Easy Creamy Mushroom Soup

We accidentally bought four pounds of mushrooms this week.  Accidentally, because when I told my daughter to go pick out "a bag of mushrooms," I was thinking of the mushroom bags at Fred Meyer, but we were shopping at Winco, which offers actual small shopping bags for mushrooms, and they're about twice as big as the Fred Meyer bags.  She dutifully filled the bag (no wonder she took so long!) and I didn't have the heart to make her put them back since she did exactly what I asked.

So...we're using mushrooms this week.  I already had two recipes that called for them, and I'll saute some in butter and freeze them for future meals, but she also asked me to make mushroom soup.  I found a recipe online that sounded good, but, as you know if you've read this blog for any length of time, I'm not capable of leaving well enough alone.  And so I tweaked it.  Significantly.  Beyond recognition.  And it's delicious. 

Easy Creamy Mushroom Soup


4T butter
3/4 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (if the mushrooms are very large cut them in thirds and then slice)
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme (I actually used three that were each about 3" long)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 c. chicken broth, divided
6 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. half and half


In a 3 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic and saute until the onion is soft and mushrooms are tender.  Add thyme, salt, pepper, and 2 1/2 cups chicken stock.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbling.

Combine the cornstarch and remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth, stirring until smooth.  Stir into soup mixture.  Continue stirring until thickened.  Reduce heat to low; stir in half and half and simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Makes three servings.

And now I have to go make another batch because there are no leftovers for a certain 9-year-old's lunchbox thermos this week.  😀

Not Quite Minestrone Soup

I made this soup for dinner the other night and everyone thought it was delicious.  I think my daughter (the zucchini hater) is even planning to take the leftovers in her thermos for lunch today. 

It's not quite minestrone, since I'm pretty sure minestrone is always vegetarian, and I put meat in it (my family requires meat in almost all things).  Not a lot of meat, though, just a little.

I started with this recipe and tweaked it to suit our tastes.

Easy Meaty Not Quite Minestrone Soup

2 links sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 small onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced (I didn't bother to peel them)
2 celery ribs, diced
2 T. minced garlic (or four cloves)
2 c. shredded zucchini
2 c. diced tomatoes (I actually used six whole frozen tomatoes, peels removed)
4 c. chicken broth
1 12-oz bag frozen spinach
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 T. dried Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. dried orzo pasta
shredded parmesan cheese, for serving

In a six-quart pot, break up sausage.  Add onion, carrots, and celery, and cook five minutes over medium heat until sausage is cooked through and vegetables are soft.  Add remaining ingredients except orzo and parmesan.  Bring just to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.  Add orzo pasta and cook an additional 10-12 minutes or until pasta is cooked.  Serve topped with shredded parmesan cheese.

Makes six large servings,

Ham and White Bean Soup

Happy New Year, everybody! I hope your holidays were happy and healthy ones. I'm looking ahead to 2017 and making some changes.  First and foremost, We're making over our eating.  I've been working with a health coach all fall and she's given me some great advice on incorporating healthy grains, and reminded me of the importance of fruits and vegetables at every meal.  My daughter has had a conversation with her doctor about the importance of healthy eating, and we are fired up!

In other food news, we're getting half a pig any day now (I buy half a pig, several chickens, and, for the first time this year, a heritage turkey from my sister-in-law's every year - her family raises them on their farm), so in preparation for that I cleaned out the freezer during my Christmas break.  I discovered that we managed to eat most of last year's pig - I only found one slice of ham, a pack of cottage bacon (yay - love that stuff!), and a couple of packages of ham hocks.  The only thing I know to do with ham hocks is make white beans, so that was our New Year's Day dinner (always refreshing after a week of eating holiday leftovers and not-so-healthy New Year's Eve food!).  As always, I started with a basic recipe and made it my own...here's what I came up with.

