Chicken and Dumpling Soup

This is a recipe that Brian and I tried when we were first married from the back of the bisquick box. The recipe is actually just for the dumplings and you just add them to whatever soup you want (with a chicken broth base). We love this recipe, especially during the winter (which seems to be ending here...maybe).

Ingredients:

2 cups bisquick
2/3 cup milk
chicken broth soup

Directions:
Mix bisquick and milk until combined. Drop heaping spoonfuls of dough into boiling broth, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes uncovered and then 10 more minutes covered.

This is how I make our chicken soup base:
Bring however many cups of water to boil you are going to need (about 10). Add boulion cubes (one for each cup of water). When dissolved add chopped onions, carrots, celery and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes then add shredded chicken. At this point I add the dumpling dough.

*If you're making this for a small crowd like I usually am do half of this recipe. Half this recipe would feed about 2-3 people. And just so you know, leftovers of this aren't the best so make what you think you'll eat.

* We've found that really small dumplings don't cook as well. They don't fluff and cook through. Weird, but true.

Meatball Soup

I made this soup last year and kept forgetting to post the recipe. This is a delicious and very healthy soup. We served breadsticks on the side for a perfect meal! This recipe was found in what my family called the checkerboard cookbook (Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook).

Ingredients:
1 beaten egg white
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs*
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 oz. lean ground beef
2 14-oz. cans beef broth
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dried small bow tie pasta
3 cups torn fresh spinach or 1/2 of 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

Directions:
In medium bowl combine egg white, bread crumbs, onion, garlic powder, and pepper. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape meat mixture into thirty-six 3/4-inch meatballs (sounds really precise...I just made small meatballs)

Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Cook meatballs over medium heat about 8 minutes or until no pink remains, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Set meatballs aside

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan stir together broth, undrained tomatoes, garbanzo beans, mushrooms, and water. Bring to boil; add pasta. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in meatballs and spinach. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more or just until fresh spinach wilts or frozen spinach is heated through.

*I used regular bread crumbs and I think my meatballs were a little more fragile because of it. I'm not sure. But it turned out with regular bread crumbs.

Creamy White Chili

I really enjoyed this chili! I keep accidentally calling it soup, though, because it's on the thin side for a chili. It was very flavorful, just spicy enough, and nice and filling.

Creamy White Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 medium onion, diced

1 1/2 t. garlic powder (it seemed like a lot to me, but I went with it, and it was delicious!)

1 T. oil

2 cans (about 15 oz each) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (or about 1 3/4 c.) chicken broth

2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chilies

1 t. salt

1 t. cumin

1 t. oregano

1/2 t. pepper

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. cream

Directions:

In a large saucepan saute chicken, onions, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately.

Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired. Also, it tastes really good served with tortilla chips. We only had a tiny bit of chips in the bottom of a bag, and we were going for every last little crumb. ;)

Once again, it's a big hit from My Kitchen Cafe. Her site is really full of great ideas! Here's a link to the original recipe: Creamy White Chili.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I've been really bad about taking pictures of the food I've been cooking lately! Tonight, the missionaries came over for dinner, and I just couldn't bring myself to say, "Could you hold off a second? I want to take a picture." Too embarrassed. Oh well! This picture comes from My Kitchen Cafe, and it's even served in a fancy schmancy bread bowl. I definitely didn't do that. Though I did serve it with homemade rolls (using this recipe Paula shared with us a while back).

The soup was delicious! The two types of cheese gave it a wonderful flavor. And I was very pleasantly surprised with how easily and quickly it came together. I know I'll be making this one often in the future. :)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced

1 3/4 c. chicken broth (or 1 can)

fresh broccoli (to taste)

1/4 c. butter

1/3 c. flour

pepper, to taste (I'm always very generous with my pepper)

2 c. milk (I used James' whole milk for the creaminess, but you can use any variety)

1 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 c. shredded swiss cheese

Directions:

Place onions and chicken broth in a medium saucepan, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, steam your broccoli. Heat milk in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and pepper, and cook for a minute or two. Gradually whisk in warmed milk. Stir mixture until it thickens. Pour in broth and onions, and stir to combine. Add cheese and broccoli and stir until cheese melts and soup is smooth. Serve immediately.

Note: This recipe doesn't make a whole lot of soup. I didn't have enough broccoli to double it, so I multiplied everything by 1 1/2 instead. Even then, with the two missionaries (so four adults and one toddler) we finished the whole pot of soup, and there are no leftovers.

It's so yummy! Even without meat, this soup is hearty and filling enough to stand on its own as a main dish. It filled me up faster than I expected...though that could have something to do with the pregnancy thing. ;)

Here's a link to the original recipe on My Kitchen Cafe: Broccoli Cheese Soup. Enjoy!

