Lasagna Soup

 I may not make lasagna ever again! Only half kidding. This soup is really good and it is so simple to make. 

1 lb. ground beef (or half sausage half beef)

1 onion diced

4 minced garlic cloves

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 24 oz jar your favorite tomato sauce (I used tomato basil)

8-10 C chicken broth, divided

14 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp tomato paste (I don't think I actually had this)

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 bay leaf

15 lasagna noodles, uncooked (however many you like, I liked the noodles)

1/2 C Heavy Cream

Optional Toppings:

Parmesan Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

Ricotta Cheese

Cottage Cheese

Heat large pot on stove. Add ground beef and onion and cook until beef is browned. Add garlic and red pepper and saute for 30 seconds. Drain any excess fat.

Add tomato sauce, 6 C chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, spices, bay leaf, and lasagna noodles. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until the noodles are tender. Stir occasionally (roughly 20-30 minutes)

Remove bay leaf and stir in the heavy cream and 2-4 cups of chicken broth to get the desired consistency. Add whatever cheese you prefer. (I just added parmesan the first time and it was delicious!)

Coconut Chicken Curry Ramen

Coconut Chicken Curry Ramen

Ingredients

1 tbsp. Coconut oil

1 

yellow onion, chopped

3 

red bell peppers, chopped

2 

large carrot, cut into thin 2"-long pieces

2 

cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tbsp. 

curry powder

1/2 tsp. 

cayenne pepper

Kosher salt

2 

(13.5-oz.) cans coconut milk (shaken well)

4 c. chicken broth

2 c. 

shredded rotisserie chicken

1/3 c. 

chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

4 

package ramen noodles, reserve seasoning for another use

Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and carrots and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add curry powder, cayenne and season with salt. Stir until combined.

Add chicken broth and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add shredded chicken, cilantro, and ramen noodles and cook until noodles are al dente. 

Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime.

Easy Egg Drop Soup

 I have tried a few different recipes for egg drop soup. This is my favorite so far. I just half it for my family because we usually just eat a small bowl of it with a bigger meal.

6 C Chicken Broth

1 Bunch Chopped Green Onions

1/4 tsp White Sugar

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

3 Tbsp Cornstarch

1/3 C Cold Water

3 Large Eggs

2 Tbsp Cold Water

Heat the chicken broth and green onions in a large pot over medium-high heat. Mix the sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/3 C cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir the mixture into the broth.. Let the soup boil for 1 minute then reduce to medium-low heat. In another small bowl beat the 3 eggs and 2 Tbsp cold water. Stir the egg mixture into the broth using a fork. Cook the broth for another 2 minutes or until the eggs are cooked.

Curry Ramen

This is super simple and you can make any change that you really need.
The original recipe used Shiitake mushrooms and snap peas. This is what I did, but seriously just do whatever you have and it will be good.

 1 Tbsp Oil
1/2-1 C Shredded Carrots
1 Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 C Peas
1-3 Tbsp Red Curry Paste (I used 1 and it wasn't spicy at all, good for the boys)
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
4-6 C Chicken Broth (I did 4, just depends on how much broth you want or if you want more noodles)
3 Packages Ramen, seasoning packet not used (If you use more broth you could add more noodles)
1 (13.5 oz) Coconut Milk (I did not have this and used soy milk)
Juice of a Lime
Salt and Pepper

Optional Toppings:
Cilantro
Lime Wedges
Sliced Jalapenos

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add your vegetables (whatever you choose will work) and some salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes or until slightly tender. Stir occasionally. Add the curry paste, curry powder, garlic, and ginger. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and coconut milk. Season it will salt and pepper. (This is when you can taste it and see if you want to add more curry paste to spice it up.) Add the Ramen noddles. Cook until they are soft. Squeeze the lime in the curry. Top with cilantro, lime wedges, or jalapeno. Add extra lime juice if you like.

Potato Soup

Dead serious, this is a great and simple soup. Dexter isn't usually happy to have soup. He came up and dipped some bread in it as I finished cooking it and immediately said, "Wow, that is good!" So definitely try it.

