Sausage Beer Cheese Soup in the Crock Pot

  

    I love making meals in the crock pot! Usually, prep time takes only a few minutes but you will smell the meal cooking for several hours. And if there are any left overs you can place the inner container in the fridge and pull it out the next day to reheat. All of this means that there is less clean up!

Nutritional Options: Low Carb, Paleo, Gluten Free, Keto 

Servings: 3-4 adults

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low

Ingredients:

1/2 package of Sausage (smoked or spiced how you like)

1/2 onion diced (I like using yellow or white)

4 garlic cloves diced

1 cup celery diced

1 cup carrot diced

16 oz bone broth or Beef or Chicken Stock (like this one)

1 12oz beer (I prefer dark beers) You can choose a Gluten Free beer to make this meal Gluten Free 

8 oz of heavy cream (I use the cream that floats to the top of our raw milk) 

1 package cream cheese

2 cups of cheese (I use what I have left in the fridge, today it was one cup cheddar and one cup mozzarella. You can easily mix this recipe up each time. Add more cheese if you want a thicker soup) 

2 tablespoons of Red Pepper Flakes 

1 teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder 

pinch of Rock Salt  

pinch of pepper 

Directions:

1. place onion, celery, sausage and carrot into crock pot. 
2. add bone broth (or stock) and beer. (Make sure to leave a minimum of an inch space from the top)
3. cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours
4. whisk in cheese, cream cheese (it's easier to add in if it's at room temperature), and cream. 
5. I also choose to add garlic at this time. I like to taste the garlic. 
6. taste and add more spices if needed.
7. cover and cook on high for another 1-2 hours or low for 2-3 hours. 
8. I like to turn off the crock pot and let the soup sit for 10-15 minutes before spooning into a deep bowl and enjoying with a large spoon.

Cost:

     about $6.00 for four servings 

Eating in is so affordable!

Tips:

• Be careful to not scratch your slow cooker by using a spatula or wooden spoon when stirring.
• I often add in already cooked meat that I have left over in the fridge thirty minutes before I turn the crock pot off. This is when meal planning comes in handy! 
• I believe that an Immersion Blender (like this one) would be very handy in making this soup creamier. 

Disclosure: 
“The Wandering Ravens is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to (“The Wandering Ravens” (amazon.com, or endless.com, MYHABIT.com, SmallParts.com, or AmazonWireless.com).” 

Super Easy Bone Broth

  I made my first bone broth the other day and now I'm hooked. Not only is it easy to make, but it's also good for you and cheaper than buying stock. I will no longer throw away bones without first making a broth!

Servings: depends

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 8-24 hours

Ingredients:

1 chicken carcass, you can also use beef bones, and the bones of other animals

2 tablespoons of organic Apple Cider Vinegar (I use this item almost everyday!)

enough water to cover all bones

you can also add several cloves of garlic and salt to taste  *optional

Directions:

1. remove as much meat as you can from the bones. I give the left over meat to Gordo.
2. place bones in a crock pot
3. cover with water (this is where your serving size will differ. Add more water if you need a larger serving, have more bones or have a large crock pot) 
4. add the apple cider vinegar and optional items
5. place lid on and set to low. I do this around 8pm and check the water level before I go to bed. You may add more water if needed. All bones to should remain submerged. 
6. After cooking for 8+ hours (24 max) turn the crock pot off.
7. at this time skim off any particles that are floating, you may even have a film ring along the edge. Remove what you can without removing too much broth. 
8. then when you can safely handle the container, pour the contents through a mesh strainer or through cheese cloth and collect the broth into a large bowl.
9. at this time you can either pour the broth into glass containers and store in the refrigerator or pour the broth into ice cube trays and freeze.
10. once the broth is frozen, simply place the cubes into a container you can seal. Use the cubes whenever you want to add a bit more flavor to your meals or in place of bouillon cubes. 

Small chicken carcass 

Items submerged in water 

Finished product- Mineral rich Bone Broth

  Today I am making Beer Cheese Soup with the fresh broth! (recipe will be posted later) 

  Many Traditional Diets consume bone broth on a daily bases.

  I use the broth to make soups and homemade baby food and I also consume it as a drink. 

  It's an easy way to add minerals to your diet.

Disclosure: 

“The Wandering Ravens is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to (“The Wandering Ravens” (amazon.com, or endless.com, MYHABIT.com, SmallParts.com, or AmazonWireless.com).” 

New year

2014

       Well it's a new year and we experienced Ella's first Christmas, first cold and ear infection, and first New Years. The last day of the trip we drove extra miles to make it to my parents home sine Ella was not feeling well. She had a high fever, was irritable, and a runny nose and cough. It was her first true sickness and the first time that I felt really nervous about making the right decision. Thankfully, we could make it to my parents home in a day and into a doctor the next morning. She is back to feeling better and back to having a big grin most of the day.

 Highlights 

Ella receiving new toys for Christmas and now the entire family has been introduced.
Crawling more than two steps.
Four teeth out with more on the way. 
She is still in the 96% for growth and weight. 21.4lbs
Now Ella is pulling herself up with more ease and taking a few steps on her own while holding on.
She will take a few slow and steady steps with her Baby stroller walker.  
She is eating more food. She loves frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Is beginning to eat more avocado and is tolerating egg yolk better. 

Christmas 2013

Christmas Eve Eve

At Janene and Alan's Home

Ella is wearing one of my dresses

Christmas Eve

At Diana and Mike's home

Almost all the cousins

 Christmas Day 2013

At My Parent's home

(again she is wearing one of my dresses)

Learning to walk

 Her new plane

Look at her teeth and Blue eyes 

Crazy Hair!! 

Play date with Marist Friends

 

She is back to sleeping in her pack n play 

Eliana doing a great job of feeding Ella breakfast! She eats everything from egg yolk, butter, and vegetables every morning. She is beginning to like Avocado!  

Taking a cat nap with dada

Dinner with Kelly and Brian at 5 Season's Brewery 

Watching the Rose Bowl at Leah and Davis's home

Walking with her stroller. She even tries it one handed! 

Day 30 Natchez, MS. And historical Natchez Trace Parkway

Departed from 

 And we entered 

To head downtown to see the historical part of town. We visited a few places on this warm sunny day. 

An old plantation 

Where slavery used to be alive until after the civil war. 

Ella in the stable

Carriage barn

Downtown natchez The oldest town on the Mississippi River! 

The Mississippi River where to the north it takes you to Minnosota and to the south it takes you to the rest of the world. 

The section we are visiting

Then onto a freed slaves' home. He then became a slave owner himself as it was a status symbol at the time to own slaves. He was a barber, diarist, and business man that was respected in town. 

Touring his home. He had eleven children and ten slaves. 

Walking along the bluffs

Before walking down to "under the hill" street where steamboats would drop off and pickup people and supplies 

Lunch

The drive up the parkway today was it beautiful. We passed very few cars and the entire drive was smooth. There are few roads that cross the pkwy and commercial vechicals are not allowed. It's a great way to cut across a state. 

This was our first stop. The original road which has been worn down by the weight of so many for 100s of years traveling across. Mile 40

Our second stop at mile 120 for a little walk and stretch. 

The swamp is so beautiful

Now we are camping at stinkin Jim's horse camp. Ella picked up a cold while at church Sunday so she is not feeling well. Currently she is asleep and I hope she gets well soon.