Baked Potato Soup

Cookbook Recipe #60

This is a really good Southern Living Cookbook because it has a lot of pictures which I really like when I am looking through cookbooks. The Southern Living Annual Recipe books do not have very many pictures in them. Although those are some of my favorite books. A lot of times though when I see a picture of a recipe I want to make it more then when there is not a picture. I am assuming this is most people though!

I was having a craving for a baked potato soup. I knew I needed to find a cookbook recipe for the week so I was pouring through all my cookbooks to find a baked potato soup recipe. Since I have used most of my soup cookbooks already it took me a bit to find one, but I found one in this cookbook. I love this soup because it is so quick to make, well depending on how you do the potatoes. The potatoes are supposed to be baked, I didn't want to wait over an hour to bake potatoes so I just cooked them in the microwave. So should I call the recipe Microwave Potato Soup?

I cut this recipe in half because it seemed like it was going to make way to much. Another change I made was I swapped out buttermilk for milk. I had some buttermilk in the fridge that was going to go bad soon so I thought it would be a good addition. I also added sour cream. Gotta have sour cream with baked potato soup. This is one of my favorite soups now. I know I have made one before on here, but I didn't like the picture that came out with it. This one looks much more appetizing!

Baked Potato Soup
Adapted from Southern Living Cookbook

4 medium russet potatoes, baked or microwaved
2 tablespoons butter
1/6 cup flour
2 cups fat free half and half
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled


Peel potatoes and mash with a fork. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add flour and stir until smooth.

Stir in potatoes, half and half, buttermilk, sour cream, salt, pepper, and most of the bacon.

Cook over low heat until thick and smooth.

Top each serving with cheese and bacon.

Sizzling Rice Soup

Cookbook Recipe #55

I know another soup recipe, in the summer nonetheless. I just love it so much and when I look through my cookbooks they are always the recipes I want to make in them. This soup reminds me of my childhood. It has been a favorite of mine for years. It is one of the first soups I remember eating. There used to be a Chinese restaurant called the Imperial Palace that my family always went to in Omaha. I used to love going there because there were Koi ponds and rivers with Koi running through the restaurant. I always thought it was so cool. They also had Sizzling Rice Soup and we always got it. The waiter would bring the bowl of soup to the table with the squares of sizzling rice. Then he would drop the rice in and it would sizzle really loud. I loved it. Although there was never enough of the rice for me. It was the best part of the soup. I could have eaten all the rice meant for 4 by myself. Ever since getting the soup at the Imperial Palace I look for it on every Chinese menu. And if they have it I always get it.

I was going through this Oriental Cookbook the other day and came across the soup and it sounded so easy. So I decided to give it a whirl. The soup came out really good, minus one thing. No sizzle. It did say that you must work quickly and put the rice in the soup right away to maintain desired sizzle. I did not work very quickly so I am sure this is why. Oh well. Other than the sizzle the soup tasted very similar to soup at Chinese restaurants. I made a few minor adjustments to the recipe. I did not put any meat in, but you certainly could put about anything in. I also changed up the vegetables that I added as well. It is a very versatile soup. I just love that sizzling rice!

Sizzling Rice Soup
Adapted From Better Homes and Gardens Oriental Cooking

1/4 cup short grain rice
2 cups snow peas
5 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt
Pepper
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced bamboo shoots
Oil for deep fat frying



Cook rice according to package directions. Cool. Divide rice into eight portions and form into patties.

Heat oil over 375 (I used a deep fat fryer).

Fry patties four at a time for about 4 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile, cook mushrooms in a pan over medium heat until done.

In a large pot heat up chicken broth, soy sauce, salt, pepper, bamboo shoots, and snow peas. Add cooked mushrooms. Keep warm.

Working quickly place all the fried rice patties in a large serving bowl and pour soup over top. (Speed is important to obtain the desired sizzling, (I did not do this)).

