Kettle Cuisine Giveaway (Ends 5/29) U.S.

I have teamed up with the Charisma Media Network to bring you a soup-tastic giveaway sponsored by Kettle Cuisine.

Kettle Cuisine offers chef inspired soups that are frozen in individual bowls for your convenience. Kettle Cuisine offers gluten free, all natural soups that taste every bit as good as they look! The assortment of varieties is impressive, as is the taste!

Look for Kettle Cuisine Soups at a grocer near you in the natural foods frozen section. To find a retailer near you that carries Kettle Cuisine Soup check out the Kettle Cuisine website!

Do you feel lucky?

Kettle Cuisine has generously offered to give 10 lucky readers a fantastic prize pack!

Each prize pack contains a cooler lunch bag with 3 coupons for a free Kettle Cuisine product, an informational brochure and a notepad!

Please enter to win via the rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Did you know the Charisma Media Network is seeking bloggers? Visit www.charismamedianetwork.com for more information!

*The participating bloggers cannot be held responsible for the shipment of the prize, as this is the responsibility of the sponsor, Kettle Cuisine.

NEW! Bertolli® Premium Meal Soups for Two Review and Giveaway (Ends 10/8) U.S. (Closed)

I had the great opportunity recently to review a brand new line of Bertolli frozen products.  I have tried their frozen pasta meals in the past, and I loved them.  The fresh, authentic flavor was always something I appreciated.
They have now moved beyond the frozen pasta meals to--soups!  Read about it below.


Bertolli® offers authentic Italian meals and was founded more than 150 years ago.
.    The soups are packed-full of fresh vegetables, perfectly-cooked chicken or beef, and hearty pasta
.    These restaurant-quality meals can be conveniently prepared at home
.    The meal, ready in minutes, comes in four delicious varieties: Chicken and Rotini Pasta, Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken, Chicken Minestrone and Tuscan Beef & Vegetables.
.    Bertolli® soups can be found in the freezer section of your local grocery store
.    www.villabertolli.com
.    Facebook.com/Bertolli
.    Twitter.com/Bertolli


I decided to try the Chicken and Rotini Pasta. I was impressed with how easy it was to make.  In fact, it made more sense to make it on the stove rather than the microwave.  It took less time on the stove--go figure.  All I did was add water to the contents, and I heated it on the stove.  As I watched it heat up, I was impressed with the amount of vegetables I saw.  I don't know how often you check out the vegetables in canned soup, but they are not usually many of them and they don't look very appetizing!  Not so with Bertolli.  The soup was loaded with vegetables, and they looked really fresh.


My mom and I enjoyed the soups.  She and I both commented on the vegetables.  And the flavor was fantastic.  The servings were so large that we figured we could actually make the soup  stretch for three people if we had to. I know my daughter would not be interested in these--too many vegetables.  But that's all right.  The adults in the family could enjoy the soups while she eats something else.


I forgot to say that in addition to the four tasting certificated I received in the mail for these soups, I also received a very nice stainless steel ladle.  It is a sturdy, heavy ladle that works so well for dishing up Bertolli soups on the cool, fall nights!


Per FTC guidelines, I received the items mentioned in the review from Bertolli in return for a review.  I was not financially compensated in any other way, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.


Now to the giveaway.  Bertolli has agreed to give one of my U.S. readers the same prize package I reviewed.  That's right--the stainless steel ladle and 4 tasting certificates so you can try their new soups for free!


This giveaway has to be quick--evidently shipping was delayed to me (which sometimes happens when you live in the country).  So this giveaway will end October 8 at 9 P.M. Pacific Time.  I know it's quick, but just make sure you don't forget to enter!  Just put your entries in the rafflecopter form below.  

Fortified Friday--My Own Recipe For Chicken Noodle Soup

If you know anything about me, you would learn that I am one of those people who loves recipes.  I love to find new recipes and try them.  I don't always follow them to a tee, but I get pretty close.  I do not like to do cooking experiments.  I do much better when I have a guide.

Over the past year or two, Martin has been the one to challenge me in this area.  He only uses recipes for difficult things.  For regular meals, he does it all  in his head.  He also doesn't do a lot of varied things, but you know that what he makes will be good.

Yesterday, I got home in enough time to cook dinner.  I had planned on making the chicken with gourmet sauce recipe (I'm too lazy to post the link, but those are the only ingredients).  When I asked my mom and Martin, they said they wanted chicken noodle soup.  I inwardly groaned.  I did not want to have to make this, and I knew it would be a lot of work.  But they had worked hard and still had more work to do.  So I agreed.

I am going to explain the process--there is not a real recipe, but I will try to organize it all at the end.

I cut up the chicken breasts--I used 3.  It was hard to cut it up since it was raw.  I cut it up in the smallest pieces I could.  I threw it in a pan with some oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, semi-fresh chives, and semi-fresh parsley.  I cut up two carrots into fairly small pieces and threw that in the pot as well.  I decided that some frozen corn and peas would be pretty good as well.  I also had some frozen chopped onions--I love those!

Once this was all cooked--the chicken was completely cooked--I added 2 cans of chicken broth.  My mom was sure we had more chicken broth--no, we didn't.  So I also added a can of Healthy Choice Chicken and Rice.  I then added about half a bag of pasta--so 8 ounces, I guess.  We add to add some more water as those cooked.

I cooked all this on the stove for about 30 minutes.  I think it would be really good in the crockpot.  I think you could add any vegetables you wanted to.  Add any spices you want.  You could use rice, pasta, quinoa--use what you have.

My mom said the soup was so good that I had to share it on my blog.  So I am doing that.  Sorry I don't have any pictures, but it was good!

So here is my recipe for chicken noodle soup:

3 chicken breasts, cut up small
salt/pepper
garlic powder/salt
chives and parsley (I use freeze-dried versions of these you can find with the fresh herbs.)

Put all of that in a pan on the stove with some olive oil.  Cook it until the chicken is no longer pink.  Add cut-up carrots, frozen corn, frozen peas, cut-up onions--any veggies you fancy.  Soften the vegetables for a couple minutes.  Add about 3-5 cans of chicken broth.  Add about 8 ounces of pasta, rice, or whatever you fancy.  Let it boil on the stove for at least 30 minutes, or  cook it in a crockpot.  Make sure to watch the liquid levels.  Serve with Bisquick biscuits.   Serves about 6, I would say.