Smashed Potato Soup

Repost!!  I'm making this tonight.  It's a great time to check out the soup section on The Recipe Society.  There are so many yummy and easy soups to make. 

Even my pickiest eater ate this. It is really good.
Make extra mashed potatoes and use them as leftovers for this. It is super simple and is a great meal to get ready in the morning so at dinner time you can just dump it all in the pan and heat it up. You'll love this meal!! We had it for a rainy Sunday lunch with cheese quesadillas.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. coarsely chopped carrot
1/2 c. coarsely chopped celery
3 cups mashed potatoes (homemade or not) But way better with homemade!!
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth (I used 14 1/2 oz. water and two chicken bouillion cubes)
1/2 cup milk
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 c. sour cream
2 T. fresh parsley (I didn't use this)

Optional toppings: sliced green onions, cheese, bacon bits

Directions:

Place mashed potatoes in 3 qt. saucepan. Gradually add broth and milk, whisking until smooth. Stir in carrot, celery, garlic, salt, pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, 10 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and parsley. Put into bowls and top with desired toppings.

**For the quesadillas: butter one side of a flour tortilla. Lay on pan on stove, put cheese on half the tortilla and fold the other half on top. Cook until browned and flip over to cook the other side. These are a favorite.

Cheese Soup

This is a great reminder of my mom and comfort food. We've had this in bread bowls and I remember it being a great cabin meal. It is one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. carrots

1 onion

4-5 celery sticks

2 cubed potatoes

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1 can chicken broth

1 1/2 quarts hot water (use water from the cooked veggies)

1 pkg. frozen peas

Directions:

Boil carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes with enough water to barely cover.

Place Cheese Whiz with lid off in pan of hot water to melt. (I don't do that....oops.)

In large pan, melt butter, add enough flour to make paste, stirring constantly.

Gradually add hot water and chicken broth. Stir until thickened. Remove from heat and add all vegetables (don't forget the peas) and Cheese Whiz. (I think my mom put a little shredded cheese in at this point too.)

1/2 batch feeds 6

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup is so good and creamy. Chicken Noodle soup with a twist. I use to eat this at my friend's house during high school and finally about 10 years later, I got the recipe. It is from one of the Lion House Cookbooks.

Ingredients:
2 tsp. chicken soup base, or 2 bouillon cubes
3 cups canned chicken stock
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup evaporated milk, or 1/2 cup whole milk
Roux
2 cups cooked diced chicken
2 1/2 ounces (about 4 cups) cooked noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat chicken soup base and stock together. Add carrots, celery, and onion, and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add cream of chicken soup and milk. Thicken with roux as desired, then add cooked chicken and noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 2 1/2 quarts, or 10 one -cup servings.

*Roux is an equal of amount of melted butter and flour mixed together used to thicken soups, etc. I DO NOT USE ROUX in this recipe. I think the soup is thick enough without it.
*I also chop my vegetables with a chopper so they are very small. My kids tend to eat it better this way.

Taco Soup

This is my favorite Taco Soup. I'm not sure if that is because it tastes the best, because it is so simple, or because of the wonderful memories of who made this soup. I almost lived with a family my senior year in high school and 'the mom' made this soup often and I loved it.

I served it at a neighborhood Christmas party, along with this soup, and it was a hit.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion or dried onion

3 cans kidney beans

3 cans stewed tomatoes

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 - 1 package taco seasoning

2 T. sugar

Toppings:

Fritos

cheese

sour cream

Directions:

Brown ground beef with onion in pot. Mix in the beans (I sort of drain them. I'm not actually sure whether they should be drained or not), and the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer for a while. 20-30 minutes. Top with fritos, cheese, and sour cream and serve.

(P.S. I'll work on a better picture)

Masaman Chicken Curry

I love Thai food and I enjoy the challenge of trying to duplicate a dish I enjoy at a restaurant. Awhile back I had Masaman Chicken Curry at a wonderful Thai restaurant. I've had a bit of a craving and decided to try to duplicate it. I searched recipes online and couldn't find one that had the same ingredients, so I improvised and this is what I came up with yesterday. It was fantastic! The broth wasn't quite as thick as the restaurant, but since we ate it over brown rice instead of just as a soup, it was fine. The flavors were all there and it was delicious. I can't wait for lunch today when I'll be eating leftovers. The picture is without the cashews. Sorry.

3 tbsp. red curry paste
2 cans (approx 13 oz.) coconut milk
3 tbsp. fish sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. coriandor
1 onion finely chopped
4 cups cut up potatoes
2 cups sliced carrots
3 cups chicken cut in bite-size pieces
1/2 cup cashews

Stir together curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, salt and water. Bring to a boil and then immediately turn down to simmer. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer on low for three or four hours. This lets the flavors meld. Add cashews during the last hour or so. (I forgot so my cashews weren't slightly softened like they usually are. They'll be better today.)

I served this over brown rice. เพลิดเพลิน

Vegetable Pork Soup

A perfect, hearty soup for a busy fall day.  

Ingredients:

1 lb. Cubed pork

¼ cup dried lentils

4 cups water, divided

¼ cup italian dressing

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. chicken bouillon

6 medium carrots

2 stalks celery, diced

6 med. Potatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

¼ cabbage sliced thin and chopped

Directions:

Brown the pork if desired. Place the pork, lentils, 2cups of water, Italian dressing, salt and pepper into a crock pot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. When pork is done, turn crock pot on high, adding about 2 more cups of water and chicken bouillon. In a separate pan cook celery and carrots together until done. Boil potatoes until just tender. Don't overcook. While potatoes, celery, carrots are cooking, add onion and cabbage to the crock pot. Cook until translucent and soft. Drain the other vegetables and add them to the crock pot. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Recipe created by Marilyn Hendrickson (my mother)

Chicken Lentil Crock-Pot Soup

This had a rich, hearty taste. I love lentils. Eating them makes me feel healthier. I served this with a crusty bread and butter and the whole family enjoyed it! I also love ham and lentil soup and next time I'm going to try this soup with ham.