Matzo Ball Soup

Cookbook Recipe #54

We have a Jewish Deli close by my work that we like to go to a lot. My boss is Jewish so he got us into the Jewish deli. They have the best sandwiches hands down. There is a deli in Chicago called the Eleven City Diner. I think that is the best Jewish Deli that I have been to. Their pastrami is AMAZING! I also always get Matzo Ball Soup when I go to a Jewish Deli. I know a lot of people are not a fan of the matzo balls, but I really like them. I had my first bowl of Matzo Ball Soup at DZ Atkins Jewish Deli in San Diego. That place was really good. They put noodles in their soup which is why I put them in the soup I made. Although you cannot really see them in the picture! The only thing with this matzo ball recipe is that it does not make a whole lot. I doubled the recipe and it still was not a lot. It was enough for me and another meal but that is about it. If you have never been to a Jewish Deli, I definitely recommend it.

Matzo Ball Soup
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Soups and Stews

4 eggs
1 cup matzo meal
1/2 cup club soda
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt

4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken soup base
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon celery salt
Salt
Pepper
1/2 package fine egg noodles
2 carrots, peeled and diced

Beat eggs well and stir in matzo meal, club soda, vegetable oil and salt. Mix well.

Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

In a large pot cook carrots for 5 minutes over medium high heat.

Add chicken stock, water, soup base, poultry seasoning, celery salt, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Using an ice cream soup make matzo balls.

Drop into boiling water and turn heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile cook egg noodles according to package directions in a separate pot.

Add the noodles you want to use to your soup bowl. Add soup on top.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Cookbook Recipe #52

I have made this soup several times. It is soooo good. I got the recipe from Katie Lee's Joel's, well was Joel at the time, cookbook. It is a really nice cookbook, I would recommend it for sure. Lot's of different and rustic recipes. I really like rustic recipes, they are just so comforting. This soup is one of them. The only problem with this soup is that it does not yield very much. It is a lot of work for not a lot of product. If I am feeling ambitious I will double or triple the recipe so that I get more, but that requires a mound of tomatoes. Which means lots of seeding and peeling. For some reason the last couple times I have made this the tomatoes have burnt a little. I ended up turning down the temperature and then they were fine. Not really sure what I did different though. Maybe too much olive oil, who knows, it still came out delicious. When I was eating it I was thinking of an addition for next time. Maybe some sherry would give it a richer flavor, not that it needs it.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Adapted from The Comfort Table, by Katie Lee Joel

2 1/2 pounds roma tomatoes, halved, seeded and cored
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Line a couple baking sheets with foil.

Place tomatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 2 hours.

If tomatoes start browning too much turn temperature down to 250 degrees.

Let tomatoes cool to the touch. Remove and discard skins. Tear the tomatoes into bite size pieces and put into a medium saucepan. Add garlic and chicken broth.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes uncovered.

Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Use an immersion blender and blend tomatoes until desired consistency.

Stir in heavy cream. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Roasted Chicken Florentine Soup

Cookbook Recipe #46

I saw this cookbook at Barnes and Noble awhile back. I saw on the cover that it was a restaurant that Rachael Ray had been to on her show Tasty Travels. I also love soup so naturally I picked it up and thumbed through it. The cookbook is really well done in that all the pictures make the soup look amazing. I did not realize until after I bought the book that the restaurant The Soup Box, is actually in Chicago. Although 99% of the recipes in the book contain onions, as most soups do, so I do not know if I would actually like the soups at the restaurant.

 For some reason I have been wanting to try a chicken florentine type of recipe so I thought this would be perfect. I changed up the original recipe as always. I used frozen spinach instead of fresh, I used cheese tortellini instead of spinach and cheese, and I left out the onion and celery. I also added another cup of broth because I like my soup a little thinner. The soup came out soooo good. I would have to say it is one of the best soups I have made in a long time.

Roasted Chicken Florentine Soup
Adapted from The Soup Box Cookbook

1 carrot, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt
Pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
32oz box chicken broth, plus 1 cup if you want more liquid
1 cup whole milk
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 12oz package frozen cheese tortellini
2 cups pre-roasted chicken, shredded

In a large dutch oven over medium heat, cook carrots in olive oil. Cook about 8 minutes until tender.

