Turkey Taco Chili

I used cannellini, dark kidney beans, pinto, and navy beans.

Here's another post I found in my drafts. Looks yummy!

http://www.yummyhealthyeasy.com/2012/10/quick-easy-delicious-turkey-taco-chili.html

Crockpot Potato Ham soup

Chilly fall days call for foods that warm.  Comfort.  Satisfy.  

The hectic lives all young families seem to be living these days demand satisfying, healthful meals that don't take a lot of time to prepare.

Enter this soup.  

Everyone in my family loved this soup.  I'm not sure if it was the soup or the amazing 'Marco Polo' we used to dip into the soup, but this meal was a big hit.  It will also make one night this week easier when it's time to make the lunchboxes.  I loved the smokiness the ham brought and it was all those things I want from a hearty fall meal.

This soup was very easy (save a little bit of peeling) and is pretty versatile--I had extra carrots in the fridge, so I used them.  I added some cheese at the end.  As I was eating, I thought, "If not for the boys, this would be good with a little crushed red pepper or hot sauce mixed in."  I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Go check out the Moms with Crockpots for more great Crock pot recipes!

Crockpot Potato and Ham Soup Source:  Adapted slightly from Moms with Crockpots 

•     3-1/2 cups peeled, diced potatoes
•     ⅓ cup chopped celery
•     ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
•     1 sliced carrot
•     1 cup diced ham
•     3-1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
•     1 t. salt
•     1 t. pepper
•     5 T. flour
•     5 T. butter
•     2 cups milk

Instructions

1. Add ingredients, up to and including pepper, into crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, making sure potatoes are tender before moving on.
2. About 15 minutes before serving, make a roux by melting butter in a saucepan, then whisking in flour. Cook on medium for about a minute, and then and gradually add milk, whisking constantly over med heat until thick.
3. Add the milk mixture into crockpot, and continue to cook 15-20 more minutes.
4. Serve with crusty bread.

• 3-1/2 cups peeled, diced potatoes
• ⅓ cup chopped celery
• ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup diced ham
• 3-1/4 cups water
• 6 chicken bullion cubes
• t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 5 T. flour
• 5 T. butter
• 2 cups milk

Instructions

1. Stir all but milk, flour and butter into crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, check tenderness of potatoes.
2. minutes before serving, melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and gradually add milk, stirring constantly over med heat until thick.
3. Stir mixture into crockpot.
4. Let cook 15-20 minutes more.

- See more at: http://momswithcrockpots.com/2011/12/crock-pot-ham-potato-soup/#sthash.D84qJ5Q4.dpuf

• 3-1/2 cups peeled, diced potatoes
• ⅓ cup chopped celery
• ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup diced ham
• 3-1/4 cups water
• 6 chicken bullion cubes
• t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 5 T. flour
• 5 T. butter
• 2 cups milk

Instructions

1. Stir all but milk, flour and butter into crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, check tenderness of potatoes.
2. minutes before serving, melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and gradually add milk, stirring constantly over med heat until thick.
3. Stir mixture into crockpot.
4. Let cook 15-20 minutes more.

- See more at: http://momswithcrockpots.com/2011/12/crock-pot-ham-potato-soup/#sthash.D84qJ5Q4.dpuf

• 3-1/2 cups peeled, diced potatoes
• ⅓ cup chopped celery
• ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup diced ham
• 3-1/4 cups water
• 6 chicken bullion cubes
• t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 5 T. flour
• 5 T. butter
• 2 cups milk

Instructions

1. Stir all but milk, flour and butter into crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, check tenderness of potatoes.
2. minutes before serving, melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and gradually add milk, stirring constantly over med heat until thick.
3. Stir mixture into crockpot.
4. Let cook 15-20 minutes more.

- See more at: http://momswithcrockpots.com/2011/12/crock-pot-ham-potato-soup/#sthash.D84qJ5Q4.dpuf

Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder

I've clearly been on a Rachael Ray kick lately, and it's because she sets things up so that you use things throughout the week, meaning smaller grocery bill and less waste (and I definitely need help in both of these areas). 

This week, I made a number of recipes from the July/August 2012 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray in a segment called "One Grocery Bag, 3 Great Meals."  The recipes revolved around chicken, crusty bread, and corn.  Yum-o, as it were.

