Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

3 Cloves Of Garlic Minced

4 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 10 3/4 oz Cans of Condensed Tomato Soup
2 Tbs. Tomato Paste

1 28oz Can Diced Tomatoes
3 cups Half-and-half
2 cups Chicken Stock

1/3 C. Dried Onions or 1 Onion chopped
1 Tbs. Dried Parsley

1 Tbs. Dried Basil

2 tsp. Dried Oregano
2 Cubes Chicken Bouillon
1/2 tsp Pepper

Salt to Taste
1 9 Oz Package Of Cheese Filled Tortellini
1/2 C. (+ more) Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions

In a big pot, Saute Garlic and onions in olive oil.  Add the Tomato Soup, Diced Tomatoes, half and half, chicken stock, dried herbs, chicken bouillon, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.  Let simmer for 45 minutes. Taste to see if it needs more salt.  If it does, add it 1/4tsp. at a time.

Add the cheese Tortellini, and let simmer for 45 minutes.  Serve with Parmesan Cheese sprinkled on top, and some yummy garlic bread.  Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

 This is the perfect cold weather meal, and it's hearty.  I made it when we got our 1st day of snow here in Utah, and my husband LOVED it!  Chicken and dumplings is the perfect comfort food.  I know your family will love it too!  PLUS, it's EASY; so what's better than  that?!

Ingredients

5 Boneless, skinless, Chicken Thighs

4 Large carrots, peeled, and diced

1 can of corn, drained

1 can of peas, drained

1 can cream of Chicken soup

1 can cream of Celery soup

1 C. Chicken Stock

1 C. Half and Half (you can use milk)

1 Onion, Minced

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 Package Pillsbury Biscuits

1 Tbs. Rice/Quinoa/Tapioca (your choice)

1 Tbs. Fresh Parsley Chopped

1 Tbs. Fresh Basil Chopped

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp. Chicken Bouillon

Directions
Spray crock pot. Mix your onion and garlic together and lay on the bottom of the crock pot.  Lay the chicken on top of that. Sprinkle your seasonings on top of the chicken. Then layer over your corn, peas, and carrots.

In a mixing bowl, combine your soups, chicken stock, bouillon, and half and half.  Pour over the entire dish in your crock pot.  Turn on low for 4-6 hours. At hour 3 mix in your Tbs. of Rice to thicken your stew/soup.

When the chicken is cooked thoroughly (it depends if you put your chicken in frozen or thawed) shred chicken, and turn your crock pot on high. Take your biscuits, rip into 1 inch chunks, and layer on top of your soup.  Let cook on high for 1 hour or until the biscuits are fully cooked.  Serve, and enjoy!

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Knock Off

Hey everybody!  It has been awhile since I've posted and I'm SOOOO sorry about that.  I have been moving this past month into a new home and haven't been doing much cooking lately.  I finally got things settled this week and was able to make my first homemade meal in my new house, and I think I came up with a pretty good soup you are all going to love!

If you have ever had the soup, salad, and bread sticks, at Olive Garden, I'm sure you have tried their Zuppa Toscana soup.  It is by far my favorite, and for years I have wanted to try to make it.  Being that a lot of my pans were packed up and I only had my soup pot, I thought it was a great time to try.  This soup is their creamy, sausage and potato soup.  It's the perfect winter soup, but considering I love soup all the time; I could eat this on a 90 degree day.  Anyway, here is my version of the Olive Garden's amazing soup.  I hope you all like it!

Ingredients

1 lb. ground Mild Italian Sausage

3 Russet Potatoes, scrubbed and cubed

1 Onion, chopped

1/2 lb. Bacon, cooked, drained, and chopped

3 cloves Garlic, minced

2-3 cups Swiss Chard, chopped

28 oz. Chicken Broth

1 quart Water

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 tsp. Chicken Boullion

1 tsp. Oregano

1 tsp. Basil

1 tsp. Parsley

1/4 tsp. Pepper

Directions

In a skillet cook your sausage. Remove sausage and in the drippings cook your garlic and onion until translucent, drain and set aside.

In a pot combine your chicken broth, water, chicken boullion, spices, potatoes, and cream.  Let cook for about 20 minutes on medium heat.  Add in remaining ingredients, except swiss chard.  Simmer on medium to low heat until potatoes are soft. About 30-45 minutes 

Once the potatoes are soft, add the swiss chard and let simmer for 30 minutes. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with some thick, crusty bread, and your set.  Enjoy!

