Chicken Stew

My body has been playing catch up with sleep and rest most of the week. I am almost back to 80% of feeling my best. This cold has left Eric and I with a cough that will last another week or two. I am feeling well enough to be tired of frozen meals and take in. So with John being my prep chef, yes he got to peel and cut up all the vegetables for tonight's dinner. He did a wonderful job too.

Chicken Stew

2 large Chicken Breasts diced
1 medium onion peeled and diced
3 cups of celery  cleaned and cut into 1/2inch chunks
3 cups of carrots peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1/2 cubes
8 ounces butternut squash cubed. it is OK to buy the pre-cut package
8 ounces mushrooms cleaned and sliced
A large splash of White Zinfield or any open white wine you have
1 teaspoon of dried Rosemary
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 1/4 quart Le Creuset soup pot with a cover

In the pot heat the olive oil up on a medium low temperature. Add the diced chicken breast with a little salt and pepper. Cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Add the Rosemary. Toss well and cook for another 15 minutes stirring every 5 minutes. The chicken should no longer be pink on the outside. This is the time to switch out the stirring spoon and put the dirty one straight in to the wash.  Add the diced onions and cook until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook down. Added the Butternut Squash and Yukon Gold potatoes. Cover with the carrots and celery. Add the White Wine. Cover and bring to a low boil. Turn down the heat and cook for at least 1 hour. 2 to 3 hours would be ideal for the perfect flavor blending.

If you do not use wine in your house you may substitute water. The flavor will be slightly different.
Serves 6 as a main course.

So as you probably guessed this is dinner tonight.

Failed - Soup

Ok so I had some help in the kitchen yesterday. Instead of frozen vegetables in the soup last night John and I, make that John sliced a lot of fresh vegetables for the soup. I was a lot of work and tasted all right, but not as good as with the frozen mixed vegetables. Sigh. Lesson learned. Kiss = keep it super simple.


After a second long night in a row with Eric we will be laying low today, on the list is lots of knitting and maybe some new stitch markers.

For those of you who are snow in, have fun with the kids and post the pictures of the snowmen you make. Have a great day and enjoy your families.

Le Creuset 4 1/4 quart Soup Pot

This blog is a public Thank You to my husband John for one of the most wonderful holiday gifts ever. This year he gave me the Le Creuset 4 1/4 quart soup pot. It is the perfect size for the two of us and worked out equally as well when Teri is home.


The pot is just the right weight to keep the food from burning and light enough so that when it is full I can pick it up and not wait for help. I love the sloping sides, it makes stirring very easy. I love the easy clean up that the enamel gives the pot, for those who know me well I even did wash it by myself once.

I have used it for soup and chili, both come out very well. It was on the stove when I was making chicken pot pie; so I mix everything over a low heat then put it in the pie shell later. Pot pie is normally a hard clean up, it is just something about the potato starch that makes everything stick in my other pan, that did not happen in this pot.

I love to fill soup pots to the top so we tend to eat soup for days made in larger pots. With the Le Creuset 4 1/4 quart soup pot it makes just the right amount for 2 days of soup for 2 people or 1 day of soup for 3 people.

Please feel free to check my past blogs for some great soup recipes.

Le Creuset you did it again, you made a wonderful pot. Also I have been slowly building my Le Creuset set over the past 15 years whenever I have the extra funds and the color of this red soup pot matches the 1st red heart shaped casserole perfectly. So again thank you John and Le Creuset for such a wonderful pot. I will put a link directly to this pot so you can try it for yourself.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.