I was hesitant about this one, not because of the meal itself, but rather about a hot soup's appearance in a summer issue.  I went ahead and made this on what ended up being the hottest day of the summer so far (we are currently in our second heat wave of the 10 day old summer, with temperatures near 100 in both waves).  We cooled it quite a bit, but it was a still a warm/hot soup; I frankly don't think it would be quite as tasty if it were lukewarm or cool.

I enjoyed making the soup and most especially liked making homemade croutons, which are so incredibly easy to do with a good bread on hand.  I omitted the milk to keep it a little lighter, but think it would be even better with a little bit; I don't think I would add the whole cup for a summer soup, though definitely would keep it for winter-time.

Definitely use this as an opportunity to take advantage of the super delicious and super cheap fresh corn in your market right now!

Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder  Source:  Everyday with Rachael Ray July/August 2012

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
EVOO, for drizzling
Salt and pepper
3T butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1lb yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
32 oz chicken broth
4 large ears corn, husked
1 cup milk (omitted)
1/2lb crusty bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pinch cayenne

Directions:
1.  Preheat your grill to medium heat.  Drizzle oil over chicken, then season with salt and pepper.  Grill chicken, flipping once, until just firm, around 8 minutes.  Let cool on a plate and cut into small cubes.
2.  Melt 2T butter over medium heat in a soup pot.  Saute onion until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add potatoes and broth, and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Remove from the heat and puree with an immersion blender.
3.  Meanwhile, remove the corn kernels from the cob; scrape with a spoon to remove the "milk" from the corn.  Place all into a large bowl, then stir into the pot.  Add the chicken and milk (if using) and warm over medium heat until heated through.  Transfer to bowls.
4.  Prepare croutons by melting 1T butter over medium-low heat in a nonstick skillet.  Add the bread and toss with the butter.  Season with cayenne and toast until golden, about 10 minutes.  Serve croutons over thte chowder.

 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Broccoli Cheddar Soup. It's a staple soup in our home, and the quest for a decent homemade version has been long and arduous.  When I found this version in Food Network Magazine this month, and noticed its use of not only Russet potatoes, but also sweet potatoes, I knew I'd be trying it soon.  See, I love sweet potatoes, while my husband despises them.  If I can find ways to get them into our diets by sneaking or making them taste different, I will surely do it.

One great thing about this is that it came together fast; a perfect fall weeknight meal when some salad and crusty bread is thrown into the mix.  As is typical with me these days, I didn't have everything I needed to make the recipe as written.  Specifically, I didn't have enough chicken broth.  I boozed it up, and used dry white wine (probably about 1/4c) and water to make the full 2 cups.  I think it really contributed to the flavor, but wasn't overwhelming--I could definitely taste the wine in the soup and it was lovely.

I like that the broccoli is added in chunks instead of pureed; I think it makes for a much more attractive and appetizing, not to mention easier, soup.  I wish, however, that I'd had the foresight to chop the broccoli down even smaller to make it more manageable to eat.

Now, for my deception.  Using an immersion blender was imperative here.  I discovered some chunks of sweet potato hadn't been cut all the way down, and made sure they didn't make it into his bowl.  The color of the soup is just like any restaurant Broccoli-cheddar soup I've ever had.  There also seems to be no sweet potato flavor.  In other words, he didn't even notice that there was something unusual in the soup.  He did comment, however, that while it is good, it just doesn't meet his expectations of a delicious restaurant style broccoli cheddar soup.

I don't know about all that, but I found it to be a delicious, hearty soup that was easy to prepare and got some additional veggie goodness in our bellies.  The boys both ate it, although they particularly enjoyed the bread we served with it.  As far as I can tell, it's gluten free and fairly healthful.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup Food Network Magazine October 2011

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 1/3 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups)
• Croutons, for topping (optional)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, half-and-half, both potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl; add 3 tablespoons water and season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes; drain.

When the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf from the soup and transfer the soup to a blender. Puree until smooth, leaving the filler cap slightly open to let steam escape (or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender). Return the soup to the pot and thin with water, if necessary. Return to a simmer over medium-low heat; stir in the broccoli and season with salt and pepper.

Add the cheese and stir until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons, if desired.

Chunky Gazpacho with Sauteed Shrimp

Sorry to have been so absent for so very long.  It's embarrassing.