Add flour, garlic, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add broth and milk and bring to a boil.

Add spinach, chicken and tortellini. Cook for 10 minutes.

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Chicken Rice Soup with Greek Meatballs

 For being such a soup crazy that I am, I have not posted a soup in a while! I do not really get the name of this recipe as there is no chicken in it. It is made with chicken broth though, so I suppose. Nevertheless, it was a good soup. The Greek meatballs were really good. The original recipe called to soak white bread in milk and then use that for the bread crumbs, but I forgot to put white bread on the grocery list so I subbed panko and milk together and the meatballs came out super moist. I really enjoyed the spinach and feta cheese in them as well. A good tip for meatballs is to use a cookie dough scoop to make them, then they are all the same size. I think I learned that from Ina Garten. The only thing that was not my favorite in this recipe was the rosemary. Rosemary is not my favorite herb because I think it tastes like a tree. I use it sparingly, like in meat dishes. In soup I found it a little weird. I also used some vegetable broth combined with chicken broth for the base of the soup. I really like the combination as the vegetable broth has a really rich flavor. This is a nice twist on a classic soup recipe.

Chicken Rice Soup with Greek Meatballs
Adapted from Rachael Ray

Rice Pilaf:

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup orzo pasta
1 cup white long grain rice
2 cups chicken broth

For the Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 celery stick, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
Salt
Pepper

For the Meatballs:

1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 pound ground turkey
1 egg
Salt
Pepper
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Roll into 1 inch balls and arrange on cookie sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat. Add carrots, celery, garlic, and herbs. Cook partially covered for 5 minutes. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.

Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, heat butter over medium high heat. Add orzo and toast t deep golden brown. Stir in rice and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 18 minutes.

Add meatballs to soup.

Add orzo to soup when serving.

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Oxtail Soup

For some reason thinking about this soup brings me back to grade school and playing the Oregon Trail on the computer. You always wanted more oxen so that you could fill up the covered wagon with more food and supplies. Well I did anyway. That game was the best! Oxtail, I found, is a great way to flavor soup. I didn't realize that is was made more for flavoring than eating. There was not too much meat to take off the bones to put back into the soup.

 I did really like the deep rich flavor that the oxtails gave the soup. Not a flavor that can be mirrored by using beef broth anyway. This is a great soup for the weekend because it takes some time to build the flavors.

Oxtail Soup

2 pounds oxtails, trimmed of excess fat
8 cups water
4 beef bouillon cubes
Salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
16 ounces frozen vegetables
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 package Reames Frozen Noodles

In a large pot add water and oxtails. Bring to a boil. Simmer 3 hours.

Take out the oxtails and cut off any meat. Shred meat and put back into soup.

Then add the remaining ingredients besides noodles and simmer another hour.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

Add noodles to the soup just before serving.

Split Pea and Ham Soup

Cookbook Recipe #29


With the money that Phil and I got for Christmas I wanted to get a large bookshelf to put in our kitchen for all my cookbooks. Now all of them did not fit on there, but most of them did. I absolutely love it! I think I have a thing for bookshelves because I have a very large bookcase for movies and books upstairs in our house. Something about them makes me feel very homey for some reason. I like having all my cookbooks in one spot as well.



Here is how it looks:

While I was organizing my cookbooks Phil made the soup. I got this Soup Bible cookbook from my friend Nicole. She knows how much I LOVE soup. So it was the perfect gift.  This book has so many soups that I want to try. This split pea and ham soup recipe was not originally one of those recipes. I have always thought split pea soup sounded and looked horrible. Never thought I would want to make it by any means. But my Mom gave me the leftover ham bone from our Christmas brunch, so I figured I would give it a whirl. Because I was too excited about the bookshelf to wait to put my cookbooks on it, Phil made dinner. The soup was soooo delicious. It really does not taste like peas at all. And there is something about using the ham bone in the soup that gives such a rich flavor. I really liked how pureeing some of the soup, gave it a nice thick texture. It was very hearty. We will definitely be making this one again! The picture does not do the soup justice by any means. It tastes worlds better than it looks.



