Bean Soup

Here is a recipe from my dear friend, Sabrina. She just posted it to her blog too (LouLou Sucre) Y'all will love this one. I made it for dinner on Christmas eve and it was prefect because it was easy, filling, and taste great. I served over rice with cornbread.

2 cans Great Northern Beans

2 cans Ranch Style Beans with Jalapenos

1 can Campbell's Bean with Bacon Soup

2 cans water

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into bite-size pieces (I used Down Home Green Onion)

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on high for at least 4 hours.  If cooking 8 hours, reduce heat to low. 

Note: I have also made it in a stockpot on the stove. Bring all ingredients to a boil then simmer for 1-2 hours. 

Enjoy!!

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Hey y'all!! Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I will do better! So those of you that know me well, know that I am a speech therapist at a nursing home. My company has multiple homes in the area... all with their own SLPs. We came up with the Super Secret Speech Club as our monthly gathering to talk about work, eat, and have wine. It's fun!! I'm very thankful that I work with a great group of girls! This month I hosted our get together. One of the girls does not eat seafood and another is a vegetarian. So I had slim pickings. I figured chicken noodle soup was easy, good, and feeds a lot. This recipe is from MyRecipes.com. I poured the noodles in with the soup but I will not do that next time. The noodles soaked up all the broth! So boil the noodles on their own then pour soup over noodles in individual bowls. We had a salad and bread with it. It was tasty!  You can use any pasta you like.

Ingredients

2  cups  water

1  (32-ounce) carton fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1  tablespoon  olive oil

1/2  cup  prechopped onion

1/2  cup  prechopped celery

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

1  medium carrot, chopped

6  ounces  fusilli pasta

2 1/2  cups  shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast

2  tablespoons  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
**I add a dash of dried basil

Preparation

1. Boil broth and water (I used a carton + a can of broth + 2 cans of water) over medium heat.

2. While broth mixture heats, heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, and carrot; sauté 3 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently. Add hot broth mixture and chicken; bring to a boil. Stir in parsley before serving.

3. Cook pasta separately. Place noodles into bowl and pour soup over noodles.

Serves 6-8

Enjoy!!

French Onion Soup

At work, one of the TVs stays on the Food Network. I always have my eye on it. One day, Sandra Lee was making French Onion Soup. One of my coworkers, Pat, was saying how it looked good. I printed off the recipe for him so he could make it the next day at lunch! When I got to work, he was cutting up onions and poured everything in the pot. VERY EASY. Once it was lunch time..... we sliced bread to put on soup, topped with cheese, and broiled until browned. It was so good!! I didn't think I liked onion soup but this was delicious!! The aroma from the soup flowed through the home... you could smell it when you walked in the front door (rehab is in the back of the building) so everyone up front kept asking what we were cooking and they wanted some of it! It would be great on a cold night.

5 small sweet onions, thinly sliced

2 cans (14 ounces) low sodium beef broth (recommended: Swanson's)

2 cans (10 ounces) beef consomme (recommended: Campbell's)

1 packet onion soup mix (recommended: Lipton's)

8 slices French bread, about 1 inch thick

1 cup shredded Gruyere (we used Monterey Jack cheese)

Combine onions, broth, consomme, and soup mix in a slow cooker. Cook on HIGH setting for 4 hours, or LOW setting for 8 hours.

** We did not use a slow cooker. Pat boiled the soup for about a hour and simmered for about 2-3 hours.

Ladle soup into serving bowls. Top with a slice of French bread. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over each bread slice. Put soup bowls under broiler until cheese is melted. Alternatively, place the bread on a baking sheet and top with cheese; broil until cheese has melted, about 30 to 40 seconds, and set on top just before serving.

Enjoy!

Homemade Vegetable Soup

I hope everyone had a very happy thanksgiving. We went to Ruston and got to spend the weekend with Lee's family. We had a blast! I love spending time with his family! They really are the best. Unfortunately, I got sick on Saturday and Sunday. It did not conclude my holiday with a happy ending but I'm feeling better now. I was in the mood for a hearty soup and this one does the trick. My dad used to make this one a lot and it reminds me of growing up so it holds a special place with me. You can't mess it up either. I always serve it with buttery cornbread. Mmmm hmmmmm it is good!! Enjoy!!