Smoky Chipotle-Chicken Corn Chowder with Salsa Salad

I enjoyed this Rachel Ray recipe a lot more than the last one I tried. It was flavorful and yummy. Be forewarned, though, the soup is on the spicy side! Those chipotle chilies in adobo sauce are mighty spicy!

The food didn't photograph very well (with my limited skills and basic camera anyway), but it was definitely tasty. My favorite was the soup, but to my surprise, James really loved the salad! Well, he ate a bunch of avocado from it anyway. ;)

Here are the two recipes:

Smoky Chipotle-Chicken Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 chipotle chili in adobo, chopped (these come in a can in the Mexican food section of the store)

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 t. ground coriander

1/2 t. cumin (wow, I totally left this out last night...I was having a very clumsy pregnant-brain night)

salt and pepper

tortilla chips (enough for 1 c. finely crushed crumbs and some more for serving)

1 quart chicken broth (or stock)

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

20 oz. frozen corn

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Preheat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add the onions, celery, garlic, chipotle chili, celery, coriander, cumin, and a little salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions start to become tender.

Meanwhile, crush enough tortilla chips to make 1 c. crumbs. You can do this either in a food processor or by hand in a ziploc bag. Add the chips and chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Add chicken and corn and continue to cook until chicken is done (about 5 minutes). At this point, simmer on medium-low heat until you are ready to serve. If the soup is too thick add more broth, and if it's too thin, keep simmering until it reduces to your liking. Stir in parsley before serving. Serve with Salsa salad and tortilla chips.

Salsa Salad

Ingredients:

juice of 2 limes

1 T. dijon mustard

3 T. olive oil

2 ripe avocados

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine lime juice and mustard with a wire whisk. Gently whisk in the olive oil. Set dressing aside. Slice the avocados and cut the grape tomatoes in half. Place them in a large bowl. Add the lettuce, cilantro, and red onions. Toss salad with dressing and serve.

I think I may top the soup with a dollop of sour cream in the future to offset the spiciness. It was a little too much for me otherwise. Like I said, though, the soup was very tasty. Also, the salad dressing is rather strong, so you may want to taste it before pouring it all on the salad. I probably would have used a little less of it if I had tasted it first.

Enjoy!

Veggie Soup

This veggie soup was tasty! It was easy to make the night before and take it to school for lunch the next day. Instead of using a prepared vegetable broth, I mixed my own with bouillon and water. It was delish and filling!

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 c. chopped mushrooms (I skipped these)

1 medium onion, diced

7 large carrots, diced (I used baby carrots & just added as much as i wanted)

4 celery stalks, diced

1 sprig rosemary

1 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

10 oz. green peas

3 (14.5 oz) cans low-fat, low-sodium, beef broth or vegetable broth

3 c. water

Directions:

Place all the ingredients except the peas in a large pot with spices, broth, and water.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes (or until carrots are tender). Add peas for the last 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and rosemary sprig before serving.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is actually a recipe that my sister got from someone on her mission. It is definitely the easiest soup I've ever made and it's way yummy! It also makes a ton (serves about 8-10 people).

Ingredients:
1 can (29.2 oz) enchilada sauce
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
2 cans chicken broth
2 uncooked chicken breasts*

Spanish rice (Lipton works well but you can use another brand)
1 can black beans
2 cups corn (I just did one can of corn last time)

Directions:
Put the first 4 ingredients in your crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove chicken, shred/cut and return to pot. Prepare spanish rice. Add beans, corn, and as much rice as you want.

Garnish with all kinds of yummy things like: olives, green onions, tortilla chips, cheese, avocado, and sour cream.

*Avocado tastes amazing on this! I don't really like avocado when I'm pregnant and I really like it on this.
*The recipe says to put as much of the rice as you want. I ended up putting most of it in last time I made it because it was for a lot of people.
* If your chicken breasts are small you can do three. I did two large chicken breasts both times I made it and it turned out great! The chicken goes a long way.
*I bought mild enchilada sauce both times I made this because that's all they had in the big can so I added a little cayenne pepper with the sauce and it just gave it a little kick. That's definitely not necessary though.

Thanks Jamie, for such a great recipe!

Chicken Bell Pepper Chowder

I think I'm a sucker for creamy vegetable soups. I love potato soup, cream of broccoli soup, corn chowder, ham chowder, clam chowder. Pretty much all the chowders. ;) So, when I saw this recipe (on The Frosted Cupcake that you introduced us to, Mandy! Thanks!), I knew I had to try it.

The recipe is HUGE, and I knew I didn't have a pot big enough to hold it all, so I halved it. I'll post the halved recipe here, but if you want the original amounts, you can find them at The Frosted Cupcake: Chicken Bell Pepper Chowder. For numbers that didn't divide evenly, I rounded up because I love a hearty soup with lots of vegetables in it. It has a lot of ingredients, but it's still easy to make.


