Nancy's Chili

I tried this chili at a ward chili cook-off last year and loved it!  The nice lady who made it, Nancy Lewis, shared her recipe with me.  I was surprised at how easy it was and it's now my "go to" recipe for chili.  Thank you, Nancy!

2 lbs. hamburger, browned
1 diced, sauteed onion
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1 can Hunt's Spaghetti sauce (mushroom)
1/2 c. ketchup
1 diced bell pepper
1 Tbs. chili powder

Brown hamburger and onion.  Stir in beans, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, bell pepper, and chili powder.  Let simmer for awhile.  It's always better the next day.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

It's time I post this recipe before I lose it again.  My sister Heather passed it to me over the phone one day when we were chatting.  She got the recipe from HERE.  So fast and easy!  And what's better...when you make it in the crock pot you get to smell it cooking all day!  Oh, I did add some corn to mine, too.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 frozen chicken breasts
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 c. salsa
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can black beans (drained if you'd like)
1 can mild green chilies

Add everything to crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.  Remove chicken after 8 hours and shred.  Return shredded chicken to soup and serve with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips if desired.

Homemade Beef and Noodles

Talk about comfort food!  This is it!  We grew up in Western Kansas in a small town close to our wonderful grandparents.  This was our favorite thing to have Gran Gran make for us.  She always made Beef and Noodles but after I left home for college at BYU I often turned it into Chicken and Noodles* just because I never had left over beef.  It is good either way but my favorite is Beef and Noodles because that's how Gran Gran made it.  I've made them with whole wheat flour, too, and they work great but are a little on the "tougher" side.  These noodles are thick and chunky and so good!  One batch makes more than you think!  The secret is to roll them out thin.  If you do decide to double the batch, make each batch individually.  They are much easier to handle that way.  It's cold and rainy here today.  I might have to make up a batch!

Homemade Beef and Noodles

4 eggs
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour

Beat eggs with fork until mixed.  Add flour to eggs until thick enough to roll out.  The drier the better!  You don't want sticky dough.  Do not add salt!  Roll out onto floured surface to pie crust thickness.

Roll up like a jelly roll.  Slice into strips 1/8"-1/4" thick (depending on how chunky you like your noodles.)  Unroll individually (I always leave a few rolled up for fun.  Those are the BEST!)

Drop into a very large pot of 2 quarts boiling water (or enough water to cover all noodles with an inch or two above.)  After they have cooked for 10 minutes make a broth.

Pour off extra water until you have enough to just cover the noodles by an inch.  Add 4-6 beef bouillon cubes (depending on how much water you have.)  Add 2 cans cream of mushroom soup.  Add small pieces of cooked beef or leftover roast beef.  Salt and pepper to taste.

*To make Chicken and Noodles:  substitute 4-6 chicken bouillon cubes for the beef cubes, use cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom, and diced cooked chicken instead of beef.  Can add other veggies, too, if desired.

Turkey Corn Chowder

We had a bag of about 10 half-sized pieces (about 5 whole) of corn on the cob that someone gave to us.  They had already been cooked (and buttered) and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them.  I finally decided a soup would be perfect.  This is a great way to use up leftover turkey as well.  You could also use chicken or use bacon or leave the meat out entirely.  I also used the leftover half-n-half that I used on my "Healthified" Creamed Corn recipe instead of Heavy Whipping Cream.  I adapted this recipe from Pioneer Woman's Corn Chowder with Chilies.

