SOUP! IT'S What's for Dinner

It's "winter" here in the desert and it actually has been quite cold, and there is almost nothing better than warm soup on a cold night. I bought a package of Bear Creek Cheddar Broccoli because it was on sale AND because I had a coupon of course.

I used the soup as a base and just built on it but it was simple enough. The directions say to bring 8 cups of water to a rolling boil and whisk in the soup mix which is in a powder form. You then turn the stove to low heat and cook for ten minutes. Well, instead of 8 cups of water, I substituted 1cup for milk. I also added a teaspoon of real butter and 1 teaspoon of Shamrock Farms sour cream to make it extra creamy. I added an additional cup and a half of frozen broccoli and about a 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. I like my broccoli soft so prior to adding it to the soup, I placed it in a microwave safe dish with the tiniest bit of water (to encourage it to steam), lightly cover and cook for about 3 minutes. The directions say to let it cook uncovered for 10 minutes but I found that the broccoli that was in the soup mix was not cooked enough, so I cooked it for an additional 5, covered. Add some salt and pepper to taste and it was perfection!

I also got a great deal on Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea. With the sale and the coupon it was $1 for 20 tea bags. What better time than winter to have Cinnamon Apple Spice! I am not a hot tea drinker so here's what I did:
Place 1 Cinnamon Apple Spice Tea Bag in a microwave safe mug and cover the tea bag with water (fill the mug about half way) and microwave for 2 minutes and then let it sit for a minute or so to steep.
Pour the concentrate into a tea jar (we use a gallon sized pitcher) and fill with cold water
Add 2 family size LIPTON Cold Brew Tea Bags to your pitcher and place it in the refrigerator for aprx 20 minutes
(adding ice will speed up the "cold brew" process)
Once the tea is done, remove the two cold brew bags and stir. Add sugar if you like. The smell and taste is wonderful and oddly enough it goes perfectly with a warm bowl of cheddar broccoli soup.

Don't be afraid to try new things and definitely don't shy away from adding your own touch to these already prepared meals. After all, that's what will make them unique, delicious and undoubtedly a family fav!