Baked Potato Soup

While we continue to be "iced in" the house, I was looking for a good hearty recipe for dinner. I really wanted Chicken and Dumplings, but didn't have all of the ingredients. So, I opted to make a baked potato soup. Rather than searching for recipes, I just sort of winged it to see what I came up with.

The recipe I made, was a lot of soup- especially since only my husband and I ate it for the most part. So, I would probably half the recipe next time which would be plenty. Since we had so much leftover, I heated some up for lunch the next day. If you want to eat the leftovers, be aware that you will probably want to heat it on the stove and add some liquid (milk or broth) to thin it out to a good consistency. While it was still good the next day, I wouldn't say it was as good as freshly made- which is another reason I would just make half next time! But all in all, I would say that this was a good soup and came together very quickly. This would be especially good to make if you had some leftover baked potatoes lying around.

I really wanted to make these French Bread Rolls to go with it, but *thought* I was out of bread flour. That will teach me not to look a little better next time as these rolls would have been fabulous with the soup!



Ingredients

4 baking potatoes, baked, peeled and cubed
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
7 cups milk
4 green onions, chopped
6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled (I used turkey bacon)
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pan. Stir in the flour and whisk until smooth.

Slowly add the milk and continue stirring until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Add the cooked potatoes and onions and bring to a boil. Simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the cheese, sour cream, bacon and salt and pepper. Continue stirring until the cheese is melted. Garnish with bacon, cheese and sour cream. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Cheese Soup

When the weather is cool, soup always sounds like a good meal. My husband loves cheese soup so I searched for a new one to try. I found a lot of recipes for Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup and I adapted it somewhat for a good tasting soup! If you want a soup with potatoes, this one is a really good alternative.

The original recipe calls for 2 cups half and half, but I opted for 2% milk to save on calories. You can use all milk, all half and half or 1 cup of each. When you are adding the milk (or half and half) makes sure to do this slowly to keep the texture from becoming grainy. This recipe serves 4.






Ingredients


1 tbsp butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (or half and half/ or a combination milk and half and half)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots shredded
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (I use Wisconsin)

Directions

Saute onion in butter. Add butter and melt over medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir for 3-5 minutes. Stirring constantly, slowly add the milk (and or half and half). Add the chicken stock and continue to whisk. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli and carrots. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for about 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Slowly stir in the cheese and whisk until well blended. Add in the nutmeg and stir. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Chicken Taco Soup

This Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup is a recipe I have seen posted on various forums and have always wanted to give it a try. Since we are in Spring heading straight to Summer and 100 degree weather, we don't eat soups quite as much. But, a few weekends ago we had a little cool and rainy weather come through. So, I thought it was the perfect time for some yummy soup. I am so glad that I finally tried this soup- it is now one of my favorites! This soup was hearty and full of flavor and was even better as leftovers! My husband likes soup, but not quite as much as I do...but he did have seconds...or was it thirds?? This soup will definitely be made again and again!

**I wrote the original instructions below, but I changed it slightly. I checked the chicken after 4 hours and it was done. I removed the chicken and shredded it and put it in the fridge while the soup cooked another 2 hours. I stirred the chicken back into the soup and put the slow cooker on warm for about 30 minutes before serving. I'm not sure if it was the chicken I used or if my slow cooker maybe cooks faster. But I hate dry chicken, so I opted to do it this way.**

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 (16 oz) can chili beans (I used hot)

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans (or black beans)

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (15 oz) can chicken broth (or can of beer)

2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 package taco seasoning mix

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

crushed tortilla chips

Directions

1. Place the onion, beans, corn, tomato sauce, chicken broth and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Place chicken breasts on top and press down to cover. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 hours.

2. Remove chicken breasts and shred chicken with 2 forks. Return chicken to soup and cook 2 hours. Serve topped with cheese, sour cream and chips, if desired.

Just posting this makes me want another bowl!!

Enjoy!

Potato and Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have one word for this soup....AWESOME! I love a good soup and this recipe definitely fits the bill! I bookmarked this one on Amber's Delectable Delights a few weeks ago as one of my "to try" recipes. This past Sunday, we stopped for soup and sandwiches on our way to do some grocery shopping. We had some Wisconsin Cheese soup that was pretty good. It of course got me to thinking about making soup so I quickly added some ingredients to my grocery list on my phone!

