginger, Miso & Honey Dressing
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil (optional)
• 1/2 cup Broccoli Florets
• 1 Red Pepper, sliced thin
• 2 Tbsp water

Preparation

Cook the rice according to package directions.

While the rice is cooking, place the meat, 1/3 cup Terrapin Ridge Farms Ginger, Miso & Honey Dressing in a glass bowl, and set aside while preparing the veggies. Place the wok or large saute pan over medium high heat for 1 minute. Add the beef, garlic, Cayenne Pepper and cook the meat for 2 minutes.  Remove the meat from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Increase the heat on the wok or pan to high, add the oil & onion and stir fry for 2 1/2 minutes (this is optional.  I didn't add the oil because of the amount of liquid used to marinate was sufficient).  Add the red pepper and broccoli and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to med high, add water, and cover the pan and cook the vegetables for 1 minute.

Remove the lid.  Place the beef back in the pan with the vegetables along with the 3/4 cup Terrapin Ridge Farms Ginger, Miso & Honey Dressing. Cook for 1 additional minute.  Serve over a bed of steamed rice along with our Savory Wedge Bread Recipe and Cherry Applesauce for a complete meal.  Enjoy!

Serves four. 

Spicy Cherry Chicken Recipe

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Spicy Cherry Chicken Recipe

Cook Time:  20 minutes  Difficulty: Easy

Move over BBQ chicken, and say hello to Spicy Cherry Chicken, featuring Cherchies® Cherry Hot Pepper Jam and a few pantry items! This easy sweet, spicy chicken recipe is baked in the oven but can also be grilled (unless it is sub-zero outside, where grilling is no fun!).

Grilling is my hubby's thing. Our family usually grills year round, but at 19 degrees, as it was here the other day in Pennsylvania, with a wind-chill factor of something crazy, it was even too much for my die-hard grilling hubby. Of course, my craving for BBQ chicken occurred on the coldest day of the year, so we baked the chicken instead and stayed nice and toasty inside;). 

One problem, we were out of our favorite bottled BBQ sauce;( So, what's a gal to do? Improvise! One missing ingredient was not worth braving the Tundra to the grocery store, so I improvised with what I had in the pantry, ketchup, Cherchies® Cherry Hot Pepper Jam, and liquid smoke! Holy Smoke (pun intended), it worked!

The chicken legs were juicy, tangy, and delicious; I may never return to store-bought BBQ sauce again, friends! Homemade is so much better, even baked! So stock up on Cherchies® Hot Pepper Jams (Cherry, Cranberry, or Strawberry), and the next time you crave a sweet and spicy BBQ chicken (even if it is sub-zero outside), you will have all the ingredients for this Spicy Cherry Chicken Recipe, ready at a moment's notice.

Comment below if you have made this recipe. Thank you for visiting! Join us again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

Ingredients

• 1 package of chicken legs or chicken breasts

• 1 Tablespoon Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning Blend

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1/2 cup  Cherchies® Cherry Hot Pepper Jam (could also substitute Cherchies® Strawberry Hot Pepper Jam, or Cherchies® Cranberry Hot Pepper Jam)

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) liquid smoke

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) olive oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, mix together the Cherry Hot Pepper Jam, ketchup, and the liquid smoke.  Place chicken on a baking sheet and drizzle the chicken with olive oil.  Sprinkle the chicken with Garlic Seasoning and pepper.  Brush half of the ketchup mixture over the chicken, reserving the other half for later in the baking process.

Bake chicken for 15 minutes.  Remove chicken briefly from the oven and brush on the remaining sauce and finish cooking for another 15 minutes or until thermometer reads 165 degrees.  Once chicken is removed from oven, allow it to sit for 10 minutes.  

Serve the Spicy Cherry Chicken with our Herbed Mashed Potatoes and Strawberry Spinach Salad for a complete meal.  Enjoy!

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Baked Blackberry Mustard Wing Recipe

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Baked Blackberry Mustard Wing Recipe

Cook Time: About 40 minutes                           Prep Time:  6-8 hours (for marinade)           Difficulty:  Easy

All my wing aficionados out there here is a wing recipe that will have your guests coming back for more.  

The blackberry preserves in this recipe adds a nice sweetness to the sauce, and our gourmet Cherchies®Champagne Mustard (or Cherchies®Cranberry Mustard) adds that unexpected kick to the wings.

For a spicier wing, try our Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard.

This wing recipe is the epitome of "finger-licking good", so make sure you grab plenty of napkins!

Ingredients

• Cherchies® Garlic and Herb No- Salt Seasoning (enough to coat both sides of wings)
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) ground pepper
• 1/2 cup red wine (Merlot- don't forget to pour some extra for yourself:)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp)  Cherchies® Champagne Mustard or Cherchies® Cranberry Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) (more for desired heat level) Sriracha hot sauce
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) thyme
• 1/4 cup Cherchies® Seedless Blackberry Preserves

Preparation

For the marinade, in a recloseable plastic bag, add the following: red wine, soy sauce, Champagne Mustard, Sriracha hot sauce, and balsamic vinegar.  Mix together.  Add the chicken to the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (overnight...even better). 

After wings have marinated, remove the wings from the plastic bag and generously season both sides of the chicken wings with olive oil, Cherchies® Garlic 'n Herb No-Salt Seasoning and pepper and place the wings in a shallow pan.  Brush chicken with the marinade, reserving remaining marinade for a sauce pan.   

Bake wings at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until done (sizzling and "fork tender").  Meanwhile, prepare the glaze.  Add marinade to a saucepan.  Remove 1/2 cup of the marinade and add to a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and mix together.  Add cornstarch mixture back to saucepan.  Add Blackberry Preserves and Thyme to the saucepan.

Bring marinade up to a boil (this is important since the marinade was used with raw chicken), and continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until glaze has reduced in half and thickened (about 15-20 minutes). Baste the wings half way through cooking with the glaze.

When wings are done, feel free to garnish with scallions (chopped green part of green onions), but this is optional.  Pair this recipe with our Strawberry Spinach Salad, and you have yourself a meal!

Oh my goodness, my mouth is already salivating!  Enjoy my wing-loving friends!