Day 63, Italian Tomato Chicken Soup

It was snowing again today, so I needed soup. I decided to try making bread bowls to go with the soup. They ended up smaller than I would normally like, but they're good kid sized bowls.

Italian Tomato Chicken Soup

1 pound chicken, cooked and diced or shredded

2 cans (14.5 oz) petite cut tomatoes

1 (32 oz) box chicken stock

1 cup sweet corn

1/3 cup brown rice

1/3 cup basmatti rice

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

Place all ingredients in a soup pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is cooked.

Serves 10

This is a nice thick soup. It's good for bread bowls such as the ones I prepared today. I like the petite cut tomatoes better than the regular cut ones you find in the cans. You could use regular cut tomatoes if you prefer, but I find the petite cut ones easier to eat.

Flavor Rating: Excellent, I really liked this flavor combination.

Ease of Preparation: Easy, just toss it all together and simmer.

Easy Bread Bowls

a Betty Crocker recipe

1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

1 tsp dried basil leaves

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Lightly grease outsides of 6 10-oz custard cups with shortening (do not use cooking spray). Place cups upside down on a large baking sheet.

Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, then pat into 6-inch rounds. Place rounds over bottom of custard cups. Brush dough with oil. Sprinkle with basil and garlic salt. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cups and place right side up on a wire rack. (Interiors of bread bowls may be slightly moist.)

To serve, place warm cooled bread bowls in individual shallow soup or pasta bowls. Spoon soup, stew or chili into bread bowls.

Serves 6

I included the original recipe for the bread bowls because I made them a little differently and think had I done it according to the original recipe they would have turned out better. I used only the same Italian seasoning I used in the soup. I also didn't have custard cups, so I flattened the bowl into small heart cake shapes. I have the Wilton small heart pan and they were about the right size for these small bread bowls. I ended up having to take them out of the oven about halfway through and flatten out the bottom again so I had a bowl shape. I'll have to try this again after I get custard cups. These are a great size for a kids portion or a soup side to a meal.

Flavor Rating: Good, I should have used the garlic salt for added oomph.

Ease of Preparation: Moderate, it takes all day between the thawing and shaping and rising.