Chicken Bell Pepper Chowder
Ingredients:
1/8 c. olive oil
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 sweet onion, diced
3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced (the original recipe says to cut them into slices, but I didn't think I would like big strips of bell peppers in my soup)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper (the original recipe called for white pepper, but I don't have any of that)
1/4 t. cumin
1/8 t. dried thyme
1/2 T. chicken bouillon granules
2 cans chicken broth
1/8 c. chopped cilantro
1 1/2 c. diced grilled chicken (I just cooked mine in a pan on the stove)
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1/4 t. hot sauce, or more to taste (I don't have any hot sauce, so I used a dash of cayenne pepper)
1/2 c. heavy cream

Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, celery, garlic, bell peppers, salt, pepper, cumin, and thyme. Saute for 7-8 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules. Add chicken broth and cilantro, and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. (Meanwhile, cook your chicken.) Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is heated through. In the mean time, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the flour and stir and cook for a few minutes, but do not let it brown. Ladle one scoop of the soup mixture into the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Gradually add two more ladles full of soup. Add the flour/soup mixture back into the pot with the rest of the soup and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until soup thickens. Remove from heat and add cream and hot sauce (or cayenne pepper ;) ). Serve with bread! :)

Paul and I really enjoyed this soup, and I will definitely make it again sometime soon. It had a very good flavor, and I loved all the vegetables. I think I sliced my carrots a bit too big (they took quite a while to cook), so I'll probably make them smaller next time. But that's really all I would change!

Robin's Groundhog Stew

(again sorry no picture, but this stew was really good, so I wanted to share.
to serve 12 people

2 lb. stew meat (I cut it into smaller pieces)
6 red potatoes diced
3 onions chopped
1.5 lbs. baby carrots chopped
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3 cloves garlic minced or garlic powder
1 cup beef broth
1 cup water
1 lipton onion and mushroom pkg
salt and pepper
2 TBS worcestershire sauce

in greased crockpot cut veggies, layer into crockpot with s &p
add stew meat on top and s&p again
mix all the liquids pour on top of meat and veggies
cook on low for 8-10 hours

you can serve these with Bride's biscuits (recipe to follow)

Big Noodle Soup

This is a chicken noodle soup that Brian had growing up and they called it big noodle soup, referring to the homemade noodles. As you can tell from the picture, Brian likes more stuff in his soup than broth. I always have more broth.

This recipe is more for the noodles than for the actual soup. I don't have an amazing soup recipe. It always tastes good, but it's just basic. You boil a chicken breast until cooked and then shred it. Meanwhile boil some water and add the veggies/onion and how ever many bouillon cubes for the amount of water. Once you give the veggies a few minutes add the chicken and cook the noodles.

Noodles:

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3 eggs
2 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Directions:
Measure flour into bowl; make a well in center and add eggs and salt. With hands, thoroughly mix egg into flour. Add water and mix. If you need more water, add it a little at a time. Knead until smooth and elastic...about 10 minutes. Roll dough paper thin (make sure to coat surface with flour). Cut noodles to desired thickness (a good way to do this is with a pizza cutter). Put into boiling soup and cook for 12-15 minutes.

*I've never made these noodles, Brian always does it. So, hopefully I got the directions right and it's not too hard.

Easy Breadsticks

We served it with breadsticks and they were delicious. You just let some rhodes rolls (one per breadstick) sit out until they are defrosted but still cold (you can microwave them a little if you're in a hurry). Then you roll them into skinny strips and line them up on a cookie sheet. Let them rise until doubled in size (just like you would with rolls). When they're ready to go in the oven you coat them with melted butter. Bake them for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until golden brown. When you pull them out put another coat of melted butter on them. There is a very similar recipe on the bag of rolls as well.

Potato Soup

I'm not sure where my parents got this recipe, but it's a delicious, creamy soup. I have always loved this soup. The recipe is actually a clam chowder recipe, but I don't really like clams (especially when I'm pregnant), and it's cheaper without them. But, this is a very versatile soup. You can add corn for a corn chowder and ham for a ham chowder. It's also good as just a potato soup.

Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 cup finely chopped potatoes
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 qt. half and half
1 tsp salt
pepper
1/2 tsp sugar

Directions:
Put chopped vegetables and onions in pot with enough water to barely cover. Simmer, covered over medium heat until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). In the meantime, in a medium pot, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook a minute or two. Add cream; cook and stir until smooth and thick, using a wire whisk to blend (it always takes longer to thicken then I think it's going to...it gets pretty thick). Add to undrained vegetables and heat.

* We usually serve it with what we call toasties. Butter bread on both sides, cut in four strips and bake on cookie sheet until brown (flip once).

Broccoli Corn Chowder

Well, my success with making my planned dinners goes up and down. This week's meals have gotten all flipped around and some have been missed entirely. Here's one that was very delicious, though (aside from the fact that I made it at like 8:30pm...bad Jennie!). Once again, thanks to Chef Britta for her amazing recipes!

