If you know me or you’ve spent time perusing my blog, you know I’m all about axing things from my grocery list.  I have several reasons for slimming down my grocery list – I like to save money, provide a healthier alternatives for my family, and become more self-sufficient.  This recipe is one of my tried & trues that I use nearly every week that fulfills all these reasons.
 
So, what item does this recipe knock from my grocery list?  The main cream soups used in cooking – cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, and cream of celery.  Here’s the recipe, and then I’ll provide some tips for using it.
 
Easy Cream Soup Substitute
2 Tablespoons of Butter
2 Tablespoons of Flour
1 cup of milk
 
Melt the butter in a kettle.  Whisk in the flour before the butter browns.  Slowly add the milk.  Stir frequently until it thickens (about 5 minutes).
 
The product is a white sauce that is equivalent to a can of 10 ¾ ounce of cream soup. 
 
If you are substituting for cream of mushroom, I simply use this recipe.  If you are substituting for cream of chicken, I do ½ cup of milk and ½ cup of chicken broth OR simply add 1-2 teaspoons of chicken base.  If you are substituting for cream of celery soup, sprinkle ½-1 teaspoon of celery salt.
 
This substitute works well for casseroles.  It would not work very well to simply eat as a soup.  If the casserole only has a few ingredients without a lot of spices, you may need to spice it up when using this substitute recipe.  I use spices such as salt, pepper, garlic salt, garlic powder, or seasoned salt.  In many recipes, I just use this recipe, and it turns out delicious.
 
This recipe is fabulous for anyone who has excess goat milk (as we often do).  It is also great for anyone looking to limit their sodium intake.  Cream soups in the store are PACKED with salt; with this recipe you can control the amount.  I usually don’t add any salt, unless (as I noted above) the casserole lacks spices to begin with.
 
Happy cooking, and thanks for stopping by!

We are excited to have a growing waiting list for our spring 2016 litters.  We are hoping for a litter from Jolly in February or March, and a litter from Cocoa in June or July.  If you are considering a puppy from us, please get on our list today!
If you are on our list, I may have mentioned to you that we will keep you updated through our blog.  I don’t have too much of an update right now because we are in the “waiting” stage.  Jolly recently had her yearly vet examination, and she is in excellent health.  Cocoa will go for her yearly check-up in about 2 months.
 
Below is a picture of the male we will be breeding Jolly to when she is ready to breed.

His name is Polamalu, and he is owned by our friends John & Rachel at Whistle Hill Kennels.  (He is the same male that sired Jolly's first two litters of puppies.)  He is a beautiful, friendly, & confident black and silver male.  The combination of Jolly’s strong black genes and Polamalu's recessive black and silver genes has always given us black puppies. Some of the puppies have had small white markings on their chest, paws, or muzzle.
 
And, lastly, a glimpse of what Jolly has been up to while we wait…

I love these photos because of the pure joy you can see on MJ's face.  She just loves Jolly, and you can see that Jolly calmly and patiently endures her grabbing little hands.  Jolly & Cocoa are fabulous with our small children.  So, if you're wondering if miniature schnauzers do well with children, we can tell you that our mini schnauzers love our children!

If you would like to follow this blog, please fill out this form.  If you are a follower of the blog, you will receive an email when I publish a new blog post.  Thanks for reading my blog!