Turkey Corn Chowder

1 whole yellow onion, diced
5 ears of corn on the cob
1 whole Chipotle Pepper In Adobo Sauce, finely diced
32 oz. Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1-1/2 cups Half-n-Half (or fat free half-n-half)
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
cooked shredded turkey, about 1 cup
3 Tbsp. corn meal
1/4 cup water

Slice corn kernels off the cob.  Set aside.  Saute diced onion in olive oil or butter and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add corn.  stir and cook for one minute.  Add chilies and stir.  Pour in chicken broth and cream.  Add salt and liquid smoke.  Add turkey.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Combine cornmeal with water.  Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat.  If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon of cornmeal mixed with water.  Cook for another 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Lentil Soup

Yet another spin-off of my favorite pumpkin soup.  But I pretty much think that anything with pumpkin in it is the best!  I used orange lentils and they just disappeared in this soup!  Perfect match!  This soup is packed with veggies, protein, and...fiber!  You could make this in a Crockpot and enjoy the smells all day.

Pumpkin Lentil Soup

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

4-6 mushrooms, diced

1 head of broccoli, chopped (or you can use frozen)

1/2 cup lentils, sorted and rinsed

8 oz. whole wheat noodles (uncooked)

1 can pumpkin

32 oz. vegetable stock

4 cups water

1/4-1/2 tsp. allspice (start out with the smaller amount and see how "spicy" you like it.  I like it "spicy"!)

salt & pepper to taste

Saute carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms for about 5 minutes in a large soup pot.  Add lentils, vegetable stock and water and bring to a boil.  Turn down to med-lo and simmer for 25 minutes.  Turn burner up to about med-hi.  Add noodles and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Add broccoli during last 5 minutes or so.  You don't want to cook the broccoli too long or it will lose its pretty green color (but if you do it will still taste good.) Stir in one can of pumpkin.  Add allspice, salt, and pepper.  Enjoy!

White Corn Tortilla Soup

This is a soup like the one they serve at California Pizza Kitchen called Sedona White Corn Tortilla Soup.  I add a can of Great Northern beans to make it a bit more hearty.  They just get blended up with the rest of the soup.  I think this soup is great served with some sweet cornbread crumbled over the top.  Adds a nice contrast to the "kind of" spicy soup.

White Corn Tortilla Soup
3 Tbsp. olive oil
5 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch squares
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
2 Tbsp. minced white onion
1 1/2 tsp. minced jalapeño pepper, optional
1 pound white corn kernels, divided
1 can Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained
1 1/2 pounds chipped, ripe red tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 cups water
1 quart chicken broth, or vegetable broth
Optional Garnish:  tortilla chips, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, sour cream, etc.

Over medium-high heat, fry tortilla squares in olive oil until they begin to crisp and turn a golden yellow.  Add garlic, onion and jalapeño; cook 1-2 minutes, until onion becomes translucent.  Add half the corn along with all other ingredients (except garnishes), reserving other half of corn to be added at the end.  Bring the soup to a low, even boil.  Boil for 5 minutes.

Remove soup from heat.  Use a hand-held processor, food processor, or blender to process soup in batches to the consistency of a course puree.

Return the soup to the burner and add the reserved corn.  Bring the soup to a boil once again being extremely carful to avoid scorching or burning.  Serve with garnishes.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Enchilada Soup

OK.  I finally have another soup recipe.  You know we love soup around here.  This one tastes a lot like enchiladas and has some good vegetables in there as well.  Serve with a nice green salad and you're set!  You can add chicken if you want, too.  This soup comes together very fast!

Enchilada Soup

1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce + 1 can milk (more if desired), I used almond milk
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can tomatoes, I used roasted garlic and onion flavored
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 red (or green) pepper, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 cup frozen corn
Canned or shredded chicken, if desired
Sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped black olives, crushed tortilla chips, optional

In a large pot saute onion, pepper, and squash until soft.  Add enchilada sauce, milk, black beans, tomatoes, soup, and chicken, if desired.  Heat until warm and bubbly.  Serve with your choice of toppings.

Grandma's Clam Chowder

This recipe is from my Grandma Mac.  It is super creamy and rich.  I always make it for our Christmas Eve dinner.  Very yummy for any special occasion though.