The night I made this soup I was very frazzled (because of how late it was...I was trying to hurry). I kept messing up and doing things in the wrong order. So, the directions I will write here will represent what I should have done. ;)


Broccoli Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth (or 3 1/2 cups of broth made from bouillon powder or cubes...which is what I did)
1 large baking potato, peeled and diced
1 head broccoli, cut into bite-size florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced (I was trying to hurry, so I didn't use the stalks. I probably will next time.)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 c. whole milk
shredded cheddar cheese, for serving

Directions:
In a large pot (this part is important, it's going to be the pot you use to make the soup in), cook bacon over medium-low heat until crisp, about 8-10 minutes. (If you are making chicken broth using bouillon, it would be an excellent idea to start start water boiling for that while the bacon is cooking. ;) ) Meanwhile, chop your onion. Once bacon is crisp, remove from pot with a slotted spoon and place on a plate covered with a paper towel. Increase heat to medium. Add onion and cook until onion starts to become tender, about 6-8 minutes. While the onion is cooking, chop your potato. Add flour, stirring constantly, and cook for about 30 seconds. Add broth and potato, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut your broccoli. Once the potato is done, add broccoli, corn, milk, and thyme. Cook until broccoli is done, about 8-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (although the bacon gives it enough salt for my taste). Serve topped with cheese and bacon.

Like I said, this was a really yummy recipe. I could have made my own traditional recipe for potato soup and added broccoli and corn (and taken out the celery), but I thought I'd try this new one. Paula and Amanda (and anyone else who has had my family's recipe for potato soup)- This recipe tastes different. It's not as thick, and the thyme gives it a very distinctive flavor. I liked it!

Here's a link to Chef Britta's recipe: Broccoli Corn Chowder.

Slow Cooker Mushroom Beef Stew

Another successful slow cooker recipe! This was very yummy (even though it's not very beautiful to look at), and it smelled good all day long as it was cooking.

*Note: The original recipe is called "Wild Mushroom Beef Stew" and calls for shiitake mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms were way expensive, so I just got regular ones. It was still yummy. :)


Slow Cooker Mushroom Beef Stew
Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1 in. cubes (we bought ours already cubed at the grocery store)
2 T. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 1/2 c. beef broth
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (I used two ;) )
1 bay leaf
1 t. paprika
1/2 package sliced mushrooms (or 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced...see note above)
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium red potatoes, diced
1 small white onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced

*Side note: I thought all the different words used for cutting things up in this recipe were humorous. Sliced, diced, chopped...ha ha ha. Okay, maybe I'm just silly. ;)

Directions:
Place beef in slow cooker. Mix flour, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Sprinkle over beef and stir to coat beef evenly. Add all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to mix well. Cover. Cook on low 10-12 hours, or on high 4-6 hours (I did about six hours on high). Stir stew and remove bay leaf before serving.

I just love slow cooker recipes! So easy! This was a nice, fall meal. Very warm and comforting. We had bread and butter with ours, but I wish I had thought of making homemade rolls. That would have been even better. :)

Hearty Beef Stew

I'm back! A couple Sundays ago I made a yummy beef stew. I have been looking for ways to use our beef. Every Christmas we get fresh beef from Brian's grandparents (they kill one of their cows and distribute the meat to all their children and grandchildren). We love it because it means we get lots of fresh meat! We haven't used our steaks at all because we don't have a grill and I don't know how to cook it without a grill. So if any of you have ideas on how to use my steak feel free to share!

So yeah, I was excited to use this stewing meat that has been sitting in the freezer and I didn't have a stew recipe so I just used the one on my Swanson broth can. It had great flavor and could use a couple changes that I will include.

Hearty Beef Stew

Ingredients:
1 lb. beef for stew, cut into 1" pieces
1 can (14 oz.) Beef broth (I ended up using more like 1 and 1/2 cans)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
3 medium carrots, cut into 1" pieces (I used baby carrot cut in half)
2 medium potatoes
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 cup water

Directions:
Spray 6-qt. saucepot with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for 1 min. Add beef and cook until well browned, stirring often.
Stir broth, bay leaf, thyme and black pepper into saucepot. Heat to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook covered for 1 hr. 30 min.
Add carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook 30 min. more or until veggies are tender. Stir flour and water in cup and stir into saucepot. Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Discard bay leaf.

* When I went to add the veggies a ton of the liquid had boiled away and so I added a little more broth (I didn't think one can was going to be enough to start with). Also, the carrots took longer to cook than the potatoes so the potatoes ended up being slightly mushy and when I went to stir it, it kind of turned into more of a potato soup. So, I recommend putting the carrots in for a little bit before adding the potatoes and then watch until the potatoes are just cooked.

It was overall a very easy stew and was quite tasty.