March 1-7,2009

March 1-7,2009

Since I still had some velveeta cheese left over after last weeks soup, I decided to use it up. This soup is one that the church would always use for its soup and pie supper. This was always the first soup to disappear.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cook together in 3 cups of water
2 diced potatoes
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
½ cup diced onions
4 Tbsp chicken bouillon granules

Add:
2 pkg Frozen broccoli
2/3 pound velveeta cheese
8 oz cream cheese
3 cups milk

After the vegetables are cooked, I blend them in a blender and then put them in a crock pot and keep it on low for a few hours until I am ready to serve it. You can add the cheese before you blend it

February 22-28, 2009

February 22-28, 2009

I have not made this soup in 15 years because I swore I would never cook with processed cheese again. I made it until the last step (the cheese). I tasted it and it lacked flavor in the broth so I added chicken bouillon and that didn't help. I finally added the cheese.

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

1 ½ pound ground chuck
1 onion diced
8 cups water
¾ cup barley
2 15 oz cans stewed tomatoes
½ pound carrots diced
Salt, pepper
1 t oregano
1 t basil
½ bag frozen corn
1 ½ cups fresh green beans
1 pound velveeta

Saute the ground chuck and onion together until cooked through. Add to stock pot along with the water, barley, tomatoes, carrots, salt pepper oregano and basil. When the carrots are cooked through add the corn and green beans for 3-4 minutes. Move to low heat and add the velveeta cheese until melted

February 15-21, 2009

February 15-21,2009

Last week I cooked two chickens on a rotisserie and made chicken pot pie with the meat. I took the chicken carcasse and added enough water to cover and then added a carrot, celery rib, onion and whole pepper. After simmering for a couple hours, I strained the stock and skimmed off the fat. I froze it until I could make the soup this afternoon.

Turkey Noodle Soup

½ cup butter
½ cup flour
3 quarts chicken or turkey broth
2 cups cut up chicken
2 medium onions diced
2 cups carrots diced
2 cups celery diced
1 pkg reames egg noodles
Salt
Pepper
Thyme

Melt the butter and add the onions. Sweat the onions for 10 minutes until soft. Add the flour and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add broth and bring it to a boil. Add celery and carrots, salt, pepper and thyme to taste. When the celery and carrots are tender, add the egg noodles and cook until done, approximately 20 minutes. Serve

February 8-14, 2009

February 8-14, 2009

I occasionally try a recipe I find in the newspaper and sometimes I am pleased with the results. This recipe is flavorful because of the sweet pork sausage.

We have soup suppers at church during lent and I brought this soup a couple years ago. One of the women at church asked for the recipe because she really liked it and they were having a soup contest at work. It was a big hit and she was in a run off contest with another co-worker. I don't think she won but she had fun.

Tortellini soup

1 pound Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans beef broth (13 ¾ ounce)
½ cup water
1 can peeled whole tomatoes, (28 ounce) cut up
1 can tomato sauce (15 ounce)
1 cup sliced carrots
½ t. dried basil
½ t dried oregano
1 t parsley flakes
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 package cheese tortellini (9 oz)
1 medium green pepper, chopped
Shredded parmesan cheese

Brown sausage in large pot then set aside sausage. Keep drippings in pot, and cook onions and garlic in drippings for 10 minutes. Add all ingredients down to and including the parsley flakes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini, tortellini and green pepper, and then cover and simmer another 20-25 minutes until tortellini is tender. Top servings with cheese.

February 1-7,2009

February 1-7, 2009

With the rest of the 17 pound ham I made, I decided to find a recipe that had a ham bone for flavor and this is what I found. It wasn't my favorite recipe but it was filled with vegetables and it was flavorful. I added the ham to the recipe since I wanted some protein too. The pesto I made from my garden basil last summer, but I love the parmesan cheese addition the most.

Minestrone

3 T olive oil
5 canned plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped, plus ½ cup of their juice
1 large onion, chopped
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk sliced
¾ pound butternut squash, diced
1 T dried rosemary
3 T fresh parsley
1 large carrot, diced and peeled
1 pound green cabbage shredded
1 can pinto beans
3 quarts water
2 T. salt
Freshly ground pepper
½ pound green beans cut into 1 inch lengths
Ham bone
2 cups diced ham

Sauté the onions and celery in olive oil until soft in a large pot. Add the tomatoes, with their juice, potato, squash, rosemary carrot, cabbage, salt, pepper, water, and ham bone. Bring to boil and then simmer till vegetables are tender. Add the green beans, parsley, and diced ham until green beans are tender. Remove the ham bone. Serve with pesto or freshly grated parmesan cheese

January 25-31,2009

Last week I made a 17 pound bone-in ham so I could use the left overs for soup this week. Wild rice is harvested in northern Minnesota and is one of my favorite dishes. I found a recipe for wild rice soup in the paper but I didn't want to add the cream , sherry or the almonds so I change the recipe almost every time I make it. The wild rice absorbs a lot of the broth even when you add it cooked. This is one of my favorite soups and I usually make it a couple times a year.

