Vegetable Soup

2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
2 cans whole kernel corn, with liquid
2 cans sliced carrots, with liquid
2 cans potatoes, with liquid, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cans green beans, with liquid
salt and pepper to taste

Bring all ingredients to a slow boil in a large soup pot; simmer 10-15 minutes.

*I usually brown a pound of ground beef and add for some protein and a little extra flavor.

*Feel free to use fewer cans of vegetables or to add cans of different vegetables to suit your family's preferences. Be sure you always include the liquid from the can or add an equivalent amount of water to keep plenty of broth in the soup.

*You can use fresh vegetables instead of canned ones, but cooking time will need to be increased until vegetables are tender.

*Fresh, hot cornbread is a perfect complement.

Better Broccoli Cheese Soup

*This is the second broccoli cheese soup recipe on this blog. The first one has a sweet flavor; I prefer this more savory one.

3 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped broccoli
3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
6 Tbsp. margarine
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 c. milk
1 1/2 lb. Velveeta, cubed
pepper to taste

In a large pot over medium heat, simmer broccoli for 15 minutes.
*
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute until clear.

Add flour to the sauteed onions and stir well, forming a pasty substance. Gradually add the milk and stir until thick. Add this mixture to the broccoli mixture in the pot and stir well.

Add cheese, stirring until melted. Be sure not to bring soup to a boil or the cheese will break down.

Season to taste. Serve hot.

*Note: You can substitute broccoli florets for the chopped broccoli if you like large pieces in your soup.

If you like your soup thinner, add about a cup of water to the broth/broccoli mixture. You can skip the broth and use only water, but the broth adds a richer flavor to the soup.

Baked Potato Soup

*This is a modified Pampered Chef recipe from the Main Dishes cookbook.

4 medium or 3 large baked potatoes
4 slices bacon
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. green onions, thinly sliced
2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. milk
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
other seasonings as needed (I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.)
1 c. sour cream*
shredded cheddar cheese

Remove skins from baked potatoes and break apart into bite-size chunks, reserving 1/2 of one potato to mash; set aside.

In 4-quart soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towel to drain; crumble and set aside. Leave drippings in pot; add chicken broth, milk, potatoes, celery, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Turn off heat and add sour cream and bacon. Stir into soup until sour cream has melted. Ladle into bowls and top individual servings with cheese, if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings.

*You can add light sour cream, but it doesn't melt into the soup well and it changes the flavor and the consistency. Full fat sour cream adds a much smoother flavor, and you're not really getting all that fat since it's distributed throughout the whole pot of soup.

Note: You can stretch leftovers by adding another baked potato, milk, water, garlic, and seasoning. Just add ingredients to suit your taste and desired consistency.

Red Beans & Rice

This is an all-day Crock Pot dish. There's a lot of prep to it, but it's the best homemade red beans & rice I've ever eaten.

1 lb. small red beans - rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
1 lb. thick-cut ham, diced
1 lb. link sausage - quartered, sliced, browned, and drained
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 c. onion, chopped
3/4 c. green onion, sliced
1 1/2 c. celery, chopped
2/3 c. bell pepper, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. Tabasco
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. water

Add all ingredients to Crock Pot. Cook on HIGH 2 hours, then reduce heat to LOW for the rest of the day - or until beans are tender. (If you get a late start on it, leave it on HIGH all day.) Stir occasionally.

Optional: Remove 1/2 to 1 cup (or more, depending on personal preference) of beans and blend; add back to Crock Pot and stir in for creaminess.

Serve over rice. Cornbread makes a great side!

Chicken & Dumplings

3 large chicken breasts
3-4 quarts water
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. celery, finely chopped
1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
1 pkg. flour tortillas, cut into 2-inch squares (approximately)
season to taste (I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.)

Boil chicken in water. (Add celery and onion trimmings to create a more flavorful broth.)

Remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool. Skim trimmings off broth. Stir in soup, celery, and onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Season to taste.

Cut or tear chicken into bite-size pieces and add to broth. Add tortilla pieces, a few at a time, pushing under broth to keep from sticking together.

Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*This would be great with leftover turkey, too!

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

1 can tomato soup
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes (with basil, garlic & oregano)
1/2 c. Half & Half

Pour soup and tomatoes into blender or food processor and blend until smooth; pour into saucepan. Add Half & Half, stirring well. Heat over medium heat until almost boiling, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Thanks for the recipe, Tricia!

*I made a double recipe and had just enough left over for one small bowl of soup.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 14.5-oz. cans chicken broth
1 15-oz. can black beans, undrained
1 15-oz. can Mexican-style chili beans
1 15.5-oz. can Mexican diced tomatoes
1 10-oz. can diced Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 c. salsa
1 4-oz. can chopped green chilies
1 11-oz. can Mexicorn
1 15.5-oz. can white hominy, drained

Combine all ingredients in large stock pot; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over tortilla chips and top with grated cheese.

*My changes: Instead of using canned chicken broth, I used the chicken stock from boiling the chicken breasts. It was more than 29 ounces, probably more like 3 quarts (96 ounces). I also added some water. Since I made it in my 8-quart stock pot, I would guess I made a total of 6 quarts of soup, including the chicken and veggies. It lasted for several days.

Since Billy doesn't like chunks of tomatoes, I used my hand mixer to blend the larger can of tomatoes. I put the Ro-Tel in as it was, but will blend them next time, too.

I used a 6-oz. or larger can of green chilies, which turned out good.

Instead of Mexicorn, I used fiesta corn and drained it. It's cheaper and has more corn in the can.

Tip: When boiling chicken, add some trimmings from onions, peppers, and celery to the water. As it cooks, it provides a good natural seasoning for the chicken and the stock. If you won't be using the stock immediately, skim out the trimmings, let the stock cool, pour it into freezer bags, and store it for later.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

broccoli cheese soup paired with tomato basil bread from Panera
My sister Lindsay gave me this recipe. It's from a lady we went to church with long, long ago.

1 8-oz. block of mild Mexican Velveeta cheese, cut into small cubes
1 large bag of frozen broccoli florets, cooked according to package directions
1 large onion, chopped and sauteed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3 large cans evaporated milk

Combine cooked broccoli and sauteed onion in large pot; add cheese and stir until almost melted.

Stir in soup and evaporated milk; cook over medium-low heat until hot throughout, about 20 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent soup from scalding on the bottom.

Season to taste.