Chicken Corn Chowder

This soup will be served in heaven, I am certain of it. We had it at a "Soup-er Sunday" meal at the Branch and this was served: it is definitely as homemade, country-like, and delicious as it gets. It's a bit labor intensive, but corners can be cut here and there (I'm wondering how chicken cooked in the crock pot instead of roasted would work?).

Ingredients
5-6 lb. chicken--roast until golden crisp
1 pint corn
2 cups carrots, sliced
3-4 potatoes, cubed
2 cups celery, sliced
3-4 med. onions, diced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbs ground sage
1 tsp thyme
kosher salt to taste
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream

Directions
1) Roast whole chicken until golden brown and set aside to cool. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones. Set chicken meat aside or refrigerate.
2) Boil the remains (bone, skin) in water until it falls apart. Remove skin and bones from broth.
3) Cook cut potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots in broth until tender. Add salt, sage, thyme and corn. Add milk and cream.
4) Bring to a boil and add cornstarch to thicken. Add cut up chicken meat and chopped parsely.

*Note: as you probably imagine, this makes a lot of soup. Cut back as desired, but better yet invite over some friends and it will be gone in one sitting. Definitely a new favorite.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

I looked at several butternut squash soup recipes but they seemed unnecessarily complicated. This recipe is a combination of my favorite spices and Mom's standard recipe. It turned out easy, delicious, and perfect for this cold autumn weather. I love soup because it's so forgiving about what you want to add/subtract. Have fun tweaking the recipe to fit your tastes. This recipe made just enough for the two of us (granted, I probably had three servings ;). Add more squash and broth to fit your family size. Hope you like it as much as I do.

Ingredients
2.5 lb. butternut squash
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic (more if desired)
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp powdered nutmeg
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 1/2 cup milk (or heavy cream for creamier soup, although less healthy)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut open squash and de-seed it. Put in baking pan and cover with foil. Cook for 1 hour or until tender
2. In large satuee pan, heat oil and cook onion and garlic until tender.
3. In blender, add cooked squash (without skin), garlic and onions, spices, and chicken broth. Blend until smooth.
4. Return to sautee pan and heat. Add milk (or cream). If too thick, add more chicken broth.
5. Serve with toasted bread or crackers. Enjoy!

Potato and Shrimp Soup

I got this recipe from my Relief Society the other day; haven't tried it yet, but it looks yummy.

Ingredients
7-8 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 lb. bag of raw shrimp (pre-cooked gets too mushy)
1 med. onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 Tbs garlic, minced
2 Tbs butter
1 pint half and half
1 cup milk
3 cups chicken broth
Tony's seasoning salt

Directions
(1) Sprinkle shrimp with garlic and Tony's seasoning salt. Let sit in fridge for a few hours.
(2) In a large pot, combine potatoes, celery, onion, and chicken broth and cook on med-high heat until tender.
(3) Add half and half and milk and make a thickening with flour or cornstarch. Add to soup until broth is nice and thick.
(4) Add shrimp and cook until pink.

Roasted Tomato Soup

TOMATO SOUP

2 cans (14 oz) chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 stalk celery, diced (I didn't have any celery, so mine went without and was still awesome)

1 small carrot, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth

1 bay leaf

2 TBSP butter

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 min. (I would line the bottom with aluminum foil or else it will be a bugger to clean off - trust me :)

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 min. Add the roasted tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until veggies are very tender, about 15-20 min. Add basil and cream. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth. (I don't have one of these, so I use my blender - works great and it makes it easy to pour into bowls!!)

Pozole

This is Sylvia's recipe that I asked her for a couple of years ago. She didn't have anything written down so she just told me how to do it and I wrote down how I did it, so obviously you can change things to your taste.

