Sunday Soup--Brocoli Cheese

I love making soups and linking up with Deb

Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen!

Souper Sundays is a weekly blog event that started because of her love of soup and a desire to work through the many soup and soup-like recipes in cookbooks and magazines, Deb set a goal to make a soup or "soupish" dish each week and post it each Sunday and invited others to do the same.

This is a favorite of everyone in my house.

Cheesy, creamy goodness!

Although the title of the recipe might indicate this to be a vegetable soup--it isn't.  It's a cheese soup.  The dominate flavor is cheese.  It's so yummy!!

I always think of making this soup as the weather starts to get cold outside. There are certain traditions to look forward to as the seasons change and this soup is a fall and winter favorite!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 (10oz) package frozen broccoli

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 1/2 tsp butter

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup water

1 (10oz) can cream of chicken soup

12oz Velveeta Cheese

1/2 cup cooked rice

Cook the broccoli according to package directions, omitting salt, drain well.

Cook onion, green pepper and butter in a large soup pot until tender.  Add milk, water, cream of chicken soup and cheese to soup pot. Cook until cheese melts.

Add the rice, heat and serve.

Add sandwiches to make a complete meal.

I made this to take to a church potluck as a gluten-free soup.  We needed one gluten free soup for a visiting Pastor. I was in charge of the meal/potluck and put the word out that we did need a gluten free soup.  We ended up with 4 gluten free soups, which were all great!  But this one was the best!

Sunday Soup--Paella Soup

Paella Soup

The Handyman's words of wisdom about this soup.

Me:  Do you like this soup?

HM: Mmm Hmmm.

Me:  You do?

HM: (stopping mid spoon to his mouth)  UH Huh!

So there you have it:  GOOD SOUP.

(oops....forgot the peas.  Imagine if you will, how pretty this table would be with a few green peas in the soup)

It had all the ingredients of Paella, but in soup form.

I have to be honest---I did not buy saffron.  I've spent a lot of money on ingredients that I only need a tsp of,  and had no qualms about doing so ...  but I just couldn't do it for the saffron.  So, I Googled it and found out there is really no substitute spice for saffron.  I did find one mixture that comes close: turmeric and paprika.  I forget the exact ratio off the top of my head, but if you want, you can Google it also.

Since I had both turmeric and paprika in my cupboard, that's what I did.

I also did not blend the veggies and rice to a creamy consistency.  I thought I wanted it more brothy-ish, and I wanted to feel the texture of rice in my mouth.

I just realized that I forgot the peas!

I bought the peas--which are still sitting in my freezer.

YOU don't forget the peas.

This soup is filled with chicken and sausage and shrimp.

A really good main dish soup!

I found this soup in  the cookbook 'Sunday Soup' a Years's Worth of Mouthwater, Easy to Make, recipes by Betsy Rosbottom.

 I am going to link up  with

Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen!

Souper Sundays is a weekly blog event that started because of her love of soup and a desire to work through the many soup and soup-like recipes in cookbooks and magazines, Deb set a goal to make a soup or "soupish" dish each week and post it each Sunday and invited others to do the same.

Sunday Soup/Souper Sundays

Mexican Potato Soup. 

Mmmm.

I would serve this one at my fictional  soup restaurant

  "Ahh-some Soups"

The Handyman co-signed that.  He said  "if you were going to make this again, and I know you're not, but if  you were, just know that I like it a lot."

This one tho?  I just might make it again....it was creamy, cheesy, potato-y, spicy  goodness.

(it isn't that I wouldn't make some soups again---I do do that---but there are just so many to try and so little time! But this one?  I WILL be making it again.  For company too!)

The recipe says that steak and potatoes go together like-- well-- steak and potatoes.

A dinner classic!

So, in this soup,  you grill up some steak strips and garnish the soup with a strip of ancho-grilled steak and some Pico de Gallo.

Mexican Potato Soup

Melt:

4 T unsalted butter

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat until foamy.

