Turkey Chili

Once again, my trusty America's Test Kitchen cookbook has come to the rescue! Oh. my. word. This was SO good. SoooooOOOOOoooo good. Yum!! There's just nothing else I can say, really. It's perfection.

Serve with cornbread for a really easy, filling, tasty meal! This chili can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze it for up to a month. Reheat over low heat, adding additional water or broth as needed for the right consistency.

Ingredients:
2 onions, minced (just use 1 if you have a larger onion)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt
2 pounds ground turkey (I used 85/15, but use whatever you have)
2 15.5 ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, UNdrained
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Toppings:
cilantro
lime juice
shredded cheddar cheese
avocado
fresh diced tomatoes
sliced green onion

Combine the onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, oregano, cayenne, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened, about 12 minutes.

Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir in the turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the beans, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, broth, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the chili has begun to thicken, about 1 hour.

Ladle into bowls, and top with your choice of toppings. ENJOY!

Are you salivating yet?! You should be!

Read more...

Egg Drop Soup

This is a super easy and cheap dish to make for a crowd. I love it because it's so easy and comes together in a flash! We served it with potstickers from the frozen section of the grocery store for a really fast meal.

I'm not a huge Chinese food fan, but I do really like egg drop soup. The problem with soup from every restaurant I've been to is that it's usually really greasy. This soup doesn't have that problem, and I think it tastes just as good as any soup I've ordered at a restaurant. Next time I make it, I think I'm going to add mushrooms.

If you want, you can make it totally vegetarian by using vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock! It's an awesome meatless meal.

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs
green onions, sliced

Pour 3 cups chicken broth into a large pot. Add ginger, green onions and salt. Bring to a boil.

In another bowl, combine remaining chicken broth with cornstarch, mixing until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Set aside. Whisk eggs together, then pour slowly into the boiling broth mixture, stirring constantly.

After the eggs are poured in, then add the cornstarch. Serve immediately.

Are you ready for CHRISTMAS?!
I can't believe we're down to 2 days now!

Read more...

Zuppa Toscana

This post will hopefully convince Arizona's weather to turn fall-y so I can enjoy incredible soups like this WITHOUT running the air conditioning!

Whenever I go to Olive Garden, I always have to get this soup. It's so insanely fantastically delicious. Several years ago, I had a wicked craving for this soup but couldn't go get my Olive Garden fix. I decided to look it up online. I wasn't expecting to find a recipe nearly as good, but I found one! I love it even more, because it costs way less to make and I get several meals of this soup instead of just a single bowl.

The only problem I had with this recipe was that the original said you can use spinach or kale. The very first time I made it, I used spinach. It. was. disgusting. The spinach got completely slimy in the soup and didn't hold up well at all for leftovers. So do NOT use spinach as a substitution. It's gotta be kale.

Now that I'm on blood thinner medication, I have to be super careful about eating foods high in Vitamin K. When the pharmacist tole me that kale has the highest Vitamin K out of any of the dark greens, my mind instantly started mourning the fact that I won't be able to eat this soup as much as I normally do in the winter. Well, as much as I used to eat it in the winter, before I moved to the gosh dang desert.

Ingredients:
1 pound hot style bulk sausage
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
5 cans chicken broth
6 potatoes, cubed
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 bunch kale

Cook sausage and red pepper flakes. Drain excess fat and remove sausage from pan. Using the same pan, cook bacon. Remove bacon, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings in the pan. Cook onion and garlic in bacon drippings until tender. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Cook for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, then add cream and sausage. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in kale just before serving. Serve with rolls or breadsticks!

What's your favorite soup?

Read more...

Savory Shell Soup

Seeing how it is still "winter" in Wyoming, I thought I would post a yummy soup recipe today.

This is another of my mom’s classic recipes. It is easily doubled or probably even halved so it can feed a crowd or just a few. There is nothing complicated about this soup and it’s hearty and delicious.It does take a while to cook so give yourself a couple of hours from start to finish.

Savory Shell Soup

1 lb stew meat

3-4 tsp cooking oil *

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 T marjoram **

6 cubes/ tsp. beef bouillon

10 cups water

2 medium potatoes

2 ¼ cups large shell pasta, uncooked

1. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces.
2. In a 5-quart kettle, heat the cooking oil; add the stew meat and cook over medium—high heat until browned.
3. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and marjoram over the meat and stir. Gradually pour the water over the mixture and bring to a boil.
4. Add the bouillon to the soup and stir until dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
5. While soup is simmering, peel the potatoes and cut them into bite-size pieces.
6. Adjust the heat to bring the soup to a full boil. Add the potatoes and the shells, and cook over medium-high heat until done.

* I rarely use cooking oil when I’m browning meat so I didn’t use it here.