Ham Hock and White Bean Soup
Serves 6

1 pound ham hocks
2 c. dry small white beans, sorted, rinsed, soaked and drained (I used a quick soak method)
2 T. olive oil
3 carrots, chopped
3 ribs and all the leaves from one head of celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp. dried summer savory
2 tsp. dried thyme
3 dried bay leaves
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups low-salt or salt-free chicken stock (I use homemade)
salt to taste

Heat olive oil in a 4 quart stock pot or dutch oven.  Add carrots, celery, and onion, and saute until just beginning to brown.  Add ham hocks, beans, garlic, spices, and chicken stock.  Add enough water to cover the beans by 1 1/2 inches.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are nearly tender, around 90 minutes.  Return to a boil, uncover, and cook until beans are cooked to desired tenderness (we like them a little thick, not too soupy).  Remove ham hocks from the soup, remove meat from bones, and return meat to the soup, stirring to combine.  Serve hot with crusty rolls.

It was delicious and I can't wait to eat the leftovers in my lunch today!

Happy 2017, all - hope it's a great one for you. 

Sausage and Potato Soup

I made this up on the fly tonight.  I don't know why I decided to put breakfast sausage in soup, but it really worked.  It was inhaled at my house!

Sausage and Potato Soup
Serves 3 gluttons, apparently.

1 pound pork breakfast sausage
1 medium onion, diced
3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn 
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. caraway seeds
1 pinch celery seeds
1/2 t. black pepper

salt to taste (depending on your sausage you may not need any)
3 T. cornstarch mixed with 1/4 c. cold water
1/2 cup heavy cream
hot sauce to taste

In a soup pot, fry sausage and onion over medium heat until browned.  Once the meat is cooked through, add potatoes and continue to cook five more minutes.  Add chicken broth, corn,garlic, caraway seeds, celery seeds, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Return to a boil and add cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir until slightly thickened.  Reduce heat to medium low; add cream and hot sauce and cook a few minutes more or until the cream is warmed through.

Ham and Potato Soup

Made this up for dinner tonight.  It was so delicious I thought I'd better write down the recipe before I forget what I put in it!

Ham and Potato Soup
Serves 4 - 6

2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 c. chicken broth
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large potato (or equivalent - I used six baby potatoes), diced
2 c. diced ham
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. cornstarch, mixed with 2 T. cold water until smooth
1/2 cup half and half

In a three-quart pot, saute the onions in the butter and olive oil until they just start to brown.  Add chicken broth, potato, ham and seasonings.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.  Stir in cornstarch mixture; turn temperature back up to medium-high.  Cook and stir until thickened.  Add half and half.  Reduce heat to low and cook five minutes more.

Caitlyn's Vegetable Soup

I let Caitlyn take the reins on dinner tonight.  She's been talking for weeks about a soup recipe she's been putting together in her head, so I let her have at it.  I think I'm going to let her be in charge of dinner one night a week this year.  I have to cook with her, as she's only six and hasn't gotten the hang of reading a recipe yet, but I'll let her plan the menu and I'll step back and be her sous chef.

For tonight's dinner, she made vegetable soup (recipe below), garlic crescent rolls (crescent rolls from a can brushed with melted garlic butter before rolling and baking), and sour cream chocolate chip muffins for dessert (recipe from the Taste of Home Cookbook). She was going to make a salad, too, but we decided there were so many veggies in the soup that it really wasn't necessary.  And now, on to the recipe!

Caitlyn's Vegetable Soup
Serves Four

2 T. olive oil
4 large shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
7 baby gold potatoes, diced
3 large carrots, scrubbed and sliced
2 cups frozen peas
2 ears corn, roasted in the husks at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, then kernels cut off cob
15 mushrooms, sliced
1 quart vegetable broth (could also use chicken broth)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. celery seed
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 large leaves romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

Heat the olive oil in a 4 quart pot.  Add shallots and garlic and saute until lightly browned.  Add remaining ingredients except parsley and lettuce.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are cooked through.  Add parsley and lettuce and cook five minutes more, or until wilted.

Enjoy!