I made this a few weeks ago during a huge heat wave.  I had no interest in heating up the kitchen, so gazpacho seemed a natural choice.  I haven't been traditionally a fan of gazpacho, so I hoped the addition of shrimp to the recipe would change the flavor dramatically but still keep my kitchen cool.

While I didn't make the recipe exactly as written, since I used all red tomatoes, I still wasn't super enthused about this gazpacho.  I guess something's wrong with me; who wouldn't love the fresh flavors of summer produce?   I was right that the addition of shrimp would make a big difference; the spoonfuls with shrimp as well as soup were quite delicious.  Maybe you'll try cutting the shrimp into smaller pieces so there is shrimp throughout?

But perhaps someone out there hasn't perused the Cooking Light website lately and happens to LOVE gazpacho, or will play with the ingredients a little different so that it's not so heavy on the cucumber flavor.

Chunky Gazpacho with Sauteed Shrimp Cooking Light August 2010

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chilled low-sodium vegetable juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds red tomatoes, cored, chopped, and divided
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 cup chopped English cucumber, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 12 ounces yellow tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 1/2 cup fat-free Greek-style plain yogurt

Preparation

• 1. Place vegetable juice, salt, ground red pepper, half of red tomatoes, and garlic in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed tomato mixture into a large bowl. Place the remaining red tomatoes, 2/3 cup cucumber, 1/2 cup bell pepper, 1 tablespoon basil, and lemon juice in blender; process until smooth. Add to pureed tomato mixture in bowl. Stir in remaining 1/3 cup cucumber, 1/4 cup bell pepper, and yellow tomatoes. Cover and chill.
• 2. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp to pan; grill 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from heat.
• 3. Ladle about 1 3/4 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 4 ounces shrimp, 2 tablespoons yogurt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons basil.

Pasta Fagioli

When my very good friend Lishie had her baby shower in 2009, the favor was the very clever gift of a recipe and box of alphabet pasta.  I'm just finally getting around to making the recipe.

I made it on Thursday, to enjoy on Friday, which happened to be not only a Lenten Friday, so no meat, but also a snowy April Fool's Day in these parts.  A hearty bowl of soup was just the ticket.

Because it was a meatless day, I'm happy I followed the instructions to use a cup of water, but in the future, I will probably use chicken broth instead.  I also will probably use more pasta next time, or maybe a thicker pasta (though if making for kids, definitely go with alphabet!  Even though E is way too young to know the difference *I* think it's super cute!)  I didn't use canned beans, instead using dried garbanzo beans and soaking then cooking them.  To compensate, I used a can and a half of water instead of measuring out a cup.  Finally, I didn't have the recommended styles of diced tomatoes, but think I used one can of regular diced tomatoes, and two cans with basil and onion.

I didn't measure out the spice, but since I was making it for my baby as well as myself, gave it a few shakes.  It's perfect; there's a hint of spice to it, but nothing that would make me say "too much" or even, "that's spicy."  It's got a nice kick that way!

Alphabet Pasta Fagioli from DeLish!
1T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1c onion, coarsely chopped
14-1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, do not drain
14-1/2 ounces diced tomatoes with basil
14-1/2 ounces diced tomatoes with roasted onion and garlic
15 ounces garbanzo or navy beans, do not drain
1 c water
1/2t dried basil
1/4t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2t sea salt
1/3c Alphabet pasta
2T fresh basil, minced
1/8t freshly ground black pepper

Heat up the oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan until shimmering; add garlic and cook until it "speaks."  Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add and combine the tomatoes and beans, water, seasonings, and bring to a boil covered.  Cook for about 4 minutes, then add the pasta and reduce heat to medium.  Cook pasta uncovered for about 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked as you like.  Just before serving, add fresh basil and pepper.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup

What do you like on your tacos?  When I make them, it's imperative that I have lettuce, tomato, black olives, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and salsa.  I totally get the stink eye when I forget the black olives, so I stock up when they're on sale.

With this in mind, I knew it was important to include black olives when I made this recipe from Running Mama Cooks.  It wasn't until I opened the can that I realized they also had jalapenos in them.  This is a concern when you have a son who "hates spicy food."