** I have also never tried marjoram in this recipe.

Read more...

Chunky Minestrone Soup

So it turns out that my mom has some really great recipes and it would take me literally years to go through them all... NOT joking! I need to explore more of her cookbooks. This recipe is so simple and easy to do at the last minute. And it's tasty too.

Chunky Minestrone Soup

1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano**

1 cup broken uncooked egg noodles

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 cans (14 oz) chicken or beef broth

1 can sliced carrots, drained

Combine all ingredients except carrots in large pot. Cover and simmer 10-12 minutes. Add carrots and simmer 5 more minutes. Serve with warm bread, if desired.

Serves 4-6

** Next time I will add some garlic and onion.

Read more...

Slow-Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

This is so delicious. It's really easy to make and the crock pot does almost all the work too so that's a definite bonus. I've had this recipe for a while and I believe it's weight watchers friendly too! Here it is!

Slow-cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

¾ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs – cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cups sliced celery (2 med. Stalks)

2 cups chopped carrots

¾ cup chopped onion

14 ½ oz canned chicken broth

½ tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

½ tsp salt (optional)

2 bay leaves

10 oz. frozen green peas (optional)

1 cup frozen home-style egg noodles

Brown chicken in skillet over medium heat. Mix chicken and all ingredients except noodles and peas in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours until chicken is fully cooked. Stir in peas and noodles. Cook until noodles are tender.

Serve with fresh, hot rolls. Yum!

** In the slow cooker I used, it usually cooks things extra fast or extra hot, one of the other. The point being that most of the liquid evaporates out of things no matter what you do. So if your slow cooker seems to cook the same way I would use two cans of chicken broth so that you have some broth left when it comes time to serve it.

** I would also recommend that you take the noodles out of the freezer 30-45 minutes before you add them to the soup. Also break them up before you put them in and they will cook faster. You can also use regular dried egg noodles if you prefer them.

Read more...

Taco Soup

And I'm baaaaaaack! My new charger finally came. Let's hope I can keep track of this one a little longer than last time. I never did find the original one. Strange.

Anyway, taco soup. This is pretty much the epitome of easy and delicious. My husband's grandma made this for us when we visited her, oh, 6 years ago or so, and I begged her for the recipe. We've made it frequently ever since. I really love it because the ingredients are all things I always have stocked in my pantry, so it's one of those "go to meals" for when nights get busy and dinner plans need to change.

This meal is also a great one to keep pre-made in the freezer for quick weeknight meals! It would freeze and reheat beautifully. It would also make a very tasty meal to take to someone who's sick or who just had a baby. And it's perfect for large get-togethers because it's so cheap without compromising any flavor. Kids and adults alike love this one.

This recipe can easily be modified to work for a crock pot, too. If you want to do it that way, just cook your ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is done, then throw everything into the crock pot on low until you're ready to eat. It only gets better the longer it sits.

My toppings are just the basics, the things I always have on hand anyway. But you can easily jazz it up by adding cilantro, avocado, using the fire roasted hot chilies instead of the mild kind, different cheeses, etc.

Ingredients:
3/4 - 1 pound ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can kidney beans, quickly rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can diced green chilies
1 package taco seasoning OR 1/4 cup bulk taco seasoning
1/3 cup water

Toppings:
shredded cheese
sour cream
Fritos

Brown ground beef in a large pot. Add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Drain any excess fat. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.


Then you assemble the deliciousness -- Fritos, then a ladle of taco soup, then cheese, then sour cream. My husband does his with the Fritos on top because he hates them getting the least bit soggy. Either way works.

Read more...

Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup

This soup is one of my favorites of all time. When we moved away to go to college in 2004, our new tiny town didn't have a Chili's, and I was so bummed. Every time we went home to visit, which was pretty often because we were only an hour and a half away, I'd always make sure I went to Chili's to get a bowl of soup to tie me over until next time.

Then, one day, I realized, DUH! I can find the recipe online and can make it at home! Wow, I'm smart. I couldn't find the exact recipe, but I found a few that gave me some good places to start, and then I tweaked it to make it a pretty darn good replica, if I do say so myself.

Each recipe I found for this soup used an ingredient I'd never heard of before, Masa Harina. So to spare you the temporary anxiety I had from not knowing what this ingredient was, let alone where to find it: it's a Mexican flour found in the baking section of your grocery store, and it's used to make tortillas, tamales and the like.


You can really use whatever you have on hand in this recipe. If I have cans of broth and enchilada sauce, I use that. But most of the time, I just use bouillon cubes and packaged enchilada sauce (both prepared according to package directions). It tastes fantastic either way. If you use bouillon cubes, though, use a little less salt than the recipe calls for. Those are much saltier than canned broths.