Add:

1 cup minced onions

1/2 cup minced celery

2 T minced fresh garlic

2 tsp dried Mexican oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 T all purpose flour

Add onions, celery, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander and cayenne to the pot and sweat until onion softens, about  5 minutes. 

Sweat the spices with the onions and celery  and garlic to release their flavors into the soup.

Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.

Stir in:

4 cups chicken broth

2 lb red skinned potatoes, peeled and diced (I didn't peel)

12 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

Stir in broth and potatoes; bring to a boil and cook  until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.

Crush potatoes with a potato masher to desired consistency, then stir in the pepper jack cheese and half and half until cheese melts.

Off heat, stir in:

1/2 cup sour cream

salt, pepper and lime juice to taste

1 recipe Pepper Pico de Gallo

Off heat, stir in sour cream, season with salt, pepper and lime juice.

Garnish each serving with Ancho rubbed Flank Steak and Pepper Pico de Gallo.

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

Ancho Rubbed Flank Steak

Flank steak can be tough. To remedy this, cook it only until rare, then thinly slice against the grain to keep the fibers shorter and less chewy

Combine:

2 T brown sugar

1 T ancho chili powder

2 t kosher salt

1 tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp black pepper

Minced zest of 1 lime

Rub:

1 flank steak  ( 1 1/2 lb)

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Brush grill grate with oil.

Combine brown sugar, chili powder, salt, garlic, pepper and zest for the rub.

Rub both sides of the steak with spice rub; grill 2 minutes per side.

Flip steak 2 more times, cooking 2 minutes on each side until an instant read thermometer measures 125F in the thickest part for rare.  Tent the steak with foil and let rest 5 minutes, then thinly slice against the grain.

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

Pepper Pico de Gallo

1/3 cup each finely diced red, yellow and orange bell peppers.

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

1 jalapeno, finely diced

2 T fresh lime juice

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

It's definitely worth the trouble!

Invite friends to come share on a cold winter night.

As I said, the Handyman co-signed that!  He told me over and over how much he liked it.

 I am going to link up  with

Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen!

Souper Sundays is a weekly blog event that started because of her love of soup and a desire to work through the many soup and soup-like recipes in cookbooks and magazines, Deb set a goal to make a soup or "soupish" dish each week and post it each Sunday and invited others to do the same.

And also I'm going to link up with Weekend Cooking.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts!

Sunday Soup! Chicken and Kielbasa Soup

October!  My favorite month of the year!  And by some miraculous weather pattern, it always gets a little cooler around here the moment I turn the calendar over.  I love it.

This is what I made for my Sunday Soup--- Chicken and Kielbasa Soup--- and it was so, SO good.

The description in the magazine says that there is something satisfying about that snap that comes when you bite into a chuck of Kielbasa,  and that its smoky flavor begs to be added to cold-weather dishes.

AGREED!

Co-signed!

I need to write nothing more, because I can't say it better than that.

If you make a salad and grab some French bread, this is a perfect light fall meal.  You should probably have some wine also--it kind of rounds out the meal.

Just sayin'

There was a time I didn't like wine.  Imagine that!?

I found this recipe in an old issue of Cuisine magazine, the winter 2013 'special publication'.   There are many good soups in here that I can't wait to try.

I really hope it's cooling down in your neck of the woods--because you really need a pot of simmer soup on your stove today.

Happy soup day!  Happy Sunday!

This soup is so easy!  

Don't be afraid--soups are really the easiest thing in the world.

Chicken and Kielbasa Soup

Brown: 

8 oz kielbasa, bias sliced

1 T olive oil

Add:

1 1/2 cups diced onions

1/2 cup EACH diced carrot and celery

1 T minced fresh garlic

1 T tomato paste

Deglaze:

1/4 cup dry white wine

Stir in:

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes in juice

1 can navy beans

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 dried bay leaf

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

Juice of 1/2 lemon

salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

Brown kielbasa in oil in a pot over medium for 2-3 minutes; transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Add onions, carrot, celery and garlic to pot; cover and sweat over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, 7-8 minutes. Remove lid, increase heat to medium-high, and stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute.