Money Saving Chili

I made this last night for my family and it's sooooo delicious and sooo easy!  SO I hope you like it as much as us.

In your crock pot throw in:

1 lb ground beef (mine was frozen)

1 14oz. can Diced Tomatoes

1 pkg. Taco Seasoning

1 jar of your favorite Salsa

1 sweet potato cut into chunks

1 jar Navy Beans rinsed and drained

1 can Kidney beans rinsed and drained

10oz of Frozen corn or 1 can corn drained

1 can of black beans rinsed and drained

A Palmful of dried Oregano and Basil

a dollup of sour cream (optional) 

Directions

Set your slow cooker to low and cook for 6 hours.  Now since you put that beef in frozen, every hour go and stir it and break it up so it cooks all the way through.  I stirred my chili every hour for 6 hours and it turned out perfect!   Serve with your favorite corn bread and handful of sharp cheddar cheese.

Sweet Potato Crock-pot Chili

With Chicken

This is the perfect winter time soup.  It's hearty, and meaty, hot, and delicious.  Yesterday it snowed at my house, and so I took a chili recipe that I got from my amazing sister in law and added a little smoke to it.  I love creating with basic recipes because you can do so much with them.  So here is an example of a recipe that I just added a little style to.  :)  Enjoy!

Ingredients

With Hamburger

(all of the cans are 14oz cans.)

1 lb. Hamburger, cooked and browned or

4 boneless, skinless, Chicken breasts cooked and shredded

3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 can Chili beans with chili juices (s&w makes them)

1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 can Fire Roasted diced Tomatoes, with juices

1 can diced Tomatoes, with juices

1 can Corn, drained

2 packages of Taco seasoning*

15oz. Salsa

1 tsp. Parsley

1 tsp. Basil

1 tsp. Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp. minced Garlic

1/4 cup dried Onion

*if you want a smokey flavor to the Chili add 1 pkg. of Taco seasoning and 1 pkg. of Fajita seasoning.  If you don't like smokey flavor just use the 2 pkgs. of Taco.

Directions

Mix everything together into your crock-pot.  Set on low for 8 hours and let cook.  Stir occasionally.  Serve with grated sharp cheddar cheese on top, a little dollup of sour cream if you like, and a slice of french bread.

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

It is definitely a soup day in Utah.  Waking up this morning at 7, it is 23 degrees outside, and that is just waaaaaaay tooooooo cold.  So it's a soup day.  I need to warm myself up and get cozy next to my fire.  I feel like a rich cream soup, and so I'm giving you all my Cheddar Broccoli Soup that I think you are going to love.  I serve it in a bread bowl which just tops off the deliciousness of this dish!

 Ingredients

2 Tbs. Melted Butter

1 Large Onion Chopped

1/2 cup Butter melted

1/2 cup Flour

4 cups Half and Half

2 cups Chicken Broth

2 cups Chicken Stock

1 lb. Fresh Broccoli

2 cups Carrots diced

Salt and Pepper to taste

16 oz. SHARP Cheddar cheese grated

Dried Parsley, Oregano, and Basil sprinkled in to taste

Directions

Saute onion in butter.  Set aside.   

Whisk butter and flour over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.  Stir constantly and slowly add half and half.  Add chicken stock, still whisking.

Simmer 20 minutes.

Add broccoli, carrots and onion.  Cook over low heat until veggies are tender – about 20-25 minutes.  Add salt and pepper, and the herbs.  The soup will have thickened by now.

Carefully transfer soup mixture to blender and puree, but let it sit and cool for a minute before you try to blend it.

