Taco Soup

I know everyone has a recipe for taco soup.  This is the one I use most just because it's so easy and Weight Watcher friendly.
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 can corn drained
1 small jar of salsa or about 3/4 jar of a larger bottle
1 can chicken broth
1-2 cups cooked and shredded chicken

Put it all together in a big pot and let it heat through on med. heat.  If it starts to boil just turn it down to low until you are ready for serving.
I would suggest garnishing with sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips on top.

White Chicken Chili with Tomato Garnish

A friend from High School posted this recipe to her blog. Now, before I list the ingredients and directions I need to put on record that I am a picky eater. One of the things I do not like is uncooked tomatoes. I also have never been a fan of white chili, mainly because I don't like white beans. My husband is not a picky eater, but he has never liked white chili and was skeptical and slightly disappointed when I told him that this dish was on the menu. With that said, we both LOVED this chili. After this picture was taken, we both crushed up some tortilla chips and added it in. YUM.

Jean's White Chili with Tomato Garnish

Soup:

3 cans white navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 white onion, diced

6 cups chicken broth

4 cups chicken breast, cooked and cubed

7 oz can diced green chiles

4 tsp cumin

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp dried oregano

1 cup sour cream

3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

In a large pot, slightly saute onion until tender. Add beans and broth. Cook until onions and beans are tender. Add chicken, chiles, and seasonings; continue to simmer until the sauce is thickened. (Approx. 30 min. - 1 hour). Take the pot off the heat and add the sour cream and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. Serve with tomato garnish.

Garnish: (there are no measurements, it's to your taste.)

tomatoes, chopped

cilantro, chopped

sweet and sour dressing

Sweet and Sour Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

juice from 1 lemon

1 tsp dried onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp celery seed (optional, and I opted not to use it)

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. In a dressing container, combine lemon juice and seasonings. Add vinegar mixture and then add oil. shake to combine. Dressing will keep up to a week n the refrigerator. Add only enough to coat the tomatoes and cilantro.

Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

3 1/2 Cups peeled and diced potatoes

1/3 Cup diced celery

1/3 Cup finely chopped onion

1/2 Cup diced carrots

1 Cup diced cooked ham

3 1/4 Cup chicken broth

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1 Teaspoon pepper

5 Tablespoon butter

5 Tablespoon flour

2 Cups milk

Combine all the vegetables (I actually put in a little bit more of the veggies than what was called) ham and broth in a stockpot (because I added a little more veggies, I also added a little water to the stockpot.) Bring to a boil and cook over med heat until potatoes are tender (about 10-15 min.)

In a separate saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick. Slowly add in milk so lumps don't form. Continue stirring over med-low heat until thick, 4-5 minutes.

Stir in milk mixture to stock pot, cook until heated through.

Top with shredded cheese, green onion, and bacon, if desired.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

If we were giving prizes away at Fabulous Friday I think this soup would have been a blue ribbon winner for sure. I'm pretty sure I saw people licking their bowls and weeping over the empty crockpot. :)

Thanks Alyssa for sharing this yummy recipe with us.

Cheesy Cream of Vegetable Soup

2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery (I replaced with broccoli)
6 teaspoons or cubes of chicken bouillon
Simmer above to semi-soft.

1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
3 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk

Do not drain vegetables. Add the white sauce to cooked vegetables. Add 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Heat together but do not boil.

Sausage Soup

Here's another soup recipe from Fabulous Friday. This one comes from Teresa Throop.

Sausage Soup

3-4 large potatoes
4 -6 tsp. chicken bouillon
4-6 cups water
1 lb. sausage
2 cups chopped kale
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crumbled bacon (about 8-10 slices) *
Salt to taste

Cube potatoes and place in sauce pan. Cover with enough water to boil, about 4-6 cups and add chicken bouillon. While potatoes are boiling, brown sausage and bacon. When potatoes are tender, add sausage, bacon and kale to sauce pan. Boil for 2 minutes and then add cream and salt if desired.

*I use Hormel real bacon bits for ease.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

{I got this yummy soup recipe from Jacque Edwards and made it for the Fabulous Friday soup assortment.}

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 4oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained
2 cans chicken broth (You can use bouillion and make your own broth)
1 can beef broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1-1 1/2 lbs. cooked chicken (cubed or shredded)
1 cup water
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder

Toppings on the side: avocados, shredded cheese, tortilla strips, and cilantro.

