Cheeseburger Soup

It is officially fall so that means its time to eat soup.  Ha ha.
I have a lot of different soups pinned on pinterest.  This seemed like one the kids would possibly eat.  So I tried this one.  One kid ate it.  The other did not.  But she hasn't been eating much dinner at all so I am not counting "opinion".

Ingredients

• ½ pound ground beef (use 1 pound)
• ¾ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup shredded carrots
• ¾ cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups of Velveeta processed cheese cubed (I used 16 ounce)
• 1½ cups milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream

Instructions

1. Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
3. Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

http://therecipecritic.com/2012/12/cheeseburger-soup/

Lasagna soup

We love lasagna.  My mom often makes it for Christmas Eve dinner.  It is the best. 
In the winter and fall I love to make soups.  This was delicious.  A good combo of yummy lasagna and warm soup. 

I had a little of the "cheesey yum" leftover and we added it to our white pizza.  Yummy!

Recipe from:  http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2011/03/24/lasagna-soup/

Lasagna Soup

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

for the soup:
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
• 3 c. chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 c. chicken stock
• 8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
• 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the cheesy yum:
• 8 oz. ricotta
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• pinch of freshly ground pepper
additional cheesy yum:
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Crockpot chicken chili

Fall is here and that means cooler temperatures and a busy schedule for me (its soccer coaching season).  So I try to use my crockpot more often.  This was an easy meal that i found online and had my husband throw together.  It was delicious.  We talked about trying to reduce the amount of cream cheese next time to make it a little healthier. 

Recipe

1 can black beans
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel, undrained
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package light cream cheese
2 chicken breasts

Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

Crockpot Chili

Chili is a great comfort food. I like making it in the crockpot. I found this recipe years and years ago. I haven't made a different one since.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
3 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style
stewed tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until evenly browned. Drain off grease, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. In a slow cooker, combine the cooked beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with chili powder, cumin, parsley, basil and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly.
3. Cook on High for 6 hours, or on Low for 8 hours. Pour in the wine during the last 2 hours.


Sometime I blend up some of the veggies in the blender so I can have a soup like mixture in my chili. Yummy!


recipe from: Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
3 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
3 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style
stewed tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until evenly browned. Drain off grease, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. In a slow cooker, combine the cooked beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with chili powder, cumin, parsley, basil and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly.
3. Cook on High for 6 hours, or on Low for 8 hours. Pour in the wine during the last 2 hours.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Here is a quick easy beef stew recipe. Its nice to have hot stew on a cold day. And nice warm homemade bread :)

I love using my crockpot. With physical therapy, I am not home all of the time so its nice to put food in and go. And its always nice to not be preparing dinner all day with 2 young kids.

You can add whatever vegetables you want in here. Next time I will add some more.

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
Directions:
1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
2. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-beef-stew-i/

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

This was a nice quick recipe. I like quick and easy right now! Mike said the flavors were better the next day when he took it to work. Make sure you don't overcook the Gnocchi. They tend to get mushy easily.

Ingredients

* 6 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 2 carrots, thinly sliced
* 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
* 2 cups prepared potato gnocchi (about 11 ounces), thawed if frozen
* 2 cups frozen peas (8 ounces)
* 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, (about 1 large chicken breast)
* Freshly ground black pepper
* Hunk of good Parmesan

Directions

Put chicken broth, garlic, butter and sugar in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, bring it to a simmer, and cook, uncovered until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and continue to simmer until almost tender, 2 minutes. Bring to a full boil, stir in gnocchi and, cooking until the gnocchi are al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in frozen peas and chicken and turn off the heat. Season with salt —take into consideration that Parmesan cheese is salty, and a generous amount of pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into warmed shallow bowls and shower each with freshly grated cheese.

Recipe from foodnetwork.com (paula dean)

More Soup...Meatball Soup

We are still is super bowl mode here, so another soup recipe it is! I made this recipe today. It has been bookmarked on my computer for weeks and I finally decided to just make it. It was good. I made a few changes. I made the meatballs the way I usually make them, not the way the recipe said (I made a huge batch and froze some for when baby arrives!)I also did not have cabbage since we don't eat it. So I made it without. I also added some extra potato chunks. Overall it was different and we enjoyed it.


Ingredients

* Meatballs:
* ¾ pounds Ground Beef
* ½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
* 3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced
* 1 whole Egg
* 2 cloves Garlic
* ½ teaspoons Salt
* ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
* ¼ teaspoons Ground Oregano
* 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
* SOUP
* 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 7 cups Low Sodium Beef Stock
* 2 cups Water
* ½ teaspoons Salt
* 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
* ¾ cups Onion, Chopped
* ¾ cups Carrots, Chopped
* ¾ cups Celery, Chopped
* 1 cup Russet Potato, Chopped (do Not Peel)
* ½ pounds Cabbage Chopped
* Grated Parmesan Cheese To Serve
* TIED IN A CHEESECLOTH BUNDLE
* 4 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced
* 2 whole Bay Leaves
* 1 teaspoon Peppercorns

Preparation Instructions

To make meatballs, combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Shape into small balls and chill for 30 minutes.

Gather 4 tablespoons parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a cheesecloth bundle. Tie to secure.

After chilling, heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a heavy pot. Briefly brown meatballs, then remove to a plate. To pot, add beef stock, water, salt, tomato paste, and herb bag. Bring to a boil, then simmer 30 minutes.

