Challenging Ingredient: Canned Cream of Crab Soup

This was one of those evenings on which everyone looks at each other with the dreaded question: "What's for dinner?"  A brief rummage through the kitchen cupboard produced this unfamiliar item:

Condensed Cream of Crab Soup

The directions called for half-and-half and a gentle simmer on the stove.  But after I opened the can, I decided a bit more effort was necessary to transform the unappetizing gray, fishy substance that jiggled inside.  The end result was a delicious pot of soup without a hint of can flavor or fishiness.

Black Bean Soup

Another one-pot wonder!  The canned black beans had jalapenos in them that gave the soup a good amount of heat.  Use a different canned bean or add avocados, cheese, and/or sour cream tone down the spiciness, if needed.

Hey, don't skimp on the bacon!  You will regret it!  LOL.

In the Magic Cooking Pot: Split Pea Soup

My dear grandpa is on a limited diet and also prefers soft foods that he can manage with his dentures, so split pea soup seemed like a healthful meal he could enjoy.  I prepped all ingredients in the evening, then combined them in the morning and left them cooking in my trusty Crock Pot until I returned from work.  Grandpa ate a whole bowlful of this stuff for dinner, so I'd say this recipe was a success!

QUICKish Salmon Gumbo?!

We had salmon for dinner last night.  Costco sells huge fillets, so I baked one with miso-ginger dressing and the other with mayo and Tajin seasoning ("The ultimate fruit & vegetable booster"... yummmmm...).

Tonight, I received a special request for gumbo.  The recipe I found via Google was going to take well over an hour, and I didn't have a third of the ingredients on hand, so a surprising concoction was born.  The makeshift gumbo was delicious!  And was ready to eat in less than an hour.

Miso Soup

The original recipe was a gift from a coworker and inspired my first experiments with miso paste!  I'd had no idea there were so many kinds of miso.  It is now my goal to taste them all.