Return soup to pot (or crockpot) over low heat.  Add cheese.  Stir until well blended.  Serve in a bread bowl with Sharp Cheddar cheese sprinkled on top.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Chunky and Creamy Tomato Bisque

It should look chunky

Ingredients
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
1 can 14 oz. tomato sauce
1 can 8oz. tomato sauce
1/4 c. fresh parsley chopped
1/4 c. fresh basil chopped
1/4 c. fresh oregano leaves chopped
1 large onion diced
1.8 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 cloves of garlic peeled and grated
6 Tbs. Cream Cheese
1 28 oz can of Hunts Pasta Meat Flavored Sauce
rotini pasta (optional)

Directions
dump the Tomatoes with sauce, sauces, parsley, onion, basil, oregano, cream cheese, red pepper flakes, and pasta meat sauce into a deep sauce pan.  Grate your cloves of garlic over the pot.  Let simmer for 25 minutes.  In this time you can add any optionals you want.  I add some cooked ground italian sausage and fresh mushroom and 1 cup of dried rigatoni pasta.  After you've added anything else you like, cover the soup and let simmer for another 25 minutes.  Serve with a really crusty hearty garlic bread.  It's to die for, and I guarantee you're going to love it!

Bacon Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

6 Bacon Strips

3/4 C. Diced Celery

1 small diced Onion

1 C. Diced Potato

1 thinly sliced Carrot

1/2 C. Water

1/2 C. Half and Half

1 can creamed Corn

1 C. Milk

1/2 tsp. Seasoned Salt

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/8 tsp. Pepper

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan cook bacon, celery and onion over medium for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove bacon and drain off fat. Add water, potato, and carrot. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until potato and carrots are tender. Stir in creamed corn, half and half, milk, and seasonings. Heat do not boil. Serve with some thick Bread.

Pantry Perfect Stew

Ingredients:

1 lb. Hamburger

3-14oz Cans Diced Tomatoes
1 can Chicken Broth
1 Can Beef Broth

2 Cans of Corn

2 Cans of Peas

2 Cans Carrots

1/2 Onion diced

S & P

3 Potatoes washed and dice (I leave the skins on)

Directions:

Brown hamburger and drain. In a large pot mix everything together and let warm and simmer until it thickens up.  Serve with a thick piece of bread.

Chicken Enchilada Chili

I have never made chili in my life until today.  This morning I was writing in my journal and trying to figure out dinner.  I went to the pantry and looked to see what I had and came up with (not to pat myself on the back) the most awesome white chili ever!!  ;)  Dave doesn't like chili and he even liked this, so I'm pretty excited about it.  So here is my newest recipe.  It's even better because it's a crock pot recipe!  (I'll get a picture up soon.  I had to type this really quick so I remembered how I had made it.)

Ingredients:

4-5 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (Mine were even frozen)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can pinto beans drained

2 packets taco seasoning

2 C. frozen corn

1 C. frozen peas

8 oz. sour cream

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cans chicken broth

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Spray your crock pot with pam, or drizzle with oil.  Put your chicken on the bottom and then put everything else on top except the sour cream.  (You're going to save the sour cream for the last 2 hours of cooking.)

Put the crock pot on low for 8 hours or high for 6.  When your
chili is 2 hours from done, shred your chicken breasts with a fork.  (I took mine out onto a plate and shredded them, and then dumped the meat back in.)  After you shredded your chicken put your sour cream in and stir until well incorporated.  Continue letting the soup cook for 2 more hours.

(If your soup isn't as thick as you want it, take the lid off your crock pot and put the setting on warm and it will thicken a bit.)

I serve with hot rhodes rolls or some type of bread that can sop up all the soup.  Enjoy!

From my friend, Kenna

My dear friend Kenna Macky makes some delicious soup recipes.  She has soup every sunday, and I wish I lived at her house to try them.  She just sent me this awesome recipe and so I had to share with all of you.  You can check out her blog at the bottom of this post.  Thanks Kenna!

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

1 whole fryer chicken
2 tablespoons butter
2 stalks celery, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 chicken bouillon cubes
3 cups water
1 cup corn
1 cup peas
1 cup green beans
3 tablespoons flour
Fluffy Dumplings

In a large dutch oven, brown chicken in hot butter. Add celery, onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, bouillon, and water. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or until just about tender. Add carrots and simmer 15 minutes. Then, dissolve 3 tablespoons flour in a 1/2 cup cold water. Stir into chicken mixture and bring to a boil. Spoon fluffy dumpling mixture over top of chicken mixture. Cook , covered for 12 to 15 minutes or until dumplings are no longer doughy underneath.

Fluffy Dumplings
1 1/2 cups unsifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons oil or melted shortening

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add milk, egg, and oil. Stir only until dry ingredients are moistened.

Check out Kenna's blog here.  Thanks for the recipe Ken!