This makes a huge pot of soup. I made it the other night for my family of 5, and we all had 2 bowls, plus we all had some for lunch the next day, and I still have at least 1 more bowl's worth in my fridge. But it's so good that you won't mind eating it for like 3 days straight or longer. Oh, yum, now I know what I'm having for lunch!

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup Masa Harina
3 cups water
3 cups enchilada sauce
16 ounces Velveeta, cubed
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder

Garnish (pick and choose from this list -- they're all great!):
tortilla chips, crushed
cheddar cheese, shredded

AND/OR:
salsa
tomatoes, sliced or diced
avocado, sliced or diced
pico de gallo
red onion, diced
green onions, diced

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Saute onions and garlic until onions are tender, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth. Combine Masa Harina with 2 cups water, and whisk until well-blended. Add to soup. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, Velveeta, chicken and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, or until thick.

Read more...

Chicken Noodle Soup

It's finally cooling off enough here in Arizona, and we've been enjoying a lot of soup at our house lately. All of us came down with the flu a few weeks ago, so when we were feeling better, my husband said he felt like some homemade chicken noodle soup. I searched the internet for a recipe, and oh. my. goodness. This one is perfection.

The only thing I really changed was the size I cut my veggies. I really wanted it to cook quickly, so I diced the carrots instead of slicing them into 1/2 inch pieces like the recipe called for. That really cut down on the cooking time and would have this soup ready in about 30 minutes from start to finish. Oh, and I made my own noodles. If you're looking for a super quick meal, don't make your own noodles. :) But it sure tasted extra yummy that way!

For the chicken, I just cooked it in a few tablespoons of butter and seasoned each side with salt, pepper and thyme. I took it off the grill when it was still slightly pink so it would finish cooking in the soup and would stay super juicy and moist.

It was so hearty and comforting and yummy. I got a big, fat kiss from my hubby when he was done scarfing down his bowl, which is a sure sign that it was a hit. :) So a huge thank you to Tyler Florence from FoodNetwork for this fantastic recipe! It's definitely a new family favorite that we'll make all the time.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 tablespoon dried thyme (or you can use 4 sprigs fresh)
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock (see our conversion chart on the left hand side!)
8 ounces egg noodles (or you can use 1 recipe homemade noodles)
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 handful parsley, finely chopped

In a large soup pot, cook onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf in olive oil over medium heat. Saute for about 6 minutes, until vegetables are soft but not browned.

Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Then fold in chicken and simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Top each serving with chopped parsley. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf before serving! :)

Read more...

Tortellini Soup

This soup is probably my most favorite soup ever. Every time I make it, people practically bang down my door for the recipe. I got it from an old friend, Jen, several years ago, and I wish I could give her a huge hug to thank her for it. It's so fantastic and comforting, and leftovers are just as good, if not better!

The original recipe calls for turkey sausage. That's the only thing I changed about the recipe. I use hot style bulk sausage instead. My husband and I just aren't big on turkey sausage, and we feel like the regular sausage gives much more flavor.

When you reheat the leftovers, you'll need to add more liquid. I usually just pour in some water, but you can use more broth or even apple cider to thin it out.

Ingredients:
1 pound bulk pork sausage, hot style
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup water
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider
1 can stewed tomatoes, chopped
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup carrots, sliced thin
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 package dry cheese tortellini
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
shredded Parmesan, for garnish

Brown sausage; drain. Add remaining ingredients except zucchini, tortellini and parsley. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Add more broth if soup is too thick. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan.

Serve this soup with breadsticks, homemade white bread or dinner rolls, and you've got a perfect meal!

Read more...

Mexican White Chili

I'm sure, where most of you are from, fall is upon you. The cool, crisp air, changing leaves, prime soup weather! However, I'm in Arizona, which means we're still in the 90's. In an effort to challenge the weather to be more like Idaho's, which is where we moved here from back in June, I decided to make some delicious soup for dinner last night.

We love chili at our house, so I decided to make a white chili -- Mexican style. It was fantastic! It's a great alternative to regular chili, and the Mexican twist really makes it even more special. I thought I found this recipe on another recipe blog a girl I used to go to church with does, but when I went back to link to it, I couldn't find the recipe on her site. I'll keep looking for it, and I'll edit this post if I do find it.

Anyway, I modified the original a little bit to make it more my own. The original recipe had way too much onion (and we love onion!) and also too much corn. I also adjusted the seasonings. I really didn't measure the spices, so don't strictly adhere to the measurements I post -- they're just estimates. I just dumped some in and tasted as I went.

I've mentioned before that I really prefer chicken thighs to breasts, so that's what I used in this recipe. I think the flavor is so much better. But you can absolutely use breasts if that's what you prefer! Or, you could cut the chicken out completely and just have yourself a delicious bowl of vegetarian chili. Anyway, I seasoned my chicken thighs with cumin, chili powder, a little cayenne, fresh minced garlic and a squirt of lime juice. So good!

