Chicken Corn Chowder

I have done my fair share of chowders and cream soups, but I loved this one.  It was also really easy with minimal dishes.  The Jalapeno gave it such a great flavor, but didn't add heat.  Also I didn't add the ham and i always substitute the veggies with what i have on hand (ZUCCHINI, asparagus, squash, potatoes, etc...).  The cream flavor was awesome though.  Topping it off with bacon would be perfection.

this recipe is from Mel's kitchen cafe.

I am not yelling, I can't get the typing out of caps...?...

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped 
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and membrane removed (this is important for flavor – but doesn’t add heat because the seeds and membranes are removed and it is cooked with the other veggies)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced or cooked chopped ham
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (14-oz.) cans chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 ears of fresh corn kernels or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 4 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ham; cook for another 3 minutes. Whisk the broth with the flour in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and then stir into the soup. Stir in the corn and chicken. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat.
2. Whisk together the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until smooth (I had a difficult time getting my cream cheese to completely whisk into the milk so my soup had some minor small lumps but next time, I’ll soften the cream cheese until almost melted in the microwave).
3. Whisk the cream cheese/milk mixture into the soup along with the salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Simmer on low until ready to serve.

Tortellini Sausage Soup

This recipe is from melskitchencafe.com. I just love her recipes and her pictures are absolutely beautiful so of course I want to make something that looks delicious. We had this for dinner tonight and Jev loved it (which says a lot because he hates soup). I do have to confess though that I didn't have some of the ingredients. No zucchini, no apple cider, and only half the chicken broth so it pretty much was just a pasta dish because most of the water boiled off but it was still delicious.


Tortellini Sausage Soup

*Note: If zucchini isn’t in season, you could easily sub chopped spinach or frozen peas here. Also, if you absolutely can’t find apple cider, try apple juice and in a last ditch effort, leave it out (although it does add a delicious hint of unique flavor).

*Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
3 links Italian sausage (the kind that is uncooked in casings – see note above)
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 onion, diced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup chopped carrots
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated (no need to peel)
2 tablespoons dried parsley
8-10 ounce package refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini

DIRECTIONS:
Remove the casings by slicing down one side of the sausage and peeling the casing back from the sausage. In a large pot, cook the sausage over medium heat until it starts to brown, using a wooden spoon to crumble as it cooks. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent and the sausage is cooked through. Drain any excess grease, if needed (alternately, if your sausage is extra lean, you may need to add a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking).

Stir in the chicken broth, apple cider, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots, oregano, and basil. Bring the soup to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini and parsley simmer for 10-12 minutes. Add the tortellini and cook until tender (usually only a couple of minutes, even when the packages call for 7-9 minutes cooking time, I only cook the tortellini for 4-5 minutes so it doesn’t fall apart). Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

This is a 5 star recipe from allrecipes.com, and an instant favorite for our family.

3 cups water
2 Tb chicken bouillon granules
2 bunches broccoli (or one bag frozen)
1/2 onion diced
2 cups milk
1/2 cup margarine
5 Tb all purpose flour
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese.

1. Bring water and chicken bouillon granules to a boil in a pot. Add broccoli and onion; cook at a boil until tender, 10-12 minutes.
2. Combine milk, margarine, flour, and cream cheese in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir until the margarine melts and the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir Cheddar cheese into the milk mixture; cook and stir until the cheddar melts completely.
4. Pour the broccoli mixture into the cheese mixture in the large pot; stir well.

Original recipe can be found here. The only thing I did differently is I used butter instead of margarine, and about half as much called for.

Grandma's Chili Recipe

Ever since I can remember my Grandma would make this Chili recipe for Halloween dinner. I grew up eating it every year, and have made it every Halloween since! I thought I would share it with you guys, it is a fun family tradition to have warm chili waiting in the kitchen after trick-or-treating! (especially when its freezing outside) -Have a great Halloween, I miss you all!

About 1 lb of hamburger
4 cans of red kidney beans ( you can use other beans as well, I just usually use kidney beans.
I c. onion
I c. celery
I c. red or green bell pepper.
I can of crushed tomatoes.
I small can of tomato paste
I c. ketchup
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. lemon juice.
spices:
2 teaspoons. ground mustard
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tsp chili powder,or a bit more to taste.

-Brown hamburger in a skillet.
-Chop veggies into small pieces, depending on how chunky you want the chili to be.
-I usually strain two of the cans of kidney beans, and dump the entire other two because the juice adds substance.
-Add all the rest of the ingredients, stir, and cook in crock pot on slow for about 7-8 hours, or high for 4-5 hours.

Chicken Noodle Soup

My sister got this from a friend, passed it on to me and it is too yummy not to pass on to all of you! It is the best chicken noodle soup I have ever had! Isn't it perfect soup weather right now too?!