1 1/2 to 2 lbs of tenderized stew meat, cubed (I used deer steaks this time and it was good!)
1 small onion, chopped or 1/2 bag of frozen chopped onions
1 big container of hot n spicy V8
1 can stewed tomatoes
3 potatoes, cubed
1 bag of small carrots (I like the thin ones)
1 family size canned corn
1 family size canned green beans
2 T of Worcestershire (I usually eyeball it)
salt/pepper
bay leaf


Brown meat in oil over medium meat in a skillet. (I like to add seasonings and Worcestershire sauce while meat is browning.) Add some to the soup too. In a big pot, add meat, V8, seasonings, onion, and tomatoes. Add 1 c of water. Let that sit for 1-2 hours on low heat. Add veggies and cover 1-2 hours until done. This makes a lot so feel free to half it. I like to freeze it.


Now that's what my dad's recipe calls for. Last night, after I browned the meat, I dumped everything into a pot and let it boil about 30 mins then simmer for a couple hours and it was perfect!!

Taco Soup

So we just got back in town from New Orleans and after a weekend in the Big Easy, heading straight to the couch is the first thing on my mind. While I unpack, I throw together this great taco soup that is impossible to mess up. My friend, Heidi, made this for me one night while we were in grad school. It is actually a weight watcher recipe but I've made it my own. It's different every time I make it, just depends on what I have on hand. You really just throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and your done! It's so good on a cold night plus it's healthy so you can't beat that.

1 lb of ground turkey (can use ground meat or deer)
1/2-1 cup of onions (I usually just eyeball it... depends on how much you like)
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 packet of ranch seasoning
1 can of corn
1 can of rotel
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of ranch style beans
salt/pepper to taste
Cheddar shredded cheese
tortilla chips

** I use whatever is on hand. I usually add 2-3 cans of beans. I've used chili beans too. If your making a smaller batch, I would use just 2 but I eat on this all week so I add more.

Brown turkey in stockpot. Add onions and cook until clear. Add taco and ranch packets. Stir. Add all canned food but DO NOT DRAIN. Stir. Bring to boil and simmer for 1 hour. Serve with cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Hey y'all! It's Paula Deen's gumbo. I've always been scared to make gumbo b/c of one word, roux. This one is very easy!! And OH MY... is it good!!!! Being my first time to make gumbo, it seriously tasted like I was in New Orleans. My dad could not quit talking about how good the roux was. It had a great flavour that would be difficult to mess up. It is time consuming but only b/c it has to cool then cook more; however, I did not use shrimp. Paula said, "most Southern cooks have a gumbo recipe they swear by. This is one I count on"..... Paula is right! This will be my go to now!

Ingredients:

4   green onions, sliced, white and green parts
Chopped fresh parsley
2 cup frozen sliced okra
1   14 ounce can stewed tomatoes with juice
1/2 lb small shrimp peeled, deveined and cooked
5   beef bouillon cubes
1/4   bunch flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves
3   stalks celery chopped
8   cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1   green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1   large onion, chopped
5 tablespoon margarine
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
Salt and pepper
3   large boneless chicken breast halves
4 cup hot water

Directions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove; cut up/shred. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove. Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of margarine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let the roux cool.
Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons margarine. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, to taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add 4 cups hot water and bouillon cubes, whisking constantly. Add the chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Just before serving add the green onions chopped parsley. Serve with rice and french bread.


Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
Servings: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 2 hours 25 min

Libby's Tortilla Soup

Hey y'all! This is great on a cold, rainy night or when you aren't feeling to good. The broth has such great flavour. This recipe came from my sister-in-law, Libby.  I actually made it tonight and it was delicious!! The soup is serve with tortilla chips and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado.

1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic
4 T butter
8-9  cups of chicken broth
3-4 lbs of cooked chicken (I usually use a rottisere chicken)

1 large can of corn (or use two regular cans)

1 can stewed tomatoes

8 oz can tomato sauce

1 can rotel
2 t cumin
3/4 t crushed red pepper
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (no stems)

Saute onion in butter until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add remaining ingredients (undrained)  and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.
Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or  sliced avocado.