Creamy herb and butter rice using cream of whatever dry mix

In our little house there is a dinner time dilemma when it comes to having rice as a side dish to our meals. I will eat rice in pretty much every form. Hubs only likes plain white rice with milk and sugar. The kiddo refuses to eat rice, no matter how you fix it. Since we are still on the make it from scratch kick I don’t purchase the box rice mixes with the exception of plain white Minute Rice. So tonight I decided to fix some rice to pair with our chili and Lime tilapia filets. Figuring I would be the only one to eat it, I decided I wanted some buttery herbed rice. Then a thought occurred to me….what if I used my ever handy Cream of Whatever Dry Mix in the rice?

Well….Both my guys cleaned their plates of the rice! And I of course love it too! So our rice dilemma has been solved. So here you go…give it a try and see what you think.

 

2 cups uncooked minute rice

1/3 cup cream of whatever dry mix (get the recipe here)

1 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1-2 tablespoons of butter

Dried or fresh parsley for garnish

 

Mix together the milk, water and cream of whatever mix in a sauce pan.

Bring just to a boil, remembering to stir frequently.

Remove from heat.

Stir in the uncooked minute rice.

Cover and let set for 5 minutes.

Add butter and stir the rice.

Garnish with parsley

(If you rice is too dry, add a couple tablespoons of milk or water.)

 

You could even liven it up a bit more and add some cooked veggies to the rice, like mushrooms or broccoli. The possibilities are endless!

 

Hope Y'all enjoy it!

 

 

 

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Cream of Whatever Soup Mix

Of all the things we had on our list to make when we decided to make everything from scratch, this recipe was the one I kept putting off. I just was so leery of making it and was betting all my money that it wasn't going to taste well. But I had several things on the menu that called for cream of something and we didn’t buy any cans of soup when we shopped.

So I sucked in the bottom lip and made the mix. And if I had bet any real money that it wasn't going to be good…I would have lost hands down. It is actually pretty dang awesome.

I was a diehard Campbell's fan. I would never even buy store brand soups because nothing compared to the Campbell's. When the family got a bad cold we were all in need of some comfort food. So I made Cream of Chicken Noodle soup using the cream of whatever mix. And now……Campbell’s soup has officially been replaced.

 

I used a combination of two recipes to make the cream of whatever mix. If you want to try one of the originals, here are the links http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/soup-or-sauce-sos-mix.html  http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/cream-of-anything-soup-mix.htm

 I also have some additional directions that I found beneficial to making the mix.

 

 

 

Here is what you will need:

2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup chicken bouillon powder **

2 Tbsp dried onion flakes

1tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (less if you like)

1/2 tsp celery salt (optional)

 

** The first time I made it I only had bouillon cubes. I crushed them up in my food processor. Approximately 25 cubes equal 1/4 cup. There are approx. 25 cubes in one container of bouillon cubes. I now buy a large tub of bouillon powder (MSG free).

 

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend for about 10 seconds or so. This helps blend up the powdered milk granules and minced onion to a more equal consistency as the other ingredients.

 

I then sifted the blended ingredients using a mesh strainer to make sure I didn’t have any extra large granules of the powdered milk or minced onion left. (I just blitzed the mix a few more seconds if I did).

 

Transfer to an air tight container and store in a cool dry place No refrigeration needed.

This will keep for approximately 3 months. (You can write an “expiration” date on it using the same expiration date as your powdered milk if you like.)

 

The original directions from onegoodthingbyjillee.com are as follows

 To substitute for 1 can (10.5 oz) of cream soup

Combine 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cups of cold water.

Whisk until well blended.

Cook and stir on stove top or in microwave until thickened.

 Add thickened mixture to casseroles as you would a can of soup.

 

I found that it tastes even more like the cream of soups I like if I substituted some of the water for milk.

I now use 1/3 cup mix with 3/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup water.

 I add whatever extra I am wanting to this mixture. If I need “Cream of Mushroom” then I add about 1/2 of a small can of mushrooms (chopped). If I need “Cream of Chicken” then I add about 2 heaping tablespoons of canned chicken breast (or leftover chicken if I have it).

 

Try out my Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe using the Cream of Whatever Mix

 

 

You will need:
 

About 1/2 of a 16 oz bag of egg noodles

3 to 3 1/2 cups of chicken broth

1/3 cup cream of whatever mix

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 large can of chicken breast (or about 1 full cup of cooked chicken shredded)

 

Put noodles and chicken broth in a large pot.

You are not going to drain the noodles. They cook in the broth.

You want the liquid to go just above the noodles. If there is not enough liquid then add more broth or water 1/4 cup at a time.

 

Bring to a boil and cook until noodles are just past the al dente stage. (Approx. 8-10 minutes)

 

Once the noodles are done, add the chicken, milk, water, and cream of whatever mix. Mix well and bring back to a boil.

 

Turn down heat and simmer until liquid thickens some.

 

Refrigerate any leftovers.  

 

If you want, you can add carrots or celery to this to make a home-style soup. You will want to increase the amount of liquid and cook the vegetables (if in raw form) along with the noodles.

 

Enjoy and God Bless!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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