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Noel's Kitchen Tips
A Busy Mom's Kitchen
A Minute with Noel
Greetings!  

 

Fall Harvest

 
Greetings!
 
There is nothing like experiencing fall in the Sierra Foothills. The scenery view is beautiful with colors of red, orange and yellow. It's truly beautiful! Fall also brings numerous opportunities to gather with family and friends and such an amazing assortment of delicious and comforting foods. I love decorating the house this time of year and look forward to sharing with you ways to decorate and entertain without blowing our budgets. My personal favorite is very inexpensive or, even better yet, free!
 
 
This upcoming week in the kitchen, I'll be sharing with you even more fall comforting foods that are very budget-friendly and super delicious! We'll talk about chili, homemade bread bowls, how to create a budget-friendly slow-cooker meal full of yummy pinto beans, and creating those delicious fall comfort soups we all love! Soup is a great way to stretch your grocery budget. A big pot of soup provides leftovers for the next day, and hubby or kids will love to take a thermos along for lunch!

If you have some great soup recipes, I would love to share them on the blog next week. Simply email me  your recipe and permission to use it on the blog. If you have a photo, send that as well.
 
I hope you can take these ideas that I have shared with you on family, food, fall decorating and entertaining, and run with them and create wonderful memories this fall season in your own home--inside and out, without breaking your budget.
 
See you in the kitchen!
 
Noel
From The Blog:
 
Noel's Kitchen Tips.com
Noel's Kitchen Tips
Here is a recap of what we shared on the blog last week, just in case you missed a post or two!
 

 
 
 
 
 
  • A Busy Mom's Favorite Quick and Easy Waffle Recipe: Having a family breakfast is a great way for families to unwind after a long busy week. Starting the day off with waffles made from a slightly sweet and creamy batter topped with fresh blueberries, honey or maple syrup just doesn't get any better.  
  • A Busy Mom's Hamburger Helper:  Hamburger Helper has been an easy fix to most families weeknight dinner. Add a box of noodles, seasoning packet and beef, chicken or tuna and your meal is done.
  • Fall Meals To Fit Your Budget:  When the weather starts to change, I find myself searching recipes for comfort-style foods. This week at Noel's Kitchen Tips, I'll be sharing some favorite slow cooker comfort foods that are not only delicious and filling, but also easy on the grocery budget! 
  • Sunrise Sandwich: Start the day off right with a hearty bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich!
  • Down Home Cooking With A Busy Mom~Apples and Oatmeal: It's time for all our favorite comfort foods. What better way to wake up and celebrate the first day of Fall than with a nice bowl of Apples and Oatmeal. Mmmmmmm, smells so good.
Family TimePumpkin Carving
  Let pumpkin put a smile on your face!
 



 
Pumpkin-carving is a longstanding fall tradition, and a great way to spend quality time with your trick-or-treaters. But pumpkins are good for more than porch decor. Packed with disease-fighting nutrients, pumpkin offers numerous health benefits.
 
From chunky to creamy to chilled, pumpkin soups please any palate. Add pureed pumpkin to chicken stock and fresh herbs and seasonings. Bring to a boil, puree, return it to the stock pot and bring it to a boil again. Stir in heavy cream and garnish with fresh parsley. For a chunky soup, replace potatoes or carrots with cooked pumpkin.
 
Get really creative by serving your soup inside a hollowed-out pumpkin!
 
Halve a pumpkin, discard the stem and strings. Place in shallow baking dish, cover in foil and bake at 375� F for about 1� hours or until tender. Once the pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh and puree or mash it. Use the puree in custards, soups, breads and pies! Refrigerate fresh pumpkin puree for up to three days, or store it in the freezer up to six months, and you'll enjoy fall pumpkin flavor for months to come.
 
Hang on to the seeds! After hollowing out your pumpkin, collect the seeds, rinse and pat dry. Drizzle them with olive oil, stirring to coat evenly, and sprinkle on your favorite spices. (Get creative with cinnamon-sugar or smoky paprika.) Bake at 325� F until toasted, about 25 minutes.

