Chicken Vegetable Soup

SOUP SOUP SOUP. i love soup. Here's my simple recipe thats so easy, so simple, and pleases everyone who tries.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
8 large carrots
8 sticks of celery
1 large Vidalia onion
3 roasted boneless and skinless chicken breasts
3 garlic cloves
olive oil
32 oz. chicken broth

RECIPE:  Peel the carrots. Roughly chop the carrots, celery and onion so they are all around the same size. Coat the bottom of a large soup pan with olive oil. Turn on to medium heat, add the garlic cloves until they brown. Remove the garlic cloves. Add the vegetables, tossing in the pot so they are all coated in olive oil. Cook vegetables for about 10 minutes until they just start to soften. Add all of the chicken broth. Cut the cooked chicken into bit sized pieces. Add the chicken to the pot, cover the soup, and simmer until the carrots are tender and can easily be pricked by a fork. 

SO PROUD OF THESE PHOTOS BY THE WAY

xoxo

a very hungree girl

T-GIVS

As you guys can probably guess, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Its all about the 3 F's: Family, Friends, Food. You cannot go wrong unless you mess with one of the core three. I am so excited. My mom and I plan the menu years in advance even if we aren't holding it at my house. Usually my Grandmother hosts and we have a fabulous time but this year I changed my whole family's plans because I want to be home and want to do it my style. So, this is my Thanksgiving preview.

1. Turkey, obviously, with an extra crispy skin and thick toasty gravy
2. cranberry sauce made of whole cranberries simmered in apple juice and pineapple chunks
3. Mashed sweet potatoes and bananas topped with toasted marshmallows. THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING IN THE WORLD. You may think your sweet potato dish is good, but sorry, its just not on this level.
4. Stuffing. Haven't decided what type yet. Classic bread? Corn bread? Pretzel?
5. Warm butter rolls with herb garlic butter...classic, duh
I need some kind of green vegetable but haven't gotten to it yet because I got too excited thinking about desserts...
This is where the list is about to get out of control, almost as out of control as my sweet tooth.
6. Pecan Pie: so gooey, so rich, so caramel and sticky and fantastical
7. Apple Crisp: typical fall dish, revamped with a crumbly oatmeal buttery almond topping
8. Pumpkin Pie, obviously.
9. White and dark chocolate bread pudding with raspberries: beyond insane, will fill you up for weeks
10. Upside down banana walnut cake with caramel topping.

SO, anything else? What's on your menu?

itz poppin

I'm in the mood to snack. But then again, when am I not? What's my go to snack? Popcorn. My room smells of two things: hawaii from my air freshener, or popcorn. Sometimes a mixture of both. Popcorn is the perfect snack; its crunchy, low calorie, delicious, and eating it is actually an activity. When buttery salty goodness seeps from my microwave and wafts around my room, I can't help but get excited. Just the sound of popcorn makes me happy, the popping noise makes me feel like it's almost as peppy and upbeat as I am. Now let's talk popcorn logistics. At school, I'm limited. Yes I can try different varieties but I can't really experiment. Currently my room is stocked with pop secret butter and it's average but nothing special. My favorite microwavable popcorn of all time is black jewel. Jet black seeds pop into crisp snowballs of popcorn that are organic and natural and honestly perfect. Also, a tip, burn it a little. Throw it in the microwave for that extra 30 seconds and crisp it up and give it a nice smokey flavor. Personally, I prefer popcorn thats air popped on the stove. For some reason, it just tastes better. If we want to get crazy we can talk about kettle. Ugh, kettle corn, if it was a religion I would be the cult leader. Kettle corn is probably one of the best inventions on planet earth or in any galaxy. Covering salty crunchy bits of popcorn with golden caramelized globs of sugar is pure genius and is a gift from the gods above. When you get it freshly made at a fair or carnival or farmer's market you get the oozing sugar on your fingers and get to lick of the sticky bits and just THINKING about it is making me crazy right now. Literally having a panic attack in my room. While I can't get the real fresh thing all the time the bagged version by Popcorn Indianna definitely does kettle corn justice as it maintains all the sugary sweet saltiness of the fresh stuff. Caramel Corn? Chocolate drizzled popcorn? TOFFEE popcorn? I'm going to stop now before I have a coronary. Popcorn is poplin, nuff said.

Magic Carpet

Price: $
Rating: 4 forks

When I  used to think of Magic Carpet I thought of Aladdin and the song 'A Whole New World.' Now, I think of enticingly yummy all vegetarian middle eastern food which is just as good as Aladdin if not better. Magic Carpet offers sandwiches, soups, salads, sides, and daily specials. To say the least, I am a big fan. Nothing makes a better light lunch then a crispy green salad with baked tofu and a miso-ginger dressing with toasted sesame seeds. Or if you're in a savory and hearty mood go for the bella donna, the chili, or the falafel. The bella donna is a layer of brown rice and cooked vegetables, lathered with tofu meatballs in a thick red sauce, and topped with melted cheese. The meatballs are jam packed with flavor and even if you aren't a tofu fan you would thoroughly enjoy them. The red sauce that they are nestled in is so well seasoned and if I had the option I would also order a cup of it plain to eat like soup. The chili is a robust mixture of vegetables and beans and has a thick tomatoey-based broth. One has the option to top it with cheese and when given the option, it's the only option, and the melted cheddar pieces leak into the soup and add a salty tangy bite. I got my falafel served with tahini and tzatziki sauce and fresh tomatoes and lettuce. Falafel, for those of you who are unfamiliar, are balls of fried chickpeas. The crunch of the crispy outside mixed with a tasty pita and mouthwatering sauces is a party in your mouth. The contrast between the richness of the falafel and the lightness and tangy notes of the tzatziki and tahini really make for a great combination. I also recommend the grape leaves topped with the balsamic vinaigrette and everything else the Carpet has to offer. It's usually busy and has long lines but is SO worth the wait.

on 34th and Walnut
11-4, (M-F)

on 36h and Spruce
11:30-3 (M-F)