Zuppa Toscana!

If you've ever been to Olive Garden, you may have tried this soup. It's my favorite of all of their soups. I found this recipe on Pinterest from the blog, Jaime Cooks It Up! You can click here for her recipe. My adjusted version is below.

Zuppa Toscana
adapted from Jamie Cooks It Up!

Ingredients:
1 pound Sweet Italian Sausage
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 large white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled or 4 Tsp. bacon pieces
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
2 large russet potatoes
3 cups kale, washed & chopped into small pieces (leaf part only, no stems)
salt and pepper (as needed)
Parmesan cheese, shaved 

Directions:
1. In a large soup pot, brown up your sausage with the red pepper flakes.

2. While the sausage is cooking, cut your potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut the halves lengthwise again and then cut them into thin slices.

3. Once the sausage is cooked remove it to a plate, and add your onions, garlic and bacon into the soup pot. Saute them, stirring frequently until the onions are transparent.

4. Add the broth and water to the soup pot.

5. Carefully add the potatoes. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let the potatoes cook. It should only take about 10 minutes.

6.Once your potatoes have cooked through, add the heavy cream and the sausage. Cook the soup just until it is heated through.

7. Add your kale, let cook for 1 minute and then remove from the heat and serve.

8. Top with shaved Parmesan.

 

Enjoy!

 

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

Slow Cooker Taco Soup!

This recipe is super easy! The best part is that it's a slow cooker recipe. I LOVE my slow cooker!

The most time consuming part of it is browning the ground beef. My trick to that is I usually already have browned ground beef in the freezer for recipes like this or to throw in pasta sauce. If you need step by step instructions with pictures, you can click here since I had posted this recipe on my other blog first.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained

a small onion, diced or 2 Tbsp.dried minced onions

1 can of kidney beans

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of whole kernel corn, drained

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce (I use 8 oz. because I like it thick.)

1 small can of diced green chiles

1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning mix

Directions:

~Place everything in a slow cooker and mix well.

~Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

We top it with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and green onions and serve it with tortilla chips on the side.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

Cauliflower & Broccoli Soup!

I had a big head of cauliflower and some broccoli in my veggie drawer that I needed to use but didn't know quite how I was going to do that.

I decided to check out The Pioneer Woman's website to see if she had any recipes for either of my veggie friends. She did! She has a recipe on her site for Cauliflower Soup. Well that solved half my problem...but she uses 1 1/3 heads of cauliflower...oops, I only had 1 head. So the obvious solution was to make Cauliflower AND Broccoli Soup! Problem solved!

Here is a link to Ree's recipe on her site, The Pioneer Woman. The recipe below is for what I made...Cauliflower & Broccoli Soup. It's her recipe but just with 1 head of cauliflower and to small head of broccoli.

Be warned...this makes a ton! I shared 5 pints with the neighbors and I still have about 4 pints left for us...plus the two bowls I had for lunch! YES! It was that good!

Cauliflower & Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, divided
½ whole onion, finely diced
1 whole carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 whole cauliflower head, roughly chopped

2 small broccoli heads, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh or dried parsley, chopped
2 quarts (64 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth or stock
6 Tbsp.all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
2 tsp. to 4 tsp. salt, to taste
1 cup (heaping) sour cream, room temperature

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown. Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower, broccoli and parsley and stir to combine. Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly until a thick white sauce. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup.

3. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.
4. Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.

5. Serve immediately.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup!

Since today is the first day of Fall, it's time for some warm comfort food.

There was a request on Facebook for a potato soup recipe and it got me to thinking that it's the perfect recipe to share on the cool first day of Fall.

First let me say that I'm very picky about my potato soup. I like it creamy and rich and cheesy. I developed this recipe after trying many versions. I hope you like it.

