Bacon Potato Chowder

This recipe is from a church cookbook that my friend Barb got for me and it is very easy and very good!

Bacon Potato Chowder

8 slices bacon, cut up
1 c onion chopped
1 c celery chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 c chicken broth
1/4 c fresh parsley
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c sour cream
1 1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, cook bacon, onion and celery until bacon is lightly browned and veggies are tender. Pour off drippings and add potatoes, broth, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 12-15 mins until potatoes are tender. Stir in soup, sour cream, milk and parsley. Heat through.

Serves 6

I had some heavy whipping cream to use up so I used that instead of the milk and it just made it even  thicker and creamier, so use whatever you have on hand.

Taco Soup

Here's another GREAT Pinterest recipe that I found, made and took to work and everyone loved it!! The best part about this recipe is that you can drain, dump and heat or you can put it in the crock pot and heat it that way!

I made this recipe twice, the first time I couldn't find any green enchilada sauce at the store so I just used the regular sauce and it tasted the same but the color was more red.

Taco Soup

• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (15.25 oz.) can sweet corn, drained
• 1 (12.5 oz.) can white chicken breast, drained
• 1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
• 1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
• 1 packet taco seasoning

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large pot.
2. Heat until warm, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve with tortilla chips or Freetos

Creamy Carrot Soup

Here's another great recipe I found on All Recipes. I did make this recipe into my own I didn't follow the recipe exact. Here's my version and Dave gave it 2 thumbs up and said make it again.

Creamy Carrot Soup

1 1/2 c chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
Cook together until carrots are tender. In a blender or food processor, blend carrots in 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid, set aside.
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Flour
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 shakes red pepper flakes
Melt butter and the flour, basil, parsley and red pepper flakes. Cook just a few minutes.
Add 1 c Half & Half all at once. Cook until mixture bubbles and thickens. Add the carrot puree, and the rest of the chicken broth adding more until the soup is liquid but creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is where the recipe stops but I thought it needed a little more so I added a few shakes of ground ginger and a few shakes of curry powder. You can add as little or as much as you like depending on your taste for these two spices.

Weight Watcher Old Points - 3 pts per cup

Healthy Cabbage Soup

I made this recipe because I had some cabbage and I didn't know what to do with it as I bought it thinking that I had a corned beef in the freezer but I didn't. I found this recipe on All Recipes and I LOVE it! It is easy to make and great tasting too!

Healthy Cabbage Soup

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 quarts water
• 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained and diced

1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in water, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in cabbage. Simmer until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring often.

I didn't have Italian-style stewed tomatoes so I used a can of petite diced tomatoes, drained them and added some Italian seasoning, stirred it together and let it sit for a few minutes and it worked just fine. You could add meat such as chicken or ground beef but then you will have to add more points. 
Weight Watcher's old points - 1 point per cup

Sherried Tomato Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest and someone pinned it from The Pioneer Woman and let me just say it's FANTASTIC! I had all the ingredients right here at home so I whipped some up. I was really unsure about all the sherry so I added it an 1/8 cup at a time and ended up adding the entire cup. I will be making this a go to recipe! When I served this I added a few of my homemade croutons to the top.

Sherried Tomato Soup

Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 20 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 bottle (46 Oz.) Tomato Juice
• 2 cans (14 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon (up To 3 Tablespoons) Chicken Base
• 3 Tablespoons (up To 6 Tablespoons) Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• Black Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Cooking Sherry
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• Chopped Fresh Parsley
• Chopped Fresh Basil

Preparation Instructions

Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Then add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste.

Cheeseburger Soup

I got this recipe from Taste of Home's recipe of the day and it looked good, I had all the ingredients so I thought I'd give it a try and I am very glad I did, it tastes just like a cheeseburger!

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 c chopped onion
3/4 c shredded carrots
3/4 c chopped celery
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
4 tbsp butter, divided
3 c chicken broth
4 c peeled and diced potatoes
1/4 c all purpose flour
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c sour cream

In a large pot brown beef, drain and set aside. In the same
pot add 1 tbsp butter and the onion, celery, carrots, basil
and parsley cook until veggies are tender, about 10 mins.
Add the broth, potatoes and beef, bring to a boil, cover
and reduce the heat and simmer for 10 mins till potatoes
are tender.

In another pan add the rest of the butter and flour and
cook for 3-5 minutes until bubbly. Add to the soup. Bring
to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat
to low and stir in the cheese, milk and salt & pepper. Stir
until the cheese melts. Remove from the heat and stir
in the sour cream.

Yields 9 1 cup servings
7 points

Beer Cheese Soup

I have been looking for a good beer cheese soup recipe for years and I was at my friend Tammy's for a day of scrapbooking and she made a recipe book and this recipe was in it. Of course I had to ask if I could have the recipe to try and she said sure. I took the recipe home and made it, brought it to a pot luck at work, and EVERYONE loved it! So as we say at Red Lobster "Winner, winner, seafood dinner!"