Ingredients:9 cups broth

2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed

4 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced

3 celery stocks, finely diced

1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used black rice, but you can use any rice you want)

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups cooked chicken cut or broken into bite-sized pieces

sour creamDirections:

Stir together broth, lentils, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. With one hour left, remove 2 cups of soup and puree in a blender or food processer until almost smooth. Stir back into soup. Add cooked chicken for the last hour.

Garnish soup with sour cream. I think it would be good with grated cheese as well.

Garden Vegetable Soup With Ground Beef

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger
1 1/2 quarts water
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. potatoes
1 c. cabbage, shredded
2 crookneck squash, sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
3 tomatoes, diced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp salt

Directions:

Brown hamburger. Drain. Cut all vegetables bite size. Put everything together in a big pot. Cook 1-2 hours. Remove bay leaf.

You really can add as much or as little of each vegetable as you prefer, but this is what i mixed up and is shown in the picture. original recipe found here... http://hayleesfood.blogspot.com/2009/04/hamburger-soup.html
This is from my friend that lives across the street. She brought it to me when we had our baby and made it more like what I posted so I followed what she made for us rather than her original recipe because we liked it so much.

BARLEY & CRANBERRY PORK STEW

So I've read a lot lately about the health benefits of barley--lowers cholesterol, promotes intestinal health, etc, so I've decided to try some new recipes with barley. I'll post any that my family enjoys. You can read about them at http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=127#healthbenefits. This is a tasty stew, maybe better suited to fall and winter, but since it snowed here last night, you might be able to squeeze this in before it warms up too much for stew.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds lean boneless pork, cut into bite-size pieces
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seed
salt and pepper to taste
3 large potatoes cut in small pieces
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
3 cups water
1 cup white wine
2 cans chicken broth
1 can tomatoe sauce
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
2/3 cup dried cranberries

In 6-quart pan with cover, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork cubes in batches, stirring and cooking until browned on all sides (about 4 to 5 minutes per batch). Remove each batch from pan and set aside. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Season with cumin salt and pepper. Stir in sliced potatoes and carrots; cook for 4 minutes. Mix in bay leaves, water, wine, chicken broth, tomatoes, and barley. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in cranberries. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes longer. Remove bay leaves. Serve in soup bowls. Makes 8 servings.

Delicious with crusty rolls or bread!

Easy Italian Soup

Lisa gave me this recipe years ago and I love it. It is super easy (especially when you use already cooked ground beef from the freezer). And it is healthy and delicious. Thanks Lisa!!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 package Lasagna Hamburger Helper

5 small cans tomato sauce

5 cups water

1 can corn, drained

1 can green beans, drained

Directions:

Cook the ground beef with the onion. In large pot, mix the water and tomato sauce, then add the seasoning packet from the hamburger helper. Mix in the ground beef and bring to a boil. When boiling, add noodles and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. When done, add green beans and corn. Serve with breadsticks......if you want. :)

*I buy several pounds of ground beef at a time and brown some of it with onion and garlic (or whatever spices you like) and freeze it. Makes for quick and easy meals. I also just use dried minced onion most of the time.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I will be making this tonight...it is a family favorite. I prefer to use a quart of my own canned tomatoes but you can use store bought as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water or chicken broth (I always use chicken broth)
2 T. sugar
3 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cut into bite-size pieces

Directions:

Combine in large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. And you are done!

Serve with:
Sour cream
Avocado
Grated cheese
Tortilla chips

***this is one of the many recipes I use my pre-cooked chicken...buy a few pounds of chicken, and cook it that day so no thawing is required. Shred or cut into bite-size pieces and then freeze in divided up portions. I usually freeze about 2 cups per bag...this saves me a lot of time in the future and makes cooking a little more feasible on a daily basis. I especially like to do this with bone-in chicken so that it is removed from the bone when I go to eat it and it is cheaper!!!

Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup is so warm, delicious and satisfying on a cold and rainy or snowy day. Plus everyone in my family will happily eat this. It is easy and one of my favorite things to make. I always make a large pot so we have leftovers. I serve this with our favorite Baking Powder Biscuits. This is a recipe from my Mom, although she often made her own noodles, something I have yet to do. I buy the "Country Pasta, homemade style egg pasta". They sell it at Costco and around here you can also buy it at Dick's Market. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 onion diced
2 tsp olive oil (optional)
3-4 chicken breasts
4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced
4-5 stalks of celery, sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional)
soup base ( I use "Better than Bouillon Chicken Base) I find it at Costco or Dick's Market
If you prefer you could use bouillon or chicken stock and season to taste.
Noodles


Directions:

In a large pot saute onion in a little olive oil, if you have it.
Add 4-5 quarts water and bring to boil. Add chicken and cook on medium heat. While the chicken is cooking I cut up my vegetables and parsley and add them to the pot. When the chicken is cooked remove it and cut it into desired size pieces. Return chicken to pot and add 3-4 tablespoons of the soup base. Start with less and add until you like the flavor. Simmer on low for the amount of time you have, at least until veges are tender....when you are about 30 minutes from serving, bring to boil, add noodles and cook until tender. You may have to add more water as your noodles cook and absorb some of the liquid, depending the amount of broth you like.

*The ingredients are just a guideline, I use more or less of every ingredient depending on what I have available. * Happy Cooking!