Add onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes. Simmer 15 more minutes. Remove herb bag.

Add cabbage and meatballs. Bring to a boil, then simmer 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.


Recipe adapted from the pioneer woman cooks.

Souper Bowl???

I have made 2 different soups this week. Here is to hoping it helps the Steelers win and head to the Super Bowl... Not really. Its just nice to have soup when it is chilly out.

Earlier this week we had Sherried Tomato Soup. It was yummy with our grilled cheese sandwiches (made in the same sandwich maker I have had since college!)



Ingredients

* 6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
* 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
* 1 bottle (46 Oz.) Tomato Juice
* 2 cans (14 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes
* 1 Tablespoon (up To 3 Tablespoons) Chicken Base
* 3 Tablespoons (up To 6 Tablespoons) Sugar
* 1 pinch Salt
* Black Pepper To Taste
* 1 cup Cooking Sherry
* 1-½ cup Heavy Cream
* Chopped Fresh Parsley
* Chopped Fresh Basil

Preparation Instructions

Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Then add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste.

Recipe is from : here

Another day I was to lazy to make dinner so we picked up a rotesserie chicken from Costco. I made soup with the leftovers. I have a pretty good home made chicken soup recipe but this was a lot easier. I even made home made noodles to go in it.



Things You'll Need:

* Rotisserie chicken
* 2 qts. chicken broth
* 1 qt. water
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* 2 white onions, cut into a medium dice
* 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 3 cups noodles
* Salt and pepper


Bring the broth and water to a simmer in the large stock pot. While you wait for the broth and water to heat up, separate the rotisserie chicken meat from the skin and bones, setting the meat aside for later. Add the skin (optional) and bones to the broth, bring it back up to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

Strain the heated broth through the colander then discard the skin and bones. Reserve the broth in a large heat-safe bowl. Place the stock pot back on the burner, setting the heat to medium-high.

Add the oil, carrots, and celery and saute until soft. Add the broth and bring the mixture back up to a simmer.

Add the noodles, simmering until they reach the desired tenderness.

Chop the chicken and add it to the cooking noodles.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Homemade Noodles

2 cups of flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp milk

mix together and roll out. Cut into noodles. Let cook in broth for about 20 minutes.

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

It is a super cold day here...man I miss Florida. This recipe hit the spot. I just got back from our vacation and have lots of unpacking to do. This is an easy one. And did I mention it is freezing. This is definitely comfort food.

Ingredients

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1 onion, finely diced
* 1 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

Directions

1. Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

I got the recipe from all recipes. I add some garlic and other seasonings. Sometimes I add some veggies too.

White Chicken Chili

It is officially fall so that means its soup and chili time! Mmmmm.

This week I tried a new recipe for white chicken chili. This one is a creamier version then what we normally have but we loved it. Even Hayden loved it. I wasn't even going to give it to him. I made him something else but he ate from Mike's bowl. Oops!

I think my favorite part of eating soup or chili is having good bread with it. My mom always has the best bread. It must come from shopping at 3 am or whatever horrid time she goes.

Here is the recipe:
White Chicken Chili

Serves 4

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

1 medium onion, small diced

1 T vegetable oil

2 cans cannellini beans

14.5 ounces chicken broth

2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup half & half

8 ounce reduced fat sour cream

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken and chopped onion and saute for about six minutes, or until the chicken is seared and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another three minutes.

Add the beans, spices, chicken broth and green chilies and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for thirty minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the sour cream and half & half. Serve with cheddar cheese and additional sour cream to top.

I got it from this site: http://eatliverun.com/

Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love Panera Bread. I never go to "fast food" places any more so Panera Bread is my fast food place. (And Sheetz but that is another post...)

Most of the time I order the "you pick two" b/c I can never decide what I want. I usually get a turkey sandwich on asiago cheese bread and a bowl of broccoli cheese soup. Mmmm.

I found this copy cat recipe for the soup. It tastes very similar and isn't too hard to make. Sometimes I will pick up bread bowls to serve the soup in. I love bread bowls! Or we just buy a nice crusty loaf of bread.

Speaking of yummy bread check out the Parmesan cheese bread at the market district giant eagle. It is soooo good. It may have its own separate post coming up too.

But for now here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock or bouillon
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar

Directions:

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

Recipe is from here

Copykat Recipe -- Max and Erma's Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love Max and Erma's Tortilla Soup. This copy cat recipe is pretty good, although not good for you! This makes a ton of soup so sometimes I cut the recipe in half.

Ingredients:

* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's condensed cream of celery soup
* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's cheddar cheese soup
* 2 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
* 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 cup picante salsa (Pace brand medium hot)
* 1 (4 1/2 ounce) can green chilies (Ortega brand)
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon red new mexico chile powder
* salt and pepper, to your taste
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
* 4 cooked chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
* 10 flour tortillas
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
* 1/2 lb colby cheese or cheddar

Directions

1.In a large (8-10 quart) stockpot combine and whisk together until smooth all eight cans of soup.
2.Add chicken broth. Add tomatoes, salsa, green chiles, onion, garlic, chile powder, salt and pepper. Bring all ingredients to a full boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Add cilantro and chicken breast chunks. Simmer another hour.
4.While soup is simmering, make your soup toppings: Cut flour tortillas into small thin strips. Heat oil and deep fry tortilla strips until lightly browned. Shred cheese.
5. To serve: Ladle soup into bowls, top with shredded cheese and fried tortilla strips.

Recipe is from here