cindy's broccoli cream soup- revisited.

since i don't have a garden of my own, i will be using produce from my mom's garden and my mother-in-law's bountiful basket for the cook challenge! when my MIL gave me some fresh broccoli, i found this recipe in the archives and changed a couple of things along the way. {i added another can of broth 'cause i like my soup a little soupier, and some cheddar cheese added the saltiness that i was missing.}

i portioned this out, topped with a little cheese, and sean has some delicious soup waiting in our freezer for him to take to work for lunch :)

ingredients:
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen broccoli
1\2 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 can fat-free evaporated milk
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

directions:
in a saucepan, combine broccoli, onion, celery, broth, and pepper; simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. puree half of the mixture in a blender; return to the saucepan.

in a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of milk until smooth. gradually add remaining milk. stir into the broccoli mixture. bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. reduce heat to medium. stir in shredded cheese. continue simmering until soup thickens slightly.

top with shredded cheddar cheese and crackers!

Creamy Broccoli Soup by The Food Nanny

Dinner #6: Creamy Broccoli Soup
Time: medium
Price: $

My thoughts: A tasty take.  What makes this soup so super creamy is it's secret ingredient, also known as one of my favorite foods: cream cheese.  At first I wasn't sure what kind of flavor cream cheese would give this soup . . . but now I know: creamy. And delicious.  Go figure.  My other favorite Broccoli soup is this one here.  But they are so different in their own good that I'll be making both from now on.  Really yummy people, give this one a try.

What I loved: not only did I love the cream cheese, but I also loved how easy and cheap this meal was.  You can use freeze nearly all the ingredients which means one thing: convenience.  And as a mother of three that word is extremely liberating.

ingredients (you might want to half this)
6 cups water
2 pounds frozen Broccoli, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
10 chicken bullion cubes
1/2 cup butter
9 T flour
2 pkgs cream cheese
4 cups milk

instructions
Bring water, broccoli, carrots, and bullion to a boil, cook for 15 mins.  Melt butter, flour, and cream cheese in a sauce pan while your broccoli is cooking.  The cream cheese mixture will be a paste.  Slowly add the milk.  Cook on low heat until thickened.  Add to veggies to broth.

______________________
So believe it or not, but I've cooked way more than I've blogged.  I've come to find out that it's really hard and time consuming to blog everyday.  Note to self: next time just blog a summary at the end of my challenge.  Every day is too much. ;)  But I will finish this one out!

white chicken chili.

basically this recipe rocks. a great rainy day recipe, and lucky you, it's a rainy day!

ingredients:
2 tbsp olive or canola oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 packet of chicken taco seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped {1/2 cup}
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 {14 oz} can chicken broth
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp chile powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground red pepper {cayenne}
2 cans {15 oz each} white cannellini beans, drained
1 can {4.5 oz} chopped green chiles
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 container {6 oz} greek fat free plain yogurt, can be replaced with sour cream

directions:
in a 4-quart saucepan or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. rub chicken with taco seasoning and cook with the onions and garlic 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink. remove the chicken from the pan and shred with a fork. add the shredded chicken back to the saucepan and stir in remaining ingredients, except cilantro and yogurt. heat to boiling. reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. remove from heat; stir in cilantro and yogurt or sour cream. serve with additional yogurt/sour cream and chopped cilantro, if desired.

note:
i didn't stir in the cilantro because my husband doesn't like it. i just served it on top of mine.

Tortellini Soup & Breadsticks

This version of tortellini soup is a nice soup for spring!  

ingredients:

9 oz. package frozen broccolli, steamed

7 oz. package three-cheese tortellini

3 cups chicken broth OR 3 TBSP chicken bouillon with 32 oz. water

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup chopped onion

2 sliced carrots

1 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. basil 

1/2 tsp. oregano

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

directions:

Boil onion and garlic in chicken broth.  Add spices, water, cream of chicken soup and carrots.  Add tortellini and boil 7 minutes or until done.  Add steamed broccoli last.  **we like more tortellini and a little less oregano**

Breadsticks  **these are some of our favorites!**

Dissolve 1 TBSP yeast and 1 TBSP sugar in 1 1/2 cups warm water.

Add 3 cups flour (I often do half wheat, half white...full wheat don't rise well, but still taste good) and 1/2 tsp salt.

Mix and knead dough for 3 minutes.  Cover and let rise for 10 minutes.  Roll out to 1/2" thick.  Melt 1 cube butter on a cookie sheet.  Cut dough into strips and put on buttered cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese.  Let rise for 15 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  

{market streets} clam chowder

THIS IS AMAZING!! i'm not even kidding i could eat the WHOLE pot!!

