CHEDDAR-POTATO-CARROT SOUP

CHEDDAR-POTATO-CARROT SOUP

6 TBSP butter or olive oil, or 50/50 of each

1 sm. onion, minced

Saute in a small skillet until translucent, more like sweating than sauteing.

Transfer to a big sauce or soup pot, & add:

6 C chicken broth & simmer for a bit.

Shred 8-10 carrots & 3 to 5 peeled potatoes. (I have used thawed hash browns, which work just as well.)

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2 drops Tabasco

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Simmer until veggies are tender.

Turn heat to low & add 2 C of 1/2 & 1/2 (can use fat free 1/2 & 1/2). 

Bring up to warm. TURN OFF HEAT!

Gently stir in one handful at the time, 2 - 3 C grated cheddar cheese, stirring in between til the cheese melts, otherwise your soup will "break".

Serve immediately!!!

Wandering Gypsy Girl Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients

1 leek sliced

1/4 sweet yellow onion sliced

1 small potato sliced

1-2 heads fresh or frozen broccoli (florets separated from the larger stock-discard large stock or hold aside for making vegetable stock later)

chicken or vegetable stock (enough to cover veggies)

1 stick butter

2-3 tbl flour

cheddar cheese shredded - to taste (at least 2-3 handfuls)

milk or cream 

S&P to taste

 Rinse leeks to remove grit (slice at about 1/2 way up the dark green stem). Remove broccoli florets if using fresh broccoli and slice onion and peeled potato.

 Add 3-4 pads butter to pot and saute broccoli, leeks, onions, and potato until onions are translucent. Season with S&P here.

 Add enough stock to cover the veggies.

 Cover with lid and simmer until broccoli, potatoes and leeks are soft.

 Transfer all but 2-3 tbls of liquid to the blender and pulse until smooth.

 Add flour to stock remaining in the pot and make a rue. Add milk in slowly creating a base for a cheese sauce.

 Add desire amount of cheese (I like a lot!).

 Add veggie puree back into pot with cheese sauce - combine and bring back up to temp.

Serve warm with crusty bread.

Wandering Gypsy Girl Potato Leek Soup

I got the base for this soup from an Irish Pub cookbook (please see earlier post) and felt it could use a little Gypsy Girl flare. Below is how I made it tonight and I thought it turned out delicious. Alter and enhance as you see fit. Happy Cooking!

1 Leek

2 Potatoes

1/2 sweet onion

1can Chicken stock

3 slices bacon

1pkg cream cheese

1/4 cup heavy cream + extra for garnish

1/4 small block cheddar cheese

chives (garnish)

S&P to taste

3 pieces of bacon diced and fried until crisp.

While the bacon is cooking chop up 1 leek (including the majority of the green stock), 1/2 sweet onion, and two potatoes.

Remove bacon from pan when crisp and reserve for garnish at end. Add 2 pads butter to the bacon drippings in the pan and then add the onion, leeks, potatoes and S&P to taste. Saute until onions are soft but not brown.

Add 1 can chicken stock and 1/2 can of water. Cover with lid and simmer 20min or until potatoes are cooked through.

Poor potatoes/leek stock mixture into a food processor or blender. Pulse/blend until smooth.

Melt 1 package cream cheese, 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1/4 of a small block of cheddar cheese (if you have white cheddar that would be great...I went with yellow because it was what I had).

Pour the blended potato leek mixture back into the pan with the cheese and stir until smooth and heated through. If you desire a slightly thinner consistency simply add more cream, milk or stock until the soup is to your liking.

Garnish with cream, chives and crisp bacon bits.

"Enchilada" Potato Soup, Quick!

This recipe is based off to my Potato Soup, Quick recipe with a few minor changes. Here's this version...

 

1/2 package (24 oz) thawed, unseasoned, frozen hash browns (shredded or cubed is fine)
1/2 cup chopped onion (OPTIONAL if you don't like onion)
butter (about a 1/2 cup, but I don't really measure)

1 can Stokes Pork Green Chile Sauce
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 cups frozen corn (you could also used canned...)

