Taco Soup

This recipe is SO simple and SO good! The most
work you'll have to put into it is browning the
ground beef.

Here's exactly what you'll need from the store:

2 large cans of ranch style beans

1 regular sized can of jalapeno ranch style beans
(I usually pick out the jalapenos because there is NO
way my kiddos are going to eat it. It still has the
flavor of jalapenos though and not too spicy)

1 or 2 drained cans of corn. However you prefer it.
( I thought I'd include a photo of a can of
corn....like you don't know what THAT looks like!)

1 package of taco seasoning

1 package of dry ranch salad dressing mix

In addition to the things above you will need:

*(1) lb. of browned ground beef
(in my ground beef I always use chopped onions and chopped fresh garlic with salt and pepper)

*(1) 4 oz. can of green chilies

* (2) cups of water

*Grated cheddar cheese

*Tortilla chips

After your ground beef is done, drain it and dump all of these ingredients (in any order) into your pot, heat it all up, and serve. I always break up tortilla chips and place them on top with come grated cheddar cheese and it is out of this world!

Tomato Bisque Soup

3/4 cup onion, chopped
2 (28 oz.) cans Italian stewed tomatoes
2 c. tomato puree (comes in 28 oz. cans by the tomato sauce)
4 c. chicken broth
2 t. dried basil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon pepper
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

Saute onion and butter. Add all other ingredients except cream. Simmer 10 minutes. Cool (if you have time) and blend in blender. Reheat and add cream. Do not boil after adding cream.
Note: If you don't have Italian style tomatoes, just use regular canned tomatoes and add the Italian spices (oregano, basil, and garlic).

* This makes a LOT so I recommend sharing, freezing half, or just halving the recipe!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

It's taken my a few years to come up with the just right chicken noodle soup recipe, but this is one I make very frequently and my kids love. The cream of chicken soup adds a GREAT flavor and makes the soup just slightly creamy.

1/2 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 C carrots, cut up (or 1/2 bag of baby carrots cut up)
3 stocks of celery, chopped
2 T. butter
1 chicken boullion cube
1/4 C water
dash of seasoned salt and pepper
Put chopped veggies in the bottom of a large pot with butter, water, chicken cube. salt and pepper. Stir and put lid on and steam till veggies and tender or translucent (about 10 minutes).

Then add to the pot and bring to boil:
1 1/2 - 2 cans of chicken broth
4 C hot water
3 chicken bouillion cubes
Once boiling, add 1/2 package of noodles or pasta (8-10 oz.)*. Boil noodles in broth for about 8 minutes (or according to package).

Then add:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded/cubed**
2 cans cream of chicken
1/4 t. seasoned salt
1/4 t. pepper

Boil until cream of chicken soup has dissolved and soup is creamy.
Note: You may need to add 1/2-1 C water if soup is on the thicker side.

*I use whatever pasta I have in my pantry. My kids love bowties, shells, or penne and they work great plus it's easier for the kids to eat.
**I cook my chicken in the crock pot with 1/2 can of chicken broth and a generous sprinkle of seasoned salt and pepper on top for a few hours (2 hours on hight for 2 FROZEN breasts or 3-4 hours on low).

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is "the BOMB" according to my brother Ben. I had made a different tortilla soup and had him over for dinner. He said it was good (I thought it was really good), but my sister's tortilla soup was "the BOMB." So my curiousity got the best of me and I had to have her recipe and find out for myself. And it is excellent. Easily Adam's favorite soup.

