Homemade “Condensed Cream of Celery” Soup

CHECK OUT OUR RECIPES PAGE FOR MORE GREAT RECIPES!!!

This is a condensed soup, intended as a substitution in recipes that call for “canned condensed cream of celery soup.” If you’d like to eat it as a soup, dilute this recipe with an equal amount of milk or water!

Condensed Cream of Celery* Soup Recipe

Makes 4 cups (1 cup = 1 can of store-bought soup)

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup (1 stick) butter                              

1 cup finely diced celery*                           

1 cup unbleached white flour                                                   

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups milk

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

*Check out our Grocery Shopping Guide for our tips on selecting the most additive-free versions of these ingredients.

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat.

Add diced celery and sauté until tender (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Add flour, ¼ cup at a time, stirring until combined. (Mixture will have a consistency similar to cookie dough after all of the flour is added.)

Add broth. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until it thickens to a “gravy-like” consistency.

Add milk, salt and pepper. Continue whisking over high heat until “cake batter” consistency is reached (this may take up to 5 more minutes).

Use 1 cup of this soup as a substitute for 1 store-bought can of condensed soup. This soup freezes very well, too, so save time by making more than you need and freezing it in labeled plastic bags or containers in smaller portions for later use.

*This recipe is for cream of celery soup, but you can make condensed cream of mushroom, chicken, potato, etc. by substituting the 1 cup of celery with 1 cup of whatever ingredient you prefer. Just dice the selected ingredient, and sauté it until it is tender. Then follow the instructions here.

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Doing Laundry in our RV

If you’ve secretly always wanted to watch me do laundry…today’s your lucky day! Ha!

No, but seriously, here’s the latest “behind-the-scenes” video of our RV life.

This one is about one of my FAVORITE things about our newest motorhome….it has a washer/dryer!!!!

(well…sort of….) 

We are sooooooooooo glad we took the plunge and spent the money for this washer/dryer combo (model Splendide 2100XC)!

Total game changer!

We definitely don’t miss the laundromat for a SECOND!

Oh, and I don’t get paid to say that I love the washer/dryer, so I’m not bias or anything.

Buuuuuut…there are a few tricks you need to know if you want your clothes to turn out nicely in these types of machines, as you’ll see in the video…

A Dirty (Dishes) Joke

I’m not sure of the original source of this joke, but it was forwarded to me and made me laugh! 🙂

Larry went to visit his 86-year-old grandfather in a very rural area.  After spending a great evening chatting the night away, Larry’s grandfather prepared breakfast of bacon and eggs. Larry noticed a film-like substance on his plate and questioned his grandfather asking, “Are these plates clean?”

His grandfather replied, “They’re as clean as cold water can get ’em. Just you go ahead and finish your meal”.

For lunch the old man made hamburgers.  Again, Larry was concerned about his plate, as it appeared to have tiny specks around the edge that looked like dried egg. Again, he asked his grandfather, “Are you sure these plates are clean?”
Without looking up the old man said, “I told you before, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get ’em.  Now don’t you worry, I don’t want to hear another word about it”.

Later that afternoon as Larry was trying to leave, his grandfather’s dog started to growl at him and wouldn’t let him pass by. Larry yelled and said, “Grandfather, your dog won’t let me get to my car.”

Without diverting his attention from the football game he was watching on TV, the old man shouted to his dog, “Hey Coldwater, go lay down now, yah hear me!”

So how about YOU? Do you allow your pets to lick your dishes (as long as you wash them afterward)??

Want more tips for living a healthy & happy life? Be sure to subscribe to our blog in the upper left sidebar of our site. 🙂 

Great store-bought (gluten-free) snack… flavored flax crackers!

I was craving a crunchy snack the other day and was SO excited to discover these flax crackers at a local health store in my town. Click pics to enlarge.

They are made by the Foods Alive company, and they come in quite a few different flavors. Many of the flavors contain very simple ingredients, so I can actually eat them! Yay!! The Mexican Harvest flavor is really good; and I really enjoyed the Onion/Garlic variety as well (I tasted a sample, but they were out of stock so I don’t have them featured here…hopefully next time!)

Be sure you check the ingredients list because I’m not sure that every flavor is as “additive-free” as the samples I’ve pictured below; and enjoy!!! If you belong to the Azure Standard Food Co-op, they also carry these crackers; or you can always order them online, too!

Flax crackers are really simple to make in a dehydrator, so I think I’m going to give it a try with some homemade taco seasoning – I’ll post the recipe if they turn out good! But for now, it’s really nice to have the option to just walk into a store and pop them in my mouth! Here are the ingredients from the varieties I purchased…