6 Tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup flour

2 C. diced potatoes

1/2 C diced celery

1/2 C. diced onions

1/2 C. diced green pepper

2 cans (61/2 oz) snow's chopped clams with juice

1 1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 1/2 tsp. slat

1 1/4 tsp italian seasoning

3 bay leaves

1/2 tsp tabasco sauce

6 Tbsp white cooking wine

1 C. water

2 C. half and half

2 C. heavy whipping cream 

Combine melted butter and flour in oven proof container and bake @ 325 for 30 min (turns light golden brown and is kinda crumbly). Simultaneously, in large saucepan combine remaining ingredients except half and half and whipping cream. bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Remove bay leaves and stir in butter-flour mixture. stir until thick. Mixture will be slightly less thick then cookie dough. Remove from heat, stir in half and half/whipping cream until blended. heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally. 

*this chowder is pretty thin. 

Delicious in sour dough bread bowl!

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

Happy New Year!  I'm kicking this year off with this savory soup...

So I promised to make this soup a while ago and finally got around to it . . . and am sure glad I did.  This soup is super yummy.  I'll admit, it's not exactly like Zuppa's Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup, but close enough!  It was fun to make--the kids helped put the cauliflower in and watch it blend into liquid.  And they loved it too!  So here's another soup recipe to make before Spring comes! (Pair this soup with this sandwich here - you'll be in heaven!)

ingredients

2 T butter

1 med onion, chopped

1/4 c all purpose flour

1/2 t salt

2 c milk

1 can chicken broth

1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 t Dijon mustard

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 c pepper jack cheese

instructions

In a 4-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 min, stirring occasionally.  Stir in flour and salt; cook 2 min, stirring frequently.  Gradually stir in milk, broth, and 1 1 /2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 min.  In blender (with center part of blender-cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth.  Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally.  Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth.  Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

What are you cooking in 2011?

instant potato soup.

this kept us nice & toasty during the winter storm today! i love that it doesn't require actual potatoes. i don't always have potatoes on hand, but i always have the instant variety :)

ingredients:
2 Tbsp onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
3 cups milk
1 can chicken broth
4 servings worth of dry instant mashed potatoes
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper

directions:
in a saucepan, saute onion in butter over low heat. add milk, chicken broth, salt & pepper, and potato flakes. heat to almost boiling, stirring constantly. remove from heat. garnish with paprika, parsley, or grated cheese. add milk if too thick.

optional:
i added 2 cups of cubed, cooked potatoes. i think next time i'll try adding 4 slices of finely chopped bacon when i cook the onions.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup and yummy breadsticks

Soup: 5-6 chicken breasts, cubed
2 Tbsp butter
1 32 oz container chicken broth
Minced onion
1 1/2 cup baby carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cup celery, chopped
8 cubes chicken bouillon
Seasoning salt
1 16 oz. package of Grandma's frozen egg noodles (can be found in the frozen aisle)

Brown chicken tenders with butter, minced onion and seasoning salt.

In a 1 1/2 gallon pan (I think it is how big it is) fill pan half with water. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add carrots, celery, chicken bouillon, seasoning salt (to taste). (If you don't have seasoning salt, you can add celery salt and onion salt.) Add browned chicken and noodles. Cook until noodles and vegetables are soft.

Breadsticks:
I get the bread dough from Dick's bakery. Or you can use any white bread dough of your own recipe.

Flour surface and roller and roll out dough until flat. Cut into thin short strips and put on greased baking sheet. Let rise for several hours. Spread melted butter on dough and sprinkle McCormick's Salad Supreme on. Bake at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes or until done. If you are butter lovers, you can add more melted butter to the breadsticks right after you take them out of the oven.

Warning: breadsticks are VERY irresistible!!!

Italian Tortellini Soup

I've posted a Tortellini recipe in the past - but it was more of a stew, quite a bit thicker, while this one is definitely a savory soup.  This one may trump all however.  I'm in LOVE with this soup.  Pretty sure I ate it for a week straight after I made it; not only because it makes a lot, but I really loved it!  Perfect for our cold winter days ahead.  I challenge you to cook up a savory pot of this yumminess . . .

Also, this soup would be fabulous with this Macaroni Grill bread.

(Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!)

ingredients
1 lb hamburger
1 1/2 t minced garlic
1 onion
salt and pepper
3  14.5 oz cans Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1  8 oz can tomato sauce
1  6 oz can tomato paste
8 C water
8 t beef bullion
1 green pepper, chopped
1 C carrots, chopped
1 C fresh or frozen green beans, chopped
1 can kidney beans
1 C zucchini, chopped
salt and pepper
1 pk. Good Seasoning Italian Dressing mix
1 can tomato soup
1 20 oz pkg Cheese Tortellini (I used the refrigerated kind, but you can easily use dried. Costco has a good deal on refrigerated kind for $10)

instructions
1. Brown your hamburger in a large skillet with the onion, garlic and a bit of salt and pepper.


2. Put the canned tomatoes in a blender and blend them up nice and lovely like. Just for 30 seconds or so.

3. Put the meat mixture, blended tomatoes and all other ingredients BUT THE TORTELLINI and TOMATO SOUP into a large soup pot. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes. I like to leave the lid partially on. Less to clean up, and it keeps the heat some what trapped.

4. In a separate medium sized sauce pan cook the tortellini according to package directions. Be sure not to over cook it. When it's done drain the water from the tortellini and add it to the large soup pot.

5. Stir in the tomato soup and let it simmer for just 5 more minutes.
 
Yields: 12 servings (lots of leftovers!  Have some people over for dinner, or freeze half)

Tortellini Soup

Thank you Katie Rammell for this wonderful recipe in our cookbook.  This soup is one of my favorites!  Plus I just LOVE tortellini.

ingredients

1 lb ground italian sausage

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3 cups beef broth

1/2 cup water

2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 14oz can diced tomatoes)

3 large carrots, sliced

1 T oregano

1 3/4 c tomato paste

1 t parsley

1 bay leaf

1-2 zucchini, sliced

1 10-oz pkg. tortellini (I buy the frozen kind, with cheese inside!)

instructions
Brown sausage and drain.  Saute onion and garlic.  Add everything but zucchini and tortellini.  Simmer for a couple hours.  Add zucchini and tortellini 45 mins before serving.

Cheesy Potato Broccoli Soup [FAVE!]

So the picture isn't that great (I took this picture in the winter, so I had no natural light...hate that). However, this soup is AMAZING. My family yums this up. Probably in the top five favorites for my husband (and me). Super easy, super cheesy. Super delicious. You've got to try it.

ingredients

*for soup:

2 quarts water (8 cups)

8 chicken bullion cubes

1 bag frozen broccoli

Handful of peeled and diced potatoes

1 1/2 squares of butter

3/4 cup flour

1 bottle of cheese whiz (sounds gross . . . but it adds amazing flavor)

*for bread bowl:

1 bag of frozen Rhodes loaves (3 come in a bag - you can make as many as 9 bowls from this!)

1 egg, beaten
{from this fabulous cook book}

instructions:

*Soup: Boil potatoes and bullion in water. Meanwhile, thicken the butter and flour in a sauce pan. Once potatoes are tender, add butter and flour mixture to thicken. Then add frozen broccoli (you can even toss in shredded carrots!) and cheese whiz. I use the tall glass bottle of cheese whiz and almost use the entire thing, but not quite. Add as much or as little as you like. Simmer until veggies are cooked through.

SERVES: a lot! Probably 5-6. Be prepared for fabulous leftovers.

*Bread bowl: Cut thawed loaf into thirds. From each third into a ball. Place on baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Brush with egg. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and slice off top. Hollow out bread and fill with soup. (For larger bowls, cut loaf in half.)

Enjoy this family favorite. You'll love it.

Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

 We really like this soup and think it tastes close enough to the real thing to pass in our books!

1 lb italian sausage
3 large potatoes, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 can bacon bits
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped (i've even used spinach in a pinch but the kale gives it a much heartier feel, which i like better)
2 cans chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

cook and crumble sausage, drain grease

combine onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and garlic in a pot and cook over med heat until potatoes are tender

add sausage and bacon bits

salt and pepper to taste

simmer for another 10 min or so

turn to low heat and add kale and cream

heat through, serve and enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup...or casserole

In a semi-homemade kind of way I made up this recipe for chicken noodle soup. It turned out pretty good, I got the seal of approval from my three boys which speaks volumes to me about a recipe.

6 cups (48 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth (stock is better, but broth is all I had)
1/2 yellow onion - chopped
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 or 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 or 4 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 rotisserie chicken - removed from the bone and shredded (I also removed the skin)
1/2 of the drippings from the rotisserie chicken, sounds gross but it's where the flavor is at people!
1/2 package of egg noodles (I used a whole package and it was too much)
A few shakes of garlic powder (fresh chopped garlic if you have it)
Salt and Pepper - to taste

Add the olive oil to a large pot and saute the chopped onion until it softens. If you are using fresh garlic I would add it here and saute them both together. When the onions are soft, add the chicken broth and scrape up the bits on the pan, this is another place to get flavor. Add the chopped carrots, celery, chicken drippings, and salt and pepper to taste (also garlic powder if you didn't add the fresh garlic earlier). Cover the soup and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the carrots start to soften a bit. Add the shredded chicken and let simmer for a few more minutes. Add the noodles and cook for about 7 minutes or until they are soft. Serve with hot rolls, or if you live in my house with cornbread.