It is fabulous and very easy to make

Ingredients

One Pork Roast (as big or little as you want)

about 2 large cartons of chicken broth

2 cans hominy

1 Tbsp Chile Powder

2 tsp Garlic Salt

Dash of pepper

Salt to taste

1. In a crock pot, cover pork roast with chicken broth; cover and cook about 6 hours (low).

2. Shred roast and put back into pot.

*The broth is the soupy part so add more if you want more soup

3. Add Hominy WITH juice

4. Add chile powder, garlic salt, salt and pepper.

5. Serve in bowls and each person can add toppings of their choice (see below)

Optional Toppings:

(These are just what our family likes to use)

Onions

Tomatoes

Celery

Radish

Grated Cheese

Limes

Ta Da

Ps. That's not my picture, but pretty close to what mine looks like, only not as fancy ;)

Fresh Tomato and Spinach Creamy Soup

I have made this soup twice lately and I just love it. Sad that the fresh tomatoes are gone now.

In a large soup pan, saute in olive oil:
diced onion
red pepper flakes
garlic
fresh or dried basil

When onion is soft and transparent add:
diced fresh tomatoes
cut up fresh spinach

Stir for a minute or two then add:
4 cups of water with 1 cup of Shirley J White Cheddar Cheese sauce mixed together.

Bring to a boil to thicken and serve.

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Potatoes

In a large saucepan, combine and heat on medium:
2 c. water
2 tsp. parsley flakes
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. pepper

When boiling, cook (stirring frequently):
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. carrots
1 c. celery
2 c. potatoes
2 c. broccoli or cauliflower

When tender, combine flour and milk mixture (after having whisked it until smooth):
3 c. milk
4 tbsp. flour

Stir in 1 pound Velveeta cheese and enjoy. Absolutely delicious!

Sausage Potato Soup

Ingredients
16-24 oz smoked sausage (put in as much or as little as you'd like), cut into 1/2" pieces
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion (I used half an onion)
2 cans cream of potato soup (or 3 if you'd prefer less corn)
2 cans creamed corn (Next time I make this, I think I will do three pototao soups and only one corn because it made for a lot of corn)
1 1/3 cups milk

Directions
* Over medium heat, melt a tiny bit of butter. Add sausage, green pepper, and onion and cook until sausage is brown. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through. Enjoy!As you can see, I'm a fan of easy. Let me know if you like it.

Cheeseburger Paradise Soup

6 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 Tbsp chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
3 cups water
2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp beef bouillon granules (I used Shirley J)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp pepper
2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 Tbsp butter
5 cups milk, divided
6 Tbsp flour
1 package (16 oz) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed (I used Shirley J to taste...sorry, I don't have any idea how much I put in)

In a soup kettle, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to soup. Stir in 4 cups milk; heat through.

In a small bowl, 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; stir in cheese until melted. Garnish with crumbled bacon.

Notes:
First, I would really pay attention to how much water they said to use because it'll never thicken if you don't. Live and learn.

Second, I used Shirley J for the beef bouillon and the cheese sauce. It was fabulous!

Third, I would really suggest letting it thicken before you add in the cheese. No matter how hungry you are it'll be worth it to wait for just 2 more minutes. :)

Creamy White Chicken Chili

This was the month's winning recipe from the Shirley J Blog: Creamy White Chicken Chili submitted by Jessica Olsen of Michigan. We're having it for dinner tonight.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Shirley J Universal Cream Sauce Base
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts(3-4), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 TB garlic powder
1 TB oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup of made up Shirley J Chicken Broth (see Shirley J Chicken Bouillon label for recipe)
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup water

Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Make Shirley J Universal Cream Sauce in separate pan. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and Shirley J Universal Cream Sauce mixture. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Makes about 6 servings.

Zucchini Soup

So, if you're like me, you might just have a lot of zucchini that you are running out of ideas on how to use. This is a recipe that my mom just recently tried and it was delicious so I decided to try it today. Just finished it and added a few extra spices and it is delicious.