Deglaze pan with wine and simmer until nearly evaporated, 3 minutes.

Stir in broth, tomatoes, bean w/liquid, rosemary and bay leaf; simmer 10 minutes.

Add chicken and kielbasa; simmer 3 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice, season with salt, pepper and pepper flakes.

Remove bay leaf and rosemary sprig before serving.

I am going to link up  with

Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen!

Souper Sundays is a weekly blog event that started because of her love of soup and a desire to work through the many soup and soup-like recipes in cookbooks and magazines, Deb set a goal to make a soup or "soupish" dish each week and post it each Sunday and invited others to do the same.

Sunday Soup--Sausage Tortellini Soup

This is what I made for my Sunday Soup.

 

The Handyman LOVED this soup.  I thought it pretty good too. I love spicy sausage in soup and since it didn't state spicy or mild, I, of course , went for the spice.

Spice is nice, as they say.

I'm never sure what to say about soup---soup by definition means great! 

Soup has all the best ingredients.  Soup is --- just good.

Who  doesn't like soup?  Homemade soup, that is.  It nourishes the soul....especially in the fall and winter.

Okay, sure, there is that random person out there who is totally weird, but they're rare, right?

I think people who say they don't like soup, just haven't  had the right soup. So, it is my goal to bring you the perfect soup.  How will I find the PERFECT soup?

By making every soup in my little soup notebook.

(I've been collecting for years)

Soup is just the perfect food in my humble opinion.  And I love to make them.

One pot wonders.

The broth for this soup is really dark , the beef broth plus the red wine  and tomato sauce made for a  really deep colored base.  I didn't use as much wine as the recipe called for, but it was still a deep, more burgundy colored stock than a tomato/reddish color). For some reason that threw me for a loop, but it was very tasty!!

Rounding out the pot with spicy sausage, cheese tortellini and Italian seasoning, made for a comforting meal in a pot. 

Grab your bowls and spoons!

SOUPS ON!!

Sausage Tortellini Soup

1 lb. Italian Sausage, casing removed

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

1  14oz cans beef broth

2 14oz cans diced tomatoes

1 15oz  can cannelloni beans

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1 cup dry red wine

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 T sugar

2 t Italian seasoning

2 small zucchini sliced*

1 9oz pkg refrigerated cheese tortellini

Brown the sausage with the onion and garlic in a skillet, stirring until crumbly; drain.  Stir in the beef broth, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, carrots, beans, sugar and Italian seasoning, bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.   Skim off fat, stir in zucchini and tortellini. Simmer for 10 minutes longer.

Serve with a green salad and garlic cheese biscuits.

*I omitted the zucchini and threw in a handful of fresh spinach.

I'm going to link up with Weekend Cooking.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts!

And Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen!

Souper Sundays is a weekly blog event that started because of her love of soup and a desire to work through the many soup and soup-like recipes in cookbooks and magazines, Deb set a goal to make a soup or "soupish" dish each week and post it each Sunday and invited others to do the same.

Sunday Soup

I can feel fall in the air.

Sometimes.

For a moment in the morning when we walk, and sometimes for a moment in the evening when the sun is setting just a tad bit earlier than it was.

Okay, who am I kidding, it was 97 yesterday, BUT I can feel a yearning for fall, so.......soup, right?

It's almost soup weather!

Yay!!

I love to make soup.

I spent yesterday afternoon making soup (and pie, but that's a story for another time)

I'm not exactly on a quest to find the perfect Tortilla Soup recipe like Heather, but it's been a lot of fun over the past few years making different ones and seeing what I like best.

My sister-in-law, Meghan gave me this recipe years ago, and I am embarrassed to say that I had never made it before. Silly me.  It's so good. 

It also filled my house with THE BEST aroma ever!

