Lasagna Soup

I don't know about where you live...but the weather here is so totally up and down! Chilly, jacket wearing weather followed up by searing humidity.
Huh?
I don't know how to dress, I certainly don't know what to cook!
One night it's comfort food for chilly winds, the next night we don't even want to turn the oven on because it's sticky and humid.

I am such a fall/winter person that I am LOVING when we get the chilly weather.
So into stews, chowders, casseroles...all the comfort foods that the fall bring.

What is your favorite comfort food?



Ingredients:

2 Tsp Olive oil

1 ½ Lbs Italian sausage (bulk)

2 Onions (diced)

4 Garlic cloves (minced)

2 Tsp Oregano

½ Tsp Red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp Tomato paste

1 (28 oz) Can diced tomatoes

6 Cups Chicken broth

2 Bay Leaves

8 oz Rotini pasta

½ Cup Basil (finely chopped)

8 oz Ricotta

½ Cup Parmesan (grated)

½ Tsp Salt

Pepper (to taste)

2 Cups Mozzarella (shredded)

Directions:

1. In large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat

2. Add sausage and saute, breaking into small pieces

3. Cook until sausage is no longer pink

4. Drain any excess fat

5. Add onions and saute until softened

6. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes

7. Add tomato paste and saute until it turns a rusty brown

8. Add diced tomato (undrained), chicken broth, and bay leaves

9. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes

10. Add pasta, increase heat to boil, and cook as long as directed on pasta package

11. Discard bay leaves, add basil

12. Add salt and pepper to taste

13. To each bowl add some ricotta and parmesan

14. Ladle the soup into the bowl

15. Top with mozzarella

Print

Yup, left out my basil. Whoops!

Ricotta and Parmesan in the bowl

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Cambridge Country Inn and Pub Sour Cream and Chive Potato Soup

I have never heard of Cambridge Country Inn and Pub before I saw this recipe on CD Kitchen.
I still haven't actually ever heard of it.

A quick Google search brought up a couple mentions of a place in Cambridge WI by this name. Without ever seeing a menu, I can only assume this is the one.

One Monday night I made this soup. We all enjoyed it that night. The following Thursday was a crazy day. Told hubby we were having the leftovers for dinner. He responded with "OMG AGAIN? How many times are we going to eat this?"
I reminded him it was only our second meal.
He was all "oh. I guess it just feels like more"
Huh?

So, reheated soup...handed him a bowl and he was all "I freaking love this soup"
Hmm.

Time to clean up dinner, there wasn't much left. He was determined to save every last drop.

I can only assume he had been thinking of some other meal when he "complained" earlier.

Men! They claim we are the hard ones to understand...I think not!

Ingredients:

1 ¼ Lb russet potato (peeled and diced into ½ inch square)

¾ Cup Margarine

¾ Cup flour

1 Onion (chopped)

2 Tbsp Vegetable oil

7 Cups Water

1 Bay leaf

2 Tbsp Chives (chopped)

1 Tbsp chicken base

1 Tsp Seasoned salt

¼ Tsp Black pepper

½ Tsp Garlic powder

2 Cups Milk

½ Cup Half and Half

1 ½ Cup Sour cream

Directions:

1. Cook potatoes until tender, set aside

2. For roux: Melt margarine in small saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour until well combined. Set aside.

3. In large soup pot, saute onion in oil until soft

4. Add water, bay leaf, chives, chicken base, seasoned salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil.

5. Whisk in milk and half and half.

6. Add roux. Stir frequently until thickened.

7. Add sour cream and potatoes.

8. Simmer until soup is hot through

Print

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Wonton Soup

Sadly, I announce the loss of my Patriots.
Philadelphia just played the better game.

:::sigh::: maybe next time.

Congrats Eagles fans!



Ingredients:

Wontons

½ Cup finely chopped napa or savoy cabbage

Coarse Salt

6 oz Ground pork

3 Green onions (finely chopped)

1 Tbsp Ginger (chopped)

1 Tsp Soy sauce

1 Tsp Sesame oil

24 Wonton wrappers

Soup

29 oz Chicken broth

Coarse Sat

3 Green onions (thinly sliced)

2-3 Tsp Rice vinegar

½ Tsp Sesame oil

Directions:

Prepare filling

1. Toss cabbage with ½ tsp salt. Let sit 10 minutes

2. Wrap cabbage in paper towels and squeeze out excess liquid

3. Mix cabbage, pork, green onions, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil

Wontons

1. Keep wontons covered with damp towel

2. Spoon rounded teaspoon into middle of each wonton wrapper

3. Fold wrapper in half over filling, press edges down firmly

4. Moisten one tip, bring together both tips on long side, press together to seal

Soup

1. Combine broth, 4 cups of water, and 1 tsp salt; bring to a boil

2. Add wontons one at a time, return to a boil

3. Reduce heat and simmer until wontons are cooked through, about 6 minutes

4. Stir in green onions, vinegar, sesame oil. Season with salt.

Print

Filling Ingredients

Step by step on the back of the wonton package

Cutie patootie

Soup ingredients

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Adapted From: Recipe Girl

Lisa's Beef Stew

I have lots of friends named Lisa. Seriously, sometimes there can be 6 of them in the same room!!
Craziness I tell ya!

One Lisa gave me this recipe for her beef stew.
I have my own that we are partial to, but always willing to try a new one!

I was laughing at myself while making this because she obviously typed it as she was trying to remember it all. There would be ingredients listed in the directions that were not in the ingredients list. So, my pictures are a little whacked, but it's all good!