Split Pea and Ham Soup
Adapted from The Soup Bible

1 cup green split peas
1 cup yellow split peas
2 cups diced ham
7 cups water
2 celery ribs and leaves, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
Salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 leftover ham bone, or ham hocks


Rinse peas in a colander under cold water and discard any debris.

In a large dutch oven combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour and 15 minutes.

Stir frequently near the end of cooking to keep soup from scorching.

Transfer ham bone to cutting board and cut off any ham that is left on the bone. Discard bone and set aside ham.

Remove 3 cups of soup and place in blender. Blend until smooth. Add back to soup and add ham from bone.


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Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Cookbook Recipe #25

Do you have cookbooks that all the pages are stuck together? That is how this cookbook is. I have cooked a couple of recipes in this book so many times that all the pages are so full of crud grime. I like it though! My mom gave me a bunch of cookbooks awhile ago and this was one of them. It has the wonton soup recipe in it that I absolutely love. But I wanted to make a new recipe out of here so I decided to make the chicken and wild rice soup. I have made chicken and wild rice soup before and it did not turn out very well. This one came out much better because I stuck to the recipe a little more then I did last time....at least with the liquid measurements. I like a lot of rice in my soup so I did a little more then the recipe called for. Phil really liked this one a lot. It did not make that much though, so if you want leftovers you would want to double the soup for sure.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Betty Crocker's Soups and Stews Cookbook

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup cooked chicken
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup white wine

Wash wild rice in wire strainer.

Heat chicken broth and rice to boiling in a dutch oven. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes, until rice is tender.

Meanwhile cook mushrooms, butter and garlic in a skillet for about 5 minutes. Add flour and stir to combine.

Add mushrooms to soup and stir well until flour is not lumpy.

Add chicken, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Heat to boiling.

Add cream and wine. Heat until just hot.

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Ham and Bean Soup

Cookbook Project #24

Since I had a thanksgiving dinner this last weekend I have sooo many leftovers of course. I never do anything with them, which is really silly because I usually end up throwing so much of it away. I made a ham this weekend so I saved the bone because I like to make ham and bean soup. Ham and bean soup is a great way to use up leftover ham from Thanksgiving. You can use the ham bone to flavor the soup. It does take a little bit longer to make because of this because you want to get a rich flavor for the broth. I cut up a bunch of leftover ham to go in the soup as well. I put my celery in the last 15 minutes because I do not like when it gets mushy, but you could add it in with the carrots if you prefer.

 My mom would always send leftovers home with me in the past after Thanksgiving when I was in college, but this is the first time I have ever turned leftovers into something else.  I know a lot of people get weird about ham and bean soup, but I really like it and think it is really hearty.

Ham and Bean Soup
Portsmouth Iowa St. Mary's Parish Cookbook 2007

4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 15oz cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 ham bone, or ham hock
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Salt, to taste

In a large dutch oven saute carrots until tender.

Add chicken broth, pepper and ham bone. Cook over medium low heat for one hour.

After one hour add beans and cut up ham. Cook for another 45 minutes.

Add celery the last 15 minutes.

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Caprese Soup

You all know that I looovvee soup! One soup that I have always really wanted to like is french onion soup. But you know that I do not like onions so I don't eat french onion soup. I saw this recipe for caprese soup recently and thought, now there is an idea! A way for me to enjoy the yummy, cheesy goodness of the french onion soup in a way that I would like. I knew I had to try this.

My parents have been bringing out loads of my stuff from all my years and home and college, everytime they come out. In one of the boxes I came across the soup crocks that you see in the picture. I was super excited about them. I know they are generally used for french onion soup, so I knew I would have to use them for this recipe. I was excited to use them what they are made for!

This soup was really good. And actually pretty filling. Soups can sometimes not be so filling for me anyway. This was also really easy and quick to make because you can use pre-made ingredients  I really enjoyed this new twist on an old favorite. 

Caprese Soup

Adapted from Heather Cristo Cooks 

Tomato soup (use your favorite variety)

Prepared Basil Pesto

French Bread, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

Buffalo Mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat up your favorite tomato soup over medium heat. 

