Chicken Tortilla Soup

I found a recipe online for this soup but when I started to fix it I realized I didn't have all the ingredients. I love the word improvise....

Here's my version which I will proudly confess.... was very TASTY.

1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 can white corn, drained
1 can whole tomatoes, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup pinto beans (I used some leftover Cowboy Pintos)
kosher salt
1 teaspoon southwest seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic salt
freshly cracked pepper
lime juice, a few squeezes, optional
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

In a large pan or dutch oven, saute onion in olive oil until tender, add jalapeño, chicken broth, shredded chicken, corn, tomatoes and pinto beans. Season with southwest seasoning, garlic salt,salt, pepper, Let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.  Add a few squeezes from the lime if desired.

While soup is simmering, place grape tomatoes on a roasting pan, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven at 350 degrees for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until they begin to pop open.  Remove from oven and let cool.

In a small skillet, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, add tortilla strips and fry until they become crisp.  Be careful not to burn them.  Drain on paper towels.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls,  top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, roasted grape tomatoes and crispy tortilla strips.

Happy New Year

Well it's out with the old and in with the new. Hello 2010 and welcome. Anybody make any really good New Year's Resolutions? Me, well I have a few I'd like to stick with but as the year gets going my good intentions get going too, right out the window. Speaking of window... looking outside makes me want some good HOT soup. Here's my take on a classic. Enjoy!




Potato Soup

5 strips of bacon
4 medium potatoes, washed, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup water
1 15 oz can chicken broth
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven, cook bacon strips until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Saute diced onion in reserved bacon grease. Cook till tender. Add chicken broth, 1 cup water and potatoes. Cook till potatoes are tender. Add Cream of Celery soup and 1 cup milk. Continue cooking till heated through. Add cheese and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Laddle into soup bowls and top with crumbled bacon. Perfect for a cold winter night.

Stew Season

The best part of our little hometown is the Brunswick Stew sold at the annual RailRoad Festival. Every year my sister and I make a hurried trip downtown to the vendors selling the "Golden" stuff. We usually wind up buying at least 4 to 5 quarts. After hearing my little grandson ask... "what's in this stuff that makes it so yummy, I knew I had to learn how to make it.

So here we go.... Yummy style Brunswick Stew

Place a small pork roast in the crockpot. Cover with water, add a small sliced onion and about 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce. Cook on high for about 4 hours. Remove meat and shred.

Boil a whole chicken till tender. Add enough water to cover it. Remove the chicken and shred the meat. Leave water in pan. (You may need to add a little more if it evaporates while cooking). Add 1 chopped onion, 3 medium potatoes, diced, and 1/4 cup diced celery. Cook till veggies are tender. Add 1 bag of frozen white corn (I used Private Selection brand from Kroger), 1 cup baby lima beans. Cook for about 10 to 15 min. Add the shredded chicken and pork and two cans diced tomatoes.

Recipe called for a whole bottle of ketchup but I only added about 1/2 cup. I added tomato juice. I just kept adding it and letting it cook down till it got the consistency I wanted. I also added about 4 to 5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, about 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, 2 to 3 drops Liquid Smoke. I also added a pinch of sugar, some salt, pepper, Texas Pete and cayenne pepper to taste. That's about it. You really just have to play around with the spices and tomato juice to get it the way you like it. But according to my daughter and her kids.... It was YUMMY!

Sausage and Bean Soup

I have prayed all winter for a big snow storm and my prayer was answered on Sunday. Our little city was long overdue a big snow as we had been without the white stuff for years and years. I guess it goes without saying, I LOVE SNOW. And I love it best when it means I get to stay home from work. That's exactly what happened on Monday morning. I got up at my usual 5:30 a.m. to check the news and by golly what did I see..... Lynchburg Sheltered Industries- CLOSED. YIPPEE!!!! I know, I sound like a kid waiting to see if school is closed. Some of us never grow up completely.


So what do people do on a snow day? I'm sure most played in the snow but it was way too cold for that and freezing my buttocks off wasn't what I wanted to do with my day. In my opinion snow is best observed from the inside where it is warm and toasty. See, this picture was taken from my front door. Isn't it lovely?

And I guess some people clean off cars and shovel the walks but not me. That is Billy Head's department. We made a pact when we first starting dating that he would take care of anything outside and maintain the vehicles and my duties were limited to inside chores. Don't let on, but I got the better end of the deal. I get to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I'm not much on fighting the elements. DON'T look too closely at this picture, or you will see my neighbor out shoveling snow. She puts me to shame and gives my inside chore pact a bad rep. Note to self: I need to have a talk with her.

So while Billy Head was out shoveling the sidewalk and dusting off my vehicle ( which as you can see was in desperate need- the sidewalk is buried between the two shrubs)

I was inside thinking of things to do. I came up with a project for Billy Head--Installing our new ceiling fan. Since he was stuck indoors with me all day and rather than listen to me beg and plead for hours on end. He decided to shut me up and install our new fan. Yeah ME!!!

As a gesture of fairness I fixed him a working man's lunch. I was in the mood to cook and decided to create a new soup recipe. Billy Head enjoyed my little creation so much he said..."write this down so you can remember how you made this" I can't image why he would have said this ;) but anyway here goes:

**Let me add, I had cooked a crockpot full of navy beans on Saturday and had some leftover which was the inspiration for my creation.