Davey's Chicken Noodle

I named this after my husband because it is his favorite.  He always wanted a really good Chicken Noodle like his Grandma's and I was determined to make one.  After a couple tries I got it completely right.  I promise, you will not be disappointed by this recipe, and you'll have the chicken noodle soup that everyone refers to as "The Best".  

Just a warning, this is not a fast soup.  I make everything from scratch, even the broth, so this is about a 7 hour process, but sooooo worth it!

Oh, and 1 more thing.  I don't really measure any of the ingredients which makes it more fun.  You just add until it tastes like what you want.  If you have any questions just ask.

Ingredients:

1 Whole Fryer Chicken (I use Tyson)

2 cans campbells cream of chicken soup

2 onions quartered

2 full stalks of celery

1 big bushel of carrots

4 cubes chicken bouillon

2-3 tsp. dried parsley

2 tsp. dried basil

1 bag of wide egg noodles

Directions:

Put the full chicken with skin on, and not cooked, into a huge soup pot.  Put the 2 quartered onions, bouillon cubes, 1 bushel of celery (just cut the entire bunch in half and use the leaves), parsley, and basil, and fill up the pot with water covering everything.  Leave about 2-3 inches on top.  Cover and put on the stove top on low heat.  Simmer for about 3-4 hours or until the chicken is falling off the bones.

With a slotted spoon scoop out everything, but leave the broth in the pot still simmering.  Put the chicken into a bowl and let cool.  Once it is cooled pull every piece of the skin off the chicken and discard the skin, and veggies.  Pull all of the chicken off the bones and rip into pieces, and put into the broth.  Then put the 2 cans of cream of chicken into the broth.  Let simmer while you cut up the veggies.

Take your other stalk of celery, wash, cut off the bottom, top, and discard the leaf parts.  Dice into bite size pieces.  Take the bushel of carrots, peel, and dice into bite size pieces.  Put both the celery and carrots into pot.  Let simmer until soft.

When veggies are soft, add about 2 1/2 cups of the wide egg noodles.  Let that simmer until they are soft.  Once everything is soft you can flavor your soup.  (You want everything to be absorbed before you add salt and pepper).  Add the salt and pepper until it is the flavor you like.

I serve with fresh rolls with butter.  

Like I said before, nothing is a precise measurement.  Just add stuff until it looks and tastes like you want it to.  Let me know how you like it!  Using the full chicken to make the broth makes the most rich and delicious broth because the skin just makes is so creamy and rich!  Enjoy!

Thick and Meaty Crock Pot Stew

 My MOST favorite cooking appliance

This is one of my husbands favorite winter meals.  It's so easy and delicious.  All you have to do is throw everything in together, set your crock pot, and forget it.  

Crock pot meals are my favorite dishes of all time because they are easy, delicious, and feed the entire family!

Ingredients:

1-2lb. Ground Mild Italian Sausage browned and drained

3 Russet Potatoes cut into chunks (3-4 potatoes)

2 bags of frozen veggies any kind you like

1 cup Beef Broth

1 onion diced

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Okay, I have made this 2 ways.  I have browned the meat before and then dumped everything in, and I have also just added the meat raw and mixed everything together.  Then I let it sit in a greased crock pot on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6.  It turns out delicious!  By far one of the easiest and tastiest crock pot meals that I have made.

One Pot Meal

Get your 1 big soup pot and put it on the stove.

Coat the bottom in Olive Oil (about 3-4 T) and heat on medium high

Ingredients:
1 Kailbasa Sausage
1 Softball size Onion Diced
1 heart of Celery diced (leaves included)
4 cups frozen hash browns
4 ears of fresh cord removed from ear/or 1 family size bag frozen corn
1 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 Quart chick stock
1 lb. uncooked peeled shrimp

Remove casing from sausage and cut in quarters and then dice
throw into bought with heated olive oil and let sit for 3 minutes until they start to get color
toss in some tyme, a bay leaf, and rosemary (I always use fresh if I can)
dice onion, and celery with leaves, and toss into pot
Dump in 4 cups hash browns and corn
Pour in can of fire roasted tomatoes and chicken stock
let sit for about 10 minutes and then dump in shrimp
let the shrimp cook until pink
add a dash of hot sauce and then cover and let simmer until veggies are soft.
Eat with toasted english muffins.

This is super easy and SOOO delicious!