Place sliced bread on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake 7 minutes or until bread is toasty. 

Once bread is done spread each slice with pesto. Top each slice with a piece of mozzarella.

Flip oven over to broil.

Pour prepared tomato soup into oven proof crocks or bowls. 

Place 2 to 3 cheese topped bread slices in each crock.

Broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

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Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

My neighbor Logan had her first annual soup swap today. Everyone was to make 7 quarts of soup and freeze into 6 into one quart containers and reserve one quart for tasting. There were 12 people that came so we all went around and tasted all 12 different soups. Then everyone got a number (1-12) and that was the order we were to pick the soups we wanted to take home. Everyone went home with 6 different soups. With your soup you were also to bring a recipe card with the recipe of the soup you made. I ended up going home with 2 quarts of Pumpkin Squash Soup and 1 quart of Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato, Beef and Vegetable, Pasta Fagoli and Chili. I think it is such an awesome idea because now everyone has 6 quick soups for dinner in the fall.

I brought one of my favorite soups, Cheesy Vegetable Chowder. Now this isn't one for the health nuts! I first saw this recipe made at the first Taste of Home Cooking Show that I went too. It just smelled so amazing that I ended up making it within a week after the show. I really like how versatile this recipe is because you can mix in any vegetables that you like and even if you are not a super big veggie fan the cheesy goodness of the soup should help win you over. I have to apologize I still have not mastered how to take great pictures of soup. It is on my list!

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
Adapted from the Taste of Home

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
8 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups broccoli, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and diced
3/4 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 12oz can evaporated milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper

In a large dutch oven saute carrot in 4 tablespoons butter until tender. Stir in broth, broccoli, potato, Worchestershire, cayenne pepper, onion salt, and celery salt. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and over and simmer 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile in a saucepan, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and mix until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat and stir in cheese. Continue to stir until cheese is melted.

Slowly stir cheese sauce into soup. Mix until blended well. Turn heat back up and cook a little bit longer until  desired thickness.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Chicken and Dumplings

Cookbook Recipe #14

There are so many versions of chicken and dumplings. Versions when the only ingredients are chicken and dumplings in a thick creamy sauce or in sauce with vegetables, or chicken and dumplings in a soup. I bet you can't guess which type I like best?!

This is my favorite recipe that I have found so far for chicken and dumplings. It is from Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee: The Complete Cookbook.This is an awesome cookbook because there are so many recipes that use time saving ingredients. I love when a dish tastes like all the components are homemade, when they really are not, especially because people will think that they are homemade. I also like that Sandra Lee cuts out a lot of steps in her recipes with the ingredients that she uses. For instance in this recipe she uses canned gravy to give a rich flavor to the soup instead of making a base from scratch. Also she uses Pillsbury Grands Biscuits for the dumplings instead of making them from scratch. Sooo easy! I really enjoy these dumpling because they puff up really big and they absorb all the flavor of the broth into them.


The only things I changed for this recipe were that I used celery salt instead of celery and cut the onions of course, out of the dish to appease my own palate. Phil and I really like the richness of this dish with the gravy and soft, broth soaked dumplings.

Chicken and Dumplings
Adapted from Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee: The Complete Cookbook


1 Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 carrots, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon celery salt
Salt
Pepper
1 16.3oz container refrigerated Pillsbury Grands biscuits
1 14oz can Campbell's Chicken Gravy
Flour for dusting

In a large dutch oven heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots and cook for 10 minutes, until soft.

Add broth, poultry seasoning, celery salt, and salt and pepper to taste. Add shredded chicken. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the soup cooks, start the dumplings. Lightly flour a surface. Roll each biscuit into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Cut each into 1 inch wide strips. Set aside.

Stir chicken gravy into soup. Add dumplings and cover. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

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Wonton Soup

I think my favorite part of getting Chinese food is the soup. I love the Chinese soups; hot and sour, wonton, sizzling rice soup and egg drop. I have tried to make all but sizzling rice at home. The wonton always comes out the best.