1 onion (diced)--I used yellow onion
1 Tbsp. butter--I used olive oil

Saute the onions until transparent. Add the following:

4 cups chunked zucchini (if you want the soup to be dark green leave peel on or peel it for lighter green)
3 cups chicken broth

Cook 15-20 min. or until tender. Puree the whole mixture in blender, then pour back in pan.

White sauce:
In separate pan melt 1 cube butter. whisk in 3/4 cup flour. Continue whisking while adding milk (half and half was the original recipe, but evaporated milk works wonders--I used 1 1/2 cans evaporated milk). Stir until smooth but be ready to take it off because it thickens in a hurry.

Add white sauce to puree zucchini mixture and whisk it in until smooth. Add 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg (I also added a couple dashes of cinnamon and "Pumpkin Pie Spice"). Salt & pepper to taste. The original recipe said to sprinkle with cheese before serving, but I didn't and it was delightful.

Sundance Tortilla Soup

This recipe is one I got from Ashley, but she hasn't shared it so I guess I will. It is one of my favorites because it is so dang fast and easy!


2 soup size cans broth (I just use water and put in a boulion cube)
1 large can tomatoes (blended)
1 bag frozen corn

Put on low heat on stove.

chop & add to soup:
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 red onion (or sometimes I use yellow)
1/2 jalapeno (sometimes I just skip this)
1 tsp cumin (I've never used it before, but today's the first)

Salt & pepper to taste. Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro about 10 min before serving (I don't think I've ever measured it). Garnish with cheese, chips, avacado slices, lime wedges, and sour cream. (Now, in my opinion the garnished is where it's at!)

(Also, I always just add everything to a crock pot and put in on low throughout the day or high if I want it now.) As I have just demonstrated this recipe is VERY forgiving on what you add, leave out, or improvise. It's definitely a must try!

Bajio's Slow-Cooker Chicken

This recipe isn't an authentic Bajio's recipe, but it tasted exactly like something at that restaurant. It was delicious and super easy, so I thought I'd post it.

Ingredients:
-2 cans black beans
-1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
-16 oz. mild or medium* salsa verde (it's green sauce for those of you like me who didn't know what that was. *This is quite spicy, so I'd only go with hot if you really love heat in your food.)
- 1 small can green chili peppers
-4 small frozen chicken breasts (I used two large ones)
-3 oz cream cheese
-tortilla shells (optional)

Throw all of ingredients into a slow cooker except for cream cheese. Cook on high for about 5 hours. Drain half of excess liquid and put in cream cheese a half hour before serving.

The chicken falls apart and is perfect for a stew or for a delicious chicken enchalada. This is how we had it, and it was perfect. With a salad on the side, you'll feel just like you're at Bajio's.

Cream of Tomato & Basil Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
4 Tbsp butter
1 ea small red onion, diced
2 cups dry white wine
3 cups canned diced tomatoes (or 1 12-oz can)
2 cups heavy cream
3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Procedures

1. MELT butter in a heavy sauce pan. Add red onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add white wine and reduce by 3/4. Add tomatoes and heavy cream, bring to a simmer and reduce by 1/2.
2. PUREE soup in a food processor. Stir in 2 Tbsp chopped basil, salt and pepper.
3. GARNISH with remaining fresh basil and tomatoes and serve.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 large diced white onion
4 Tablespoons bacon pieces
2 teaspoons garlic puree
10 cups water
5 cubes chicken bullion
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound sliced russet potatoes, or 3 large potatoes
1/4 of a bunch of kale

1. Sautee Italian sausage and red peppers in pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sautee bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 minutes or until the onions are soft.
3. Mix together the chicken bullion and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.
4. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about 1/2 hour.
5. Add cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage.
7. Add Kale just before serving.

Slow-Cooked Chili

Prep: 25 min.
Cook: 6 hours2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (16 ounces each) dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (16 ounces each) light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) stewed tomatoes, cut up
1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker; stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Yield: 14 servings.

(Note: it is very good just skipping the meat as well!)