It’s been a beautiful weekend in Chicago! The very first hints of summer I’ve been in town to witness.
I’ve been at the NRA Show (that’s restaurant, not rifle) this weekend working at the Flatout Bread booth, but have been able to take some time to savor a bit of fresh air…and eat some delicious food.
Dinner has been especially tasteful and simple. It all started with one of these:
See? Told you it was tasteful. 😉 Allow me to explain further.
I’ve never had beer bread in my life, but Bobby and I received a few Tastefully Simple mixes as gifts several months ago and decided this weekend was as good a time as any to try them out!
For the Bountiful Beer Bread, all we needed was the box and 12 oz. of the good stuff. Easy enough! We threw everything together in a bowl and mixed for 30 seconds, then put it into a greased loaf pan. The instructions said to keep it lumpy. Check!
While the bread was baking for 50-55 minutes at 375 degrees, we got started on our next trick.
Our first thought upon looking at the Creamy Wild Rice soup mix was that it would be too light on its own. We decided to add sautéed shrimp and vegetables for good measure.
The soup mix was combined with five cups of water and left to its own devices for 45 minutes.
Now we were faced with time to waste. But no time is ever wasted when wine is involved.
We began enjoying a bottle of Three Wishes Cabernet Sauvignon – Whole Foods version of Two Buck Chuck – and watched The Colbert Report while we waited for the soup to simmer and the bread to bake (alliteration optional).
Trust me, this meal was worth the wait.
As soon as I pulled the beer bread out of the oven, I knew we were in for one glorious dinner. Then I sliced off the crust and swooned. Yes. It really was that good.
While we allowed the bread to cool, I finished heating up the shrimp and veggies and threw them both into the soup pot. We ladled out two bowls of creamy perfection. The additions were just what the soup needed to give it that extra oomph!
Red peppers and mushrooms and broccoli and onions, oh my.
Plus beer bread for dipping. Although being a bread fiend, I preferred it most when served plain.
This dinner allowed us to cross a new recipe off our list — even if it was from a box. The team at Tastefully Simple definitely knows what they are doing! They are Minnesotans, don’t you know. Some dedicated foodies originate from there, it seems. 😉
Summer is approaching, which typically means using more fresh foods and less cans and boxes. But…
What is one canned or boxed food that you absolutely love to eat or use in recipes?
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and have a wonderful last full week of May! <— CRAZY!
Abrazos,
MMMMmmmm….beer and bread, what could be better?
Boxed food = cereal, please! 🙂
I have that exact same beer bread mix I got in a gift basket for Christmas! I haven’t had time to try it yet though…now I think we’ll make it tomorrow night 🙂
How awesome is beer bread? SO good. These mixes sound fantastic. I like using V8 soup as a base for a meal. With a few add ins, its a nice dinner. Glad its finally warming up for y’all.
I love Tastefully Simple Products! I don’t bake so I tend to purchase all of their baked boxed items to keep on hand. The granola bars ROCK!
I love me some beer bread. I don’t have many boxed entrees that are go-to’s, but I always try to keep a few frozen entrees in my freezer (usually from Trader Joe’s…clearly) for when I’m short on time or feeling lazy. Let’s be honest- it’s usually because I’m being lazy. 🙂
Zattaran’s Red Beans & Rice or Jambalaya box mix with Hillshire Farm’s Turkey sausage-sauteed and mixed in. I add a tablespoon of sour cream to each serving and it makes it a nice creamy meal. Yum!
Isn’t beer bread just SO GOOD?! I love it. I need to buy it more often! I find that I like the taste of it better when its made with light beer as opposed to dark beer. It’s also delicious when dipped in asiago or other similar cheese dips 😉
Even though I’m crossing my fingers that it won’t be soup weather for too much longer, this meal looks amazing! Hope you are doing well Jenn! 🙂
Tastefully simple products are super yummy! That bread looks so good and crispy on the outside. My favorite!
Beer bread is one of our family favorites, served alone or with a soup/chili..so good! Tastefully Simple and Pampered Chef offer the beer bread mix..both good in my opinion.
I love the simple things in life like that…beer bread is sooo good 🙂 too bad I can’t eat it anymore with my celiacs 🙁
That beer bread looks yummy and I happen to have a box that’s yet to be opened in my cabinet! As for a boxed food, I’m currently hooked on quinoa. Boring but add some Trader Joe’s cuban style black beans and I’m happy 🙂
Thank you for posting this about the soup! I am a TS consulant and I love the variation you made! The Creamy Wild Rice soup is back for the Fall/Winter season so I’m going to try your recipe!!! 🙂
This bread is great! I LOVE that you can just mix it up in the pan it bakes in. I have had problems with it bubbling over, so now I always put a cookie sheet under the pan. Last time I made it I reduced the butter by half & it was just as good, YAY!