Ingredients:
3 chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cans chicken broth
1 can whole kernel corn
2 cans white beans
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup green salsa
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons lime juice

For garnish:
Monterey Jack, shredded
avocado, sliced
cilantro, chopped

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil or butter in a skillet. Season chicken on both sides, and cook until done. Let cool for a few minutes, then shred it, chop it into bite-sized pieces (that's what I did), or even just slice it into strips. Whatever you feel like doing is just fine. Just get 'er done! (Have you seen that show on Comedy Central where that hickish-dude says that?)

Cook onions and garlic in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add green salsa, and cook for about 2 minutes. Then stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chicken and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Ladle yourself a yummy bowl full, then top with shredded cheese, avocado slices and cilantro. Serve with cornbread! Now, a note about the cornbread. My plan for last night was to add some diced green chilies and some cheese to my cornbread, which I thought would be fantastic! My husband said he wanted regular cornbread instead, so I didn't do it. But I'm going to next time!

Enjoy!!

It's a darn good thing I have leftovers to eat for lunch today!!

Read more...

April's Fabulous Crock Pot Chili

Alright, I know you've all been waiting on the edge of your seats for this one. :) I came up with this one day while I was trying to think of something to cook for dinner that wouldn't take much time on my part. Then.... DING.... the light bulb turned on. I have everything to make chili and I could just throw it in the crock pot and not touch it again until dinner time. Well, it was perfect. You can do many variations with it as well. Different beans, veggies, tomatoes, spices, etc. It is also extremely budget friendly. If you are really tight just leave out the ground beef and you have a lot of dinner for just a couple dollars.

April's Fabulous Crock Pot Chili

1 lb ground beef
3 - 15 oz cans of beans (Any combination works great. My favorite is chili beans, kidney beans, and black beans.)
2 - 15 oz cans of tomatoes (any variety, if you like your chili chunky then use diced, if you like it smoother then use crushed)
1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 small can diced green chilies
onion
garlic

Spices to taste:
chili powder
cumin
salt
pepper
paprika
oregano

Optional Veggies:
green bell pepper, chopped
red bell pepper, chopped
tomatoes, diced

• Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. I threw in the diced peppers and diced tomatoes when it was almost browned.
• While beef is browning, throw everything else in the crock pot.
  
• I put the tomato sauce into a small bowl and mix in all my spices into that and then I add it to the crock pot.
  
• I also added some chili powder to my beef mixture.
  
• When beef is done, add to crock pot and mix well.
• Cook on low until dinner time
• Serve with corn bread

This recipe completely fills my crock pot. I'm not sure the size but I'm guessing it's about 3 qt.


Enjoy!!

Read more...

Baked Potato Soup

This is one of those delicious recipes that you can make any time you want something just so....well... yummy! My mom found this recipe in a magazine once and it became an instant hit at our house. It freezes well so you can keep serving sizes in your freezer to heat up for a warm lunch or quick dinner. It would also be a great dinner to share with someone else, like a sick neighbor or friend. The pictures really don't do it justice, it's thick and creamy, and delicious. The last one ended up blurry, sorry about that.


Baked Potato Soup (8-10 servings)

2/3 cup margarine
7 Cups milk
Onion
1 ¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese
¾ tsp salt
2/3 cup flour
4 lg potatoes, baked, cooled, cubed
12 bacon strips, cook and crumble
8 oz sour cream
½ tsp pepper



Melt butter, stir in flour.



Gradually add milk, stir until thick.



Add potatoes and onion.



Boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes.



Add remaining ingredients.



Remove from heat and stir until cheese is melted.



Enjoy!

Read more...

White Turkey Chili

I do a regular chili recipe in the crock pot that will be posted someday but I had been thinking about trying a turkey chili. So I search the web, of course, for something that would fit my tastes just right. Well I found two that I sort of combined to make my own. With chili you really can't go wrong. You can do beef, turkey, probably pork, or just beans. Then just throw in some veggies and liquid or whatever and you're set. Yummy.

The recipes I found came from HERE and HERE.

And here is what I did in my own cozy little kitchen :)

White Turkey Chili

1 lb ground turkey
3 cans white beans (any variety)
1 small can chopped green chilies
2/3 to 3/4 can chicken broth (adjust depending on how "soupy" you want it)
chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1 tsp cumin
1 ½ tsp oregano
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
chopped green bell pepper ( i had to omit it in mine because I didn't have any)



Brown turkey with onion and garlic.



Add all ingredients to crock pot.



Cook on low until ready to serve.



Top with shredded Monterey jack cheese.

Enjoy!

Read more...