One thing that I learned AFTER I made this yummy Broccoli Cheese Soup is that in order to get a really creamy texture, you MUST use block cheese. Although some find it more convenient to use the pre-shredded cheese, it includes a wax substance (to keep it from sticking together) that prevents your soup (or other dish) from achieving that creamy texture. I made sure to use block cheese this time and there was a world of difference in the texture and creaminess. Actually I've pretty much stopped buying the pre-shredded kind altogether (something about the idea of eating wax didn't appeal to me I guess).

We ate the soup with toasted french bread which was a perfect match! This was a flavorful and creamy comfort food on a cold evening!

Ingredients

1/4 cup flour

2 cans low sodium chicken broth

3 cups peeled, cubed potato

2 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)

1 (8 oz) block sharp Cheddar Cheese (I used a Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar), shredded

For topping

Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Fully cooked bacon pieces

Chopped green onions

Directions

Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth; set aside. In a large pot, combine the remaining chicken broth, potatoes, broccoli and onions. Bring to a broil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender (around 10 minutes). Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

Stir in milk and 8 ounces shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is completely melted. Top each serving with cheese, bacon pieces and green onions.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I'm going to jump around a little and not do these recipes in the order we enjoyed them. My husband loves broccoli cheese soup- they have an awesome one at Pizzeria Uno's that we both love. So, I went on a search to find a good recipe to try. I stumbled on this recipe from Foodnetwork.com. I made a few slight changes, but this was a rich and yummy soup that passed the test in my house!

Ingredients

6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half
3 cups low sodium chicken broth (I would use 4 next time)
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups broccoli florets (2 broccoli crowns or 1 head)
1 large carrot, diced
2 1/2 cups (8oz) grated sharp cheddar cheese
grated cheese for garnish


Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until lightly golden brown. Gradually whisk in the half and half. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli and carrots and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. If you like a smooth soup, you can puree the soup in batches in a blender or using an immersion blender. I prefer the soup to have bigger pieces, so I use a potato masher to break up the bigger pieces.

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. If the soup is too thick, you can add up to 3/4 cup water. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cheese. (I also thought some crumbled bacon would have been a wonderful garnish).



I attempted to make homemade bread bowls for this meal, but they were a flop. I was disappointed, but tried to remind myself that for every success, there are also failures. So, I will be attempting the bread bowls again very soon! Stay tuned!

Minestrone Soup

I often give my husband (and now son) a hard time because he could eat the same thing for lunch everyday. When we first got married, he took a turkey and cheese sandwich to work everyday for at least a year (no exaggeration either)! I on the other hand require a little more variety in my meals! The one exception to that seems to be soup...I could eat soup everyday for lunch without a problem. Although I'm sure it helps that I mix up the soups every week- so it isn't one type forever. I really love a good soup! In a pinch I will turn to canned soup, but I much prefer a homemade soup with more flavor and less sodium!

Last week, we celebrated my wonderful parents 50th wedding anniversary! That is such an accomplishment- especially in this day and it was certainly worthy of a celebration! So, we had a little Italian food feast! On the menu was Minestrone soup, salad, homemade Lasagna and homemade bread sticks with brownie cheesecake for dessert....yummm! This post is for the soup and the other recipes will be posted soon!

Again, after searching many recipes, I could not find one that I liked everything about so this recipe was created. It can easily be changed to your tastes!


Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
5 carrots, chopped
3 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium)
2 cups water
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1 (15oz) can light kidney beans, drained
1 (15oz) can green beans, drained
2 cups frozen spinach (do not need to thaw)
3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 tbsp chopped oregano
2 tbsp chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup small seashell pasta
grated Parmesan for garnish

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Saute garlic and onion for 4-5 minutes. Add celery and carrots and saute another 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, water and tomatoes and bring to boil, stirring frequently. Add red wine and reduce heat to low. Add kidney beans, green beans, spinach, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 hour.

Cook the pasta in a separate pot according to package directions. Drain pasta and add to soup to warm. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired. Makes 8 servings.



The soup has a really good flavor and lots of chunky vegetables! Enjoy!