My mom used to make this recipe at home once and awhile, I always loved it. She gave me the recipe when I went to college and I started making it a lot. It can be very tedious to make though. The soup itself only takes a few minutes, but putting together the wontons can take awhile. I feel like they do not hold a whole lot so you end up making a ton of them. You have to be very careful when you boil these not to over cook them. I have over cooked them a couple times and you end up with a really messy soup as the wontons all break open and spill out all the contents. The recipe calls for green onions to go in with the pork, but of course I leave those out. I'm sure it would be a good flavor addition, if you like that sort of thing!

Wonton Soup

Adapted from Betty Crocker

For the wontons:

1/2 pound ground pork, cooked

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

24 wonton skins

2 tablespoons soy sauce

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

1 cup spinach, torn into small pieces

In a bowl combine cooked pork, soy sauce, corn starch, ginger, and salt and mix well. 

Meanwhile, in a large pot heat up chicken broth, water, soy sauce and chicken bouillon at medium heat. 

Spoon 1 teaspoon pork mixture into middle of each wonton skin. Moisten edges of wonton skin with water. Fold each skin in half to form a triangle. Press edges to seal. Pull bottom corners of triangle down and overlap slightly. Moisten one corner with water and pinch to seal. Set wontons aside. 

Once broth is heated up add spinach and bring to boil. Once boiling add wontons and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer wontons for 2 minutes. 

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Roasted Vegetable Soup

Our computer crashed this weekend so I have not been able to blog the past few days. I have to say I really missed it! The computer has to go back in the shop in a couple days, but I am excited to have it back to hopefully do a couple posts. 

I love tomato soup. Especially a homemade tomato soup that has been slow roasted. The only problem with slow roasting tomato soup is that it does not yield a whole lot unless you have a million tomatoes. And who wants to seed and peal a ton of tomatoes for very little product. I like to do it once in a while, but not all the time. I saw this recipe for roasted vegetable soup that has tomatoes, carrots and zucchini, and thought it would be a good way to get a similar flavor as roasted tomato soup with not as much work. 

I really liked this soup and it was a nice change to traditional tomato. Next time I make this I will probably add a sweet potato or butternut squash to make the soup a little sweeter. I really enjoy the sweetness of the tomato in a tomato soup and the carrot and zucchini kind of took that away. I also like that you can change the texture of the soup easily by not pureeing it as much to get a chunkier soup. I pureed mine quite a bit as I was looking for a tomato soup texture but next time I may puree less to get a thicker soup. I will definitely be making this one again. 

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Taste of the South Magazine

6 Carrots, peeled and cut in quarters lengthwise

3 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise

8 plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Pepper

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup half and half

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Put foil on a cookie sheet. In a medium bowl toss carrots, zucchini, and tomatoes with olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. 

Arrange vegetables in an even layer on cookie sheet. 

Roast, turning occasionally until vegetables are tender for 40 minutes. 

Once vegetables are roasted place half vegetables in a blender with half of the chicken broth and puree until desired consistency. Place pureed mixture in a large saucepan. Puree rest of vegetables with the rest of the chicken broth. Pour into saucepan. 

Add half and half, salt and pepper to taste, paprika and Parmesan cheese. 

Cook over medium high heat, about 10 minutes. 

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Lasagna Soup

I think my favorite kitchen tool is my dutch oven. I think everyone should own a good cast iron dutch oven. Any recipe that can be made in one pot is a keeper for me and the dutch oven is perfect for one pot meals, even from stove top to oven! I use mine for pasta sauce, soups, stews, chili, and for frying things. They are so versatile and they get really hot quick too.

In my dutch oven today I made Lasagna Soup. It was a rainy day here today, which is a great time for a good soup.....who am I kidding any time is a good time for soup for me! I think it is crazy when you need to use more than one box of chicken broth or stock for a soup recipe. Soup to me is supposed to be a cheap dinner and when you start needing multiple boxes of broth you have already spent over 4 dollars and you haven't added anything to it yet. So I will use one box and then I will add water and chicken bouillon or the new Flavor Boosts that they have. To me I feel like I am stretching my buck a little more. I felt like Rachael Ray again today turning lasagna into a soup!