2 C cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 15 oz. diced tomatoes, mostly drained
1/3-1/2 can of Hatch's green chile enchilada sauce (16 oz.) - this makes it a little spicy so you may want to add slowly little by little
4 oz. green chiles
15 oz. pinto beans (or I've used white or black), rinsed and drained
1 small onion, chopped (I sautee in butter till they're clear before I add)
2 T minced garlic
14 oz. can of chicken broth
15 oz. can of corn, drained
1 15 oz. can of cream of chicken
1 1/2 C water
2 t. chicken bouillion
1 t. cumin
1/2 t seasoned salt
1/2 t. salt
8-10 corn tortillas, cut up in small squares (I have used tortilla chips instead and they worked well)
*Sour cream, tortilla chips, cheese (to put on top of soup)

Dump all the ingredients in crockpot, except tortillas and the toppings (sour cream, chips, & cheese). Cook on low for 4 hours. Add tortillas for the last hour or so (they will mostly dissolve). OR you can cook on stove top for an hour (same thing...dump everything in) and add the tortillas once the soup is boiling. Garnish with sour cream, chips, & cheese!

Chunky Beef Noodle Soup

Got this recipe from my friend Emily. I haven't tried it yet, but if she says it's delicious (which she does), then it is.

1 lb. boneless round steak, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10-1/12 ounces)condensed beef consomme, undiluted
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup uncooked spiral pasta
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

In large saucepan, cook round steak, onion and garlic in oil until the meat is browned and the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in water, tomatoes, consomme and seasonings; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 1-1/2 hours. Stir in pasta and green pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until noodles are tender, about 8 minutes. Add parsley. YIELD: 8 servings (2 quarts)

Soup Starter

I read about this idea online today {here} and thought "meh, why not?". I might be a bit more picky about what goes in it, but it could work!

Basically you just throw in all your leftover veggies, meats, gravies, mashed potatoes, rice, etc into a plastic tupperware in the freezer. When its full, you dump it all in a pot, add some chicken stock, seasoning, maybe some pasta, canned tomatoes or beans...and voila! Yummy soup! Eat with some good crusty bread and butter.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Carnation Café, Disneyland (from Delicious Disney)
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 pound bacon, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3/4 cup diced celery
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium red potatoes, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 cups heavy cream

Optional Garnishes: chopped chives, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses

Directions:

In a 6 – 8 quart stockpot over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp.
Remove bacon and drain on paper towels (reserve half for garnish). In the bacon fat, cook onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent. Add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle in flour and stir constantly over low heat about 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly. Add stock and half of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Mash some of the potatoes for thicker, creamier texture. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust thickness by adding water or stock. The soup should have a creamy consistency. Season to taste, and garnish with toppings, if desired.

~Soak diced potatoes in cold water until ready to use to keep them from turning brown. To make bacon easier to chop, lightly freeze.

Creamy Chicken Soup

This one's in the ward cookbook--it's Tiffany A.'s recipe. We use it frequently and love it! It's hearty and makes a LOT, so if there's only a few of you and you don't want a lot of leftovers, half it. It's great with rolls for taking a meal to someone.

2 chicken breasts
1 lb. carrots, chopped
6 medium potatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese
3/4 cup milk thickened with 1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper

Boil chicken in large pot until cooked. Strain remaining chicken stock and return to pot. Boil carrots, potatoes and onion in chicken stock until soft. Cut chicken into chunks and add to pot. Add thickening mixture while stirring. Add cream cheese cut up. Stir until cream cheese melts into soup. Salt and pepper (heavily) to taste.

Leo's Tortilla Soup

Total time: About 25 minutes

I love the flavor of this soup! It is very filling so makes a great dinner on its own. I got the recipe from my sister-in-law and it originally came from a Lion House cookbook. I also stole this picture from my sister-in-law's blog because she always makes food look so pretty. :) (If you're reading, thanks Tiff!)

1 tablespoon chicken bullion
2 cups diced canned or fresh tomatoes
1/2 cube of butter
1/2 cup canned diced green chilies
1 1/2 cups diced onions
5 cups water
2 1/2 cups dried refried beans
1 cup crushed heavy corn tortilla chips
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup diced green onion
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
Tortilla chips
Sour cream
Shredded cheese

In a large soup pot add chicken base, tomatoes, butter, green chilies, and onions. Cook until onions are translucent. Add water, dried beans, chips, and seasonings. Heat until thickened and beans are soft. Add green onions and cilantro about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with crisp tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream. Yields 5-6 servings.