As I was browning the chicken, my husband, who is home sick today, remarked that it smelled awesome in there and wanted to know what was cookin.  I told him, and he got very excited about it.  I expressed my concern that it wouldn't be filling enough for dinner, and threw out adding rice to the dish.  His suggestion was that we use pita bread rather than tortilla chips to dip and also fill our bellies a little more.

Ironically, my three year old didn't complain it was spicy, though the rest of us did.  I added heavy cream to it for all of us, which was a great addition, but it was still way too spicy for us.  I think it was the added jalapenos that did it.  The base flavor was definitely tasty aside from the spice, so I'll be trying this one again and...um...omitting a little of the heat!

Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup

Slightly Adapted from Running Mama Cooks

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders, cut into chunks  (I used chicken breast)
Olive oil cooking spray
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped (I used a red pepper)
1 tbs minced garlic  (I used a heaping spoonful of chopped garlic)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth (I used two cans of chicken broth)
1 packet low sodium taco seasoning (I used 1/2c of this seasoning recipe)
4.5 oz green chili's, drained
1.5 cups frozen corn

2.25 oz sliced black olives with jalapenos

Directions:

Heat pan to medium heat, spray generously with cooking spray. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Add onion, pepper and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes.

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Add chicken and vegetables. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream and/or a little bit of Mexican cheese on top.

Chicken Noodle Soup

My mom always uses a chicken carcass to make chicken soup.  I figured I'd give it a go, and see how it turned out.  I turned to the internet for some help, and used this recipe as my base.

As that recipe directed, I put my carcass (I used rotisserie from the store) in a stock pot, and covered it with 4 qts of water.  I brought it to a boil, and then let it simmer with the cover on for an hour.  I strained the hard stuff from the broth, picked the meat from the bones.  I skimmed the fat off after it had cooled a bit.

Then, I simmered some onion, carrots, celery (and wish I had used some garlic), along with some chicken bouillon until the veggies were soft.  I added some Italian seasoning  and the picked chicken, along with some cooked pasta.


The result is sort of dissatisfying.  I don't know what I did differently from my mom, but this wasn't great.  I do think I will go back to my starter recipe, and take their suggestion of cooking the vegetables outside the broth, to see if that brings some additional flavor.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

When my co-op box came this week, I gave up some beets and got double on broccoli.  I knew what had to be done.  Another try on Broccoli Cheddar Soup!

I've made a version that is very popular on a message board of which I am a member, and it wasn't super successful round here, but I wanted to try it again, because we Looooove Broccoli Cheddar soup.

But, alas, things didn't quite work out.  The two bunches of broccoli looked like about a cup.  Hmm.  So, I went to my freezer and pulled out some frozen broccoli.  I also had only 1 cup of half and half in the fridge, and so used milk for the other cup.  We use skim.  Hmmm, missing some of that creamy goodness.

But, this was a really good version of Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  I had it today as leftovers, and was really happy with it.

Thanks to Julia for posting it on her blog!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (adapted from Food Network, as seen on Amber’s blog)
Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups broccoli florets, stems removed (about 1 head)
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you’ll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)
Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese.

Corn Tortilla Soup with Chicken and Lime

Recipe found here.

I have to tell you that I'm LOVING Robin Miller's method of making a lot of something with the intent of using the leftovers in another meal. It worked great in this case; in fact, the chicken wasn't that great the first time around--stringy and tough--but the additional simmering provided for this soup made the chicken much better, and even in some bites, quite good.
I made this using the leftover chicken I made along with Chicken with Sweet Tomato Pine Nut Sauce. This was definitely an easy and tasty soup, but was really not that satisfying for a whole meal.

Unfortunately, we didn't try the meal EXACTLY as written. I ran out of lime juice, so probably got 1T at most. It was still good without that addition, but it would probably have had greater flavor with it

.

CORN TORTILLA SOUP WITH CHICKEN AND LIME
Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped scallions (green and white parts)
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 reserved cooked chicken breast halves, cubed (or 4 cups cubed cooked chicken)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
4-ounce can minced green chilies, drained
2 bay leaves
2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups crumbled tortilla chips
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add scallions, celery and garlic and cook 3 minutes, until soft. Add chicken and oregano and cook 1 minute, until oregano is fragrant. Add tomatoes, broth, corn, chilies, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and add lime juice and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with crushed chips.

