Broccoli Cheese Soup

So, who else is sad that Charlie's Broccoli Cheddar Soup in a bread bowl is no more?  Their sandwiches were great too, but I think of that place every time I make this soup.  Too bad that place took a nosedive and had to close down.  Though, in it's place now is Swig, and those giant sugar cookies and dirty Dr. Peppers do make me feel a little better about what happened.  Okay, moving on…this soup is easy and yummy, so you should try it.  I have yet to serve it in a bread bowl, but there is always french bread on the side.  I'm not sure where I got this recipe from, it's been in my recipe collection for a long time now.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1 can chicken broth ( I just use two cups of water and 2 bouillon cubes)
1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ( I just use what I have, but the sharper the better)
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
2-3 cups steamed chopped broccoli (I just use frozen broccoli, and microwave it to warm it up)

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft.  Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes.  In a separate medium-sized pot, melt butter then add flour and salt and pepper.  Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in the warmed milk.  Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken.  Next, add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended.  Add cheeses and steamed broccoli.  Serve immediately.

Lasagne Soup

Well, don't mind me, I'll just keep on a postin' if nobody else is going to. Okay, so my kids are sick, and we haven't left the house in a few days, so I've got some time on my hands. :) This recipe is for the lasagne soup we all love, but if you don't already have the recipe I thought I'd post it.

***Before getting started, I have a tip for you with the noodles. When it tells you to add the noodles, DON'T. Just cook them and leave them on the side. Then, when you put the cheeses in the bottom of your bowl, add a few noodles and then ladle the soup over it. If you add the noodles to the soup, and you have leftovers, the noodles soak up all the soup and get mushy. If you leave them separate, you can freeze the soup and/or reheat it without the noodles getting gross.

Lasagna Soup

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

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

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. Stir in 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.

Servings: 8

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

I know that Michelle wants to hurt people who post a recipe without a picture, but I'm doing it anyway. And besides, what's there to see? It's chicken noodle soup, but creamy.

When I had Olivia, a friend of mine brought us this soup for dinner. Super simple, but a nice variation on regular old chicken noodle.

2 tsp. chicken boullion
3 cups chicken broth (or just water)
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery
1 chopped onion
2 10.5 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
2.5 oz. (about 4 cups) cooked egg noodles

Heat chicken boullion and broth together. Add carrots, celery, and onion and simmer until veggies are tender. Add cream of chicken soup and milk and heat through. Add cooked chicken and noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Okay, this might not be the best picture. I promise this soup is delicious. It's also very easy to make. Basically you are just dumping a bunch of stuff in the crockpot. It makes a ton, so you'll definitely have leftovers. This recipe came from my sister-in-law Annetter, who is an amazing cook. I can't wait until winter every year so I can make it.

Ingredients:
1 Small Onion, Chopped
4 oz. Can Diced Green Chilies
2 Cloves Garlic
2 T Olive Oil
14 oz. Can chopped Tomatoes in juice, do not drain
3 C V-8 Vegetable Juice
14 oz. Can Beef Broth
1 t Cumin
1 t Chili Powder
1 t Salt
2 t Worcestershire Sauce
1 lb. Chicken Breasts, can be frozen
14 oz. Can Corn with Juice
2-3 Cans Kidney Beans in juice
Tortilla Chips
Cheddar Chips
Sour Cream
Green Onions
Guacamole

Directions:
Saute the first 4 ingredients in a frying pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large crockpot.

Add the next 8 ingredients into the crockpot. Let cook on high for at least 4 hours (It will take longer if the chicken is frozen.)

Take out the chicken, shred it and return it to the crockpot. Add corn and beans and heat through.

Top with chips, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, onions, or whatever you want.

Chili

I made Chili last night for Halloween and some of you wanted the recipe, the problem is that there is no recipe because I just put things in the pot randomly. So I figured I should right down what I did before I forget. I'm not much of a recipe follower so there aren't any measurements, I'll put down some rough estimates of what I think you will need but you may need to add a little more, just taste as you go.

Chili

1/2 lb. hamburger

1 can tomato sauce

2 cans beans ( I used pinto and red beans but you can use pretty whatever you have on hand)

1 can diced green chilies

chopped onion- as much as you like I only put in maybe a quarter of a small onion

2-3 Tb. Chili powder

1/2 - 1 Tb. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Oregano

1/2 Tb. Cumin

1/2 tbPaprika

Salt to taste

Pepper to tase

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Cook your hamburger, add the onion when the hamburger is almost done and continue cooking. I like to add my seasonings to the meat, I added about half of the seasonings at this point. Drain the beans and add, add the tomato sauce and green chilies. Taste add more seasonings. Let simmer for 30 min or more to let the flavors develop.

When your chili is done you can put it in a jar and add corn bread mix and bake until the cornbread is done if you want. As per package directions.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

1 lb. Italian Sausage

4-5 Large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half and then in 1/4 inch slices

1 Onion, chopped

1/2 C. Real bacon bits

2 Cloves garlic, minced

2 C. kale or swiss chard, chopped (optional)

2 Cans chicken broth

1 Quart water

1 C. heavy whipping cream

Brown Italian sausage. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, & garlic in a large pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage, bacon bits, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 5 min. Turn to low heat. Add kale and heavy whipping cream. Heat through and serve.

** I LOVE LOVE LOVE this soup. It is pretty much just a potato soup. The only things I do different is I use hot Italian sausage because I like the extra spice. Otherwise just use the regular mild Italian sausage. I also don't add kale or swiss chard because I don't like it. This recipe makes a TON, so use a big pot. Enjoy!