Kelly's Corn Chowder

¼ C butter      (I skip this, for less fat)      
2 ¼ C water           
4 diced potatoes     
2/3 C chopped celery          
3 green onions           
 ½ C carrots

Place all in large pot and boil for 20 min. Don’t drain. Add 1 can or 2 C. corn (frozen, fresh, or canned).

6 T butter         

6 T flour               

 2 ½ C milk          

 ½ t pepper      

1 t salt      

1 ½ T dill weed

Make white sauce with butter and flour. Cook 3 minutes. Slowly add milk and whisk continually until thickened and bubbly around edges. Add rest of ingredients. Pour white sauce into potato/corn mixture. Stir and add 2 C grated mild cheese (optional).

 

Recipe from Kelly Hollenbeak

Lentil Soup

1 onion, chopped        
1/4 cup olive oil           
2 carrots, diced      
2 stalks celery, chopped      
 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano         
1 bay leaf       
1 teaspoon dried basil                           

2 cups dry lentils           

8 cups water 

1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

           

OPTIONAL:  1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced        

 2 tablespoons vinegar

salt and pepper  to taste     

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until

onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.      Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts.     Stir in vinegar

GRANDMA ILENE'S CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

1 frying chicken (approximately 3 lbs.)  OR use chicken bouillon in water and add cut-up chunks of

                                                                         cooked chicken after the vegetables are soft      

4 carrots, sliced              

 4 celery stalks, sliced                        

 2 onions, diced

4 peppercorns or 1/4 t pepper      
1 T salt (or to taste)                   
Optional: bay leaf, parsley, thyme            

Noodles

In LARGE pot, combine chicken and enough water to cover 3/4 of the chicken (about 12 C of water). Bring to a boil; simmer 15 min. Add vegetables and seasonings. Simmer, covered, 45 min. or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth; cool. Remove chicken from bones and cut into bite size pieces (half of the chicken pieces can be frozen and used in later meals).  Skim fat from the top of the broth. Bring to boil; add noodles and chicken pieces and simmer 20 minutes until noodles are ready.

HOMEMADE NOODLES

2 eggs, beaten               

4 T milk                  

1 t salt                     

 2 C flour

Combine egg, milk, and salt. Add flour to make a stiff dough.  Roll very thin. Let stand 20 minutes. Slice into noodle-sized rectangles.

Let dry for up to 2 hours, if possible. Drop into boiling soup. Cook 10 minutes or until done.

 

We ate this at Great-Grandma Ilene's house out on the ranch.  She loved to serve the soup over mashed potatoes.

CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP/ GRAVY/ MACARONI AND CHEESE SAUCE/ TUNA TATOR/POT PIE

Good job for a minion: stirring and stirring....

1/4 c butter (I use much less for lower fat, then stir in corn starch and cold water if necessary to thicken)
1/4 c flour                  
1 c milk           
1 chicken bouillon cube                   
1 c water (hot)

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add 1/4 c flour (more if you want it thicker). Make a paste. Add milk--let it thicken. Stir often.  Dissolve bouillon cube in water, add to mix.      

 To make gravy, use water instead of milk.

To make Macaroni and cheese sauce, use 1 c grated cheese instead of  bouillon cube and water

To make Tuna Tator (family favorite), stir tuna into this soup, pour it in a glass baking dish, put mashed potatoes over it, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake.

To make pot pie, stir cooked veggies into this (potatoes, peas, carrots), add chunks of cooked chicken, pour in a pie dish, top with a big flat circle of biscuit dough. Bake at 400 until biscuit is cooked.

 

Healthy Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute

from:  http://www.happybeinghealthy.com/

(1 recipe=1 can of cream of chicken soup)

• 3 T. flour (I used whole wheat)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• dash pepper
• 1 T. butter
• 1/2 C. chicken broth (lower sodium is best)
• 3/4 C. skim milk (or whatever kind of milk you want to use)

1.  Mix flour, salt and pepper in small bowl.

2.  Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.