Clam Chowder
2 (6 oz. each) cans minced clams
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup finely diced celery
2 cups finely diced potatoes
1 carrot, grated
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup butter (I usually cut this down to about 4-6 Tbsp.)
1 quart half and half (I use 3 cups milk and 1 cup cream, half and half, or evaported milk)

Drain clams and pour clam liquid over vegetables in a sauce pan.  Add enough water to cover.  Simmer over medium heat until vegetables are tender.  In separate sauce pan, mix flour and melted butter.  Add half and half, salt, and sugar.  Cook until smooth.  Add to vegetable mixture with clams and heat together until warm.  Serves 8.

Cream soup of pumpkin

Velouté de potimaron parfumé

Préparation : 20 min
Cuisson : 45 min

Ingrédients (pour 6 personnes) :
- 1 potimarron
- 3 carottes
- 1 pomme de terre
- 1 gros oignon
- 6 tranches de bacon
- marjolaine, sauge, sel, poivre
- 20 cl de crème fraîche
- 150 g de fromage râpé (cheddar ou comté)

Préparation :

Préparer les légumes, les couper en morceaux et les mettre dans une cocotte avec le bacon, 1 branche de marjolaine (ou de thym), 4 ou 5 feuilles de sauge et couvrir d'eau à hauteur.

Laisser cuire environ 45 min.

Mixer les légumes et le bacon, en ajoutant au fur et à mesure l'eau de cuisson afin d'obtenir une consistance onctueuse et assez épaisse.

Saler et poivrer et éventuellement mettre un peu de muscade en plus.

Ajouter le fromage râpé et la crème fraîche, bien mélanger et servir bien chaud.

**************************************************************************

Cream soup of pumpkin (‘potimaron’)

Ingredients :
- 1 pumkin ou ‘potimaron’
- 3 carrots
- 1 potato
- 1 big onion
- 6 slices of bacon (or ham or larding bacon)
- Marjoram (or thyme), sage, salt, pepper
- ¾ cup of liquid cream
- 5 ounces of cheese (cheddar or comté or whatever cheese you can have in US, that is tasty)


Prepare the vegetables, cut them in pieces and put them in a pressure-cooker with the bacon, 1 stick of marjoram (or thyme), 4 or 5 leaf of sage and cover with water.

Let it cook for 45 minutes.

Mix the vegetables and bacon, and add the cooking water progressively to obtain a creamy and thickly consistency.

Salt and pepper and you can add some nutmeg, if you want.

Add the grated cheese and the liquid cream, mix and serve it warm.

Taco Soup

Here's another delicious soup recipe. It has all the good stuff of tacos in a warm bowl of soup. I serve it with Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos-a little secret I learned from my sister Amy. She made taco soup for us when we were visiting once and it was soooo good with the Doritos. They really make it taco-y! It's the only time I ever buy Doritos. Buy a small bag if it makes you feel better but don't leave them out! This is actually Amy's recipe that I've changed just a little. Basically I added more beans, tomatoes, sauce, and water to make it stretch further for our family. Oh and I did change the tomatoes to the chili ready flavor. You can also put sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped green onions or olives on top. This soup will fill you up and it's so easy!

Taco Soup


1 lb. turkey burger
1 small onion, chopped
2 (16 oz.) cans chili ready diced tomatoes + 2 cans water
2 (16 oz.) cans kidney beans
1 (17 oz.) can corn
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning (I use the 30% less sodium kind by McCormick)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
Nacho Cheese Doritos, NOT optional!


In a large soup pot, cook burger with onion. Drain off fat. Add all ingredients except Doritos. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve over crumbled Doritos chips or sprinkle Doritos on top with any other toppings you like.

