White Chicken Chili

More soup!  I know, it's hot here in the desert, but I love soup.  Tonight I used a rotisserie chicken to create an easy chicken chili that is perfect to throw together after work.  No real cooking skills needed!

Ingredients


2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 c shredded chicken
2  (16 oz) cans Cannellini beans
1 (16 oz) can great northern beans
1/2 small can green chilis.  You can use the whole can, but I don't like as much.
2 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup heavy cream
Seasoned salt (I use Lowry's)


Directions

In your soup pot, cook the minced garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Keep stirring so it doesn't burn.  Add the shredded chicken to the pot and continue stirring.  Add the beans, chilis, and chicken broth.  In a small bowl, stir you cornstarch and heavy cream, then pour into your soup.  Continue stirring until it is fully incorporated, then turn heat to medium low and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes.  The longer, the better, but you can serve once it's hot and bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers, and top with sour cream and shredded cheese.

Cheesy Chicken Stew with Broccoli

More soup!  Yes, I know, it was 90 degrees here today, but when you want soup, you want soup.  I was prepared not to like this recipe because of the broccoli, but the kids like the green stuff and I am trying to find ways to tolerate green foods, so here we are.  This was a fast, easy meal and we all loved it.  If you use a rotisserie chicken, you will be feeding the family in no time.

Ingredients

32oz chicken broth
1 c heavy cream
1 c milk (I used whole)
2 c shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie to save time)
3 tbsp butter
1 c chopped broccoli florets
1/2 c flour
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c shredded cheese (I used my fav, colby jack)
1 pie crust, thawed

Directions
Chop up the fresh broccoli into small pieces and boil in some chicken broth.   I didn't measure, but I would guess around a cup.  Sprinkle one tsp of salt over and boil for about 5 minutes.  In a separate pot, melt 3-4 tbsp butter, then add the broccoli / chicken broth mixture.  Let simmer over medium high heat for another 5 minutes, then add 1/2 cup flour and stir thoroughly.  This will be a paste-like consistency. Slowly stir in the cream, milk, and remaining chicken broth until you have a smooth soup with no lumps (besides the broccoli, of course).  Add in your shredded chicken and 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, and reduce heat to medium.

While the stew is simmering and thickening, roll out the pie crust onto a baking sheet and cut into long strips.  Bake for 8 minutes on 450.  Once this is done, break into small chunks to serve on top of the bowls of stew.  Serve with shredded cheese and pie crust pieces on top for a delicious meal.

Better On Day 2 Steakhouse Chili Soup

I love soup, as you've probably read on this blog.  Even in 106 degree heat here in Vegas today, I found myself craving chili.  My chili is very easy to make, not too spicy, and tastes even better on day 2.  I make it soupy because I love to add cheese, sour cream, and lots of crackers until it is practically a solid substance.  The extra liquid makes the crackers extra good.  Make any modifications you would like to suit your tastes and the ingredients you may have on hand.  The beauty of chili is you can make it a million ways and it is always delicious.

Ingredients

1 lb+ beef.  You can use ground beef, or cubed up steak.  Tonight I used 1 1/2 lbs of thinly cubed tri tip steak.

1 cup beef broth

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cans chili beans--16oz each.  I used Bush's Mild Chili Beans tonight.

1 can tomato sauce

46oz bottle V-8 Spicy Hot juice

1 tbsp masa or other thickener

Seasonings to your taste:

Seasoning Salt

Garlic Powder

Chili Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Served with:

Sour Cream

Shredded Colby Jack cheese

Saltines or Oyster crackers

Brown the beef in your soup pot to save cleanup time.  If you are using ground beef, be sure to drain after browning and return to the pan.  Season with seasoning salt and garlic powder to suit your taste.  I don't measure, I just eyeball it.  Add one cup beef broth and worcestershire sauce to browned beef and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.

Add both cans of chili beans, tomato sauce, V-8, Cayenne pepper and chili powder to beef over mid-high heat.  While it starts to bubble, take 1 tbsp of masa, flour, or cornstarch--whatever thickener you prefer and have on hand--and stir it into 1/4 cup of water and mix well.  Stir this slowly into your chili until it has been mixed in.  Reduce heat.  I allow my chili to simmer for at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better with chili because the spices blend the longer you let it cook. Unfortunately at our house dinner tends to be a last minute thing, so we cook it for the minimum before digging in.  This is what makes it better on day 2 at our house, that is if you are lucky enough have leftovers for work tomorrow.

Serve in bowls with a spoonful of sour cream and shredded colby jack cheese and lots of crackers for a satisfying meal.

Lasagna Soup

Tonight I wanted to fight this winter weather with a warm bowl of soup.  Lasagna soup is cheesy, simple, and delicious.  There are lots of good recipes out there, but I adapted mine from Paula Deen's "Tastes Like Lasagna" soup recipe.  Many subtractions and cheesy additions later, and you have my version.  Delicious with garlic cheese bread on the side.  Thanks, Paula!

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
2 teaspoon oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
32 oz. chicken stock
2 (14 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 oz. box of pasta (I used vegetable farfalle, but use whatever pasta you'd like)
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
8 oz. ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella, shredded

Directions
In a soup pot, brown your ground beef.  Drain well, and return to pan.  Stir in oregano, garlic, brown sugar, broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and salt.  My family doesn't enjoy chunks of tomatoes, so I blended my diced tomatoes in some of the chicken broth separately and added it in.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to incorporate all of the flavors.  Add noodles, and return soup to boiling until noodles are tender.  (I actually boiled my pasta in some chicken broth and added it to the soup to save time, but most recipes just say to cook the noodles in the soup.  Do what works for you.)  Return soup to simmering once the noodles are tender and heat while you prepare your garlic bread and cheese topping.