Caitlyn's Ramen Egg Flower Soup

Hello!  I'm back!  I certainly didn't intend to take the summer off but it appears I've done just that.  I was brought back by a delicious soup my daughter made for lunch today, which she asked me to post.  I'm very excited that at the tender age of five, she already understands that, except for baking, it is perfectly ok to use a recipe as a guideline, not as a rule.  The recipe she was following in her cookbook called merely for ramen, six spinach leaves, three mushrooms, and 1/4 cup each of corn and peas.  Caitlyn's version is much more flavorful!

Caitlyn's Ramen Egg Flower Soup

(makes 3 large servings)

1 package ramen (I recommend pork, chicken, or oriental flavor)
1 large handful fresh spinach
1/2 c. corn kernels
1/2 c. peas
6 mushrooms, chopped
3 c. water (or two cups chicken broth and one cup water)
2 t. chicken base or 2 bouillon cubes (omit if using chicken broth)
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. dried minced onion
pinch dried red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten

Break noodles into a two or three quart saucepan.  Add water or chicken broth, ramen seasoning packet, vegetables, and seasonings.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes or until spinach is wilted and the vegetables are cooked through.  Slowly drizzle egg into the soup to form ribbons in the mixture.  Stir gently, and cook two minutes more.  Serve immediately.

Chicken and Dumplings - the Easy Way

Sorry about the picture - the lighting was all off!

The other day I found a chicken in the freezer that was obviously about to be past its prime, so I decided to make chicken and dumplings.  Usually this is a meal I make with a leftover carcass, but I decided I'd try the "whole chicken" method this time and see how it worked.  Here's what I did:

Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 6

1 whole chicken, giblet packet removed and discarded (or do whatever you do with those)
3 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut in 1/2 inch slices
3 celery ribs, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
7 cloves garlic, chopped
8 cups water
1 T. kosher salt
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. cold water
1 1/3 c. Bisquick or other baking mix
2/3 c. milk

Put the chicken in a 5 - 6 quart dutch oven or stockpot.  Add vegetables, water and seasonings.  Cover and simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken and let sit for 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle.  Remove bay leaves and discard.

While chicken cools, mix flour and cold water until there are no lumps.  Add to soup mixture and cook until slightly thickened.

Remove half the meat from the chicken and return to the pot.  Reserve remaining chicken for another use (and you can save the carcass to make stock).

Mix Bisquick and milk.  Use soup spoons to drop batter into the broth (about 1/4 cup per dumpling).  Cover pot and cook 20 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. 

Pasta Fagioli

Today we got our first snowfall of the year.  Not much to speak of (it melted about half an hour after it hit the ground), but enough that a big pot of soup and a fresh loaf of bread sounded like just the ticket for dinner tonight.  So, my daughter and I whipped up a couple of loaves of 30-minute baguettes and I made a pot of this soup.

Pasta Fagioli

1 T. olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, removed from casings if necessary (I used chicken this time, because it's what I had in the freezer)
2 cups kale, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 quart chicken broth
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups uncooked small pasta (I used bow ties)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1 can cannelloni beans, drained

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the sausage and cook until browned.  Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, and garlic.  Bring to a boil. 

Stir in pasta, half of the cheese, seasoning, and beans.  Cover and simmer until pasta is tender (between eight and 20 minutes, depending on what variety you use). 

Serve with the remaining cheese sprinkled over the top. 

baked potato and cauliflower soup for one

Made this for lunch the other day. Good stuff! It would be good with cheese added, too - I was going to and forgot.

1/2 c. chopped cauliflower
water
1 medium baked potato, diced
1/2 T. butter
1 cup milk (I used half milk and half fat free half and half for a richer taste)
salt and pepper to taste
pinch celery seed
1 tsp. dried minced onion
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

In a medium saucepan, steam the cauliflower in a bit of water until tender. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine, and cook until heated through. Eat as is or process in a blender (or with a stick blender) to make it thicker.

Chicken Corn Chowder

I made this for dinner last night, and now have leftovers for several lunches this week. So easy, and so good!

4 chicken tenderloins
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cans creamed corn
2 large potatoes, diced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water

In your soup pot, saute the chicken in the oil until they are brown on both sides. Remove and dice. Add the butter to the pot, then add the onion and saute until it starts to brown (I like to add a pinch of salt to this step if I'm using unsalted butter).