3.  Add dry ingredients and mix until blended.

4.  Slowly add chicken broth (if you add it too fast, it will be lumpy) and mix until blended.

5.  Slowly add the milk and mix until blended.  Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly until thickened.

_________________________

Another recipe for Cream of Chicken Soup (with no butter).  We made this (to put in white enchiladas) and it tasted great and was very easy to make:

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Author: Pinch of Yum

Makes the equivalent of about 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used 2 cans)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon seasoning mix (or on your own, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. parsley, etc)

Instructions

1. Combine the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of the milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and seasonings into the remaining 1 cup milk until a smooth, thick mixture forms.
3. Pour the flour and milk mixture into the saucepan with the broth mixture over low heat and stir continuously, whisking as the mixture simmers. Continue to simmer and stir/whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick, 5-10 minutes. The mixture will thicken a bit as it cools.

Notes

The seasoning possibilities are really open-ended. I change the spices I use every time I make this depending on what I'm going to use the soup for. The texture can get lumpy really quickly so I suggest keeping the heat as low as possible and whisking continuously for a more smooth consistency.

Black Bean Soup

Easiest version:

3 C cooked black beans, partially mashed                
 ¾ jar prepared salsa           
2 cups chicken broth           
 1 T chili powder

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Place over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce to heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes to thicken. Ladle into bowls and serve with garnishes and tortilla chips.

Garnishes: Cheddar cheese, shredded / Sour cream / Green onions, minced / Black olives / Avocado, diced / Fresh cilantro/ Tortilla chips

ANOTHER BLACK BEAN SOUP:     

¾ C chopped green pepper     

¾ C chopped onion     

¾ C chopped carrots    Cook  5 min.

Add:  14 ½ oz. Can chicken broth    

  

1 ½ C water    

4 C cooked black beans

2 T snipped fresh cilantro or parsley     

1 T lemon juice or lime juice     

1 t dried oregano     

½ t thyme    

1 dash crushed red pepper        

1/8 t black pepper

Stir in.    Place ½ of soup in blender (or mash in soup pot with potato masher). Blend til nearly smooth. Repeat with remaining half. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes, covered. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.

 

We usually make a combo of these 2 soups.  The more garnishes available, the better.

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil                       
1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini                        
1/2 cup frozen cut italian green beans
1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)                           
4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
4 cups vegetable broth                        
2 (15 oz  cans) kidney beans, drained (I use 4 C cooked beans, any kind)

2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained (or more cooked beans)

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes                                     

1/2 cup carrot, julienned or shredded

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I don't use this)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons salt                   

 1/2 teaspoon  pepper                 

 1/2 teaspoon dried basil             

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

3 cups hot water                 
 4 cups fresh baby spinach       
1/2 cup small shell pasta

Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.  Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.  Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.  Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.  Add spinach leaves and pasta and

cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.

 

This recipe is very flexible:  it's fine to skip a few ingredients and also to add a few ingredients (i.e. I add broccoli and don't always put pasta in this).  Just be careful not to overcook any of the veggies.  It's a delicious soup unless it's "mushy." 

Pepperoni Tortellini Soup

1 C uncooked cheese tortellini  (I use frozen tortellini or frozen ravioli)

1 garlic clove, minced   

2 (14 1/2 oz) cans chicken broth (I use chicken bouillon mixed in water)

1 1/2 C chopped tomatoes, undrained  

 

 1/4 C (1 oz) pepperoni slices, cut in strips  (I use turkey pepperoni)

 

 1 t basil      

 

 2 T parmesan cheese

chopped fresh spinach 

Combine tortellini, garlic, and broth. Boil 20 minutes (or 2 minutes, if using frozen pasta -- just follow the package directions), or until tortellini is done. Stir in tomatoes, pepperoni, and basil. Simmer 5 minutes. Add spinach for last 2 minutes of cooking.  Top with parmesan cheese.