Cindi's Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped (6 cups)
2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup chopped onion
10 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 stick butter
1 12-ounce can (1 1/2 cups) evaporated milk
6-8 slices of American cheese

Directions:

1. In a 3 1/2 or 4 qt crockery cooker, combine potatoes, water, onion, bouillon and pepper. Slice butter into tabs and layer it on top of previous mixture. Cover, cook on low-heat setting for 7 ½ - 8 hours or on high heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

2. Stir milk into soup and add 6-8 slices of American cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Cover, cook on low-heat setting for 1 hour more or high-heat setting for 30 minutes more. Mash potatoes slightly with a potato masher. Makes 6-8 side dish servings.

Top with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits.

**If it’s too thick for you, you can thin it out with any milk you have in your refrigerator.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

***Edited to link up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace and Tuesdays At The Table at All the Small Stuff.

Italian Wedding Soup!

I've had Italian Wedding Soup many times but never thought about making it. That is until my best friend, Susan, asked if I had a recipe for it and put the idea into my head. I researched it online, read many recipes from many sites but hadn't decided on one that I wanted to try. I figured that I would end up combining a few of them until I came up with one that my family and I would like. Well as luck would have it, one of the guys brought some into work for all of us girls to try. It was just what I was looking for....almost. He graciously shared his family recipe as long as I promised not to tell his Mother. No problem. My lips are sealed. However, as always, I need to change things up a little bit. It was really good but there wasn't something quite right about his meatballs. When I told a friend at work that I had made it, she immediately said she wasn't fond of the meatballs....so I guess it wasn't just me. So of course, I have modified his family recipe to better fit my tastes and make this recipe my own.

Before I post the recipe, I should tell you that I like a heartier soup. As I've said before, Rachael Ray would call it a "stoup" and that pretty much describes it. So if you like it to be more "brothy," you can add more broth or cut down the amount of the pasta. Also, some people do not like a lot of garlic so I put on the recipe "to taste" so you decide if you want a little or a lot. It's your choice. Make it how you like it and be sure to share with your family, friends and neighbors. This recipe makes a lot and they will love you for it!

Cindi's Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients for Meatballs:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 grated Parmesan cheese

2 T. dried parsley

1 large egg

garlic powder, to taste

1/2 t. salt

pepper, to taste

Remaining Ingredients:

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 20 ounces)

8 cans of College Inn chicken broth

3 chicken bouillon cubes

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed

3 large eggs

3 T. grated Parmesan cheese

8 oz. of "Acini Di Pepe" pasta

3 "shakes" of Paprika

Directions:

1. Boil chicken in water in a large pot until thoroughly cooked. Cool and shred into bite sized pieces.

2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the meatball ingredients until well blended. Form into 1/2 inch sized meatballs and set aside.

3. Rinse the chopped spinach in a colander until the water runs clear. Drain as much of the water out of the spinach as possible.

4. To make the soup, bring all 8 cans of chicken broth, chicken bouillon cubes and beef bouillon cubes to a boil. Add the meatballs to the pot and simmer until meatballs are cooked through.

5. Add the prepped chicken, chopped spinach and paprika to the pot.

6. Whisk the 3 eggs until it gets foamy. Add 3T grated Parmesan cheese to the eggs. Stir the soup in a circular motion. While the soup is circling the pot, drizzle the egg/cheese mixture in a steady stream being careful not to add it all at once.

7. Add the Acini Di Pepe pasta to the pot, stir and simmer until the pasta done.

Garnish with more grated Parmesan cheese and serve with Italian bread.

One more thing before I go...Allison asked me why it's called Wedding Soup. I told her I don't know...maybe because they serve it at Italian weddings? She replied and said she thinks "it's because the flavors are united together." Well, I looked it up and she was basically right. How did she get so smart?!?!?!

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

***Edited to link up to: Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace and Tuesdays at the Talble with All the Small Stuff.

My Crock Pot Chili Recipe!

Although I love chili, I haven't made it in years. Allison wouldn't eat it and since I don't believe in cooking separate meals for the family, I would only order it out in a restaurant. Last week when we had dinner out, Allison tried it and LOVED it! She ate her whole bowl! I was so excited because that was my sign that I can make chili at home again. So last night I asked her if she would like chili for dinner tonight and she gave me a big smile and said "YES!" and then she said she can almost taste it now. How funny is she?

