Chicken and Rice/Orzo Soup

It was really cold and rainy the other night, so this soup was wonderful and the kids really liked it.  I used Orzo pasta, because it’s what I had in my pantry, but white or even wild rice would work out nicely as well.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 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 quarts chicken stock or broth (we use low sodium)
1 cup of water
1 cup long grain white rice OR orzo pasta
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Place a soup pot over medium heat and add the olive 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. Pour in the chicken broth and water- bring the liquid to a boil. Add in the rice and chicken; season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-low until the rice is tender-about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Pesto-and-Tomato Focaccia

This is a great recipe that we all loved, although, next time I won’t forget the tomatoes at the store:)

INGREDIENTS
2 TBS. stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 (13.8 OZ.) can refrigerated pizza crust
1 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 TBS olive oil
1 large clove garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup shredded provolone cheese, divided or an Italian cheese blend
2 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices

DIRECTIONS
Sprinkle cornmeal onto a lightly greased baking sheet.  Unroll pizza crust on baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 8 minutes or until crust is golden.  Meanwhile, process basil and next 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor until blended, stopping to scrape down sides.  Spread pesto over crust.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese.  Arrange tomato slices evenly over cheese.  Sprinkle remain cheese.  Bake at 450 for 3 – 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Two Bean Taco Soup

This is another version of taco soup that’s great and super easy!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 (1 1/4 oz.) pkg. taco seasoning
1 (1 oz.) pkg. Ranch dressing mix
2 (15 1/4 oz.) cans whole kernel corn with red and green bell peppers, undrained
1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, undrained
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion (found at Target)
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies, undrained
1 3/4 cups beef broth

DIRECTIONS
Cook beef over medium heat until done, drain.  Combine meat, taco seasoning mix and next 7 ingredients in 6 to 7 qt. slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low setting for 5 hours.  Serve with desired toppings.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and it’s not only great, but super simple.

INGREDIENTS
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup, undiluted
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Additional shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

DIRECTIONS
Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired.

Pretzel Bites

This is another recipe that I saw from, where else, Pinterest.  I thought these looked like so much fun and something that Hayden or Bennet could help out with one day.  I’m just going to give you all the direct link to see how the original cook made them.  I couldn’t find the dough that she was talking about at the store, so I used some premade pizza dough from Harris Teeter.  I added flour to it when I started to roll it into the balls so they weren’t as sticky.  I added some pizza sauce for my parmesan bites and I did make the vanilla glaze for the other sweeter bites…..so good, yet, so bad for you;)

http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/?p=932

Lasagna Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 package fresh mushrooms (optional)
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente.Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

North Woods Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 cup baby carrots, halved
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
14 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 (15.8 ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 (6-ounce)

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray.  Add carrots, onion, garlic and kielbasa; saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes.  Add broth, Italian seasoning, pepper and beans.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.  Place 2 cups of soup in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.  Return pureed mixture to a pan, and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove soup from heat.  Add spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.
Calories: 227; Fat 3.9; Protein 18.1; Carbs. 30.8; Fiber 6.7 g.

Easy Soup Recipes

Here are two really easy soup recipes that are literally right out of the can.  They’re both surprisingly really good.  We’ve been making the 8 can soup for years and it’s really healthy, so we thought we’d share it.  Don’t drain any of the cans and just heat through.. 

6 Can Tortilla Soup
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained
8 Can Soup
1 can green beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced potatoes
1 can Hormel chili with beans
1 can Hormel chili without beans
1 can Campbell’s old fashioned vegetable soup
1 can Vegall

Ham and Navy Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS
A 1 pound bag of dry navy beans or
3 cans of canned navy beans
3 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
7 Cups Water
1 Cup Milk
2 Chopped Celery Stalks
2 Minced Garlic Cloves
3 Sliced Carrots
1 Large yellow onion (chopped)
1/4 Cup chopped Fresh Parsley
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 1/2 pounds Smoked Ham Hock
1 10 ounce can of tomato soup

