Branny’s Souper Bowl
One of my favorite food bloggers, Branny, is hosting her second ever Souper Bowl to benefit the ASPCA. I make no claims of being one of those fancy pants, perfectly lit food photo bloggers, but I did, in fact, make soup this weekend, and God knows I love our animals, so here goes..
This post is dedicated to our three sweet shelter pets, without whom our lives would be very, very boring.
Buckley (formerly known as Jacob) was our first acquisition.
When we went to the shelter to pick out a cat, it came down to Buckley and another white cat with black spots, named Solar. Buckley promptly bit Tim, to which I said, “Solar sounds great.” Tim, however, was charmed by his…spunk, and Buckley came home with us on New Year’s Day 2008. (And he still bites. I periodically remind Tim that I wanted the non-biting cat, but we admire his old, cantankerous soul, for the most part. Maybe the shelter named him after a vampire for a reason.)
Our second acquisition was Southpaw, formerly known as Sylvia.
After we got Buckley, we started volunteering at the shelter. Southie came into the shelter in January, frostbitten and pathetic. She was missing some hair on her ears and nose. Someone adopted her, but returned her because she pooped on the floor once. As time went by, we both couldn’t resist the sweet little cat who jumped in our laps the minute we arrived in the cat room. And so we brought her home in July.
Our final acquisition was Milhouse, formerly known as Jimeny, in October 2009.
There’s not much to say about Milhouse. He’s a quintessential beagle—sweet, loving, and loyal. Nose driven. Not entirely bright. You can pick him up and carry him around the house like a baby without a protest. It breaks my heart that that guy was likely the result of a puppy mill bust. Now, clearly…he walks all over us.
So. Soup.
Not the most gorgeous, not the most healthy, but quite delicious! It’s also an easy meal to make with leftover chicken, and comes together quite quickly.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- 3 T. butter
- 1 c. chopped carrots
- 1 c. chopped celery
- 1/2 c. chopped onion
- 2 T. flour
- 1/2 lb. cooked shredded chicken
- 1 package microwaveable pre-cooked wild rice
- 6 c. chicken broth
- 1/2 c. half and half
- salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a large pot and add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until the onion is clear. Stir in the flour, then add the broth. Bring the broth to a simmer and add the shredded chicken and rice. Let simmer for about half an hour; stir in half and half. Do not let the soup boil after this point! Turn the heat down to low and heat until warm. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
The leftovers only get better every day. I promise.
What’s your favorite soup?
![](http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr324/bmb654/Untitled.jpg?t=1338087576")
Our zoo are rescues too, 1 cat my Hubby got from a rescue, 1 he found wandering the street (purebred) our 1 dog he rescued at 5 weeks from students who stole it from the neighborhood and our latest is a border collie we got from a rescue who got her from a shelter. We think she was also part of a puppy mill.
I love potato soup, not the healthiest but yummy!
Southpaw has the most beautiful and adorable face! That’s awesome that you got your pets from shelters. They’re lucky to have such a great home.
Alaina recently posted..Sunday Stuff
My favourite soup is chicken tortilla soup made in the crockpot. It has avocado, cilantro and tortilla and cheese on top. It is delicious. It ends up more like a stew once you get it all in bit it is the easiest soup in the world to make since most of the stuff comes out of cans. I have never had anyone say they didn’t like it (although, if you don’t like cilantro…).
Also, I love my kitties more than I express and they are both shelter cats. They are the most amazing animals. I can’t remember life without them. Except for when they run around like crazy animals at night (they play together). Then I remember what sleep is like.
Mareika recently posted..mmm…food!
Every time I see a picture of Southpaw, I swear you and I have the same cat – she looks just like my Maggie!
Deva @ Deva by Definition recently posted..Vlogging the Half Marathon: Week Three
I adore your menagerie! You are such a good pet momma. They are lucky to have you. Thanks for participating.
As a beagle owner and lover, I love any post featuring Milhouse! Our beagle also came from the SPCA as a 5 year old, and I just can’t imagine how his former family gave him up (the story is they had to due to job loss/moving/etc.) Their loss makes me sad, but I am so glad he is a part of our family now.
Caroline Calcote recently posted..Help for the monkey brain
My favorite soup is chicken tortilla soup in the crockpot. I love coming home to it after a day at work. Whenever we use the crockpot we joke that Tiggy, our cat, made dinner.
Tiggy is also a shelter pet. We went to “browse” at the animal shelter one day about 4 years ago, and an abandoned litter of kittens had just been discovred. Tiggy was the runt, and once I picked him up I couldn’t put him down. It was a really small shelter in a rural area, so they had us take him home that day.
According to our vet, he was probably only 3 weeks old and definitely part Siamese. 4 years later he’s a whopping 8lbs…and he too still bites
lauren recently posted..Morning Frost
Aww, all of your pets are so adorable! Such sweet faces! One of my doxies is a rescue and I made sure to give him all the love and care I could give him! I love him so much! You and Tim are such good pet parents!
Edward is the vampire, Jacob is the wolf. Still bites though
I freaking love soup! Can’t wait to make this one!
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