Parslied Chicken Chowder

2 T Butter OR Regular Margarine

1/4 c Onion -- Chopped

1 1/2 c Chicken -- Cooked, Cubed 1-Inch

1 1/2 c Potatoes -- Pared, Cubed 1/2-In

1 1/2 c Carrots -- Cubed, 1/4-inch

2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

1 t Salt

1/4 t Pepper

2 c -- Water

2 T Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

2 1/2 c Milk

Chopped Fresh Parsley 

Melt the butter over low heat in a 3-quart saucepan and cook the onion in the butter until tender but not browned. Add the cubed chicken, potatoes, carrots, bouillon cubes, salt, pepper and water. Cover and cook, over high heat, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, combine the flour and 1/2 cup of the milk in a jar. Cover and shake until blended and smooth. Stir the flour mixture and remaining 2 cups of milk into the vegetable-chicken mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from the heat and serve with the parsley sprinkled over.  

From whence it came:

My Aunt Carol, who is a fabulous cook, gave me this cookbook many years ago, for no reason except that she is so very nice.  This soup recipe was one of the first I tried and I've made it a bunch of times since.  It's a really interesting cookbook.  The Amish are not into counting calories or fat grams.  By reading my blog and seeing how many recipes I have posted in the "Sweet Stuff" category, you might just think I'm Amish!  I'm not, but I sure do like the way they cook.  Thanks for the great cookbook, Aunt Carol.  You really are one of the best cooks I know!

Why it's blogable:  I love soup!  It's one of my favorite dinners.  The Spy Who Loves Me isn't the biggest fan of soup, but he does love this one.  It is one of our family favorites!  It's creamy and delicious, and surprisingly healthy!  It's one of the healthier recipes in the Amish cookbook.  And one of the best!

Wanna know something weird?  I never add the parsley.  No reason, I just don't.  It's great without it so I just don't add it.  You can if you want to, but you might get a piece of parsley stuck between your teeth and embarrass yourself.  If you're into living dangerously, add the parsley!  Go ahead, live on the edge!

You should serve it with this:
Amish Bread
This recipe is not from the Amish cookbook, but it is one of the best breads you will ever make, and one of the easiest!  It's perfect with this soup!

Click here to get the printable:
Parslied Chicken Chowder

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Chunky Taco Soup

1 1/2 lbs boneless beef sirloin or round steak, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
2 cans (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (14 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 oz.) cream-style corn
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 c. water
1/4 c. minced fresh cilantro

In a large kettle or Dutch oven, brown beef and onion in oil. Add the pinto beans, tomatoes, black beans, corn, water, salad dressing mix and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until meat is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro. Makes about 12 servings.

From whence it came: Here's another goodie from my great friend, Kerinda VanWagoner. Last time, when I posted her Creamy Crock Pot Chicken recipe, she was offended that I didn't call her my BFF. She is so high maintenance, but we will forgive her because she is letting us all enjoy this wonderful recipe. She really is one of my BFFs, and so is this soup!

Why it's blogable: It is simmering on my stove right this very minute and my house smells divine! I think if you told me I could only make one soup recipe for the rest of my life I would pick this one...that's how much I love it! It's almost like chili, but better! It's very hearty and it has a mixture of great flavors. Plus, it's low in fat and high in fiber. That's a good combo, especially if you are a Weight Watcher, which I used to be, which I should be again, but which I'm not right now! So get off my back about the weight thing! I don't want to hear about it! Enough already! Oh, sorry, I obviously have some pent up frustration with my current "off the wagon" Weight Watchers status. Don't worry, I'll drag my chubby self back up on the wagon one of these days, and when I do I will still make this soup because it is a healthy choice!

Just so ya know: I usually cook it longer than 20 minutes. I think it's good if it simmers a while. You can make it with regular corn and not the creamed stuff. It's good both ways. Also, and I've said this before, I don't like cilantro, so I never add it. It's yucky and it gets between your teeth and causes awkward moments when talking to others. And it's yucky! Tonight I'm serving this soup with Amish Bread. Have you tried that recipe yet? If not, you really should!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Corn Chowder

Make roux by melting ½ c. butter in a small saucepan then adding ½ c. flour. Stir until well combined and bubbly. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the following and place in large pot:

5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped

Cover vegetables with water and cook until potatoes are tender, but not mushy. Without draining water, add the following:

Two cans corn, drained (Or you can use frozen corn. Just put in about as much frozen corn as would be in two cans, probably about two cups. I prefer the flavor of frozen corn, but it's really good with canned corn, too!)

Stir in roux until mixture is thickened and then add milk to your desired consistency.

Stir in:

1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook over low flame until hot and well combined, about 20 minutes. (Be careful, it will burn easily!)

When serving, top with grated cheese if desired.

From whence it came: This recipe came from Lynn, the younger sister of The Spy Who Loves Me. You might remember me telling you about her in the Chicken Crescent Roll Ups recipe. I remember one time, about 20 years ago, she made this soup when the whole family was camping up in the Redwood National Forest. It was such a fun trip, and this soup was perfect for a chilly night under the stars. A little disclaimer about me and camping, I'm not the biggest lover of the experience. I had a great time on the Redwood trip, but given the chance, I'll take a cabin over a tent any day of the week. The Spy Who Loves Me comes from a family of brave and studly campers. I come from a family of brave and studly hotelers. The thought that was going through my head as that man signed the marriage license was, "I'm must convert him to cabin camping." And I did. And he prefers it! We have a tent, at least I think we do, maybe we don't, I'm not sure. Who cares...we are a cabin lovin' family! Someday I'll tell you the story about when we were staying in a cabin in the woods and while on a family quad ride The Spy Who Loves Me took to flirting with a very large cow. He was trying to look menacing by standing up really tall on the quad so the beast would move out of the middle of the road. The roast beast took it as flirting and we hit the gas on our quads and high tailed it out of there. Flirting with a cow wasn't his best decision ever, but in the end, we lived to tell about it. Remember how I said that someday I'd tell you the story about when The Spy Who Loves Me flirted with a cow? I just did!

