It Could Have Been Fast Food, But It Was Better...

We Budzaks love to go out to eat.  No really, I know that you know that we like to cook, but really it's that we like to eat... and if we can help it, not do any dishes.  Thus the eating out thing.  Even more so, Sunday after church is a great time to go out with friends.  We've even had specific Sunday lunch friends over the years. (You know who you are!)  Many times that is the highlight of our week.  And if we don't have anyone to go out with, we'll feel ripped off and we will often go alone just to ease our pain.
But not this Sunday.  This Sunday we decided, very responsibly, to make lunch at home.  And, as you know, most of the time, making the decision of what to eat is the hardest part, if you haven't planned it out previously. To make a boring story short - the kid wanted McD's buffalo chicken wraps and Ken wanted soup.  I wasn't in the mood for canned soup but was perfectly willing to indulge in the homemade variety.

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

You'll need:

• Tortillas, preferably wholegrain
• Chicken breast(s) or tenders
• Frank's Red Hot Sauce
• Head lettuce, shredded or leaves
• Cheddar cheese, grated
• Tomato, diced

Pretty simple really - pan fry or bake the chicken with a bit of seasoning salt and pepper.  Let the chicken rest for a few minutes, then slice.  Grab a tortilla, lay some lettuce on it, sprinkle a bit of cheddar and tomato, a few pieces of the sliced chicken and douse with as much Frank's as you please.  Wrap it up and you've got you're own healthier version of a McD's snack wrap.

K & C's Mushroom Soup

You'll need:

• Butter & Olive oil combo
• Cremini mushrooms, a small package, sliced
• 1/2 Onion, diced
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 1 Cup of Stock, chicken, beef or veg
• 2 Tbsp Flour
• A Couple Sprigs of Thyme
• A Bay leaf or two
• 1 Cup of Light cream
• 2 Cups of Milk
• Nutmeg, just a dash 
• Celery salt, a mere pittance - you could probably add celery at the beginning, but I hadn't thought of it

  When we made this, we just wanted enough for a couple of bowls of soup and no leftovers (apartment sized fridge!!), so I suggest you multiply the ingredient list to suit your family's needs.

Mushroom soup begs for Premium Plus crackers.

Fry the mushrooms and onion in the butter and olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium soup pot.  After a few minutes add the garlic.  Continue cooking until the mushroom are soften and cooked through.  If you don't have an immersion blender, remove the mushroom mixture and dice or wazz-up in your blender with a bit of stock.

Heat your milk and cream (in the microwave - if you use), throw in the bay leaf and thyme and have this ready for the next step.

Meanwhile, make a small amount of roux in your soup pot, adding more butter if needed and an equal part flour.  Cook for a few minutes, or until flour is cooked.  Using the rest of your stock and the warm milk/cream, whisk into roux.  (Less roux + more liquid = thinner soup, while more roux + less liquid= thicker soup.)  Return mushrooms to the pot.  Season with salt, pepper, celery salt and nutmeg.

Simmer for a few minutes, but do not boil. Garnish with parsley (as shown) or green onion.