This recipe makes a LOT of stew! We ate it for two meals, I brought it for lunch two days, and I have another couple of servings in the freezer!

Ingredients:

3 ½ Lb stew beef

5 Cloves garlic (crushed)

4-5 Medium onions (quartered)

2 Lbs carrots (chopped into large pieces)

6 Medium potato

2 Tsp salt

1 Tsp sugar

1 ½ Tsp pepper

½ Tsp paprika

3 Tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Bay leaves

Dash of tabasco

Dash of lemon juice

1 Cup flour

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Brown stew beef in a large pot with vegetable oil for about 20 minutes

2. Add 4 cups boiling water, spices (minus lemon), garlic, and 1 onion

3. Simmer (covered) for 1 hour

4. Add carrots, potato, and rest of onions

5. Simmer another hour

6. Add lemon during the last 15 minutes of cooking

7. To thicken, shake 1 cup flour with 1 ⅓ cup cold water until there are no lumps. Slowly add to stew.

Print

She forgot to tell me about the oil needed to brown the beef

Then I paperclipped over where it said to use potato!

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Soups Stews and Chowders 2017

It's that wonderful time of the year!
The leaves have turned, the temperatures are dropping...and I want nothing more than a big bowl of delicious-ness!

Comfort food reins supreme in the fall and winter, and here are some of my personal faves!

An InLinkz Link-up

Easy Potato Soup

I have this friend, and she is about as obsessed with cooking as I am
(Check her out over at A Day in the Life of Jennay. Yes, I do know her in real life ooohhhh)
We both have started these random recipe swaps with our friends. Well, some of them at least.

Anyhoo...this is the first of those particular recipes, so I am going to add a new label "random recipe swap".
I cannot link back to an original site, so that will have to be the next best thing!

This came from one of her friends named Kelly

Ingredients:

26 oz bag frozen hash browns

28 oz chicken broth

1 Can cream of chicken soup

¼ Cup chopped onion

¼ Tsp pepper

8 oz cream cheese

1 Cup milk

Bacon bits

Directions:

1. Add hash browns, broth, chicken soup, onion, and pepper to crock pot

2. Cook for 1 hour on high

3. Stir then turn to low for 1 hour

4. Add cream cheese and cook 30 minutes

5. Add milk and cook for 10-15 minutes longer

6. Serve and top with bacon bits

Print

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Rainy Season Chicken Soup

This is another recipe from the Diane Mott Davidson mystery series. A crime fighting caterer. Who would have thunk it?

I printed it offline, but can't track it back. A quick Google search provided more results than I care to report!

All I care about was the fact that this soup was delicious! I wish I had doubled it when I made it, we ate it all!

Ingredients:

2 Dried porcini mushrooms or 4 oz fresh shiitake

1 Tbsp butter

2 Leeks (white part only, diced)

1 Medium carrot (diced)

1 Medium onion (diced)

1 Large celery stalk (diced)

2 Chicken breast halves

2 Tbsp white wine

2 Tbsp flour

4 Cups chicken stock

1 Cup sour cream

1 Cup fideo (fine cut egg noodles)

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1. If using dried porcini: bring a small pan of water to a boil, drop in mushrooms. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cool. Slice thinly.

2. In large saute pan, melt butter over low heat

3. Add leeks, carrots, onion, celery, and chicken. Stir gently.

4. Cover and cook, stirring and flipping chicken, until done

5. Remove chicken and set aside to cool

6. Sprinkle flour over liquid and vegetables in pan

7. Stir and cook for 2 minutes

8. Slowly add white wine and 2 cups chicken broth

9. Stir and cook until bubbly and thickened

(if you are making this ahead of time, stop here to freeze)

10. Add the sour cream and allow to cook gently

11. Slice chicken into thin, bite sized strips

12. In a large pan, bring 2 cups broth to boil

13. Add noodles to boiling broth, cook 4 minutes (do not drain)

14. Slowly add the noodle/broth mixture to the hot vegetable and sour cream mixture.

15. Add chicken and bring up to a boil

16. Season to taste with salt and pepper

17. Serve immediately

Print

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Asian Ginger Broth

It's been a very busy week!
My parents came up to visit as we were planning a (belated) 50th anniversary party for my aunt and uncle.

We planned a nice brunch with a bunch of family.

A few days before, we planned to order subs from a fave place at another aunt and uncles...and invited the anniv couple, who, at this point, had no idea my parents were here.
My parents sat on the couch to the side while the guests of honor came in.
They walked right by them...assuming they were my other aunt (who was unable to join on that evening)
Once they realized what was going on, the tears were just flowing!
It was great!

My mother and her siblings are so close, and it's always great to see them together as it doesn't happen as often as they would all like.


It just makes me smile.




Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Ginger (finely minced)

2 Tbsp Garlic (finely minced)

1 Tsp Canola Oil

3 Tbsp Corn starch

1 Cup Cold water

7 Cups water

4 Vegetable bouillon cubes

Salt and Pepper

Assorted toppings: Green onion, noodles, chow mein noodles, mushrooms, carrots, tofu, chicken, radish, snow peas, spinach

Directions:

1. Combine oil, ginger, and garlic in a pot and saute for 5 minutes

2. Combine cornstarch and water

3. Add water to garlic mix, and add bouillon cubes

4. Add cornstarch mix

5. Bring to a boil, simmer 15 minutes

6. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Print

Adapted from: Do They Have Salsa in China?

The toppings I grabbed

Then hubby decided he wanted to add radishes to his

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