While the soup is simmering, mix up your three cheeses in a bowl and stir together.  Put a generous spoonful in the bottom of each bowl, then ladle the hot soup on top.  Sprinkle soup with shredded mozzarella and serve with piping hot garlic bread.

This turned out great!  Enjoy a new twist on an old classic and warm your winter bones from the inside out.

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Bacon

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Bacon

Ah, soup!  As I have shared before on this blog, I love soup.  I love soup any day of the year.  I also love bacon, rice, and chicken.  Tonight's delicious offering came from PinchofYum.com with my picky modifications and omissions, and I offer my sincere thanks for the perfect storm of flavors.

Prep time: 30 minutes        Cook time: 1 hour (give or take)

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 (10¾ oz) cans condensed chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
• ½ cup butter
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 cups half and half (but I used whole milk)
• 1½ cup cubed or shredded cooked chicken (we used a rotisserie chicken to save time)
• 8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled (I baked mine in the oven)

Instructions

In a large saucepan, combine chicken broth and water. Add wild rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes (or until rice is tender). Once the rice is cooked, there will be some additional broth – do not drain.

Wild rice mix simmering in the chicken broth

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour, salt, and seasoning. I mixed my flour, salt and seasoning together first and then slowly added it to my melted butter.  Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly.  Mine was very thick.

Gradually stir in half and half with the butter/flour mixture and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.  Keep the heat medium and keep stirring.  Mine got a little lumpy.

Add this creamy mixture back into the saucepan with the rice/broth. Add the chicken and bacon. Heat on low, stirring every once in a while, for at least a half an hour. Do not boil. The mixture may look thin, but the longer you heat the soup, the more the flavors blend and the more it will thicken. 

Serve with warm rolls for delicious meal.  

New Year's Day Ham and Beans with Cornbread

Time for another delicious soup!  This was my first attempt at ham and beans and I'm surprised to say it came out excellent. My husband usually cooks all of the delicious things we eat, including this, but he went golfing for the day.  He put the beans to soak for me before he left so I tried to do it on my own.  It was even better the next day!

This is just a traditional ham and bean soup recipe that you can find anywhere.  Feel free to modify it to your tastes.  I saw many recipes that included vegetables, but that wasn't happening in my soup.  No how, no way.

Serves 10

Ingredients

1 pound of navy beans (or great northern beans) 

8 cups of chicken stock 

1 ham bone or ham hock

2 cups diced ham

Instructions
Make any cornbread mix to serve with the soup.  There are many out there, but my family prefers a sweeter honey cornbread mix.  

Eating ham and beans soup is a New Year's Day tradition.  It is supposed to bring you luck all year long if you eat ham and beans on New Year's Day.  I love it with cornbread crumbled up in it, but you can serve it without, or on the side if you prefer.

To prepare the beans, spread them out on a cookie sheet and check for small stones. Remove any small stones and broken or discolored beans.  Rinse the beans under cool running water to wash.  Soak the beans for at least 6 hours or overnight by placing the beans in a bowl and covering with cool water. 


**If you don't have that much time, you can try the quick soak method. Place the beans in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Then cover tightly and remove from the heat. Let rest for one hour. Or use canned beans, but I prefer the long soak method. 
Discard the water regardless of which method you choose.

Once the beans are prepared, they are ready for your soup.
1. Prepare the beans by your preferred method listed above.
2. In a stockpot, add the chicken stock and the ham bone or ham hock and the diced ham. 
3. Add the beans to the soup. 
4. Simmer for 60 minutes.  Beans are ready when they are soft to the tooth.
5. Remove the ham bone.  If you are using a ham hock, remove it from the soup and remove the meat from the bone. Add the meat from the bone to the soup. 
7. Season to your own taste with salt and/or pepper.  Definitely taste it first, because it was nearly perfect on its own.


Enjoy your good luck for the remainder of the year.  Happy 2013!

Potato Soup with Cheese and Bacon

I love soup. I can eat it all year long. It was 110 degrees today in Vegas, and the kids still wanted potato soup. And why not? The air conditioning makes soup a great idea any day.

My potato soup is quick and easy, and it makes a tasty lunch at work the next day if you have any leftovers. Plus, did I mention it is topped with cheese and bacon? So good!

Ingredients

6-8 large potatoes

1 block cream cheese

32 oz chicken stock

1 1/2 c milk

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 c shredded cheese. I prefer Colby jack, but your choice.

1 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Additional shredded cheese for topping

Wash the potatoes and cut into slices, skin on. Put the potatoes, garlic, salt and chicken stock into a pot and boil until soft. Do not drain. Remove from heat.

Add cream cheese and milk. Using your immersion blender*, blend well. Return to low heat, adding shredded cheese and stirring until blended throughout. Be sure to watch the heat and stir occasionally so your cheese doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.

Cut bacon into small chunks and fry in a separate skillet. Drain and set aside. When soup is bubbling and cheese is blended in, serve with bacon and shredded cheese topping. Crackers optional.

Serves 6-8

* If you don't have an immersion blender, you can get the same smooth results with your regular blender. Add equal parts of the potato / stock mixture with cream cheese and milk (probably 3 separate batches), blend until smooth and return to the pan to simmer with the shredded cheese. It just saves steps to use the immersion blender. So easy!

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