Soups and Salads

10/26/11

Ok. People asked about this one after seeing it posted on facebook. Today was my first time making my own recipe and it turned out YUMMY!! I used 1% milk and light sour cream to make it a "little" healthier. It takes a little bit of work, but is WELL worth it!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

6-7 Medium baking potatoes
6 slices of bacon
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup flour
1 can chicken broth or stock
8 oz sour cream
4 cups milk
1 cup water
2 cups shredded cheddar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
Shredded cheese and green onions or chives to garnish

Bake the potatoes at 425 for 45 minutes. It is ok if they are not completely done since they will cook in the soup. You can microwave, but, I prefer them baked. Let them cool a bit so that the skins pull apart a bit from the potato. Peel the potatoes and dice into chunks. Cook the bacon in a large soup pan. Once the bacon is cooked, remove from the pan, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the flour and make a thick roux. Pour in the chicken broth or stock and stir until it well blended and starting to thicken. Add the milk, water and sour cream, and stir until it starts to thicken again. I usually do this part on about medium-high heat for any stew/soup I make. Once this base has started to thicken, stir in the cheese until melted. Dice up the bacon and add it to the stew. Stir in the pepper and garlic. Add in the potato chunks and let the soup simmer a bit until it is fairly thick. You can add water or more milk if you like it thinner.




09/11/2011

I made this a couple of weeks ago and it was so good and filling.

Split Pea Soup with Ham

1 package dried split peas
4 small carrots peeled and diced
1/4 cup diced onion
1 cup cubed ham (I like to use a smoked ham or leftovers from one I have baked)
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups of water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Ready? Here is how hard this recipe is. Put everything into the crock pot, put it on low and let it go. I will put it on before I go to work and let it cook all day. Always great with grilled cheese sandwiches.

03/07/2011

This recipe can get a little aggravating because of the extra steps, but, I just try to make the best use of time and put it all together so that it is done at the same time. My boys requested it today, so I made it and then had a friend ask for the recipe. I love it.

French Onion Soup

4 medium onions
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 can beef consomme + 1 can water
6 cups water
3 beef bouillon cubes

French bread
Provolone cheese
Olive Oil

Dissolve bouillon cubes in water. Sauté onions in butter with pepper and garlic until soft and slightly caramelized. Add worcestershire, consomme, bouillon and water. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes. Salt to taste.

Brush the bread slices with olive oil on both sides. Lightly toast under the broiler on both sides. Add enough provolone to one side after toasting to slightly hang over the edges. Place back under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Places these "croutons" on top of your steaming bowls of soup and enjoy!

08/22/2010

I came up with this recipe a couple of years ago. It is a delight around our house. Chris will eat this until he hurts. It is just one of those things that you can eat and eat and not feel like you have eaten enough. It is meant to be served cold, but, if you prefer a hot pasta, by all means, do what you will.

Chicken Pasta
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 clove garlic, minced
1 16 oz box rotini pasta (I like the tri-color)
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Feta Cheese

Saute the chicken breast with the garlic. Boil the pasta. Once the pasta is done, I like to cool it quickly by rinsing with cold water. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar until fully emulsified. Toss the pasta, chicken, and onion in the dressing mixture. Refrigerate until cool. I like to add the feta on top of individual servings. You can adjust the olive oil to vinegar ratio to your liking. I hope you try this one out and let me know what you think!

08/04/2010

Beef Stew

My family really likes a hearty, meaty, tomatoey (?), chunky beef stew. I don't think I ever make it the same way twice because I usually use whatever leftover vegetables I have in the freezer in addition to the fresh or canned ones I am already using. But, here is the basic start of it.

1 lb beef stew meat
1 large can tomato sauce
1 regular can of tomato sauce
1 can of water
4-5 medium potatoes peeled and cut into one inch chunks
1/2 of a large onion, diced
1/2 lb carrots peeled and sliced
1 can or whole kernel  corn
1 can of peas
1 can of green beans
1/2 cup ketchup
2 beef bouillion cubes
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Basically, I just put all of this in the crock pot and let it simmer on low for about 8 hours or around 4-5 hours on high. Here is a trick I like to use. I use the juice in the cans of vegetables. I feel like it helps keep the nutritional value up better than draining the vegetables. Besides, you would have to add water, anyway. Why not use water with flavor already added? Now, if you prefer a more beefy and less tomato-tasting stew, by all means, use beef stock or broth in place of the tomato sauce, just remember to add a bit of thickener like corn starch or your stew will be runny. Also, sometimes, I use diced tomatoes instead of the smaller can of sauce. Believe it or not, the ketchup REALLY makes a difference in the flavor. I have NEVER had anyone eat my stew who didn't love it. I hope you enjoy! Let me know when you try it!