Creamy Tortellini Soup

It was very chilly today. A perfect day for soup. I needed something really good and creamy. I had a giant bag of frozen three cheese tortellini in my freezer that somehow jumped into my cart the last time I went grocery shopping. I figured I could do something with that so off to the kitchen I went to do a little "inventing". The result was fabulous. Definitely a keeper. I thought for sure I'd have leftovers for tomorrow. Not a drop left in the pot. Well, at least I know it was a success! I'm going to have to make this one again for sure! You could always make it with pasta instead of tortellini if you wanted. It looks like a lot of ingredients but it's really easy and fast to throw together. Oh my goodness! This soup is so yummy! Dip some garlic bread sticks in there and tell me you're not in heaven. I dare you!
*I just made this again (yes, twice in one week) and my husband thought it needed another chicken bouillon cube or maybe more salt. Adjust salt level as you need. My measurements are definitely on the lower levels.

Creamy Tortellini Soup


1 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
8-10 mushrooms, diced
5 cups water
6 Tbsp. flour
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (could use fresh garlic but I didn't have any)
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional (This really heats it up. More than you'd think!)
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt (depending on what kind of broth you use)
2-3 cups frozen tortellini
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
4 cups spinach (I pile mine up and slice through it to get smaller pieces)


In a large soup pot, heat butter or olive oil. Add onion, carrots, and mushrooms. Saute for about 5 min. In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup cold water with 6 Tbsp. flour. Whisk until smooth. Add 4 cups of water to vegetables in soup pot. Stir in the flour and water mixture. Stir to blend well. Add potatoes, corn, chicken broth and all spices and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Turn to medium and boil for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally. Add evaporated milk, frozen tortellini, and spinach and cook for 5 more minutes. Serve!

Creamy Portobello Broccoli Soup

I wanted to create a recipe that was as close to my Grandma's Cheese-Broccoli Soup as I could get, without the 2 lbs. of Velveeta cheese! (Because let's face it, that just can't be healthy!) I have to admit...this soup turned out better than I could have imagined! Soooo good and creamy! And the amazing part is that it doesn't contain any cheese or dairy! If you don't have portobello mushrooms then go ahead and use regular but don't leave out the mushrooms! If you'd rather not use the beef bouillon cubes then just use regular salt to taste. Also, I think a can of white Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained, could be good in this.

Creamy Portobello Broccoli Soup

SAUTE IN LARGE SOUP POT:
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large portobello mushroom, chopped

ADD:
6 cups water
4 Beef Bouillon cubes (or salt to taste)
Boil together until dissolved.

ADD:
8 oz. spaghetti, broken into fourths
Boil 5 minutes.

ADD:
1 (16-20 oz.) package frozen chopped broccoli
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

IN SEPARATE MIXING BOWL COMBINE:
4 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup cold water
Whisk until smooth. Gradually add 1 1/2 more cups of cold water. Stir until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the hot soup stirring constantly until well blended. This helps thicken the soup.

ADD:
2 cups non-dairy milk (such as rice or soy or regular milk if you prefer) This makes it creamy!
1/2 tsp. pepper
Cook 4 minutes or until broccoli and noodles are cooked.

Split Pea Sweet Potato Soup

Yes, it's summer and I'm still making soup. I think soup is a great meal to prepare in the summer especially if you use your crock pot! Anything that doesn't heat up the house is a plus for me! Serve it with a nice cool, fresh salad whether it be green or fruit and call it good! It calls for yellow split peas but if you can't find any then regular green split peas are just fine.

Split Pea Sweet Potato Soup

7 cups water
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (3/4 lb.)
1 medium potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 cup)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
2 carrots, finely chopped or shredded (1 cup)
1 (16 oz.) package dried yellow split peas
1 (6 oz.) package sliced Canadian bacon, coarsely chopped

In slow cooker, mix all ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Stir before serving.