Cindi’s Crock Pot Chili

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
2 - 15.5 oz. cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 – 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes in juice
2 – 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
½ green pepper, chopped fine
4 oz. mushrooms, chopped fine
3-4 Tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Directions:
~Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl.
~Put mixture in a Crock Pot sprayed with non-stick cooking spray for easy clean up.
~Cook for 8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.

We like ours with soda crackers, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Thanks for visiting my kitchen!

Chicken Noodle Soup!

I'm sure everyone has a their own recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup and here is mine. This is how my Mother makes it and I saw no need to change it so I make it the same way. This is one of those recipes that there really isn't any measurements for the ingredients. You just sort of throw it in the pot as you go for the size of your family. I must think I'm feeding the Osmond's because I always seem to make a huge batch. That's okay, we always seem to eat it all...even if I have to share it with the neighbors.

Here are the participants: chicken, chicken broth, chicken bouillon, egg noodles, potatoes, carrots, parsley, black pepper and just imagine there is a can of green beans there. I forgot them until all the pictures were taken and the cooking was done.

First, put a big stock pot on the stove of water and get it boiling.
Once it's boiling, put your chicken in the hot bath. I use two boneless, skinless chicken breasts from Market Day. I also throw some other chicken in later but we'll get to that. You can turn down the heat once it starts to boil again.
While the chicken is cooking, I peel and dice the potatoes and slice the carrots. I use baby carrots because that's all I ever have in the refrigerator but you use what you like.
The chicken in the hot bath is probably done by now. Take it out, cool it and shred or dice it into bite sized pieces and set aside. Here's the other chicken I was talking about. I pulled this from my freezer. We love those rotisserie chickens from Sam's Club and the grocery store but there is always chicken left over. I clean the chicken off of the bones and use my "Seal a Meal" a.k.a. my "suck & seal" to save them for later use. I use the chicken for soup, pot pie, casseroles and anything else I need. The seasonings add such a special flavor to soup and pot pie, I like using it for them best.
I strain the chicken water and discard some of it. The chicken breasts don't really add a lot of flavor so that's where the broth comes in. I add it to the pot to get the desired liquid level in my pot. This is where I also add some chicken bouillon cubes. This is sort of a taste and see kind of thing. Be careful you don't add too many. You can always add more at the very end if you feel it needs it. Now you can add the potatoes and carrots to the broth. Cook these until they are a little al dente. They will cook more by the end of the recipe. You don't want them to be mush by the end.
Now it's time to add the chicken back into the pot.

And a hand full of parsley, some black pepper to taste and a can of drained green beans.
Bring the pot back to a boil.
Next it's the egg noodles turn to jump into the pot. I add about 3 cups of big egg noodles to my pot because we like a lot of noodles. After I add the noodles, I turn the pot off and cover it with a lid. Let it sit until the noodles are done.. The noodles will cook perfectly and the soup will not be boiling hot for dinner.
Yum! Doesn't that look good. Just imagine the green beans are in there! I know potatoes aren't usually in chicken noodle soup but we like it....especially Curtis. They break down a little and make the broth a little thicker. Also, as with most soups, it's better the second day!

As I stated earlier, this recipe is hard to write out since it all depends on how much you want to make or what you have on hand. I'm speaking of the chicken since I use both raw and cooked. You can also cook whole pieces and use that. My advice would be to use the above instructions as a guide when making your soup. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Cindi's Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

Chicken

Chicken Broth

Chicken Bouillon cubes

Potatoes, peeled and diced

Carrots, sliced

Can Green Beans, drained

Dried Parsley

Black Pepper

Egg Noodles

Directions:

~Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add chicken and cook chicken until it's done. Remove from water to drain. When cooled, shred or dice and set aside.

~Strain water and discard part of it. Add chicken broth and bouillon cubes as needed.

~Cook potatoes and carrots until almost done.

~Add chicken back to pot.

~Add parsley, black pepper to taste and green beans.

~Bring pot back to boil and add egg noodles. Turn the heat off and cover until the egg noodles are done.

Thanks for visiting my kitchen!