1-2 cups cooked, cubed chicken

taco seasoning, to taste
garlic salt, to taste

cheese, to top it off

In a large sauce pan, cook and stir the onion and potatoes in butter then heat until cooked through, roughly about 10 minutes.  Stir in all other ingredients. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top. (Sometimes I even dollop a spoonful of sour cream on top, too!) We serve it with warm tortillas and corn chips. YUM.

Potato Soup Quick!

I love this recipe because you don't have to spend time washing, peeling and cutting potatoes! Here it is:

1 package (24 oz) thawed, unseasoned, frozen hash browns (shredded or cubed is fine)
1/2 cup chopped onion (OPTIONAL if you don't like onion)
butter (about a 1/2 cup, but I don't really measure)
4 cups milk (whole milk will make it creamier- but use what you've got)
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I admit we like it REALLY cheesy, so I usually use more.)
garlic salt, to taste
cooked crumbled bacon (this is OPTIONAL but very very tasty)

In a large sauce pan, cook and stir the onion and potatoes in butter then heat until cooked through, roughly about 10 minutes.  Stir in all other ingredients, except the bacon.  Simmer for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle some more  grated cheese and crumbled bacon on top. YUM.

Mimi's Corn Chowder

4 Tb Butter
6 chopped onion

Melt and cook till onions are clear

Add 2 1/2 C water
3/4 C celery
2 tsp salt
1 pinch of pepper
2 C cubed, potatoes

Cook until potatoes are softened

Add all but 1 C of 1/2 & 1/2 1 Quart carton
defrost 1 pkg of frozen corn

Mix left over  1 C 1/2& 1/2 with 3 Tb flour.
Whisk in to soup and simmer 30 min.

Mexican Chicken Chowder

1 onion chopped (from bountiful basket)

1-2 green pepper chopped (from bountiful basket)

6 cloves of garlic pressed

1 stick of butter

2 tblsp olive oil (divided)

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1 can cream of chicken soup

32 oz chicken broth

2 cans green chillies

1 can diced tomatoes with green chillies

3/4 bag of frozen corn (or a can drained)

salt

pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

2 limes juiced

2 tblsp chipolte adobo sauce

2 large chicken breasts

sour cream garnish

Mexican blend cheese garnish

tortilla strips garnish

cilantro leaves garnish

(You could add black beans if you wanted. I just hate beans and don't eat them ha ha!)

Season (with salt pepper and 1 tblsp olive oil) and cook chicken breasts in crock pot on low for about 6 hours(You can cook the chicken any way you want really. Or even get a rotisserie chicken from the store.) When chicken is done, pull them out of crock pot and place on a plate to cool. In a very large pan melt butter and 1 tblsp olive oil add onion, press garlic and green pepper and cook until tender. Stir in flour until all veggies are coated. Then stir in milk. Pour in chicken broth and stir together to combine. Add cream of chicken and stir that to combine. Add green chillies, tomatoes, and corn. Then add chipolte sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Juice 2 limes and stire all together. Bring to a slow boil and then turn burner down. After chicken has cooled, chop/shred the chicken and add to the chowder. Stir to combine. Simmer on low for 15-hour or whenever you are ready to eat :)

Serve in bowls with cheese, sour cream, chips and fresh cilantro leave for garnish.

This soup was DELICIOUS!! Even my kids ate it! I had to hurry and blog it so that I wouldn't forget it! All measurements are estimates because I made this recipe up as I went.

Cheesey, Creamy Veggie Soup

Not the best photo but at least there is one right? :)

So I wanted to make something that used a lot of my veggies I got in my bountiful basket. Mostly the broccoli and the cauliflower. I didn't want to make a pasta or anything and because it is still so annoyingly cold here in Utah I had a go with a soup. I wanted to post this recipe while it was fresh in my mind so that when I want to make it again I will know where to look for it. I just made it up as I went. I love doing that!