1 Bag of frozen diced hash browns (~30 oz)
4 C Chicken Broth
1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 8 oz package Cream Cheese
6-8 Pieces of Bacon, chopped into small pieces (or a bag of bacon bits if that's easier)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Shredded Cheddar Cheese


In a big pot on the stove, add the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and bacon pieces. Bring to a low boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then add the cream cheese in chunks and mix. Heat it until the cream cheese is completely mixed in. Top with cheddar cheese. (Green onions might be good on it too)

Chili

Thank you Aunt Tawnya for this recipe. I LOVE her Chili.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. hamburger
1 Tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic
1 chopped onion
2 - 1 lb. 14 oz. can dark red kidney beans (drained)
2 - 1 lb. 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
3-4 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
2 bay leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

Brown and drain hamburger. Saute garlic and onion in butter, add to hamburger and place in a large pot. Add all other ingredients to pot and stir. Bring to a boil and stir well for 1 minute.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 6-8 hours stirring occasionally. (This is what makes it.)

*Optional - add crushed tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese.

**Leftovers - chili dogs, navajo tacos, cornbread

Clam Chowder

Mom's infamous Clam Chowder :)

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cans minced clams (Bo likes it extra, so we usually put in 3)
1 C finely chopped onions
1 C chopped celery
2 C diced potatoes
3/4 C butter
3/4 C flour
1 qt. Half and Half
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 grated carrot
dash of pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Drain juice off clams onto vegetables and add enough water to just cover the vegetables. Cook until potatoes soften. Meanwhile, add butter and flour to a pan and cook for a minute. Slowly add in half and half, salt and sugar. Cook until thick and smooth. Combine this white sauce to the vegetables, add in the clams and heat until heated throughout.

Cauliflower Soup

This is delicious!!!! Dexter even thought it was really good and he doesn't prefer soups for dinner. My friend gave it to me and it was very general. So there aren't exact measurements. This is what I did, but you can put whatever and however much you want in the soup.

3 C Chicken Broth
1 Head of Cauliflower (As much or little as you like)
1 Small Onion
Green Onions
1-2 Celery Stalks
Carrots (I used baby carrots and probably 10 so maybe one big carrot?)
Garlic
Pepper Jack Cheese (As much or little as you want.)
Butter
Flour
(Sorry I did not measure these at all because I did not know what I was doing and it still tasted good!) Maybe 1-2 Tablespoons and a couple of spoonfuls of flour.

Chop up the cauliflower, onions, and celery. Grate the carrots. Put the chicken broth in a pot on the stove and add all the vegetables and garlic. Bring to a boil and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Once the veggies are soft I put mine in a blender. Then pour it back in the pot. Make a roux with the flour and butter. (Mine was a little thick, but not super thick. When I smelled it, it smelled more like butter than flour.) Pour roux into the pot and stir. Let it thicken a little. Then add shredded pepper jack cheese. Let it melt. Add salt and pepper to taste. Eat with delicious bread or grilled cheese.

Chicken Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 C Chopped onion

1/2/ C chopped celery
1 C sliced carrots

4 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth

1 (14.5 oz) can veggie broth (I did without this and added this much more chicken broth)

1/2 lb chopped cooked chicken breast (I doubled this once and added a whole rotisserie chicken, so I think half of one would suffice)

1 1/2 C egg noodles (I added about 2 C, I like more noodles in mine)

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp Montreal chicken

2 bay leafs

salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

At the bottom of a large pot, melt butter. Cook onion, celery, and carrots in butter until just tender, about 5 minutes. Pour in broths, chicken, noodles, basil, oregano, thyme, Montreal chicken, bay leafs, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving. 

I tweaked this a bit, but all the changes are listed above. For the original recipe, go HERE.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1/2 Onion chopped
1/4 C Butter
1/4 C Flour
2 C Chicken Broth
2 Bunches broccoli
2 Carrots
8 oz Cheddar Cheese
2 C Half and Half

Put 1 Tablespoon of butter in a pot and saute the onion in the butter. Cut carrots into small strips. I often just use a potato peeler. Chop the broccoli into small pieces. Make a roux using the remainder of melted butter and flour. Put in pot and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Add half and half stirring constantly. Then add chicken broth and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add vegetables and cook for 20 minutes over low heat or until vegetables are cooked to your desire. Add cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Eat with some bread!