DIRECTIONS
Soak the beans overnight for 8 hours. Pour the beans in a stock pot, add 4 cups water and simmer for 45 minutes on medium heat. Stirring occasionally. While the navy beans are cooking skim the top with a large spoon to get rid of any foam. While the beans are cooking, in a separate pot add 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 3 cups water and 1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hock. Heat to boiling then reduce heat and simmer on medium high heat for 30 minutes.  While the broth and ham is simmering add 2 minced or crushed garlic cloves, 1/4 cups chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. After simmering the ham and broth for 35 minutes, pull the ham hock out and set it on a plate or in a bowl. Now strain the broth into a bowl so that we can get some of those nasty white chunks of fat and grizzle out of there. Now pick out the pieces of ham that's in the strainer / colander that you would like to save and put them back in the pot after picking off any unwanted fat. Do the same with the other ham that you put on a plate. Now strip the bone totally and add it back to the pot. By this time the beans should have cooked about 40-45 minutes. So keep the heat on and pour the broth in the pot with the beans and then add the ham and the ham bone. Now pour about 2 tablespoons olive oil into a large frying pan and heat the oil on medium high. Now add 1 large chopped onion, 3 thinly sliced carrots, and 2 finely chopped celery stalks and saute for about 4 minutes. Stirring frequently. After sauteing for 4 minutes add the saute mix to the beans along with 1 cup of milk and 1 10 ounce can of tomato soup. Now simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. You will have to watch it after adding the milk because it tends to bubble over if the stove is on too high. On the 20 minute mark the recipe for navy bean soup is finished. Let it sit for a few minutes and skim the top with a large spoon to get rid of the film on the top which is extra fat that you may not want.

Graham Nut Cluster

I saw this recipe in the latest edition of Southern Living and thought that it looked like a fun snack.  And like always, it was another good one. 

INGREDIENTS
6 cups honey graham cereal
1 cup honey-roasted peanuts
1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
wax paper
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 cup M n M’s

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine cereal and next 2 ingredients in a very large bowl.  Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat with sugar and corn syrup.  Melt through until bubbling.  Poor over dry mixture.  Spread in a single layer on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10 min.  Transfer to wax paper and cool.  Add chocolate and pretzels.

Pumpkin Acorn Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 medium-size pumpkin or 1 can of pumpkin
1 medium-size acorn squash
4 tbsp. butter, divided
2 tbsp. honey, divided
4 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1 sweet onion – chopped
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400. Cut pumpkin/squash in half lengthwise.  Put in shallow pan cut side up.  Microwave 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. honey and brush pumpkin and squash.  Bake for 45 min.  Melt remaining butter and cook chopped onion for 5 min. or until tender.  Put thyme in mixture.  Stir in broth, pumpkin and squash on medium heat.  Let simmer for 10 min.  Let cool for 10 min. then process soup, in batches, in food processor.  Return soup to original pan and put in last 4 remaining ingredients.  Heat and serve immediately.

Crock Pot Pasta Fagoli Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (and juice)
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups beef broth
1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce
2 tsp oregano
1 T. Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at end of cooking time

DIRECTIONS
Brown the meat on the stovetop, and drain well. Let it cool a bit.
Chop up the carrots, onion, and celery. Add it to the empty crock pot.
Drain and rinse the beans, and add them. Add the whole cans of tomatoes, and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, and Tobasco sauce. Stir in your meat.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the 1/2 cup of dry pasta.
Cover and cook for another hour on low, or until the pasta is tender. It will swell quite a bit.

Easy Corn Chowder

INGREDIENTS
4 cups frozen hash browns - thawed
1 can cream style corn
1 can regular corn – don’t drain it
1 can evaporated milk
8 or more;) strips of bacon
1 tbs. worchestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS
Thaw out hash browns, and cook bacon.  Pour cans of corn, worchestershire, and condensed milk in pot and heat through.  Cut bacon strips and add to soup.

Zuppa Toscana Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 lb Italian sausage 
2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half,and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped
2 cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS
Cook sausage.  Drain, set on plate covered with paper towels.  Set aside.  Place onions, potatoes, garlic, water and chicken broth in pot and heat until potatoes are done.  Add sausage and cream.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Heat through and serve.

Black Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 (15 oz.) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup chunky salsa
1 tsp. ground cumin
DIRECTIONS
In an electric food processor or blender, combine beans, broth, salsa and cumin.  Blend until fairly smooth.  Heat bean mixture in saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated.

Jenny's Buffalo Chicken Dip

INGREDIENTS
2 pkg pre-cooked chicken
2 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing (you could use blue cheese instead, but Joe and I don't care for it)
3/4 cup bottled buffalo wing sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray pie plate with Pam cooking spray.
In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, dressing, and sauce.
Fold chicken into mixture.
Spread mix into pie plate.  Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake for approx. 15 minutes.
Serve with crackers or tostito chips.
***I've made this before by dumping all the ingredients in a slow cooker and it's still really good.

Veggie Pizza

INGREDIENTS
2 large pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls
2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
2/3 cup mayo
1 1/8 tsp. dill weed
dash of seasoning salt
1 tbs. chopped onion
green onion
tomatoes
peeled cucumber
shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Roll out crescent rolls and press seems together.  Bake at 400 for 10 – 15 min. and cool.  Mix cream cheese, mayo, dill weed, season salt and onion until smooth.  Spread on cooled crust, top with chopped veggies and then add the cheddar cheese.

Jalapeno Popper Spread

INGREDIENTS
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Microwave on High until hot, about 3 minutes.