Cheddar Potato Soup:

Hey everyone!
I've had this recipe on the blog for a while.....well, a few years, actually!!!!
Over time, I've added and taken away a few things from the original recipe to make it better and better, so I wanted to share the new and improved recipe with you!!
It's super easy and super yummy!
I was never the biggest fan of potato soup, but I thoroughly enjoy this one!
Thick and creamy and flavorful...totally comfort food!

I hope you give it a try!!

6 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Water

1 & 1/2 tblsp. butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 & 1/2 tblsp. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 & 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 & 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup bacon, fried and chopped

1 & 3/4 cups cubed, White Queso Velveeta Cheese

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan. Add enough water to just cover the potatoes. 

Bring to a boil and cook just until a fork sticks through them. Drain in a colander; set aside.

In the same saucepan, saute onion in butter over medium-high heat until onion is tender.
Whisk in cornstarch, pepper, and garlic powder until smooth.
Add chicken broth and milk.
Cook and stir until mixture barely begins to boil.
Reduce heat to medium.
Stir in potatoes, bacon, and cheese. Stir continually until cheese is melted.
Garnish with parsley.
Serve!!!

Note:

-Check out my "Recipe Index" for some great muffin or bread recipes to serve with this potato soup!

Thick and Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup:

Anyone who knows me for very long, probably knows that my very favorite season is

WINTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just love the cold, the snow, the fact that Christmas is during the winter, sweaters and boots and just anything "wintery"! 
It never lasts long enough for me!
Ever since I was little, people have been telling me that I will of course grow out of liking winter when I'm older. So far, it has only grown with me more and more every year (grown bigger than me, might be more like it, since I've not really grown for about 10 years)!

Anyway, whether you love or hate winter, you would have to admit that a big bowl of soup and a nice muffin, on a cold winter night, is a really great thing!
So no matter what your relationship with winter is (or isn't),
I hope you will definitely give this SUPER easy, SUPER yummy broccoli soup a try!! Warm, creamy and cheesy, it's just plain GOOD!!!!

1 small onion, finely diced butter
6 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 pinch of nutmeg

dash of pepper

2 & 2/3 cups milk

2 cups chicken broth

6 cups broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces

2cups cubed or shredded Velveeta cheese

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes to soften the onion. Whisk in the cornstarch, nutmeg and pepper until smooth. Stir in the milk and chicken broth and mix until well combined. Add broccoli. Cover the pan and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until broccoli is tender (the smaller you cut the broccoli, the faster it will cook). Turn the heat back up to medium and add the cheese. Cook and stir until thoroughly melted.

Serve!

Note:

-If you prefer a broccoli soup with more veggies in it, then click HERE to check out my recipe for Broccoli Chowder.
-Check out my RECIPE INDEX for some great muffins or bread to serve with this!

Easy Tex-Mex Chili:

I really LOVE chili, but the recipe we usually use, just wasn't cutting it for me. I do tend to like things a bit spicy, and the rest of my family tends to dislike spicy things.

In October, I had the opportunity to spend 3 amazing weeks with my brother and his family (including their brand new baby girl!) in New Mexico. I had the best time ever, and I'm still sad that my visit is over. 

Anyway, while I was there, my brother made chili for dinner one night, and it was SO good! I absolutely loved it and have been craving it ever since. However, I knew it would be way to spicy for the rest of my family.

So I stumbled across a Tex-Mex Chili packet. Tex-Mex things are usually a little less spicy than regular Mexican food, so I decided to try it out!

It ended up being so easy and so good! It had a little kick to it, but definitely wasn't really spicy. It ended up being a good win-win situation, because it had the kick I was missing, yet wasn't overly spicy at all, so even some of my family enjoyed it too!!!  

I hope you try it out!!!! 

2 pounds ground beef

4 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained

1 (15.8 ounce) can great northern beans, drained

1 tsp. dried mustard

1 package McCormick Chili Tex-Mex seasoning mix*

Optional:

-corn chips

-shredded cheddar cheese

-chopped onions

-sour cream

-Cornbread

In a large skillet or saucepan, brown beef until no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, mustard and seasoning mix. Cook and stir over high heat until well combined. Depending on how you want it, add 1-2 tomato sauce cans of water, until you reach the desired consistency.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with toppings of your choice!

Note:

-This is perfect to make ahead of time. If it's already warm, put it in the slow-cooker on low until you're read to serve it. If it's cold, put in in the slow-cooker on high until it gets nice and hot, and then reduce heat to low or warm until ready to serve.

-Serve it Cincinnati style instead! Click HERE!

-This is the packet I used. And it's gluten-free!! Unfortunately, the other McCormick Chili seasoning mixes are not. I don't know about other brands, so I if you want it to be gluten-free, please make sure to check all the labels.

Cheeseburger Paradise Soup:

I posted this recipe once before, but for some reason, I totally forgot to write the directions for how to make the soup! So I decided to scratch that post and write a whole new one!!

Despite the ingredient list, this soup really is pretty easy to make and tastes very yummy!

I hope you give it a try!

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

3/4 cup carrot, diced or grated

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup diced green pepper, optional

1 & 1/2 cups water

1 tblsp. + 1 tsp. beef bouillon granules (make sure to check the label)

1 tsp. minced garlic

Dash of Pepper

1 lb. ground beef

1 can sliced mushrooms, optional

2 & 1/2 cups milk

8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed

Bacon bits, optional

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes, carrot, onion, pepper, water, beef bouillon, garlic and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add meat and mushrooms to potato mixture. Stir in milk and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add cheese and stir until thoroughly melted. Serve!!