Unfortunately I added the whole bag of noodles to our soup, so it was somewhere between a soup and a casserole, but it was still good. Just very noodley.

Delicious, easy, and very satisfying!

Sweet and Spicy Turkey Chili

ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey
1 can stewed tomatoes mexican style
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can green chilis
1 can tomato sauce
2 cans kidney beans (slightly drained)
1 can black beans (slightly drained)
1 small yellow onion-diced
1 small red pepper- diced
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic
2 teaspoon chili powder
1\2 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Brown your ground turkey and put in your crock pot.

Saute onion and red pepper for a few minutes just to get the the flavors mixed together and the veggies slightly softened. Add to crock pot

Add the rest of your ingredients, mix well and turn crock pot on high for 4-6 hours

{with the seasonings you can add more or less depending on your taste preference, I also added a few shakes of chili flakes to mine!}

Cornbread Tip:

When making a box of Jiffy Corn Bread, try omitting the milk and instead using a half can of creamed corn. It makes the bread super moist and a little sweet!

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained
1 (16 ounce) can reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup salsa
1 TBSP chili powder
shredded cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
chopped onion (optional)
cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Mash one can of beans with potato/bean masher or food processor. Pour both cans of beans into saucepan. Add chicken broth, salsa, and chili powder. Bring to a boil. If desired, top with shredded cheese, sour cream, onion, and cilantro.

**This was a new recipe for us and we tweaked it a bit. It seemed really liquid-y, and I like black bean soup thicker, so we added another can of beans but drained that one. We also added chopped onion to the mixture as it was boiling for more flavor. And, it needed a little bit of salt. Otherwise, it was very tasty! Served with cornbread muffins.**

Monday at Caprene's House: Butternut Squash and Curried Apple Soup

This will be easy for me to post. Please just reference this post that I already made in October. This is seriously becoming one of my favorites. I think I could eat it everyday. Yummy stuff!

Saturday at Cindy's

Low-Fat Broccoli Cream Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped fresh or frozen broccoli
1\2 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 can reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 can fat-free evaporated milk

How To:

In a saucepan, combine broccoli, onion, celery and broth; simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Puree half of the mixture in a blender; return to the saucepan.

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Gradually add remaining milk. Stir into the broccoli mixture. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes.

In a sauce

Wednesday at Cindy's

Pumpkin Soup with homemade croutons

Libby's Creamy Pumpkin Soup:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• 1 can (14 1/2 fluid ounces) chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 can (15 ounces)
• 1 can (12 fluid ounces)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

MELT butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and sugar; cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until soft. Add broth, water, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, evaporated milk and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

TRANSFER mixture to food processor or blender (in batches, if necessary); process until smooth. Return to saucepan. Serve warm.

monday at ariel's

progresso light chicken noodle soup {70 calories per serving}.

delicata squash

if you haven't tried it before, you need to!! it's so sweet and delicious! here's how to cook it: cut squash in half lengthwise. scoop out seeds. put both halves in a glass baking dish, cut side up. put 2 tbsps of water in the hollow of each half. cover with plastic wrap. microwave on high for 7-8 minutes, until tender. i like mine with a little butter, salt & pepper. yum!

Butternut Squash and Curried Apple Soup

I love fall, because I love soup!

Again, I cooked for others, so didn't think to take a picture until I was all cleaned up. But standing on the right, that's my newest toy. I've always wanted one. Pouring hot soup into a blender or food processor has never been a talent of mine. I finally got a handy dandy hand blender.However did I survive without it? (I can actually answer that - with burns spotting my arms and hands whenever pureeing soup.)

Ingredients
4 T butter

2 c yellow onion, finely chopped

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 T curry powder

2 green apples, peeled, seeded and chopped

3 c chicken broth

1 ½ t Tabasco sauce

1 t salt

¼ t marjoram

¼ t rosemary

1 c apple juice

Salt and pepper

Sour cream

Instructions

Melt butter in pot. Add onion and curry. Cover and cook for 20 minutes on low.

Add squash, apples, broth, sauce, salt, marjoram and rosemary.

Bring to boil, reduce and simmer for 25 minutes.

Puree soup in processor, return to pot and add juice.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with dollop of sour cream and apple slices atop.