Red Beans and Rice

This is true southern food and was a HUGE hit at Brielle's baby blessing. Even those from the south or who have visited the south thought it was amazing. :) Also, we calculated it and it cost 45 cents a person to serve this. Such a cheap food, filling, and delicious! We quadrupled the recipe and it fed 95 people. The original recipe says this is for 8 portions.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
12 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced or cubed (If in the south, we like Savoie's and use 3 links)
1 C finely diced onion
3/4 C finely diced celery
3/4 C finely diced green peppers
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 smoked ham hock (you can find at your grocery store)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste (our always came out so spicy so I only use a dash now)
2 quarts chicken broth or water, plus more as needed to adjust consistency (I did water and added bouillon)
1 pound red kidney beans, soaked overnight
About 2 tsp kosher salt or to taste
hot sauce to taste (I have yet to try adding this ingredient)

INSTRUCTIONS

Watch his YouTube video for instructions.

You can find the original recipe HERE.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

I know that this says crock pot, but I actually just made this in a pot in about 20 minutes. I didn't have chicken thawed so I just used canned chicken. I also used garlic salt rather than onion powder and I didn't use cumin. This was all because those are the spices that I had. (That's the way I cook.) 

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
1 can Rotel Tomatoes (undrained) I used the one with green chilies
1 can corn (undrained)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 t cumin
1 t onion powder
1 T chili powder
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 pkg cream cheese

Put chicken in the bottom of the crock pot. Add rotel tomatoes, corn, black beans, spices, and ranch dressing mix. Stir. Then add the cream cheese, but do not stir it in.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Before serving stir in the cream cheese.

Tomato Basil Soup

The  Best. Period.

INGREDIENTS

4 Tomatoes peeled and diced (skins can stay on some)
4 C tomato juice
14 leaves fresh basil
1 C heavy whipping cream
1/3 C butter
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS

Put tomatoes and juice in pot on medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Then puree tomato chunks and basil leaves. Return to stock pot on medium heat. Stir in cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat till butter is melted. Do not boil. Serve.

Enjoy! Thanks to mi mamacita for this recipe! :)

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Copycat

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Serves: 6

Fluffy clouds of potato gnocchi, tender bites of chicken and fresh spinach swimming in a sea of thick, rich broth.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup carrots, diced

1/2 cup celery, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

coarse salt and fresh black pepper

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

1 + 1/2 cups half & half

2 cups cooked white meat chicken, shredded or cut into small bites

1 pound potato gnocchi

3 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

fresh grated Parmesan and/or Romano, for serving

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven heat the butter and oil together over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until tender over medium-low heat about 10 minutes, stirring often.

2. Sprinkle the flour into the pot and stir into the vegetables, cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the chicken broth 1 cup at a time, followed by the half & half.

3. Add the cooked chicken. Bring up to a simmer and maintain for 20 minutes stirring often. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Cook the gnocchi separately according to package directions. Add them to the soup along with the spinach. Simmer until spinach is wilted. Stir in basil. Serve with grated cheese.

Thanks to Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice for the RECIPE!

Chipotle chicken and corn chowder

I pinned this recipe a while ago and one of my friends commented on it about how it is really good and a "go to" dish in their house. I figured in would give it a try. And she was right, it is really good. And it has become one of our favorite soups in our house. It is really simple to make. The only change I made was I do not add the tortilla chips to the soup, but rather serve the soup with chips on the side. I am not a fan if soggy chips.

The recipe can be found on Brown Eyed Baker's website.

Creole Chicken, Red Beans and Rice Soup

I wanted to make red beans and rice, but didn't have everything needed for it, so Bo told me to look up recipe for red beans and rice soup and this is what I found, with a little bit of my own twist...

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 chicken breast
4 Kiolbassa Jalapeno Beef Sausage links (I added this and got it from Costco, LOVE!)
Creole seasoning
1 yellow onion chopped
1 Tbsp celery seed (or you can do 1 C chopped celery, I just didn't have any on hand)
1 cup diced carrots
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
Pinch crushed red pepper
1 pound dried red beans, rinsed, picked over, soaked overnight and drained
4 C Chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
2 C white rice, cooked
1/2 C chopped green onions (green part only, I didn't have onions so I didn't do this part)

Directions:

Boil the red beans the night before for 45 minutes (last time I prepared the beans they were still hard after just soaking them and boiling them the next day, so I took extra time to make sure these turned out right. You may know a better way of preparing the beans, this is just what worked for me) After boiling them, put in a bowl full of water to sit over night. The next day I boiled again for about 10 minutes to make sure they weren't hard.

Cook the rice in a rice cooker or however you usually cook rice. 2 C rice, 2 C water.