Chicken Noodle Soup
(Charmayne Orton)

-cook 4 half breasts and shred to the size you like (I used rotisserie chicken)

1 Tbsp. butter
lrg. onion chopped
5-6 cans chicken broth
1 can cr. of chicken soup
7 stalks chopped celery
6 med. carrots chopped
1 tsp. pepper
touch of salt
~ 4 cups of the dried wide homestyle noodles (Do not use egg noodles) I've seen them called Mrs. Miller's Homemade noodles at Woodman's I believe. (I couldn't find these so I used Trader Joes Egg Pappardelle Pasta (shown above) and just broke them into smaller pieces....So yummy!)

Melt butter in pot and sautee onions. Stir in broth, carrots and celery. Cook for 10 min and add chicken, soup, noodles, and seasoning. Bring to boil. Reduce and simmer 45 min stirring frequently. When ready to serve, add 1 cup sour cream and 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese.

(honestly, I don't think you need the sour cream and cheese...BUT it does make it super delicious and creamy!)

Butternut Squash Soup

Has the weather got you down?  

Try this yummy soup.

2T.  butter

1 large sweet onion

1/2 t. rosemary

2 cloves garlic

5 cups peeled diced butternut squash

1 cup peeled diced potato

5 c.  chicken stock
1 t. salt
pepper to taste
1/2 c. cream
1 1/2 c. diced ham  (thick deli slices)

melt butter in large pot.  stir in onion and rosemary.  cook until onion is soft.   add garlic, cook 1 min.  add squash, potatoes, salt and chicken stock.  Bring to boil and simmer until squash and potatoes are soft.  (about 20-25 min).  add ham just before serving.  drizzle a little cream into individual bowls. 

*try not to cut your fingers off when peeling the squash.  anyone know an easy way to peel one?...let me know.

Baked Potato Soup

4 large potatoes

2/3 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

6 cups milk

1 cup (8oz) sour cream

¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Bake Potatoes at 350 for 65-75 minutes or until tender; cool completely. Peel and cube potatoes.

In a large sauce pan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Remove from heat; whisk in sour cream.  Add potatoes and green onions. Granish with bacon and cheese. 

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

I haven't contributed for awhile, but was typing up a recipe I made today and thought I would post it here as well. Thanks to everyone who has shared so many good recipes. This is my go to site for dinner now. : ) This is like Sister's Cafe tortilla soup, but I "enhanced" it to work with what I had on hand. Really easy and really good.

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

3 Large Frozen Chicken Breasts

½ C Water

3 Chicken Bullion Cubes

Chili Powder

Oregano

2 15 oz Cans Black Beans Strained

2 14.5 oz Cans Diced Tomatoes

1 16 oz Bag Frozen Corn

1 7 oz Can of Dice Green Chilis

1 15 oz Can Tomato Sauce

1 14½ oz Can Chicken Broth

1 C Medium Salsa

Cook chicken on low until shreddable (approx. 4 hours). Empty all juice from crock-pot, shred chicken and replace back in crock-pot. Season chicken with chili powder and oregano to taste. Add the rest of ingredients and continue cooking on low for another 3-4 hours. Top with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips when serving. You could even half this recipe to easily feed just 2 adults and kids.

Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup

I found this little gem in my BYU alumni magazine this last month. It was the recipe the magazine featured in an article about a BYU alum who tried a new crock pot recipe each day for an ENTIRE year, then wrote a cookbook. I sure wish I had an idea like that so I could make a little extra dinero! Haha! Her website is here. We tried the soup last night and I must say, it was well deserving of the spotlight. Still, I'm not sure I'd really categorize it as a true crock pot recipe. To me a crock pot recipe means minimal effort--throw it all in, forget about it, & Wahlah, a yummy cozy meal. This recipe is a little more involved but tasty none-the-less. If I could do it again, I'd spend more time chopping my vegetables "finely." You could even use a food processor if you have one. I might try throwing the soup in the blender next time before serving. Oh, and we ate it in a bread bowl. Bread bowls always make the soup eating experience divine.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

2 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup finely diced onions
1/2 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large slow cooker, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil (if using fresh oregano and basil; if using dried oregano and basil add those two ingredients in the last hour of cook time). Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

About an hour before serving prepare a roux: Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour; stir constantly with a whisk for 5 to 7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup from the slow cooker. Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth.

Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

White Chicken Chili

I love this because I love green chiles!

1 lb chicken breasts
1 medium onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 cans chicken broth (depending how thick a consistency you like)
2 cans chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream (or milk)

Place your chicken breasts and large chunks of your onion in a baking dish, drizzle them with olive oil and bake at 350 till the chicken is just done. (I just cook them on the stove in a frying pan to save time and a hot house) Shred your chicken and chop the onion. Combine the chicken, beans, onion, chilies and seasonings in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, let it cool slightly, and then stir in the sour cream and cream. Serve immediately