Sausage and Bean Soup

1 package smoked sausage, thinly sliced

1 small onion, chopped

2 cans beef broth

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 1/2 cups navy beans (or 1-15 oz can)

In large saucepan, brown smoked sausage in a little olive oil, cook about 8 minutes. Add onion and cook till onion is translucent. Add beef broth, carrots, corn and tomatoes. Cover and simmer about 12-15 minutes. Add cabbage and cook another 10-12 minutes. Add beans and simmer till hot throughout. Season with salt and pepper and a dash of garlic salt. Also if soup is too thick, add a little water to thin.

Zuppa Toscana (like Olive Garden's)

Billy Head really means it when he says the honeymoon is over and that means no more date nights. I had to find a recipe for zuppa toscana in order to cope with no more Olive Garden. Must be the Italian blood in me. I found this one at http://recipes.robbiehaf.com/. This soup is almost as good as OG in my opinion. Billy Head thinks mine is better. Hmmmm I think I just figured out why he doesn't take me to Olive Garden any more.


1 lb. spicy Italian sausage, crumbled
1/2 lb. smoked bacon, chopped
1 qt. water
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
2 lg. russet potatoes, cubed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cups chopped kale or swiss chard
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper- to taste

In a skillet over medium high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain, set aside.
In a skillet over medium high heat, brown bacon, drain, set aside.
Place water, broth, potatoes garlic and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 min. Add kale and cream to pot. Season with salt and pepper; heat through.

** I simply this recipe a little by cooking bacon in the microwave. I also brown the sausage in a dutch oven and add garlic and onion once the sausage is almost browned. I cook it until the onion is tender. Then I add the water, broth and simmer until potatoes are done. Next I add the bacon, kale and cream.

Brunswick Stew

Welcome Fall! My favorite time of year. In celebration of its arrival I decided to make Brunswick Stew. Billy Head was impressed and said it was the best soup I've ever made. Wow. I did good!

chicken- (recipe called for a stewing hen, but I used a package of breast tenders)
1/4 lb. fatback (recipe said to snip it at 1/2 intervals around edges but I didn't)
3 medium onions, chopped (I only used 2)
2 quarts water
3 to 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 (28 oz ) whole tomatoes, chopped (recipe said to drain them but I didn't)
1 package frozen lima beans
1 (17 oz) can corn ( recipe called for cream-corn but I don't like creamed-corn)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
salt
pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done (about 45 min to 1 hour). Remove chicken and chop meat.
Add meat back to pot, along with potatoes, lima beans and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until thickened. Remove fatback before serving.


As you can see I changed the recipe a little to suit me. Recipe also called for an additional 16 oz can tomatoes and a small can corn but I didn't add that either.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Fall starts next week and here is a good soup to dazzle your taste buds compliments of my sister. She knows her soups.



2 cans Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cans Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup
2 cans Campbell’s Cream of Celery soup
2 cans Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese soup
2 (15 oz) cans chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup Pace medium picante salsa
1 (4.5 oz.) can Ortega green chilies
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red chili powder, more or less to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
4 cooked chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
1 bag tortilla chips
1/2 lb. longhorn style Colby cheese

In a large stockpot, combine and whisk together until smooth all eight cans of soup. Add chicken broth. Add tomatoes, salsa, green chilies, onion, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper
Bring all ingredients to a full boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
Add cilantro and chicken breast chunks. Simmer another hour.
To serve: Ladle soup into bowls, top with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

Italian Sausage Soup

Now that my stomach is back to normal I can resume my favorite activity, thinking about food. Since autumn is approaching soups come to mind and this is one my sister shared with me. I think she found it online at Allrecipes. I entered this recipe in a local contest a couple of years ago and won. Thanks Sis! And being the wonderful sister that I am, I didn't share my winnings with her or credit her with finding the recipe. So I'll redeem myself now. MY SISTER FOUND THIS RECIPE AND IT IS REALLY GOOD!


Italian Sausage Soup

1 lb. Italian Sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (14 oz.) cans beef broth
1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 oz.) can Great Northern beans, undrained
2 small zucchini, sliced
2 cups spinach, packed, rinsed and torn
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt & pepper. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat, add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes

A favorite question around our house, is "Where's the beef?" I definitely found myself a meat and potatoes kinda guy. He would eat meat for dessert if I could afford it. I don't exactly know how a vegetarian cookbook made its way in my collection but it did and as I browsed it pages I stumbled across this recipe. This is a really good twist on plain potato soup and Billy Head will eat it too. As long as there is beef for dessert.



Potato, Cheese and Green Chili Soup

4-5 potatoes, peeled and diced
5 cups water or chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup corn
1 small can diced green chilies
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper
8 oz. Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Cook potatoes in water or chicken broth until tender. In small pan, sauté onion, green pepper & garlic in oil. Add to potatoes. Stir in tomatoes, corn, green chilies, cumin, oregano and salt & pepper. Simmer 20 minutes. Add cheese a little at a time and stir to blend. Great served with garlic toast.