Cream of "Something" Soup Recipe

I have so many recipes to post!  I'll try to catch up over the next few days.

First of all, though, I must share this recipe.  You have probably seen it on pinterest or blogs.  I've been meaning to try this out for months, and finally made some of this mix about a month ago.  This is why I think it is AWESOME!

1. It's cheap.  So, it's no secret that our family is on a tight budget.  In our 11 years of being married, I've never had to be so frugal with grocery shopping.  And cream of whatever soups are NOT cheap.  So, by making this mix, I am saving a significant amount of money over time.

2. It's healthier than the canned soup.  No preservatives, crazy amounts of salt, who knows what else...  just trustworthy ingredients you can probably find in your pantry.

3.  It's easy.  It took me five minutes to make up the mix and stick it in my pantry.  Then it takes me about five minutes to create the 'can of soup' for each recipe.  Easy peasy...

4.  It's DELICIOUS!  Surprisingly so!  I have now had the chance to use it in several completely different recipes.  One was a casserole that called for cream of chicken soup, another was a crock pot meal that called for cream of celery; I've used it in a sauce that wanted cream of mushroom... Every single one of these meals has turned out absolutely delicious!  I won't say that this recipe tastes exactly like a can of cream soup, but I am willing to bet that your family won't be able to tell the difference.  And honestly, I feel that the flavor was enhanced in my few experiences.

Are you convinced?  Here's the recipe:

• 1 cup non-fat dried milk
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup bouillon powder (If you have cubes you have to smash them up. You can use whatever kind you like, such as chicken, beef, or veggie.  The only kind I had enough of was beef, so that is what I used.  Next time I plan to try chicken.)
• 4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions (I didn't have any, so I used some onion salt instead)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (You could use dried parsley instead.)
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Mix everything together well and store in an air tight container.  I keep mine in the pantry with the instructions below on it:

When you need a can of cream of soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium or medium high heat, stirring, until thick.  It will look like the same consistency of the soup when it comes out of the can.

Voila!