I chopped up the following:

1 head of cauliflower (from bountiful basket)

1 bunch of broccoli (just the florettes also from the basket)

1 yellow onion (from basket)

4 carrots

4 large yukon gold potatoes

So I steamed the broccoli and cauliflower in my steamer for 30 mins. Meanwhile had the potatoes boiling. I melted a stick of butter with about a tablespoon of olive oil. I threw in the onions and carrots and pressed 4 garlic cloves in and cooked those in the butter for about 10-12 minutes. The I put in about 2/3 cup of flour and stirred that and cooked for a few minutes. Then poured in 32 oz of chicken broth/stock. Stirred to combine then poured in a pint of cream. Stirred that all together and let it come to a boil. It thickened nicely. Then I added the steamed broccoli and cauliflower. At this point the soup seamed to be getting too thick so I added about a cup of water. Then for flavor added salt, pepper, and two big heaping spoonfuls of sour cream. Then I added 2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese. Cuz everything is better with cheese ya know. Stirred in the cheese as it melted. Then drained and added the potatoes. Then let the soup simmer for about 10 mins while I fried up some bacon.

Served in bowls with crumbled bacon on top.

It was YUM! Certainly not the healthiest soup, but it was warm and comforting.

Sausage Soup

1. Brown your sausage. I used about three links of the mild italian sausage, cut into bite sized pieces. Cook more or less depending on how many people you're serving. Drain any grease off.

2. While your meat is browning, take a large saucepan and add about a cup of diced carrots, one finely chopped celery stalk, minced onion and one clove diced garlic to the pan. I also add a few tablespoons of chicken broth to keep veggies from sticking. Saute on medium heat until veggies are tender, normally a few minutes.









3. To the veggies add one container chicken broth ( I used the 48 oz one)
Also add in one can tomato sauce (or 1 can pureed diced tomatoes)
and about 1 heaping tablespoon of basil pesto (I like the Classico brand)
Also, if you have it on hand add in the puree of 1 eggplant (for directions on how to make eggplant puree, see my previous post- it's really quick and easy and can be baking while you're preparing this soup if you put it in the oven before you start the meat and veggies...plus it is tasty and adds extra nutrients to the soup!) 
Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add sausage to the soup mixture and bring to a boil. When boiling add in your favorite "fresh" pasta. The mini ravioli or tortellini from Buitoni work really well. When the noodles are done, they will float to the top. This normally takes about 5 minutes.

5. Your soup should look something like this by now.

6. Serve with your favorite bread or salad and garnish with a little bit of grated Parmesan cheese, if you've got it.

Eat!

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

5 2/3 c water
1 pkg. long grain and wild rice mix (uncle bens)
1 env. chicken noodle soup (lipton)
1 celery rib chopped
1/3 c chopped onion
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 c cubed chicken.


Combine and mix ingredients in pot and simmer until tender.

Campbell's Roasted Tomato & Barley Soup

As from the Campbell's website:

 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Roast: 25 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 can (about 28 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained, reserving juice

2 large onions, diced (about 2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth  (Regular, Natural Goodness^TM or Certified Organic)

2 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Recipe Tips:

Serving Suggestion: Serve with multi-grain flatbread crackers and Cheddar cheese. For dessert serve peach and blueberry crumble.

 

Directions:

Heat the oven to 425°F.  Place the tomatoes, onions and garlic into a large roasting pan.  Drizzle the oil over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Roast for 25 minutes.

Place the vegetables into a 3-quart saucepan.  Stir in the reserved tomato juice, broth, celery and barley and heat to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low.  Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the barley is tender.  Stir in the parsley.