Lasagna Soup
Adapted from Live Love Pasta

1 pound Mild Italian Sausage
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 28oz can fire roasted tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 Swanson's packet Chicken Flavor Boost
8 oz Radiatore

Toppings:

Ricotta cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

In a dutch oven, or large pot, brown Italian sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Add tomato paste and minced garlic and cook for 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes, chicken broth, water. Italian seasoning and Flavor Boost. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.

Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 10-12 minutes.

Top with a mixture of cheeses of your choice.

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Taco Soup

I got this recipe from my mom. She always made good comfort food growing up which is probably why I like comfort food so much. I always especially liked when she made soup. She would make chicken and rice, chili, chicken noodle with homemade noodles. So I knew I would like this recipe that she gave me for Taco Soup.

The original recipe she gave me is more like a chili than a soup. I was in the mood tonight for more of a soup so I added tomato sauce and beef broth to make it a little thinner. So I guess you could say this is a Taco "Stoup" according to Rachael Ray. Thicker than a soup but thinner then a stew. Ooohhh Rachael.....she is so nerdy, but I love her anyway. I also used ground turkey instead of beef because I was trying to be a little healthier and anymore I just like ground turkey better.

I really like how this came out and will definitely be making it again. I like the use of taco seasoning because I did not have to keep adding different seasonings to get the taste I wanted, the taco seasoning was all the flavoring it needed. Thanks for this one Mom!

Taco Soup
Adapted from my Mother

1 pound ground turkey
1 packet taco seasoning
1 15.5oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15.5oz can chili beans, undrained
1 14oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 16oz bag frozen corn
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon garlic
1 beef bouillon cube

Brown ground turkey in a large pot or dutch oven.

Once ground turkey is browned add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.

Top with your favorite toppings.

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Baked Potato Soup

Cookbook Recipe #7

Last weekend I was in the Milkwaukee area and I decided to stop in Greendale, which has the headquarters for Reiman Publications. I anxiously await my Taste of Home magazines every month. Ask my husband....it is like Christmas whenever one of my cooking magazines arrives. Inside the magazines they always advertise Greendale as being the Taste of Home headquarters. The test kitchen is there, were they test all the recipes that come into the headquarters before they decide which ones will make it into the magazine. They also advertise that they sell the "fallen off the truck" cookbooks for $5.00 a piece. The cookbooks just look a little worn down and the edges a little beaten up. A lot of them though you can barely notice the imperfections. So naturally I have by dying to go there to check it out. This cookbook is one of the cookbooks that I bought for $5.00. I am a big soup girl. I eat soup even when its really hot out (like this weekend). So I was excited when I saw this cookbook which is all about soups.

There are several recipes that I want to make in this book. But the recipe I choose to feature for this cookbook was the Baked Potato Soup. There was a restaurant that I went to with Phil's family called Al Capone's Hideaway and Steakhouse. I am bummed that I only had a chance to go there one time since the restaurant has since closed. But they had the best Baked Potato soup I have ever had. I have tried a couple times to try and make this soup from other recipes. It has been good but not as good as the Hideaway's.
This recipe has come the closest. It came out very creamy but not too thick. I think the key is baking the potatoes, hence "baked potato soup." Other times I have tried to make this I cooked the potatoes in the microwave. So I think baking them really does make a difference. This is not one to make when trying to watch the calories. It is definitely a good splurge recipe, but well worth it!

Baked Potato Soup
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Easy Dinners: Soups and Stews




2 large baking potatoes
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese
4 slices cooked bacon






Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Prick potatoes with a fork and place on baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until tender. Let cool. 
Scoop out pulp from potatoes and set aside. 


In a large dutch oven melt butter. Add flour and stir until combined. Add milk, salt, pepper and dill. Cook until thick and bubbly stirring often because milk will scald on bottom of pan very quickly. 


Once milk is thickened add potatoes, cheese and bacon and mix well. Stir until cheese is melted. 


Garnish with your favorite potato toppings. 




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