I always thought I liked a creamy tortilla soup the best, but this clear brothy one (yes, brothy is a word) is so, so good!  Because you add sliced jalapenos, there is a hint of  chili flavor throughout, but it's not terribly hot. Believe me, I couldn't take it if it were just HOT--there was just a hint of that jalapeno in the broth, and it was Delicious!

It's a simple soup too--only a few ingredients, but put together they are perfect!

This is my 7th different Tortilla Soup (you can see all of them here) and I would have a hard time picking my favorite, but this one is right there on the top!

Hatch chilies are available in the stores right now and the Handyman LOVES to roast his own, so we also roasted up some Hatch chilies and had a chicken taco on the side to go with the soup.

Kind of hard to tell, but there really was some chicken in that tortilla.

The Handyman even grilled his tortillas.

Which is how I like them---with little grill marks.

I am going to link up with Weekend Cooking.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts!

And Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen!

Souper Sundays is a weekly blog event that started because of her love of soup and a desire to work through the many soup and soup-like recipes in cookbooks and magazines, Deb set a goal to make a soup or "soupish" dish each week and post it each Sunday and invited others to do the same.

In case you can't read the recipe from that photo:

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Meghan  Stone

Corn tortillas

2 (32oz) boxes or cans of low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken

1 large red onion,chopped

2 large tomatoes, diced

2 medium jalapenos, sliced

1 lime juiced

2 cups corn

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

1 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed

8oz, crumbled feta, queso fresco or sour cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch thick strips and arrange them on a cookie sheet in a single layer.

Bake them 5-10 minutes or until crispy.

In a large pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil, add chicken.  Reduce heat to low and cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  In a sauté pan, add onions and corn.  Sauté till tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, jalapenos, and lime juice. Heat about 5 minutes to blend flavors.  Add to broth.

Divide the baked tortilla strips among 4 bowls.  Ladle soup and serve with bowls of cilantro leaves, avocado and cheese/sour cream to use as toppings at the table.

Enjoy!  

Sunday Post #8: my latest obsession, Sunday Soup and....

 

 

This is my Sunday Post #8

The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

 

 

Yay Sunday! Awesome day!

Until  4pm when you realize you have to go to work tomorrow.

But this afternoon---I'm going to READ!

 

Ok, let's get started.  I should just tell you what was on the blog this week first, so you can  not have to muddle thru all my ...stuff.

 

I said,  I SHOULD, but I didn't say I would.  (gotcha)

My latest obsession has been Ancestry.com.  I've collected things for years and now it's fun to catalog and enter and get 'hints' to other branches of the family tree.  I've been doing it all week long!

That and I finished a couple of books.

 

I've had a plastic Rubbermaid tub in the closet where I've been tossing things I've thought important for the Family Tree Project, for years, but  look what I came across this week while perusing thru it again!

 

 

 

This is too much fun to pass up.

Let's see what happened  39 years ago today.

 

 

 

Apparently Kathie 'likes' Len Hirschman.  (I wonder whatever happened to Len?  He used to work with the Handyman)

And then, on Saturday,  we went driving around with weird guys.

 

 

Then on Jan. 30th, I had to have a SERIOUS talk with my boyfriend Kenny.

What WILL happen??  (insert dramatic music here)

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday Gerald breaks up with Kim and then on Wednesday Kenny breaks up with me???

What's up with that?

(although I don't seem to upset about it--I said I'll live and I did)

EXCEPT!  I think he broke up over the phone--loser!!

I have our relationship date noted there:  July 30th to Feb 9th.

Ahhhhh.... six months of teenage bliss.

 

There's lot of  'church' in this diary-- we all went to youth group together.

(hung out in the alley and smoked cigarettes afterwards...shhhh, don't tell.  It was my rebellious 1977, church kid, daughter of a policeman WILD PHASE!)

 

 

At least I got a quick date for the Valentine's dinner at church!!

But then.... OMG,  Kenny's going out with Dedra.  Or is he?

This is all hysterical to  me!!