Why it's blogable: It's good ol' comfort food! You just feel so warm and cozy when you serve this soup for dinner. It isn't exactly figure friendly, but it's worth letting your belt out a notch...or two!

Roux: If you've never used a roux to thicken soup, don't be scared. It is so easy, and it adds amazing flavor and creaminess. You just use equal amounts of butter and flour. Melt the butter, then stir in the flour and let it cook until it bubbles, stirring constantly. Each little tiny bit of flour will be coated with butter and that way you won't get any lumps. You can do it! I believe in roux...I mean you!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Quick Italian Soup

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package Lasagna Hamburger Helper
5 cups hot water
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz. can whole kernel corn, undrained, or 1 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 small zucchini, chopped

Cook beef and onion in large pot until beef is browned, drain.

Stir in hot water, sauce mix, tomatoes, corn and cheese. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in uncooked pasta and zucchini. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer. Sprinkle each serving with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

From whence it came: This recipe was given to me by another really great friend, Shannon Hall. Not only did Shannon give this soup to me, she has made this soup for me! The day after my dad died, after a very long day of making burial arrangements, I came home to a delicious, hot dinner made by my amazing friends, Shannon and Kerinda. Now, every time I make this soup, I think of them, and how they were there for me during a very difficult time. Shannon is what I call a true cook. She cooks almost every single night of the week. But more importantly, she shares my love for Tim McGraw (although I love him more and I am his biggest fan, she is his second). We attended his concert together a couple of summers ago and much to our surprise and delight, he filmed a video that night and we ended up being the stars. I'm not kidding! You go ahead and watch his video Suspicion and you will see Shannon's wrist and half of my forehead. Stars I tell you, stars! Shannon is a giving person, and I'm so happy she gave me this recipe!

Why it's blogable: This soup is really yum-e! Now you might stick your nose up at Hamburger Helper, and to tell you the truth, I only buy it for this recipe, but trust me on this one. It makes a great base for this soup. And when the soup is done, just hide the box in the bottom of the trashcan and I promise you that no one will ever know you used the mix. Don't be a snob, give it a try!

If you want to: You can add more veggies if you'd like. Yellow squash looks really pretty in this, too, and tastes great! You can also top it with a little bit of mozzarella cheese if you're in the mood for stringy goodness! Serve it with a salad and warm French bread and your family will smile!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

6 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

(My favorite way to cook chicken is in the crockpot. Just toss it in (even if it's frozen), pop on the lid and crank it to high. No water necessary. It cooks perfectly every time and is never dry. If you're going to be gone most of the day, set the crockpot to low. Baking the chicken is also a great way to cook it. I am not a fan of boiling and I never microwave chicken.)

Place chicken in the crockpot with the following ingredients:

1 large bottle V8 hot and spicy juice
Fill the empty juice bottle with water and add to the crockpot
3 chopped green onions
2 cubes chicken bullion
1 jar thick and chunky salsa
1/2 T. seasoned pepper
1/2 T. chili powder
1 1/2 T. seasoned salt

Simmer for a few hours until hot. (You can also do this on the stove.)

This is how we serve it:

We put tortilla chips in a soup bowl (I like Padrinos low fat chips) then put grated cheddar cheese on top of the chips. Add the hot soup on top of the cheese and chips and enjoy! Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, if desired. (I do not like cilantro! It is one of my least favorite foods on the planet, so I never use it, but that's just me.)

From whence it came: My wonderful friend, JoDee Glazier, gave me this wonderful recipe. JoDee and I have made so many great memories over the years. Even though I don't see her nearly often enough these days, she is a forever friend, with some very yummy recipes. Her aunt owns a company called Wild Coyote that makes my favorite salad dressing in the whole wide world. As far as I know, it's only sold in Utah, so when we travel to the Beehive State I always bring some home. Wild Coyote also makes really yummy salsa. Thanks for the great recipe, JoDee!

Why it's blogable: It's a rare occasion when I feel that you can truly say something is DELICIOUS and NUTRITIOUS! Let's just be honest here, way too often the food that is good for your body isn't necessarily taste bud friendly. This recipe is an exception to the rule. The original recipe called for a cup of butter to be added, if you can even believe that, but I never tried it with the butter. Don't get me wrong, butter is my friend. I use butter often in many recipes. Paula Deen and I both have a close personal relationship with butter. But butter does not belong in this recipe. It just doesn't. Another reason this recipe is blog worthy is every single member of my family gets a big smile on their face when they find out it's Chicken Tortilla Soup night. It is a huge family favorite, and everyone I've ever made it for has loved it. Two more blogable reasons, it's so very easy to make and it freezes perfectly. I have a batch frozen in my freezer right at this very moment. Perfect for those hectic days where making dinner is the last thing on my frazzled mind.

One last thing: This soup is not spicy. To make it more spicy, use hot salsa and/or add more chili powder. I use mild salsa and make it just the way it says and it really isn't spicy at all. I normally serve it with a green salad, corn bread and honey butter. See, we did end up using butter after all!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!