Zucchini Soup

I found this recipe on the Sisters' Cafe and knew I had to try it. We loved it! In fact Tory just went grocery shopping and came home with a huge bag of zucchini so I can make it again! A great way to use up zucchini if you have a lot growing in your garden. Mmmm...so fresh and very simple to make. I added some yellow crookneck squash as well, just because I had some that I needed to use. Easy to make vegetarian. I didn't add the bacon, half-n-half, sour cream, or cheese. Very healthy. My baby even loved it! The only problem was that there wasn't enough!
**I've made this several more times and have added a can of white beans, rinsed and drained, just before blending. Makes it a little more filling and you never even know they're in there. I've also added walnuts and blended them right up, too. They were very tasty!

Zucchini Soup

1 cup chopped onions
2 T. butter (I used 1 T. olive oil)
3 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
½ cup half-and-half (Can substitute with regular milk or soy milk)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled

In a large saucepan cook onions in melted butter until tender. Add sliced zucchini and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (about 15 min.) Add salt and pepper. Cool slightly. Pour mixture into blender and puree it. Stir in half-and-half (or milk). Return to saucepan and reheat, but do not boil. Garnish with grated cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits. Makes 6 servings.

Red Lentil Soup

Did I mention my family LOVES soup? They would be happy if I made it every single day. This is a great lentil soup. I used "red" lentils but you could easily make this with regular lentils. I loved this soup! It was such a yummy combination of flavors with the cumin, coriander, and tomatoes. My boys loved it, too, which is always a plus. I love making soups with lentils because they are so good for you and so quick! In just over 20 minutes you can have a delicious, hearty soup ready to eat.

Red Lentil Soup

1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 carrots, chopped (1 cup)
1 can diced tomatoes (or use fresh to equal about 1 1/2 cups)
1 celery rib, chopped
1 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 cup dried red lentils
5 1/2 cups water
2-3 chicken bouillon cubes (or you could use chicken broth and water--just make sure you have enough liquids)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a 4-5 quart saucepan over med high heat. Saute onion, stirring, until golden. Add garlic, carrots, tomato, celery, cumin, coriander, and salt and saute 2 minutes. Add lentils, water, and broth and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper as desired, and serve!

**I've been making this a lot lately and have added 5-6 kale leaves, finely shredded, stems removed. I like it even better this way! I've also added1/2 cup millet a couple times and that was really good, too. Just add with the lentils and let it cook for about 20 min. You might have to add a little more water.

Chicken Posole

Chicken Posole

Ok, I had to steal the picture from Family Circle because I never think to get pictures until the recipe is proven and GONE! This one was a HUGE hit! I made a big crockpot full and fed it to my visiting family and then our friends for our Family Home Evening dinner group and everyone asked for seconds and the recipe! I got the initial idea from Family Circle, but tweaked it quite a bit because I either didn't have the ingredient it called for or it just didn't sound good to me so here goes! Enjoy!

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (or 1 TBS garlic salt)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and cubed

3 cups barley (I washed and soaked mine over night to make sure my soup was ready after church the next day because we have 8:30a church and everyone would be starved by noon so I started it before we left)

1 TBS onion salt or 1/2 pkg onion soup mix

1 tsp dried oregano

2 chicken bouillon cubes

4-5 cups water (depends on how thick you want your soup or how far you need it to go!)

1 can Ro-Tel with jalapenos

1 large can petite cut tomatoes

1-2 TBS lime juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Put all ingredients on a large slow cooker/crockpot and cover. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 5 hours. If you soak your barley and cook your chicken before hand it may only be 2 hours or until the flavors are blended, the barley soft and the soup warm.

Bean and Barley Soup

We have 25 pounds of barley in our food storage that we try to rotate into our meals. We like to grind it up and use it as flour in some of our baking but I also wanted to find a really good soup to make with it. I combined a few recipes I found while searching around online and came up with this soup. It is so good! The boys had seconds and Coen had thirds and was licking his bowl clean...literally! It has a secret ingredient...curry! Just enough to add a yummy flavor without it actually tasting like a curry dish. The only difference I would make would be one less beef bouillon cube. It seemed just a little too salty to me. But I'll put the recipe down as I made it and you can see what you think. Of course you could easily make this vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of the beef. I give this recipe two thumbs up!