Beer Cheese Soup

2 c water
2 cans beer
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 c chopped carrots
3 c cubed potatoes
1/4 c chopped onions
1 can cream celery soup
1 can cream chicken soup
1 can cheese soup

Cook all together until veggies are done. Add 1 lb
Velveeta cheese.

Be careful as Velveeta will scorch easily so I turn off the
soup and add the cheese. You could also put it in a
crock pot and then add the cheese. This soup is good
with added ham or California medley veggies. If you don't
want to add the beer, you can just add more water instead.

White Chicken Chili

My friend Cathy gave me this recipe and it is awesome! If you have never tried white chicken chili you need to try this one!

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions
In a large saucepan, saute the chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Yield: 7 servings

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Here's a FANTASTIC recipe that I found on All Recipes. It is so easy and Dave gave this a two thumbs up when I made it! We will certainly be eating this again and again!

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded
1 pound cooked, cubed chicken breast
4 cups chicken broth
1 (16 ounce) package mini potato gnocchi
1 (6 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
2 tablespoons cold water (optional)
2 cups half-and-half cream
salt and ground black pepper to taste


Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, garlic, and carrots in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in cubed chicken and chicken broth; bring to a simmer.
2. Stir gnocchi into the simmering soup and cook until they begin to float, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook until wilted, about 3 additional minutes.
3. Whisk cornstarch into cold water until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture and half-and-half into simmering soup. Cook until soup thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper

Crock Pot Potato Soup

I came across this recipe and thought it was just to easy to be good so I just had to try it. It was so very easy and I got a two thumbs up from Dave so this is definitely a keeper!

Crock Pot Potato Cheese Soup

6 slices bacon
1 1/2 cups diced onions
5 cups peeled diced russet potatoes
3/4 cup diced celery
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup half and half
2 cups shredded cheese--I cleaned out my cheese drawer and used several kinds

Fry bacon in skillet till crisp, remove from pan and drain. Crumble bacon and refrigerate. In the same skillet saute onions for 3 or 4 minutes. Put onions, celery and potatoes in slow cooker, add chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 6-7 hours. In a small bowl stir together flour and half and half, mix well with wire whip. Add mixture to soup, increase slow cooker to high and cook for 30 minutes until thick. Add cheese and stir until melted. Top soup with cooked bacon.
This recipe comes from Everyday Insanity

Creamy Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

Here's a very easy recipe for one of these upcoming chilly fall nights. Not only is this easy it is very good too! I did, however, change the recipe when I made it. Dave and I are not big fans of Dijon mustard so when this recipe called for 2 tsp of it I was going to omit it all together. When tasting the soup it was awesome without it but then I did add 1 tsp instead of two and I have to admit that it added just a little something to it.


Creamy Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 shallots, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
Kosher or sea salt
1 medium potato, peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
3½ cups vegetable broth
½ head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt, then mix in the potato, garlic and vegetable broth. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, keep covered, and let cook for about 8 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the cauliflower and cook about 5-6 minutes more, until the cauliflower is tender. Stir in the cheese and mustard.

Puree with an immersion blender (or a food processor, vented to allow the steam to escape). Mix in additional water or broth if the soup is too thick. Season with additional salt to taste. Serve warm topped with additional shredded cheese.

When I made this I did not have vegetable broth so I used chicken broth and it tasted just fine.

Tomato Basil Soup

It was a rainy day here and all I could think about was soup. I had some 1/2 and 1/2 that I had to use up so I thought I'd made Tomato Basil Soup and I found this recipe on Allrecipes and it's a winner!!

Tomato Basil Soup

1 14 0z can crushed tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 can chicken broth
9 fresh basil leaves
1 tsp sugar
1/2 c half and half
1/4 c butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp sherry

Melt butter and cook onions and garlic until onions are tender but not browned. add tomatoes and chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil and sugar. Reduce heat to low, stir in half and half and sherry. Heat through and serve.

Yeilds 4 servings

U.S. Senate Bean Soup

This recipe I got from the Taste of Home magazine and it is great. This soup is famous from the real U.S. Senate you can actually go to their website and get the recipe too!

U.S.Senate Bean Soup

1 lb dried great northern beans
1 meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
3 med onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 ribs of celery, chopped
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1 c mashed potatoes or 1/3 c instant potato flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Parsley or chives for garnish

Place beans and enough water to cover in a sauce pan and bring
to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and soak
for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans. In a large kettle, place beans
ham bone and 3 qts water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover
and simmer for 2 hours. Skim fat if necessary. Add onions, garlic
celery, parsley, potatoes, salt and pepper; simmer 1 hour longer.
Remove meat and bones from the soup, dice and return to kettle.
Heat through. Garnish with parsley or chives.