Need a muffin to go with that?

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Banana Bread Muffins

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Baking Powder Drop Biscuits

Honey Cornbread Muffins

Can of Condensed Tomato Soup:

This is such a great recipe that I am so excited about! It might seem crazy, but so many recipes call for a can of tomato soup, and they usually all have wheat in them. I've looked around and experimented a little, but it's hard to find a substitute that tastes similar. Then I found this one and I was so impressed by how well it works and how short the ingredient list is!

I hope you will give it a try!

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

2 tblsp. sugar

1 tblsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix altogether in a small bowl. Use in place of a can of condensed tomato soup in recipes. 

Note:

-This is equivalent to 1 can of soup. 

-Try this recipe as a sauce for my Porcupine Meatloaf! It tastes so yummy! 

Prince of Persia Soup:

This soup is so yummy and comforting! It's a great way to use up any leftover ham you might have after the holidays. The original recipe was called pursian vegetable, but we had no idea why it was called that, and my dad and brother love the Prince of Persia movie, so they just kept calling it that!!

1 bag frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cups chopped ham

1 (32 oz.) carton chicken broth

3 cups water

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 tblsp. butter

1 can evaporated milk

1/3 cup cornstarch + 1/2 cup water

In a large saucepan, bring vegetables, onion, ham, chicken broth, water, garlic powder and pepper to a boil. Cook until veggies are tend, stirring occasionally. Add butter and milk. Return to a boil. Combine water and cornstarch. Stir into boiling soup. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Serve!

Chicken Noodle Soup:

Most of us here are recovering from almost a week of battling colds, coughs and sore throats. This soup hit the spot! It's not time consuming like some recipes out there, so you can have this comforting soup on your table in 30 minutes! I hope you give it a try!

2 & 1/2 quarts water

1 (32 oz.) container of chicken broth (make sure to check the label for gluten)

8 tsp. chicken bouillon granules (check this label too)

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup sliced baby carrots

2 stalks of celery, chopped fine

1/4 cup onion, chopped fine

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

5 cups uncooked spiral pasta

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring water, chicken broth and chicken bouillon granules to a boil. Add chicken, peas, carrots, celery, onion, pepper, basil, oregano and bay leaf. Bring back to a low boil and cook for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center, stirring occasionally. Stir in noodles and serve!

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup:

This was really easy and turned out really yummy!! It smelled so good while it was cooking all day too! It has to cook pretty much all day, though, so you'll want to definitely start it earlier in the morning. Hope you try it out!!

(Sorry no picture! I completely forgot and we ate it all! I'll try to remember next time!)

1 (1 lb.) round steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups water
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
3 tblsp. beef bouillon granules (check the label for any gluten)
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 to 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Mix first 12 ingredients together in a crock-pot. Make sure the potatoes are all the way under the water, so they don't turn brown. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours. Stir in mixed vegetables. Cover and cook an additional 2 hours. Serve!!!

Note:
-I did not have any canned, diced tomatoes, but I did have an over abundance of cherry tomatoes from our garden! I just quartered enough to equal about 1-1/2 cups, covered them with water and added them to the soup! It turned out just fine, so use whatever you have.

Vegetable Meatball Stew

I posted our meatball recipe last week and this is the main thing that I use them for. This is so yummy and very easy. I usually make it either the day before or earlier the morning I need it and then put it in the crock-pot on low until I'm ready to serve it. Give it a try and I bet you will enjoy it too...as well as the people you serve it too!!


                  Photo Credit: Taste of Home

4 cups water
2 medium white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium onions, diced
4 medium carrots, cubed
2 tblsp. beef seasoning (check the label!)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
Dash of salt and pepper
25 frozen meatballs
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 cups canned green beans
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add white potatoes, onions, carrots, beef seasoning, bay leaf, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add meatballs and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until meatballs are hot through and veggies are fork tender. Stir in green beans. Return to a boil. Remove bay leaf. Combine cornstarch and water. Gradually add to the broth in the pan - stirring constantly until thickened. Serve or pour into a slow-cooker and keep on the warm setting.

Note:
-Try to cut all of the potatoes and carrots the same size, as this will help them cook in relatively the same time. Plus it looks a lot nicer!!
-Feel free to add in any other veggies you want! These are the ones that we always have on hand, but you can certainly change it up to suit your tastes and whatever you have on hand.

Broccoli Chowder

Definitely comfort food!!!


                       This is not my picture

1 1/2 cups water
4 cups small broccoli florets
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stock, chopped
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons chicken seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese

In a large saucepan, combine water, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, onion and celery. Bring to a boil, and cook for 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Combine milk, chicken seasoning, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add to vegetables. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in cheese until melted. Serve!

Cincinnati Chili

This is what I am making for dinner tonight!!!

(This is NOT my picture)

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 cup taco seasoning

1 medium onion, chopped

1 8 oz. can tomato paste

2 large cans baked beans

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2-3 cups water

Hot Cooked Spaghetti Noodles

Shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef until no longer pink; drain. Add onion and cook until onion is tender. Add taco seasoning and stir to combine. Add tomato paste, beans and mustard. Mix well. Gradually add water until desired consistency is reached. Bring all to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15-30 minutes (the longer the better). Serve over noodles and top with cheese!

Note:

-I like to use leftover taco meat from tacos, if we have it.

-Most of the time, I make this early in the day and put it all in the crock-pot on warm.

-I also will cook the noodles ahead and just place in a colander and rinse with hot water to re-heat them.