Saute onion and garlic in hot oil in a large sauce pan. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Taco Soup

Here is the soup I made for our Fabulous Friday. This is Tammy Thompson's recipe, but I have tweaked it a little bit.

1 lb ground beef
chopped onion
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans undrained
1 can corn undrained
1 cup salsa (I use Pace Chunky Salsa, Medium)
1 packet taco seasoning

Brown ground beef with onion. Drain. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Ladle into bowl. Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips.

I put mine in a crockpot and cooked on high for about 2 hours.

Wendy's Chili

We love Wendy's chili and this recipe is close the real thing!

2 lb. Ground Beef, Browned
1-29 oz. Tomato Sauce
1 29- oz. Can Kidney Beans, Rinsed and Drained
1-29 oz. Can Pinto Beans, Rinsed and Drained
1 C. Onion Diced
1 C. Diced Celery
1 Can Diced Green Chilies
3 Medium Tomatoes (I used a 29 oz can of diced tomatoes)
1 Tsp. Cumin
2 TBSP. Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp. Pepper
2 tsp. Salt
2 C. Water

Add all ingredients into crock pot. Simmer for a a few hours, or until celery is tender. Serve with grated cheese and tortilla chips.

Almost as good as Olive Garden's

I love minestrone soup, particularly Olive Garden's. It might be more of a sentimental thing, bringing back memories of girl's afternoons out with my mom, eating the unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks. However, it's not economical to go out every time I was nostalgic.

The canned versions of minestrone (and most soups, acutally) are far too salty for my taste. My family is also participating in a Healthy Living Challenge, so I've been on the hunt for some vegetable-rich, delicious recipes. I found this one on allrecipes.com, and adapted it slightly.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chipped
2 cups chopped celery
5 carrots, sliced
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can green beans
2 cups baby spinach, rinsed
3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup seashell pasta
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:
In a large stockpot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add chicken broth and tomato sauce and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, the longer the better.

Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain water and set aside.

Once pasta is cooked and soup is heated through, place 2 tbsp of cooked pasta into individual serving bowls. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve with bread and salad, if desired.

Avocado Tortilla Soup

I LOVE this soup! I don't usually even use the tortilla chips, because it's so good on it's own. My kids don't love this recipe, but oh well. I still love to make it, it's de-lish to me!

Avocado Tortilla Soup

3 cans (14 oz. each) fat free, less salt (or lower sodium) chicken broth
2 cans (10.75 oz. each) condensed tomato soup
1/2 bunch cilantro, chop as fine as possible
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 ripe California avocado, seeded, peeled, and cubed (I usually use 2 avocados though!)
Shredded or chopped chicken (I shred a small rotisserie chicken)
Shredded cheese
Corn tortilla chips, crumbled

1. In a large pan, combine chicken broth, soup, cilantro, garlic, and pepper
2. Bring to a boil, decrease heat, and simmer for 10 minutes
3. Add chicken and avocado, heat through
4. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with shredded cheese and crumbled tortilla chips

Broccoli Cheese Soup - Tammy Thompson

This is a recipe I got from Tammy Thompson. I love when people are willing to share their recipes. I've never understood those people for whom recipes are a guarded secret. (Sorry if I've offended anyone.) So many of my very favorite recipes I wouldn't have if people weren't willing to share.

Angie was asking for a non-Velveeta recipe so maybe this one will fit the bill. This is our traditionally recipe for Priesthood session night in bread bowls before Josh leaves because it's his favorite. He once said, "Do you know the one thing that's wrong with your broccoli cheese soup? That it doesn't make more." That's a compliment if I've ever heard one.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Bring to a boil:
2 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 large bunch of fresh broccoli, cut into pieces

While broccoli is cooking make white sauce.

Melt 1/2 cup butter
Add 1/2 cup flour and combine until a roux is made
Stir in 2 cups milk

Whisk until thickened, add broccoli/bouillon mixture. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese melts. I don't know that I can honestly say I've ever added that much cheese. I just grate until it looks like enough.

