Motherhood Level 1

 Creamy Summer Squash Soup This was a recipe that I was nervous about while it was cooking, but once it was done and I tasted it, I couldn't stop tasting it. 😀 The way the seasonings and the flavors of the veggies came together was absolutely delicious. I think this recipe is best when the summer season ends. All the hard work you've been doing in your garden will pay off. When researching recipes similar to this one, I found many that incorporated sweet corn. I wanted my dish to be savory, so I omitted the corn. These are the ingredients you will need: 2 yellow squashes sliced 2 zucchinis sliced 1/2 large onion diced 1 large carrot sliced 1/2 c. Hope and Sesame Unsweetened Sesame Milk/ or Half and Half 1 tbsp sea salt 1 tbsp garlic powder 1 tbsp basil 1/2 tbsp black pepper 2 c. hot water 1 Knorr chicken flavor bouillon cube Let's get into this recipe. Since my vegetables were not ready for picking in my garden, I headed to the grocery store for fresh produce.  The zucchin...

Green Bean, Sausage, and Potato Foil Packets Find a printable version of this recipe here on Whisk Have I mentioned I hate doing dishes? If not, I'll let you know I hate doing dishes. Thankfully, there are a ton of recipes that don't require using a ton of cookware. Foil packets are a method of cooking I've become very fond of for this benefit. You can make so many dinners using this method. They are great summer meals because you can put them on the grill or cook them in the oven. I cooked my packets in the oven in the recipe below. I hope you enjoy it. Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. If you're using a grill, go ahead and get that going.  Get all of your ingredients together after that. You'll need to wash and snap the ends off the green beans, scrub and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and cut your sausage into slices. Place everything into a large bowl. Drizzle with oil. Season with onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, and oregano, and toss...

 Berry French Toast Find a printable version of this recipe here on Whisk. French toast is a dish everyone makes differently. I like to top my French toast with fruit.  Summer usually yields the best options for fruit. Most of the berries are in season. There is an abundance of melons. So many choices. I feel like this is the perfect season to use fruit in excess.  Below, I describe how I employ in-season produce to make a delicious version of French Toast. I washed and sliced the strawberries. I left the blueberries whole after washing them. I make my French toast batter using half heavy whipping cream and half whole milk.  I think it fries better this way.  You could use all milk or all cream. Although using all cream may make the batter a bit thicker.  Don't forget to mix in something to flavor it. I like to use cinnamon and vanilla extract. Of course, use whatever spices strike your fancy. I usually grab one of the $1 French bread loaves from Wal-Mart ...

Chicken Thighs with Asparagus and Mushroom Rice  You can find a printable version of this recipe  here  on Whisk I wouldn't say I'm a lazy cook, but I'm definitely in favor of only having one dish to wash at the end of a cooking session. If I can fit everything into one pot to cook together without compromising the taste of the overall dish, let's do it.  This dish does just that. The combination of the asparagus and mushrooms in the rice paired with chicken thighs makes this a perfect summer dish. I hope you enjoy it. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and drop 1 bouillon cube into 2 cups of boiling water to dissolve.  I start by washing my rice. I fill up a bowl and rinse until the water runs clear. This removes all of the starch that coats the rice. I do not recommend skipping this step. Your rice might not cook well if you do. While my rice is draining, I wash and cut my asparagus and mushrooms. I like to cut the asparagus into thirds and slice the mushrooms. ...