Bean and Barley Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced very thin
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 oz. (half of an 8 oz. container) mushrooms, chopped-I used baby bella mushrooms
8 cups water
4 beef bouillon cubes
2/3 cup uncooked pearled barley
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup (about 3 big leaves) kale, chopped very fine--could use chopped cabbage or spinach if you don't have kale but kale is so good and so good for you!

In a large soup pot, saute onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, and celery in olive oil. Add all other ingredients except for kale. Mix and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 min. or until barley is soft. Stir occasionally. Add kale during the last 15 minutes of cooking time. If too thick, add more water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

White Bean Tortilla Soup

This is a tasty alternative to chicken noodle or regular chili. Delicious with a salad on the side. For a larger crowd (or if you want leftovers) you will want to double the recipe. Great way to use up "stale" chips or chips that have lost their "crunch". I have substituted cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken with great results. Sometimes to make it stretch a little further I add another 1/2 to whole can of water and an extra handful of chips. We give it two thumbs up in our family!


White Bean Tortilla Soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 tsp. cumin
4-6 shakes of hot sauce, I like Cholula Hot Sauce (the one with the round wooden lid)
2 cans Great Northern or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can cream of chicken soup (I like to use the 98% fat free kind) + 1 can water
1 (14 oz.) can reduced sodium chicken broth
1 (4.5 oz.) can diced green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
3 cups tortilla chips, divided

In a large soup pot, saute onion in olive oil. Add beans, soup, water, broth, cumin, hot sauce, chilies, and corn. Add 2 cups coarsely crushed chips. Stir and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips and diced fresh cilantro, if desired.

*Can also add cooked chicken and/or shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers

Split Pea Soup

I love homemade Split Pea Soup and so does the rest of my family. Of all the soups I make, this is one of my boys' favorites. Who would have thought? I love to hear all of the "mmm's" and "yum's" at the dinner table. And the best part of all...it's so easy and very inexpensive to make! Serve with some buttered toast triangles and you're set.



Split Pea Soup

2 cups (1 lb. package) dry split peas, rinse and sort
8-10 cups water
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4-5 mushrooms-stems removed, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp. basil
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups cubed cooked ham, if desired
1/2-3/4 cup evaporated milk (or regular milk or cream), optional


In a large pot, combine peas and water; bring to a boil, reduce heat; cover with lid slightly ajar for 30 minutes. Stir in potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, celery, mushrooms, ham, and spices. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 30-60 min. or until peas and vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally. Add evaporated milk to give it a creamy taste if desired. Remove bay leaves before serving. Makes about 5 quarts. Freezes well.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

My friend Alyssa sent this recipe to me. She said, "It is amazing and literally only takes about an hour from start to finish. My mom invented it and it's definitely a winter favorite around our house...and it's a soup that looks a little dressy so is great for having company over.The chicken I use in the recipe is usually already seasoned (leftover baked chicken), so if you're using plain cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken meat, you'll definitely need to add more pepper and maybe some salt beyond what is indicated on the recipe." Mmmmm....It looks so good! I can't wait to try it! Thanks Alyssa!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 large (49.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 small (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 pkg Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 pint heavy whipping cream
¾ cup Wondra flour
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon ground sage
a shake of cloves
2 pinches coarse ground pepper
3 ½ - 4 cups bite size chicken chunks

1. Sauté the onion and celery in butter using a heavy soup pot.

2. Add the large and small cans of chicken broth and bring to a low boil. Add the carrots.

3. Add the rice and seasoning packet. Simmer on low for 20-25 minutes.

4. Dissolve 2 bouillon cubes in 2 cups water. Mix in heavy whipping cream and add the Wondra. Add this mixture to the soup pot with the parsley, sage, cloves, and pepper.

5. Simmer on low until soup thickens. Stir often.

6. Add the chicken chunks. Do not boil after this point.