Wild Rice Soup

½ cup butter
2 onions, chopped
½ cup flour
8 cups chicken broth
5 carrots diced
Salt to taste
2 cups wild rice
3 cups ham diced

Melt the butter in a stock pot and then add onions, stirring until soft approximately 8-10 minutes on medium high heat. Add flour and stir a few minutes until the flour coats the onions and forms a film on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and when it reaches a boil, turn down the heat and add the diced carrots. After the carrots are cooked through, add the cooked wild rice and ham. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

January 18-24,2009

With two Norwegian parents, you grow up with rather bland food. It wasn't until we moved to Louisiana that I discovered spices. Don't get me wrong, many comfort foods are bland and I have good memories of them. I have renamed this soup of chili "Norwegian Chili" for a reason that you will probably be able to figure out when you read through it or make it. It is pretty quick to throw together.

Norwegian Chili

1 can kidney beans
2 1 pound cans diced tomatoes
2 pounds ground chuck
2 medium onions chopped
1 t garlic powder
1 T chili powder
Salt to taste
8 oz can tomato sauce
2 cans tomato soup
1 soup can water
Brown the ground chuck with the onions. Put all the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Ladle into bowls and serve with shredded cheese or plain

January 11-17,2009

We are having a snow storm in the midwest and it is supposed to get really cold this week with below zero wind chills. Soup is the perfect food for coming in after shoveling the sidewalk. I tried a new recipe that I found but I changed a few ingredients. I love sweet potatoes so this Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup caught my eye.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup

2 T. unsalted butter
1 T. olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2 shallots thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
3 ribs celery, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken broth
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½ inch chunks
1 14 ½ ounce can chopped tomatoes
½ t red pepper flakes
1 t. dried marjoram
3 bay leaves
2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
3 cups baby spinach

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the oil. Add the onion and shallots. Saute for about 15 minutes or until soft. Add the bell pepper and celery and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two. Add the broth, chicken, sweet potatoes , tomatoes, red pepper flakes, dried marjoram, bay leaves, salt and pepper and stir until combined. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add baby spinach and cook until wilted ( about 3- 5 minutes).

January 4-10, 2009

We had this soup at my friends house a couple years ago and my husband asked me to get the recipe. My friend Marianne was more than willing to e-mail it to me. I doubled the recipe so that my husband was able to eat it all week.

Creamy White Chili

1 lb. chicken breast poached and shredded
10 ounces Hillshire Farm Smoked Turkey sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 medium onion, diced
1/ ½ t garlic powder
1 T. vegetable oil
2 cans ( 15 oz) Great Northern Beans, drained
14 ½ ounces chicken broth
2 cans ( 4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 t. salt
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried oregano
½ t. pepper
¼ t. cayenne pepper
1 cup (8oz.) sour cream
½ cup whipping cream
In a large saucepan sauté onions and garlic powder in oil for 10 minutes. Add beans, broth, chilies, sausage and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. You may put in a crock pot on low for several hours. Prior to serving, stir in sour cream, and whipping cream. Serve topped with Monterey jack cheese or salsa

January 1-3, 2009

I am not one for making New Years Resolutions but I decided to try something a little different. My New Years Resolution was to make a different soup each week. I enjoy cooking but I don’t have time during the week. This leaves the weekend to cook for the entire week. I love making a pot of soup on a Saturday or Sunday and reading a good book. In the Midwest, the winter can be cold and blustery so a nice bowl of soup for supper is very welcoming. I am not fond of the canned or packaged soups. Soups are not difficult to make and they are easy to reheat for supper. I have tried making my own chicken and beef broth, but I have found canned broths to be fine substitutes.



Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms

2T vegetable oil
4 pounds beef short ribs
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 ½ cups hot water for 30 minutes
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup tomato paste
4 cups beef stock
3 cups water
1 cup pearl barley
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Brown the short ribs, remove and set aside. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and cook until lightly browned and soft, about 10 minutes. Strain the dried mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Add the mushrooms to the pot. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, stock, water and reserved soaking liquid. Bring to a boil and add the barley and short ribs. Reduce the heat, partially cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 4 hours.
Remove the ribs from the soup, let cool to the touch and cut the meat from the bones. Discard the bones and return the meat to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and cook a few more minutes.