 

 

Let me just give kudos to Clint Eastwood though. 

He either makes it or breaks it for me.

I went to the same movie about 3-4 months  apart...one guy broke up with me (movie Dec 26th, 1976), one I married (movie on Good Friday, March?

 April? 1977).

Yay Dirty Harry!  Destiny took it's course!

 

 

Enough of that.

 

What happened on the blog this past week?

 

 

Saturday--  A Drink Before the War  and Saturday Snapshot

Wednesday -- Book Blogger Influence

Monday-- BBAW  5 books that are ME

Sunday-- Guamanian Chicken and Rice (and the best family story!)

 

It was a crazy week and I didn't get to participate in BBAW as much as I would have liked, but I  just want you to know... I LOVE THE BOOK BLOGGING WORLD!   I don't consider myself a true book blogger, I just hang out with the cool kids!!  Which would be you book blogger.  I find you all witty and smart and well-read and most of all--you love books!  And sometimes food!  I love food.  And sometimes you just talk about weird, crazy stuff, and I love that too.

 

Enough about you tho...

It's Sunday and that means SOUP!  (usually)

 

Yesterday I made this soup:  SPICY CHICKEN AND RICE FLU CHASER SOUP!

 

 

 

From this cookbook again:

It's a really nice soup cookbook. I love it, but if you are going for healthy, MOST of them are cream based.  This one is not.

 

 

 

Spicy Chicken and Rice Flu Chaser Soup

 

20 whole cloves of garlic, peeled

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1 whole chicken, about  5lbs

1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced

6 carrots, peeled and diced

3 ribs celery, diced

12 cups of chicken stock, plus more if needed

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 T lemon zest

2 tsp dried mint leaves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

2 T chopped fresh basil

3 cups cooked white or jasmine rice

kosher salt to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Place the garlic cloves in a small, ovenproof casserole.  Pour the olive oil over the garlic*

 

*let me just say---you DO NOT need that much olive oil to roast some garlic. I boiled mine in 1 cup only and still way too much.  I think you can figure out how to roast some garlic cloves, right?

 

and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the garlic is soft, brown and caramelized. Strain the oil to use in other recipes.  Mash the cloves and set aside.

 

In a stockpot place the chicken, onion, carrots, and celery.  Pour the chicken stock over the chicken and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add the roasted garlic, lemon juice, zest, mint, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and bay leaves.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until the chicken is very tender.

Remove the chicken carefully and place on a plate to cool.

 

Remove the soup from the heat.  If it looks to thick add chicken stock.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bone and add the meat back to the soup. Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Taste, add more lemon if you'd like.  Add the basin, rice and salt.

Stir and serve.

 

I did not have fresh basil so I used dried and I did not have dried mint, so I used fresh.

I know the author of this cookbook say she goes thru gallons of it every winter when people have the flu.

We did not have the flu.

We liked the tad bit of spice, but not so much the cinnamon.  Still it was very good and the chicken was oh-so-tender.   If I make it again, I would reduce the cinnamon. But that's just for us.

 

 

 

 

 

Then I made an oatmeal pie!

A Very old-fashioned oatmeal pie that I found in an Amish Cookbook.

It's good.  It's like a big oatmeal cookie on top of a pecan pie filling.

Kind of.

 

I have a funky octagon shaped pie plate that I like to use, but  then the pieces are kind of misshapen.

 



And then, because yesterday was National Cherry Pie day (I was reminded by my friend Care at Care's Books and Pie), I put a cherry sauce on top and the cherry sauce was really good on top. (It would have been good on the bottom too, but I put it on the top.  Oh.. already  said that.  2x! )

 

I am not giving you the recipe for the oatmeal pie...another time perhaps...but I am going to link up with Weekend Cooking!

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts!

 

I found a new Foodie podcast on her site this week, so I'm excited!

Stop by to check things out over there.

 

A word of warning as I leave you..

Do not  go driving around with weird guys.

 

We are not 17 anymore.