Cheddar Potato Soup

Original recipe here

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 cups cubed peeled potatoes
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups milk, divided
• 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled We used turkey bacon
  

Directions

• In a large Dutch oven or soup kettle, saute onion and celery in butter for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Stir in 2 cups milk, bouillon, salt and pepper. Combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Add cheese and bacon; stir until cheese is melted. Yield: 10-12 servings (about 2-1/2 quarts).

My mom made this for us since I haven't really been able to do my freezer cooking for when the baby comes, although I had high hopes, a full fridge, and some great plans. This smelled soo good, and Mom said that she wanted the recipe and that she would double it in the future. We all had a taste, and decided to have it for dinner, with salad and some yummy bread. It made a great meal (we paired with ciabatta and semolina... both were great, but the ciabatta was just a little bit better.)

It was also a big hit with the 2.5 year old, who also ate salad and bread.

This made enough for our dinner, plus enough for us to have when the baby comes. We filled a 2qt container and 2 1qt containers with the leftovers.

Definitely make this soup!!

Chicken Stew

One of the many things on M's "do not like" list is beef. As a result, we don't eat a whole lot around here, but there are lots of beef based foods I really really miss. Beef stew is one of them. I mentioned the troubles with planning meals for a "picky" eater to a coworker, who suggested I try chicken stew. Well, I'd never even thought about that!

I found this one on the food tv website, and it looked really promising. It's Giada, it's highly rated on the website, and it looked really yum! It also has beans, which are also on the "do not like" list. He complained about having to pick so many beans out of his bowl, but nonetheless said he really liked this! YAY! I really liked this one too; it has all the things I love about beef stew (errr, except the beef) and great flavor.

It was really easy too, with the hardest part being the vegetable chopping and the chicken shredding.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 chicken breast with ribs (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic)
• Serving suggestion: crusty bread

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion I added a heap of garlic here too. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the stew into serving bowls and serve with the bread.

Cream of Tomato Soup

From foodtv.com, by Georgia Downard.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 pound fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, juices reserved
• 2 cups reduced-sodium canned chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup light cream or milk
• Salt and pepper

Directions

In a large nonreactive saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes without allowing to color. Add tomatoes with their juices, broth, tomato paste, basil, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer stirring frequently, 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

In a food processor or blender, puree soup in batches until smooth. Return to pan and stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes, and serve.

This is a pretty basic, very tasty cream of tomato soup, much like other tomato soups I've made, like this. I did use canned tomatoes, and the result was a thinner soup that I would have liked. I would use canned diced tomatoes in the future. I felt the soup was too thin, so added another tablespoon of tomato paste; as I've said in other tomato soup recipes, I've sometimes accidentally used the whole can (what are you supposed to do with the leftover paste??) so I might just go ahead and do that too. I also added a stalk of celery and some garlic with the carrots and onion. Finally, I only had about 1/2 c of chicken broth on hand, so I just used chicken stock I had to complete the 2 cups. What's the difference between broth and stock anyway? I had 2% milk around from another recipe, so went ahead and used that as the "cream."

So this was good, reasonably fast and easy to make, and has (temporarily at least) sated my craving for tomato soup.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

From allrecipes.com, see the original here.
Ingredients

* 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 1/2 cups beef broth
* 3 potatoes, diced
* 4 carrots, sliced
* 1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions

1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
2. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

I made this for "lunch club" at work, partially (erm, largely) due to my husband's dislike of all things beef. I messed up modified the recipe by adding a whole can of beef broth, only using 2 potatoes, and using 2 stalks of celery. It was a little bit too much broth, I thought, but after taking the first serving, I decided that wasn't the case at all, and was glad I had done it.

This was a really flavorful stew, and I will certainly make it again. If you go to allrecipes and read the reviews, someone name Corinne made a bunch of modifications to the base recipe, but I'm not a fan of cooking meat before putting it in a slow cooker, so I went with the original recipe! When I make this in the future, I will add a can of mushrooms (almost did that this time, but, um, forgot) and a can of tomatoes--not sure if stewed or whole would work best. I also might take Corinne's modification of using a package of stew mix, although I love the idea of setting the spices on my own.

The good thing about lunch club is that you get the benefit of the opinions of several coworkers. First, they all commented (as did some students who could smell it in the hallway) on the delicious aroma of the stew. It's funny, you bring a crockpot into work and people think you're a domestic goddess. I heard feedback from two others who ate the stew, and they both commented (unsolicited) that it was really good.