Avoid field pumpkins, which are bred for perfect jack o' lanterns. They tend to be too large and stringy for baking. Ask your grocer or farmer for sugar pie pumpkins or other flavorful varieties. Small and sweet varieties, with dark orange-colored flesh, are perfect for pies, soups, muffins and breads.
Featured Recipe: Creole Shrimp & Potato Chowder
Browning shrimp shells and then simmering them in broth delivers great seafood flavor.
Creole Shrimp Chowder
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ingredients:
 
 
1 pound (450 g) large uncooked, shell-on shrimp (21-25 per lb)
1 Tablespoon (15 mL) vegetable oil
2 bottles (8 oz/250 mL each) clam juice
2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
1 large russet potato, unpeeled
4 slices uncooked bacon
1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 Tablespoon (30 mL) Creole Rub
1 cup (250 mL) dry white wine such as Chardonnay
1/2 cup (125 mL) half and half
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt
1 teaspoon (5 mL) chopped fresh thyme leaves (optional)
 
Directions: 
 
Peel, devein shrimp and remove tails; do not discard shells or tails.
 
Cut shrimp into small pieces; set aside. Heat oil in (4-qt./3.8-L) Casserole over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add shells and tails; cook 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
 
Place shells, tails, clam juice and stock into Large Micro-Cooker�;. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 8-9 minutes or until hot. Keep covered with lid and set aside.
 
 Meanwhile, on 
clean cutting board, finely chop onion and celery using Food Chopper. Dice potato and slice bacon crosswise into 1/4-in. (6-mm) strips using Santoku Knife. Set potato aside. Add bacon to Casserole and cook over medium heat 5-7 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from Casserole using Small Slotted Spoon (do not drain drippings). Set bacon aside.
 
Add onion and celery to Casserole; cook 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add flour, pressed garlic and rub. Cook and stir 30 seconds or until combined. Add wine and simmer 3-4 minutes or until wine is reduced by half. Strain broth mixture through Micro-Cooker� lid into Casserole. Add potatoes and half and half. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and cook 12-14 minutes or until chowder is thickened and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in shrimp, salt and thyme, if desired. Cook 3-4 minutes or until shrimp are pink and opaque. Serve with bacon.
 
Yield: 6 servings (8 cups/2 L)
 
Nutrients per serving: (1 1/3 cups/325 mL): Calories 300, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 65 mg, Carbohydrate 23 g, Protein 19 g, Sodium 1140 mg, Fiber 2 g
U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 1/2 starch, 2 low-fat meat, 1 fat (1 1/2 carb)
 
Cook's Tips: To substitute Creole Rub, omit salt and increase flour to 1/3 cup (75 mL). Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) Creole seasoning and 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste to onion and celery in Step 3. 
 
Kitchen Tools and Seasonings used in this recipe can be found by visiting www.NoelsKitchen.com.
 
 
 
Do you have something to share? Write to me at [email protected]
I have some great kitchen topics in the works for the fall season, bringing us into a wonderful holiday season of good food and wonderful memories. I would love to hear about your family's kitchen stories and ideas. 
 
Show us your family kitchen stories, favorite family recipes or what tips work for you in preparing family mealtimes! I'd love to showcase your kitchen talents or oganization in the kitchen, but I need to hear from you soon! Send me your story.
 
Until Next Time!
 
 
Sincerely,
 

Noel Chapman
Noel's Kitchen Tips
In This Issue
From The Blog
Family Time
Featured Recipe
Featured Noel's Newest E-Book
Quick Links
Cookbooks & Kitchen Digests
 
A Busy Mom's Guide To Family Meal Planning E-Cookbook
A Busy Mom's Guide To Family Meal Planning E-Cookbook
Get your copy today for just $8.95
 
$2.00 from every purchase will be donated to the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

The official desciption:

Isn't it worth the investment of effort and time to gather your family to the dinner table?

Want to make that special connection with your kids?

As a Busy Mom myself I share tips and tricks in the kitchen to Revitalize family meal times and give Busy Mom's like you more time to spend with those you love!

What makes spending time in the kitchen even better are shortcuts in food preparation from useful tools to cookware.

Get ready for an unforgettable experience as I share with you how to create those memorable family meal times, in my first E-Cookbook........

A Busy Mom's Guide To Family Meal Planning Fast Recipe Ideas For Busy Moms On The Go

 
Just click the above link to get yours today!
 
Make-Ahead Cooking for Busy Moms: Cook It, Freeze It! Volume One: Beef Recipes
 
Make-Ahead Meals
 
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Land O Lakes is offering a FREE Holiday Recipe Brochure when you sign into or join the Simple Rewards Club. Offer available to U.S. residents, while supplies last.
 
Gooseberry Patch is offering a freeFall Favorites with Sunmaid Raisins & Dried Fruit Cookbook. Offer available to the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, AA, AE, AP.