Crock Pot Cheesy Potato Soup

Shout out to my friend and Twitter chef @Amydoubleyou for this great recipe. I made it in the morning, and I was to find out later in the day that the girls would be coming home early from school with lice. EEEEP. I was so glad to have dinner under control, and man was this scrumptious! Soups should really be an all year round sort of thing. So as I understand it, this is a relatively flexible recipe. Sub in chicken or carrots if it's what you have! Enjoy!

1 onion, diced
4-5 celery stalks, chopped
1 tbl butter
1 lb. country sausage
3 russet potatoes, peeled and roughly cubed
3 c. milk
3 c. chicken stock
salt & pepper to taste
dash of cayenne
1/2 c sour cream
1 c + shredded cheese

Brown and drain the sausage in a skillet. Add the onions, celery, & butter, sauté until slightly tender. Dump the contents of the skillet into your crock pot, (mine is the larger oval, and it was pretty full) pour in the milk, chicken broth, and add the potatoes. Season with the salt, pepper, and a hint of cayenne. Cook all day on low (about 7-8 hrs ish) 20 minutes before serving, with a potato masher, smoosh the bigger chunks of potatoes. Add the sour cream and cheese, stir around a bit. Serve topped with even more cheese, maybe some chopped green onion would also be a nice crunch.

Broccoli Potato Soup

Brr! Allofthesudden it's cold! This calls for soup!

1 tbl. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 1/3 lb. red potatoes, cut into 3/4 in. cubes
2 1/2 c. water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
10 oz. frozen broccoli cuts (thawed and drained)
6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, water, and bouillon cubes. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat to med. and cook until the potatoes are tender. (about 15 minutes) Remove 1 cup of potato cubes with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour the contents of saucepan into a blender and process until smooth. Return to saucepan and add the reserved potatoes. Add broccoli and place over med-low heat- gradually add cheese stirring until heated through and cheese is completely melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Turkey Chili

Because there is a superfluous whole turkey in my freezer... I think we're going to have turkey coming out of our eyeballs this month.

2 c. chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 c. chopped green pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
2 (35 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, crushed
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
2 tbl. tomato paste
3/4 c. chicken or turkey stock
2 tbl. chili powder (or up to 4 tbl. if you like it really hot)
1 tbl. cumin
1 tbl. red pepper (cayenne)
1 tea. dried oregano
1 tbl. salt, plus more if desired to taste
1/2 tea. black pepper
3 - 4 c. of shredded, cooked turkey meat

1 In a large, 8-quart, thick-bottom pot, cook the onion and green pepper over medium high heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for a minute or two more. Add a bit more olive oil if needed.

2 Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock. beans, oregano, salt, pepper, and cooked turkey meat. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for an hour.

3 Salt to taste.

The chili may be made in advance and chilled for 2 days, or frozen for 2 months.

Makes about 12 cups. Serves 8.

Shortcut Chicken Noodle Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 qt. chicken stock
8 oz. dry wide egg noodles
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
salt and pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped


Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Meanwhile, boil water in a separate pot and cook noodles according to package instructions. When slightly less than al dente, drain and set aside. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Fold in the noodles and chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Adapted from Tyler Florence's Chicken Noodle Soup

Turkey Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

3 6-inch corn tortillas, cut in strips
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup purchased red or green salsa
2 14-ounces cans reduced sodium chicken broth
2 cups cubed cooked turkey (12 ounces)
1 large zucchini, coarsely chopped
Lime wedges (optional)
Sour cream and cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. In a large skillet cook tortilla strips in hot oil until crisp; remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper toweling.

2. In a large saucepan combine salsa and chicken broth; bring to boiling over medium-high heat. Add turkey and zucchini; heat through. Serve in bowls topped with tortilla strips, lime wedges, and cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Chili for Dummies

This is cheap and easy chili- no frills, just goodness!

1 lb. ground beef
1 packet chili seasoning mix
1 can diced tomatoes
4-8 oz. water (depending on how soupy you want it)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 small can sliced black olives

Brown meat & drain. (May I suggest browning the meat in the bottom of your soon-to-be chili pot? Saves on dishes!) Add chili packet and mix well. In a large pot combine the meat, tomatoes, beans, olives and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 mins. Serve with shredded cheese & sour cream, and cornbread on the side!

Minestrone Soup

1 tea. cooking oil
1 c. chopped onion, celery, green bell pepper, zucchini, red potatoes, & carrots
1/4 c. sliced black olives
28 oz. diced tomatoes (you can do fresh or canned)
6 c. water
2 tea. salt
2 tea. worcestershire sauce
1/4 tea. pepper
2 bay leaves
1 can kidney beans
1/2 c. cooked macaroni elbows

In large pot add chopped veggies, olives, oil, water, salt, worcestershire sauce, pepper, tomatoes & bay leaves. Stir until well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Add kidney beans & macaroni, then simmer for 30 mins.

Serves 8-10

Note: low-fat, and safe for diabetics