Cauliflower Soup

I got this recipe from thepioneerwoman.com. It is a bit of an indulgence, but so worth it!

1 stick Butter, Divided
½ whole Onion, Finely Diced
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Half-and-half
2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste
1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown.

Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.

Serve immediately.

Buffalo Chicken Soup

1 TBSP Butter

1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery

1/2 cup diced onions

2 14-oz cans chicken broth

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp hot pepper sauce

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup blue cheese

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 2-LB rotisserie chicken, shredded

additional hot pepper sauce and blue cheese for topping

1. Melt butter in a large pot, add celery and onion. Cook until onion is tender. Add broth, milk, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a simmer.

2. In a large bowl combine cheeses and flour. Add cheese a little at a time, letting it melt in between each addition. Stir in chicken and heat through.

3. Top with additional blue cheese and hot pepper sauce.

Taco Soup

A great easy recipe for a gloomy day!

Ingredients

1 LB ground beef

1/2 chopped onion

1 15oz can stewed tomatoes

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 15oz can pinto beans

1 15oz can kidney beans

1 15oz can corn

1 envelope taco seasoning

Directions

1. Brown beef along with onion in a large pot, drain fat.

2. Add canned items, including the liquids. Add seasoning.

3. Simmer 20 minutes.

4. Serve topped with tortilla chips, sour cream, grated cheese, and avocado.

This also works great in the crock pot!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This is the soup my mom always made growing up and I love it! It is such a comfort food, and it is so yummy!

Ingredients:

3 chicken tenderloins

8 cups water

3 TBSP chicken bouillon powder (more of less to taste)

1/2 cup baby carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 package of Mother's brand frozen egg noodles - prepared per package instructions

Directions:

1. Combine water, chicken, bouillon, carrots and celery. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is cooked through.

2. Remove chicken and shred into bite sized pieces. Return to pot.

3. Cook noodles according to package (Thaw and boil, drain). Add noodles to chicken mixture and heat through. Serve warm.

Wasatch Mountain Chili

A friend of mine gave me this recipe and I love it!  It is unique, yummy and so easy to throw into the slow cooker.  Perfect for rainy days!

½  Medium Onion, chopped

1 TBSP  Cooking Oil

1 15-oz Can Hominy, rinsed and drained

1 15-oz Can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

1 14-oz Can Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth

9 oz  Frozen, precooked Chicken Strips

¼ Cup     Lime Juice

1 TBSP      Fresh, chopped Cilantro

¼ tsp     Ground Cumin

¼ tsp          Ground Black Pepper

½ Cup      Shredded Cheese (Monterey Jack or Cheddar)

1 4-oz Can        Diced Green Chilies

Tortilla Chips

Fresh chopped cilantro

In a skillet cook onion in hot oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, transfer to slow cooker. Stir in hominy, beans, chicken broth, frozen chicken, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, and pepper. Cover and bring to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Serve topped with cheese, green chilies, tortilla chips, and fresh cilantro.

Serves 4

Winter Cheese Soup

Feeling the Chill in the air? -- Well actually, we are still very hot in CA but I like to pretend it's turning cold and get out our favorite Soup recipes. Enjoy this one,
we have been loving it for years.

Cheese Soup
In a Heavy Soup pot:
Melt 2 Sticks Butter
1 Cup Flour
stir to make a paste

Add in:
4 Cups Water
4 Cups Broth
begin stirring until thickened

Add in:
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese (cut into squares)
1 - 2 Cups diced carrots
1 - 2 Cups fresh broccoli
optional: 1 Cup diced potato's
note: vegetables need to be steamed before adding to soup
and vegetables can be any desired amount

Simmer on stove for 20 minutes

Serving tips, works well to cut recipe in half if serving for a smaller group. And, for something fun, try serving it in bread bowls or serve with french bread and a fresh bowl of grapes for a complete dinner.