In a large sauce pot, heat the olive oil. Season the chicken with creole seasoning. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sear both sides for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Season with Creole seasoning. Saute the veggies for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, pinch of crushed red pepper, red beans, and sausage. (This sausage mentioned above is fully cooked so it really only needs to be warmed. Adding it here was perfect.) Saute for 1 minute. Add the broth and bring the liquid to a boil.  remove some of the broth and mix it with the cornstarch. Once mixed well, add back into the soup to thicken. Reduce the heat to a simmer, uncovered.

Serve with the rice. Enjoy! We really loved it. :)

Find the original recipe HERE.

Chicken Cheese Tortilla Soup

When I was home visiting family once, my mom was ranting and raving about this soup. My whole family loves it. She was so adamant that I had to try this soup that she made it for me for lunch and finished it just before I walked out the door for the airport. I am so glad that she made it for me. It is DELICIOUS! I loved it so much that I made it for my husband shortly after I got home. My favorite is the homemade tortilla chip strips.

Chicken Cheese Tortilla Soup

(10) 6" corn tortillas - cut into 1/4" thick strips
1 large onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
15 oz. can tomato puree
4 cups chicken broth
+/- 1/4 cup hot sauce, to taste - add a little at a time, sampling as you go. You can always add more later.
1 green bell pepper, minced
1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder (I used half chili powder, half chipotle powder.)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour mixed with 1/2 cup water
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped - for garnish

Spray tortilla strips with non-stick cooking spray and bake at 400 degrees F until crispy; lightly salt if desired.

In a large pot, over medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic in oil until soft. Add the next 10 ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Whisk flour/water mixture into soup. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken and continue to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add heavy cream, sour cream and cheese to pot; stir until cheese has melted.

Pour into soup bowls. Top with tortilla strips and cilantro.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

My husband usually doesn't get a say in what's for dinner unless I am sick of coming up with ideas. When ever I ask him what he would like most of the time he responds with 'I don't really care." Which isn't very helpful for me. Occasionally he will give me an idea or two. Most the time when he suggests something, he will ask for my Cream of Broccoli Soup. He loves it. It is so simple to make, so I can't complain. Besides, broccoli is my favorite food. The thing I love most about this recipe is that you don't really have to follow the recipe to precisely. You can add a little or not so much of each ingredient and the soup is still really good. Sometimes I don't have quite enough broccoli, or need to get rid of some more potatoes, so I make do with what I have.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

1/4 cup butter
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 potatoes, diced
4 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1 cup heavy cream
shredded cheese

In a large pot, melt butter. Add onion, potatoes and broccoli, toss to coat. Press parchment paper on top of the veggies. Put a lid on the pot and simmer gently until veggies are tender-crisp and onion is translucent. Remove paper, add broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer until veggies are soft. Put in a blender* and puree until smooth. Pour back into pan, add salt, pepper and cream. Simmer gently until heated through. Do not boil. Garnish with cheese.

*Be careful when blending hot liquids. They can explode and burn you. Always use a blender with a lid.

Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This is my current favorite soup recipe. I got the recipe from my mom. It is really easy to make and is so yummy! It is perfect for the short little cold snaps we have been getting.


Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked boneless chicken breast halves, shredded or 1 can chicken, shredded
1 (4.5 ounce) package quick cooking long grain and wild rice (I use Rice-A-Roni)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups milk

In a large pot over medium heat, combine chicken broth, water and chicken. Bring just to a boil, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet and cook until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to medium low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Whisk cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 5-10 minutes.


Thanks to Heather Rowley for her recipe! Click HERE to find more of her wonderful concoctions.

Old-Time Beef Stew

Bo and I tried this last night and it was Amazing!! :) 


Old-Time Beef Stew

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time:5 min 
Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time:2 hr 15 min

Serves: 6 servings (I'd say more like 3...)

Ingredients
2 pounds stew beef
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled     (I just used minced garlic and kept it in there and it was great!)
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Dash ground allspice or ground cloves
3 large carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped   (Bo hates celery, so we used green peppers, worked just the same)
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine

1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly.

Per serving: Calories: 349; Total Fat: 20 grams; Saturated Fat: 6 grams; Protein: 31 grams; Total carbohydrates: 10 grams; Sugar: 4 grams; Fiber: 2 grams; Cholesterol: 96 milligrams; Sodium: 574 milligrams

Enjoy!  Original Recipe Here!