 

Campbell's Roasted Tomato and Barley Soup

1 can (about 28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 large onions, diced (about 2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural GoodnessTM or Certified Organic)

2 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice. Place the tomatoes, onions and garlic into a 17 x 11-inch roasting pan. Pour the oil over the vegetables and toss to coat. Bake for 25 minutes. 2. Place the roasted vegetables into a 3-quart saucepan. Stir in the reserved tomato juice, broth, celery and barley and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the barley is tender. Stir in the parsley. Serving Suggestion: Serve with multi-grain flatbread crackers and Cheddar cheese. For dessert serve with peach and blueberry crumble.

I haven't tried this one but I want to and don't want to have to look that hard for it.  LOL

Tip on soup

for soups with out noodles you can freeze them! Smaller bags make for fast single and double portions. I wrote the dates on the bag for these and directions for heating it. the frozen cheese soup needs to be heated in boiling water. It doesn't bode well in the microwave and sticks if you heat it too fast in a pot.

OH! and if you do this, get good ziplocks! I got generic and one of the bags popped open leaving behind a big mess for me to clean up.

Last night's dinner: Broccoli Potato Soup in bread bowls

This Soup has been a family favorite for years. I've never tried it in a bread bowl before though and it was SO GOOD!

The odd thing? For dessert, the kids wanted grapefruit with sugar sprinkled on top. I was going to make cookies... But I'll take it!

Lazy Stew (Crockpot)

1 lb. Stew meat
1 qt chopped carrots
2 chopped onions
4 large potatoes sliced
2 sticks of celery diced
1 tsp salt and other seasonings
1 Can Tomato Soup thinned with one can water

put in crockpot, cover with lid, and bake at 275 (LOW) for 5 hours.
Add whichever veggies you'd like but be sure to slice them.

Chili Verde Soup

Recipe Here

Minestrone Night!

Thank goodness for cool weather! Click HERE for the recipe.

Chicken 'n Dumplings

I forgot to take pictures in dishes, so here are
the leftovers in Tupperware.

I don't normally measure anything for this, but here's the best recipe I can put together.

2-4 Chicken breasts cut up, or 1-2 cans chicken chunks
3 cans chicken broth
2 cans Cream of Chicken
2 cut up celery stocks
3 cut up carrots

~Bring to a boil and add~

2-3 cups cooked egg noodles
pepper
Bisquick dumplings (follow directions on Bisquick box.)


Takes about 20 min total. Great leftovers!

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Grandma Ruth Stringham's Broccoli Soup:

1 med bunch of broccoli-finely chopped (about 2 cups frozen)

4-5 C diced potatoes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 C margarine

1 C flour

1 C finely chopped onion

(about 1 ½ Tbs dried onion)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 C chicken broth

2 C liquid from broccoli and potatoes

4 C milk or light cream

2 tsp salt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

shredded cheddar cheese to taste

1) Cook potatoes and broccoli in salted water until both vegetables are tender. Save the liquid.

2) Cook onions in margarine until they are transparent.

3) Blend one cup flour into margarine and onions.

4) Add chicken broth, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil.

5) Stir in liquid from broccoli and potatoes, 4 cups milk and salt.

6) Add drained broccoli and potatoes. Stir to boiling.

Yields one gallon of soup. TIP: It is a lot of soup! Put leftovers into freezer bags and lay flat in freezer ( I like to do it per serving) Heat in a sauce pan -NOT microwave- on Low heat.

Minnestrone Soup

here goes....

1 lb. Stew meat (the original recipe called for italian sausage)

1 qt. Water

2 celery stalks chopped

2 large carrots diced

2 onions

1½ C. beef broth

2-8 oz cans of tomato sauce

1 large can of tomatoes

Garlic flavor

½ teaspoon basil

1 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. Oregano

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 C. of spiral noodles (I use wacky mac. The original recipe called for bow ties.)

Combine and simmer three hours in a large pot or stock pot. Then add 1 cup of cooked spiral noodles (I'm lazy and add more water and throw the noodles in dry about 15 min before serving) That's it it's done. Great with rolls. and oh your house will smell amazing

I love this recipe because not only is it tasty, it is a lot of opening and dumping. Not a huge mess and easy.