P.S. Does anyone really care about the origins of my recipes or why my family likes it or when we eat it? I can stop adding so much commentary if it bugs people. Let me know.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Soup seems to be a common recipe on this blog right now as the days get colder. I made this the night of the recipe exchange last week, but didn't bring any to share. :) I've brought this recipe before. It's actually Melinda Cloward's recipe, but it's a soup we make quite often. I usually make it in the Fall/Winter when I find Broccoli on sale. It's easy and takes less than 30 minutes to put together.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 cups potatoes (about 2 potatoes)

2 cups broccoli

½ cup onion, chopped

Cover with enough water to just barely cover. Cook until tender. Drain ½ of the water before adding the white sauce.

White Sauce:

¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks)

½ cup flour

1 quart half and half

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour. Add milk slowly while stirring with a wire whisk.

After combining vegetables with the white sauce, add 1 jar of cheese whiz (You can substitute cheese whiz with 8 oz of Velveeta cheese). Add salt and pepper to taste.

I didn't take pictures of the step-by-step process, but here's the finished product. On this particular night, we served it in a bread bowl. I love bread bowls! I found these whole wheat versions at Walmart and couldn't resist.
The only thing that would make this recipe that much better is if I could find a way to not use Velveeta cheese. It's not my favorite favor though you can't taste it in the soup. It just seems like a unhealthy cheese. So any other suggestions would be great.

Chili and Cornbread

This was my mom's chili recipe. I recently came across it in a file on my computer. It has her commentary about it that I won't include but it's great to see how she felt about the recipe. The cornbread recipe I came across a while back and thought it was so easy and unique. It's a sweet cornbread and I like that. Sorry - no pictures. I was rushing out the door to set up for the Daddy/Daughter Dinner.

Chili

2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained
1 onion coarsely chopped (I add this to the meat as I am cooking it)
1 small/medium bag kidney or red beans, pre-soaked in cold water overnight.
2 tsp. salt
2 TBS. chili powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Large Can (46 fl. oz) tomato juice.

Soak bean overnight. Drain and place in a pot and cover with water. Cover and cook at a soft boil until tender. Make sure the water level stays above the beans. This takes a while. I cooked mine from 9AM to 2PM. Then I added the rest of the ingredients and simmered until we were ready to eat. I transferred it to a crockpot to keep it warm.

Toppings:
Grated cheese
Chopped Onions
Sour Cream

This was always our traditional Halloween dinner.

Cornbread
2 boxes Jiffy Mix Corn Muffin Mix
1 box yellow cake mix

Mix both boxes according to directions and combine the batters. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes. Test for doneness.

I have to add some commentary on this cornbread. Yesterday I made it and couldn't get the toothpick to come out of the center clean. I cooked it longer and never was able to get the middle completely done. I have never had this problem in the past. I don't know what it was. I am considering lowering the temperature and cooking it longer the next time. I am a VERY inexperienced baker so I wish I knew what more I could do to make sure the center cooked. Let me know if you have any tips.

Grandma Winder's Cheesy Potato Soup

Well, I guess I better contribute to this blog, instead of just TAKING all of these wonderful recipes! I made this the other night, and I make it quite often. It's one of our families favorites. Even the kids gobble it up! I've actually not yet met a person that doesn't absolutely LOVE this soup! I got the recipe off of Good Things Utah 3 years ago, and have been hooked ever since. Some of you may already have it, since I've probably made it for recipe swap, and I made it for our freezer meal exchange way back when. Anywhoo, here ya go.....

4 C. peeled and cubed potatoes (although I never peel them)
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 C. chopped celery
1 C. chopped carrots
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1/4 C. butter or margarine
2 tsp. all-purpose seasoning (I use Lawry's Seasoned Salt)
1 tsp. salt
2 C. uncooked small shell pasta
3 C. shredded cheddar cheese (but I only use 2 cups, it's plenty!)
1 C. whipping cream

Heat 8 cups of water to boiling. Add everything except the pasta, cheese and cream. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the pasta. Turn heat down to medium and cook until tender (about 8-10 minutes). Stir often. When the pasta is done, turn off heat. Stir in the cheese. When cheese is melted, stir in cream. Salt and Pepper to taste.