creamy chicken & wild rice soup.

Happy December 1st, everyone! This is one of my favorite days of the year because it is the start to the best month ever.  It is pretty chilly where I live so if you are experiencing the cold too, I have a great soup for you. 

This is my new favorite soup. And this is a pretty big deal because I am not usually a soup-eating lady. It is creamy and hearty- everything a good soup should be, as far as I am concerned. This creamy chicken soup was also packed with delicious flavor. 

You don't want to skip out on this soup recipe this winter. I will definitely be making it again soon. I won't lie, I was pretty sad when it was all gone.

~

creamy chicken & wild rice soup from cooking classy

• Ingredients:
• 
  
• 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice blend
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots 
• 1 cup diced celery
• 7 Tbsp butter, divided
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (measured from 3 14.5 oz cans)
• 1/4 tsp of each dried thyme, marjoram, sage and rosemary
• Salt (I ommitted) and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts halves
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used half & half)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (I used half & half)
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 
  

Directions:

1. Prepare rice according to directions listed on package.
2. Halfway through the rice cooking, in a separate large pot, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and saute until slightly tender, about 4 minutes, adding in garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing. 
3. Add chicken broth, thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high, add chicken and bring mixture to a boil. Cover pot with lid and allow mixture to boil 12 - 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Chicken may need to be rotated if pieces are thick.
4.  Remove the fully cooked chicken and set aside on cutting board to cool 5 minutes then shred into small bite size pieces. Meanwhile reduce heat to low and add cooked rice to large pot. Add shredded chicken to soup.
5. In a separate medium saucepan (I just rinsed and wiped out the rice pan), melt remaining 6 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook 1 1/2 minutes, whisking constantly. Then, while whisking vigorously, slowly pour milk (or half & half) into butter/flour mixture. Cook mixture, stirring constantly until it thickens. 
6. Add milk/cream mixture to soup mixture in pot and cook about 5 minutes longer, or until soup is thickened (at this point, you can simmer the soup for a longer period of time if you want the rice to soften more, just cover with lid first and stir occasionally).
7. Add the remaining can of chicken broth, if desired.*
8. Stir in heavy cream (or half & half) and lemon zest and serve warm.

*I did not add remaining chicken broth.

carrot cake muffins [with cream cheese frosting].

some carrots to make us feel a little better about eating dessert and some cream cheese frosting because...it's just really good.

Here's what you need:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup grated carrots, lightly packed; about 2 medium-large carrots
• 8 oz cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 
  

Here's what you do:

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-well muffin pan. Or line the pan with paper muffin cups, and grease the cups.

2) In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

3) In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and oil.

4) Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

5) Fold in the grated carrots, stirring to combine.

6) Drop batter (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here) into each muffin cup (I probably filled it 3/4 full).

7) Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the cake part of one (not into the cream cheese filling) comes out clean, about 20 minutes. The tops of the muffins will feel firm to the touch.

8) Remove the muffins from the oven, and as soon as you're able to handle them, transfer them to a rack.  9) Mix together softened cream cheese and powdered sugar to make frosting. Frost them when muffins are cooled.

[adapted from http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2011/04/06/inside-out-carrot-cake-%E2%80%93-carrot-cake-muffins/]