Add the garlic, corn, potatoes, chicken broth, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Heat just until boiling; reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about 15 minutes.

Add the milk and diced chicken and heat five minutes more. Check your seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Mix the cornstarch and cold water and add to the pot. Continue to cook until slightly thickened, about five more minutes.

Chicken and Dumplings

This is the perfect meal for a day or two after you've eaten a roasted chicken. Save the carcass and keep it in the fridge till you're ready for it (no more than four days or so though!).

If you don't have a chicken carcass, just skip the stock-making step and use six or so cups of chicken broth.

To make the Stock:
1 leftover chicken carcass
8 cups water
1 carrot, cut in 1-inch chunks (peeling not necessary, just scrub it well)
2 ribs celery, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 small onion, cut in 1-inch chunks
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
5 - 7 whole black peppercorns

Pick as much meat off the carcass as you can, and set it aside (you'll add it back in later). Break the carcass up into chunks (you'll want it fairly flat in the pan), and put it in a large pot. Add the remaining ingredients, and pour the water over the top (if it's not enough to cover, just keep adding more water till it is). Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for two hours.

After two hours, strain it into a bowl using a fine-mesh strainer to catch all the little herb bits (don't worry if some remain, it doesn't have to be completely clean, just make sure you at least get all the peppercorns out!). If there is a lot of fat, skim it off the top (you can use the fat in place of the butter in the dumplings). Pour it back into the pan and return it to the heat.

To make the soup:

2 carrots, sliced (peeled if desired)
2 celery ribs, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (use what you pulled off the carcass)
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 can evaporated milk, divided (I use evaporated skim milk)
salt and pepper to taste

Add the vegetables and poultry seasoning to the stock. Cover and let simmer 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, make a roux: in a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the flour, stirring constantly. Cook for two minutes. Open the evaporated milk and measure out one cup. Set this aside (you'll need it for the dumplings). Add the remaining milk to the butter and flour mixture, stirring until the mixture thickens.

When the vegetables are done, stir in the chicken, peas, and roux. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is dissolved. The mixture will thicken slightly, but will remain fairly soupy (if you like a thicker base, just make more roux). Cover and let simmer while you make the...

Dumplings

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 cup evaporated milk
3 tablespoons butter

In a medium-size bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley. Melt the butter and stir in the milk (this is the milk you reserved earlier). You can do this in the microwave or on the stovetop, doesn't matter. You just want the mixture to be warm, not hot. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture all at once, stir just to combine.

Drop by spoonfuls onto the soup. Cover and cook over low heat for 17 minutes, or until dumplings feel firm when you press on them. Don't take off the lid while they cook! They rely on the steam to cook the tops.

Lentil Soup

I made this for lunch today. Yum, yum, yum!

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 cups beef or vegetable broth
2/3 cups dry lentils, rinsed well
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add lentils and spices; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until lentils are soft. Add tomato sauce and salt and pepper, cook 10 minutes more.

Makes 3 generous servings.

"Chocolate" Chili

Ok, this doesn't taste like chocolate. But the cocoa powder gives it a beautiful color and a very good depth of flavor!

3/4 pound ground beef
1/4 pound chorizo, cooked* (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 can chili beans, mostly drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 jalapeno, most ribs and seeds removed, chopped (you can leave this out for mild chili)
1 small can diced green chilis
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, onions and garlic. Drain, and put into 3-quart or larger saucepan. Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine. Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes - taste and adjust seasonings. Repeat until the chili has simmered for an hour.

*Note: Chorizo is a flavorful Mexican sausage. I have found it at Thriftway in a "fresh pack" made with regular ground pork. I have also found it frozen, in tubes, in most stores. The regular pork kind is better - it cooks to a better consistency and isn't so watery. If you buy the frozen in tubes kind, do yourself a favor and don't read the ingredient label. I precook the whole package and then separate it into smaller packages in the freezer because I'd never use the whole amount in one dish!