Yield 8-10 servings.

Turkey Chowder

This recipe is from a gal that I used to work with many, many years ago at my home town restaurant. She was the cook and everything she made was to die for including this recipe. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Turkey Chowder

Dice 2 c cooked turkey
Shred 1 1/2 c cheddar cheese
Set aside.
Saute until soft but not brown:
1 c minced onion
1 c chopped carrots
1 c chopped celery
1/4 c butter or margarine
Blend in:
1/4 c flour
Gradually stir in:
2 c chicken broth
2 c milk
Cook until soup thickens. Stir in:
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
cheese and turkey
Heat just until cheese melts.

Yields 4 servings

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patty's Day! Here's a great soup recipe that is most appropriate for this special occasion!



Creamy Reuben Soup



1/2 c onion, chopped

1/4 c celery chopped

1/4 c green pepper, chopped

1/4 c butter, cubed

2 tbsp flour

1 c beef broth

2 c half and half

1/4 lb deli corned beef, coarsely chopped

3/4 c sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 c 4 oz Swiss cheese, shredded



Saute onion, celery and green pepper in butter until tender. Stir in flour until well blended and gradually add broth. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low and add half & half, corned beef, sauerkraut, salt and pepper. Do not boil. Add cheese and stir until melted. Yields 5, 1 cup servings.

Ham Wild Rice Soup

I got this recipe from an old boss of mine when I worked in the office world and I make it all the time. This recipe freezes well so if you have leftovers pop them in the freezer for another time!

Ham Wild Rice Soup

2 tbsp butter
1/4 c flour
1/4 c onion
4 c chicken broth
2 c cooked wild rice
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c half and half
2 tbsp sherry
1/2 c chopped ham
1/2 c grated carrots
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
3 tbsp slivered almonds (optional)

Melt butter and saute onions, blend in flour. Gradually add in broth. Cook stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Stir in rice and salt and simmer. Blend in half & half and sherry. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat. This freezes very well. WW points plus 1 cup = 6 points

Best Noodle Soup Ever

Once again my friend Jo comes through with an AWESOME and easy recipe! She said she got this from Mr. Food and it really is good!

Best Noodle Soup Ever

8 c chicken broth
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 c sliced fresh mushroom
1 8 oz sliced water chestnut
1 carrot, peeled & shredded
1/2 uncooked spaghetti, break into thirds
Cooked diced chicken, as much as you want
1 c fresh snow peas
2 green onions, sliced

In a pot add the broth, soy sauce, mushrooms
water chestnuts and carrots and bring to a boil.
Add spaghetti, chicken & snow peas co0k 8 mins. Garnish with green
onions

Zuppa Toscana

My friend Anita made this soup for a bunch of us for coming to her Pampered Chef party. She makes the BEST homemade bread and she served some of that with this soup. I hope you will try this and I am told that it is even better than the stuff Olive Garden makes!!

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb ground Italian sausage
1 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced onion
4 tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic puree
10 c water
5 chicken bouillon cubes
1 c heavy cream
1 lb sliced russet potatoes (about 3 large)
Bunch of Kale

Saute sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat. Refrigerate while preparing other ingredients.
In the same pan, saute bacon , onion and garlic over low -med heat (about 15 mins until soft).
Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
Add sliced potatoes and cook just until soft, about 30 mins
Add heavy cream, cook till thoroughly heated. Stir in sausage and kale and heat through.

Yields 6-8 servings

Paul Harvey's Wild Rice Soup

This is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law Wendy and it was oh so good. It is very easy and very fast if you have already made the wild rice.

Paul Harvey's Wild Rice Soup

1/2 c uncooked, wild rice
2 c water
2 tbsp butter
1 med onion, minced
1 qt milk
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 lb Velveeta cheese
10 strips of crisp bacon, crumbled

In sauce pan prepare the wild rice according to package directions. Saute onions in butter until tender. Add water, milk and soup. Increase to med stirring occasionally. When the mixture is hot, add cheese in chunks. When creamy add wild rice. Garnish with crumbled bacon.

Serves 6-8

Cheeseburger Soup

Here's a great recipe for when it's chilly outside and you want to stay warm inside! Cook up a batch of this and you can't help but have that warm and cozy feeling!

Cheeseburger Soup

3 lbs hamburger
1 medium onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp beef base
3 c water
6 potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery
1 c chopped carrots
3 1/2 c milk
4 c velveeta (1 -32 oz box)

Brown hamburger and onion, drain. Add water, garlic, beef base, celery, carrots and potatoes. Cook until potatoes are done, about 20 minutes. Add milk and flour/water mixture to thicken. Add cheese and cook over low heat until cheese is melted. Be very careful as the cheese burns easily, I usually put it in the crock pot right before adding the cheese and letting the cheese melt slowly.

Enjoy!