Janell's Notes:

• I took a boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed it, and added it (raw) to the soup when I added the beans and water. It only takes 5-10 minutes for the chicken to cook through.
• If you don't have the dried beans (does anyone know if you can still get them at the cannery?), I am pretty sure it would work fine to use a large can of refried beans, and just add water until you get the right soupy consistency.
• I didn't have green chilies, so I used salsa instead and cut down a little on the onion and tomato to compensate.
  

Tortilla Soup

8 tbs. canola oil
1 diced onion
4-6 minced garlic cloves (I use the jar of garlic)
2 - 14oz. cans of diced tomatoes
8 cups chicken stock
1 8oz. bag of My Nana's Tortilla Strips (found in deli or chips aisle)
3/4 tbsp. ground cumin
1/2 tbs. chili powder
4 bay leaves
14oz. can of corn
4 chicken breast cooked/shredded (I cook mine in the crock pot)

Using a 6-8 qt. soup pot, preheat canola oil. Lightly sauté onions and minced garlic in oil.
Add canned tomatoes w/ juice and chicken stock to the onions and garlic, gently stir.
Add cumin, chili powder and bay leaves, bring to boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer. Add corn and shredded chicken.
Simmer for an additional 15 min.
Serve in bowl, garnish and sprinkle with My Nana's Tortilla Strips on top.

Optional garnishes: cilantro, diced avocado, grated cheese, sour cream. Enjoy!

Potato Cheese Soup

6-8 potatoes
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
broccoli, chopped (optional)
carrots, chopped (optional)
1 stick butter
6 T flour
1 cup milk

Cook potatoes and onion (and broccoli and carrots, if desired) in 8 cups of water until soft. In a small pan melt butter. Add flour, then remove from heat and stir to make a paste. Add milk and cook until very thick. Add this mixture to the pot. Finally add and stir until well blended and heated through:

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 t garlic salt
1/4 t pepper
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t seasoned salt
chopped cooked meat such as ham or bacon (optional)

Butternut Squash Bisque

This is a great fall soup. We tried it the other night and loved it! Amelia even ate a bowlful.

1 T canola oil
1 T margarine or butter
1/4-1/2 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced carrots
4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (about 1 large squash)
3 cups vegetable broth (chicken would also work)
salt and pepper to taste
ground nutmeg to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Heat the oil and melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender.

Mix carrots and squash into the pot. Pour in vegetable broth and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender.

In a blender, puree soup mixture until smooth. Return to pot, and stir in the heavy cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve warm with a dash of nutmeg.

Pumpkin Soup

5 to 6 lb pumpkin (8 cups)
1/4 cup butter
1 lg. onion chopped
6 chicken boullion cubes
6 cups water
1 1/2 cups whipping cream or half & half
2 TBsp orange juice
2 TBsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
3/4 lb swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Saute onion in butter.2. Add broth (bouillon and water) and pumpkin boil until tender 15-30 minutes.3. Blenderize pumpkin and water and bouillion in 2cup amounts (because it will blow the top off of theblender if too much is done at a time) pouring theliquid into a different bowl.4 Return to pan, add all other ingeredients. Addsalt to taste. This makes between 8-10 servings. Very good...can subpumpkin for squash in off seasons. (by Becky)

Melody's Chili

*1 lb. ground beef (chopped onion, garlic, salt and pepper)
*Carol Shelby's chili mix
*4 cans Bush's chili beans

Brown the meat, be sure to use all ingredients in parenthesis when browning your meat or it won't turn out the same. Drain oil off and dump meat into pot of beans. Get all of that to a boil and then add 1/2 of the Carol Shelby chili mix to the pot and stir. Once well stirred, in a little cup put 1/2 the packet of masa and add a little water to get to a consistency of batter, then pour into the pot (to thicken the chili). Stir and you are done!

***I always serve with Jiffy corn bread***
***It's also super yummy to add shredded cheese to the top of the chili in your bowl*** (by Melody)