In short, this beef stew isn't like Mom makes, but it's pretty good nonetheless... and until I get around to bugging Mom for her recipe, or finding one that comes close, this is a delicious (and fairly easy) stew!!

Gazpacho by Alton Brown

Original recipe here.

I wanted to make something nice and cool because it was so stinking hot. I had never made Gazpacho before, but I knew it was cool, and figured it would be great for the heat. You can never go wrong with Alton Brown, so I went with his recipe, even though it's suggested prep time was longer than many others I found.

This may very well be a fabulous gazpacho, but it was not for us. Perhaps due to my lack of measuring, but BAJ said it tasted like "cucumber/jalapeno soup." I thought it was ok, but not good enough to keep on eating. My friend liked it, or at least she SAID she did.

I think I might try making Gazpacho again, and maybe even this one (it's so highly rated on foodtv.com and across the internet,) but this time it was just not good.

Tomato Soup with Chicken and Feta Cheese

This recipe appeared in my email on a day that I was cold, tired, and not in the mood to cook dinner. Perfect; we'll have soup and a sandwich for dinner. I went to the store and purchased prepared chicken salad, Perdue shortcuts (grilled chicken), and some feta cheese (sooo much cheaper than the Gorgon), and went on my merry way. I picked an Israeli feta simply because a gentleman at the store told me it was the best of the best but, more importantly, it was the cheapest per pound available.

This was so easy to prepare, and, with the exception of the feta and the chicken, was all stuff I had on hand. It was very tasty too, although not a great compliment to the chicken salad sandwiches. It was something a little bit different than our normal creamy tomato soup, so it was nice!

I was lazy and mixed the feta into the soup rather than crumbling it on top. This was also good leftover; I was a little concerned about reheating the feta, but it was still yummy.

I'll be making this one again for sure. Now, what to do with all the feta I have left over... hmmmm.

Grilled Turkey and Ham Sandwiches with Tomato Soup

From Cooking Light's January/February 2009 issue. Also here

Pictures coming soon!

This was pretty easy to put together, and a break from our usual routine. That said, it wasn't anything spectacular. The soup was a little on the bland side, and the sandwich was alright too.

Matzoh Ball Soup

ATK...coming soon.

These came out...not great. I used vegetable oil as suggested, but also added some chicken broth. Those were the only changes I made and they were blech. The Husband claimed that they were "mealy." I don't know how to describe it, but I spit it in the trash.

Next time I'll try the same recipe, but I'll go forward with the homemade chicken broth as suggested.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

ATK..coming soon

This was...eh. Our first eh from ATK, I believe. It was kind of a pain to make, since I had to chop the broccoli, then food process it, all before cooking. I suppose it would have been faster had I used frozen broccoli, but anyway...

The man is used to broccoli and cheese soups (probably made with Velveeta, no less), so he was not at all a fan and didn't even finish his bowl. I thought it was ok, but not something I'd bother to make again.

The recipe can also be used to make asparagus or pea soup. The man will eat neither of these, and it's not worth it for me to make for myself either.

AH WELL, the search for a great homemade soup stands at the ATK Cream of Tomato soup.

Fire Roasted Tomato Bisque

From Food and Wine's Annual Cookbook 2003.

4T unsalted butter
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 med carrot, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3T all purpose flour
4c chicken stock/broth
2 14-1/2 oz cans diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained I had crushed, not diced
3T tomato paste I used the whole can
2t sugar
1/4c heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground white pepper I used black
1/2c garlic or cheese croutons, for garnish (optional)

1. In a med saucepan, melt 2 T butter. Add the vegetables, cover and cook over moderately high heat stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 5 min. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir over low heat for 1 min, or until the flour is fully incorporated. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar and bring to a boil. Cover partially and cook the soup over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender, about 15 min.
2. Puree in batches until smooth. Return puree to the saucepan, add the heavy cream, and cook until the soup is just heated through. Season with salt and pepper and swirl in the remaining 2 T of butter. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with croutons, and serve at once.

This was just ok in my book. I much preferred the Cream of Tomato soup from the ATK cookbook. It really didn't have any more flavor due to the fire roasted tomatoes, although I do like this recipe's addition of extra veggies.